P is for Henry Pym

Hank Pym

Who?  


Well,  Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym was the original Ant-Man.  He was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby and made his debut inTales to Astonish #27 in January 1962.

He was a founding member of The Avengers (and one of only two not to make it into the movie).


He later became Giant-Man...

Then Goliath...

Then Yellowjacket...

And so on....but the REAL reason he is on this list...he was front and center on the cover of the FIRST comic I ever bought....Avengers # 228....

O is for The Outsiders

Last year, I entered a contest on "Here in Bongo Congo" wherein you have to come up with your perfect cast for a comic book-based movie. And of all the entires in the contest, I won!!!!!

At the time, I struggled far longer than I should have, but thought I would post all of me thoughts here so that I could share what I was thinking about.

I decided to cast a movie based on a comic book from the 1980s entitled "Adventures of The Outsiders". I was looking at this cover specifically for inspiration:

For those of you who may not know, the series started as "Batman and the Outsiders" in 1983, as a way for Batman to get a little edgier and move away from "cosmic" sort of adventures with Superman and the rest of the Justice League.

After awhile, Batman left the book and "The Outsiders" continued on their own. I liked the idea of using this group, as none of the characters wear full face masks, so it sort of matters who you cast.

Here are my choices:

Kenneth Branagh As Geo-Force

You might know him as Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter

Vin Diesel As Metamorpho

Jamie Chung As Katana

Jessica Biel As Looker

Donald Glover As Black Lightning

and AnnaSophia Robb as Halo

So there you go....my choices for a rather obscure (to the general public) group of superheroes. I actually enjoyed putting this together. The hardest part was finding a decent image of Halo, one that captures her youth and naiveté.

N is for Nightcrawler

My all time favorite X-Men character.  There was something smooth and suave about him. I loved the look of the character. I loved the simplicity of his costume. I loved his power and the mystery that surrounded him.

My favorite version is the John Byrne version from Uncanny X-Men 108 to 141 but I could not find a decent scan of him!  So I used this one by Alan Davis from Excalibur.  It was a series with great promise that seemed to fizzle quick.  And like so many characters from my youth, when I rediscovered comics in the last few years, Kurt Wagner was no longer someone I recognized.

M is for Mary Jane

This is the only issue of this series that I own. I may have read some of the earlier ones, but if I have read this issue, it does not stand out for me. It is the second part of a four issue story arc. It has a manga-influenced look to its art, which is something I do not care for. 

And I have a total of 16 copies of this comic book in my collection.

The reason is simple: my daughter.

Before my son was born, my little girl would do EVERYTHING for me. She wanted comic books and action figures and to watch baseball games and Star Wars with me.

She still does all of that, but from birth until some time after the above comic came out, comics were everything for her. So much so, she wanted to write a letter to the writer of this comic.

She composed a letter and with my help sent it off to Marvel. Her letter was printed in this issue. I tried to get a photo of her letter but couldn't swing it (no pun intended).

It is a rambling letter. It reads like she is trying to be "grown up" and "serious". It is so "her".

Anytime I visit a new comic shop in my travels, I will look in their back issues and pick up a copy of this book.

I sometimes get these grand notions that my collection might mean "something" some day....not for any huge value but recognized for complete runs or conditions or...something. When I think about it being looked over and discussed after I am gone, I would love for there to be some puzzlement over the scores and scores of copies of this issue I eventually amass.

L is for Lex Luthor

Guest Post by Logan and Haley Mock

Lex Luthor is a mad scientist and a wealthy business man.  He is considered to be Superman's arch-enemy.  Luthor, however, doesn't always see himself as evil.  He thinks that he is saving humanity from aliens (like Superman) and vigilante superheroes (like Batman).

K is for Kingdom Come

This is the ultimate "What If", mind-bending comic featuring "big" names.  The premise is simple:

Set twenty years into the "future", it deals with a growing conflict between traditional superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.

--via Wikipedia 

The visuals on the book are stunning.  Alex Ross, who also co-wrote the story, painted the entire book using models to deliver a realistic, world-weary look to our heroes.

A retired Superman in the future.

J is for Justice League of America

Though they appeared before The Avengers, I discovered them after.  Different in my mind than other super-hero teams, in that this team is best when DC's biggest characters are on the roster.  And while I think the League is best when the "Big Three" of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are on the team, some of the more off-beat lineups have their moments.

My favorite back issue finds these days are 1970-1980 era JLA comics....always a good read.

As Marvel has laid out a specific  movie plan that culminated with The Avengers movie, DC has never really seemed to get their act together (beyond the recent Batman movies which are...okay).  However, their animated efforts (television shows, direct to DVD animated features) are usually phenomenal.

I is for Iron Man #114

I recently bought this comic EXCLUSIVELY for the semi-bad grammar on the cover.  There is just something about how Iron Man seems to be okay with the fact that SOME of his colleagues are going to die that makes me chuckle....

H is for Hunger

I'm of the age where the starvation and famine in Africa was a "new" issue.  I had seen the Sally Struthers commercials and the Sam Kinison "Move to where the food is..." routine, but being a teen, there wasn't much I felt I could do.

Then, a whole bunch of British performers got together and recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" as Band-Aid.  (I still own the deluxe EP!)  The following year, USA for Africa released "We Are The World."

Around the same time both of the above comics came out.  Marvel's came first and DC's about a year later.  Neither story is particularly memorable, but for the first time I actually felt like I MIGHT be helping a little bit.

The biggest names inside and outside of the industry got together and put together these "jam" comics.

You can read about DC's project HERE and Marvel's HERE.

G is for Jean Grey

Jean Grey was one of the founding members of the X-Men.  She was also the first comic book character to be killed in a story I read.

When she joined the X-Men, as Marvel Girl, Jean had the powers of telepathy (she could read minds) and telekinesis (she could move things with her mind).  She originally wore the costume shown here.  It was similar to the outfits the other four members of the X-Men wore.

In their early adventures, Jean did not play a very big role but was still a valuable member of the team. 

As their adventures continued, the X-Men graduated and Jean designed a new costume for herself and her teammates.  Time went on, and Jean, along with most of the original X-Men, left the team to try to live normal lives.

After some time passed, Jean rejoined the X-Men.  On an emergency mission in outer space, the X-Men find that their space shuttle has been damaged.  There is no way to fly the ship back to Earth.  Jean volunteers to use her powers to guide the ship back, knowing that she will probably be killed during the journey.

Miraculously, Jean is not killed.  Instead, the radiation in space causes her powers to increase.  She is no longer the same woman.  Now, she is Phoenix.  She is very powerful.

However, a group of villains try to capture and brainwash Phoenix to use her immense powers for their own nefarious purposes.  During the battle to rescue her, Phoenix becomes evil. She now calls herself Dark Phoenix and is a danger to the entire universe.

The X-Men, lead by their leader, the powerful telepath named Professor Xavier, do everything they can to help contain Dark Phoenix.  After an incredible battle of the minds, Jean Grey gains control and once again becomes Marvel Girl.

While the story could have ended happily, a group of aliens, lead by Professor Xavier's true love, Princess Lilandra, decide Jean Grey might become Dark Phoenix again and she must die.

The X-Men rally to Jean's side.  They battle a large group of alien fighters.  But the odds are overwhelming.  During the battle, the X-Men start to fall!  This causes Jean to become Dark Phoenix.

Part of Jean's goodness remains inside of her.  She tries to fight the power of Dark Phoenix.  Only Jean's true love, Scott Summers, the mutant Cyclops, remains standing with her.  Jean realizes there is only one way out.

In order to stop the fighting....in order to save the universe from the danger of Dark Phoenix...in order to protect the people she loves, Jean sacrifices her own life.

I had never known a superhero could turn evil...I never knew a superhero could die.  It was kind of a big deal for me.

F is for The Flash

There have been several characters in the world of DC Comics named "The Flash".

The first Flash was a man named Jay Garrick.  Jay Garrick was created by writer Gardner Fox. The character first appeared in the first issue of the Flash Comics in January 1940.  His adventures were published during a time comic book fans call The Golden Age.

The character was teamed up with other heroes during World War II and formed The Justice Society of America.   He appeared regularly in comics until 1951.

In 1956, DC Comics decide to recreate the Flash.  They gave him a new costume and name. This Flash was named Barry Allen.  He was completely unrelated to Jay Garrick. In fact, as far as the new Flash was concerned, Jay Garrick never existed. Barry Allen's first appearance shows him reading an old comic book where Jay Garrick was "just a character some writer dreamed up". 

This Flash's adventures where published during what comic book fans refer to as The Silver Age.  The Flash had a sidekick named Wally West who became known as Kid Flash.

Eventually, it was decided that the superheroes who had adventures in The Golden Age actually existed in a parallel universe.  This allowed all sorts of different heroes team up.  

In 1985, DC Comics merged all of its fictional characters into a single shared universe.  One of the greatest comic book series ever, Crisis On Infinite Earths, presented all of its heroes fighting to save the universe.  In a last ditch effort to save everyone, Barry Allen sacrificed his life.  

His sidekick, Kid Flash, took upon the name of The Flash.  He was the Flash during a time comic fans call The Modern Age.

There is kind of a sad note to all of this.  I mentioned at the top of this post that the character of Jay Garrick last appeared in 1951.  He was "revived" and the concept of parallel Earths introduced in September 1961, in Flash #123.  The story was called "Flash of Two Worlds."

The story was co-created and drawn by a man named Carmine Infantino.  Mr. Infantino was a major force during The Silver Age of comics.  Mr. Infantino died last week.  He was 87 years old.  When he died, the publisher of DC Comics, a man named Dan DiDio wrote the following:

"There are few people in this world that have had as much of an impact on the industry as Carmine. He bridged both the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, shepherding in some of the most successful periods in our history and setting the course of our characters that is still seen today. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will remain forever."

E is for Exiles

I think this post might be too "inside" but here we go.

For me comic books are all about the "What If" and the fantastic.  They are pure escapism for me.  Much like movies, I don't go to comics to be educated or reminded of real world stuff....I want to be taken away.

This series was all about the "What If"....it took characters I thought I knew and introduced me to different versions of them.  Instead of just having Spider-man on the team, let's say, we met a Spider-man from an alternate reality who stopped his uncle's killer.  He would be mixed with other, similarly tweaked characters.

If you are a fan of Marvel Comics and alternate stories, this was a good series.

D is for Daredevil

When I started collecting comic books again after my son was born, this was one series I picked up.  I had a few from the classic run in my collection, but only started buying it monthly in 2003. 

This is my favorite Daredevil cover....even though it represents the change in comic book covers from giving you a sneak peak as to what was going on inside and instead just becoming glorified pin-ups.

(And yes, I do have a soft spot for the movie....)

C is for Captain America

Captain America is the character who is third in the number of appearances in my collection and the highest ranking character from Marvel Comics.

He was always the backbone of the Avengers for me.  I never collected his series back in the day, but did pick up the reboots when I started collecting again a few years ago.

His movie was one of the BEST comic book films I have ever seen.

B is for Batman

When I was growing up and we played heroes, Batman was the sort of hero that you could pretend you were.  The money for the gadgets never figured into the equation, but unlike SO many others, he really has no powers.

My collecting history with him runs hot and cold.  He was always in the Justice League of America, which I would pick up, as well as a few other titles.  He is the character who appears in the second most comics I own....over 1100 appearances in my collection.

There is a story as to why I picked this cover to represent Batman.

I grew up in Rutland, which at the time was the second largest city in the state. However, we did not have a comic book store. The largest city, Burlington, did and that was where my grandparents lived.

My friends, Dave and Chris, and I had heard that this comic was coming. However, it was going to be made available only to comic book stores. I do not exactly remember how it all came about, but we arranged to have my grandfather pick up three copies of this issue (plus the following ones).

Burlington's store, Earth Prime Comics, was interesting back in the day. Not really the "stereotypical" comic book store, but slightly off the beaten path and filled with comic books and toys. The owners and employees were so very nice but still, it was not the place one would expect to find a 63 year old former Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force.

To this day, the image of my grandfather getting in his green Volkswagen Rabbit and driving down to the store's old location, going in and buying this issue makes me smile.

A is for The Avengers

It took me awhile, but my theme for this year is comic books...specifically my collection.  Might not be terribly exciting, but hopefully some of it will be pretty to look at.

Growing up, The Avengers was MY title.  Loved it.  The first comic I ever bought was Avengers #228.  The title is, by far, the largest in my collection, with a total of 370 issues.