Avengers # 1 1/2 p. 1 Title Splash

This is the title and opening splash page to Avengers #1 1/2, Roger Stern and Bruce Timm's wonderful homage to the roots of the Avengers. It was a thoroughly fun & entertaining comic book from the late 1990s, an era in comics that could have used much more of both, that captures the spirit of what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were trying to achieve in the early days of Marvel Comics. (Also, to paraphrase Mr. Stern from some interview somewhere, it was the comic that brought back white spaces between the panels).

Timm, greatly helped by Stern's pitch-perfect script, took what is essentially a joke/gimmick (adding an extra issue of "The Avengers" between issues 1 & 2 in which the Avengers take on, per the cover, "a mystery guest villain" -- snort!) and not only ran with it, but scored a touchdown. If you haven't read it, and you have even the slightest interest in Silver Age Marvel, find a back issue or order it on Comixology (or the like), find your inner 10-year-old and enjoy. (I'm also pretty sure actual 10-year-olds would enjoy it as well.)

Timm's mixture of his own perfected animation style with that of "the King's" early '60's style is one of the many pleasures this book affords. The cameo of Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in news, introducing the Avengers to the American public and the world at large, is a nice touch. I love how Timm gives Walter a sparse, Dick Ayers inking treatment while giving the Avengers a bit more detail (but not so much as to break the spell he and Stern are trying to weave).

And check out that group shot. It's not as action-filled as the cover or as dynamic as the special pin-up Timm produced for the issue, but it goes a long way in telling a story. I'm more of a panel-page guy than a splash or cover guy (even if I could afford to buy them) because the panel pages are where the actual magic happens. Here, however, Timm manages to tell plenty in this one image. Check out the posture and body language of the "team" and how all four of the other superheroes frame and contrast with the Hulk. The way he draws the reader's eye squarely toward the Hulk is a superb bit of cartooning and a sample of the pleasures to come in this issue.

Spoilers, in issue #2, the Hulk splits with the team (he was really there only so that the others could better keep an eye out on him) and Stern and Timm have a field day throughout the issue playing off the tension between the Jade Giant and his teammates. Stern's script also makes clear that the Avengers, at this stage, really aren't that much of a team (and they wouldn't be until Cap comes along), and it is all set up from the start by the opening splash. By the way, the Hulk is a hoot throughout and his interaction with the others, especially the hyper-competitive Thor, whose godliness just doesn't allow him to try and psychologically placate the not-so-jolly green giant, drives the story almost as much as Doctor Doom's titular death trap does.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch: Another thing I like about the page is the blue-pencil notes Bruce Timm leaves for his teammates. Apparently, the original title of the story was "Secret Mission" and Timm noticed that it's not really all that secret and suggests a different title. It's mostly blocked out by the solid black inks up where the title would reside; however, enough of the bottom tier of his lettering remains to see that his suggestion must have been heeded. (This, by the way, is also very reminiscent of the "notes" Jack and Stan would leave for each other on the OA from this era that I've seen in other collector's galleries. Unlike the twice-up pages of the day, however, Timm drew this on much smaller animation paper, his preferred medium.)

Also, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I am not the biggest fan of pages that do not have word balloons; however, while the lettering in the comic was done on computer by Comicraft, Timm marks, also in blue pencil, the spaces where Mr. Cronkite's news patter will be. To quote Uncle Walt, "BLAH BLAH BLAH & MORE BLAH BLAH BLAH".

Finally, thanks go out to Will Gabri-El and the consignor of this page. I always have found Will a pleasure to deal with and, as in the past, he even provided the scan I am using.