Avengers For Dummies (eBook)

Gene Selassie (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
494 Seiten
For Dummies (Verlag)
978-1-394-29936-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Meet Earth's Mightiest Heroes!

You may be a fan of the Avengers, but can you name the original members of the team? Avengers For Dummies is your guide to this legendary super hero team. Discover the many characters who joined the team throughout the years and explore the multiple spinoffs that keep the story going. Produced in partnership with Marvel Comics and featuring full-color art taken directly from the Marvel Comics archives, this fun and friendly guide will introduce you to the Avengers, their biggest foes, and their most epic battles. Get to know the human side of these formidable heroes and learn about their greatest loves and internal team struggles. Between their powerful abilities, dramatic storylines, and relatable flaws, discover how the Avengers and their fandom has grown in strength for generations.

• Discover the origins of the Avengers, including which heroes suited up first
• See how the Avengers' mission, alliances, and lineup have changed over time
• Explore the character arcs and how the story of the Avengers has evolved
• Learn about their greatest battles and major enemies

For the avid Avengers collector or the familiar fan looking to dive into the essential storylines, Avengers For Dummies has you covered!

Gene Selassie is an award-winning comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He was a contributing writer for the Eisner Award-winning anthology, Puerto Rico Strong. He also wrote The Ghoul Agency, VoxoDeus, Terminal, and Kayfabee.

Textauszug

Chapter 1

The Coming of the Avengers!

IN THIS CHAPTER

Reviewing the early days of Timely-Atlas Comics

Reliving the beginning of the Marvel Age

Walking through the founding of the Avengers

Okay, True Believers! When did Marvel Comics begin?

Some say that the Marvel Age began in November 1961 with the launch of Fantastic Four #1. Others will argue that their origins were over two decades earlier, in Marvel Comics #1, released in October 1939. Well, in this particular case, both sides are correct. In 1939, the seeds were planted for something that would start to germinate in 1961 and, over time, would bloom into the fantastical interconnected narrative we know today as the Marvel Universe. As we take a trip down the merry Marvel memory lane, we’ll look at some super heroes you know and some you may have never heard of, how the Avengers were formed, where they live, and how they function. Fasten your seatbelts — you’re about to go on a wild ride!

The Timely-Atlas Eras

Timely Comics was the brainchild of magazine publisher Martin Goodman. Marvel Comics issue one, shown in Figure 1-1, featured several tales. Most notable were Carl Burgos’ and Bill Everett’s stories, as they gave birth to two of the pillars of the Golden Age of comics, the android Human Torch and the scion of Atlantis, Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Shortly after that, just as America was on the cusp of taking part in World War II, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby would create the most iconic character of the Timely era, the patriotic hero Captain America. Although many other heroes would be brought to life under Timely, these super-hero tales came to a grinding halt during the 1950s.

In 1951, Goodman began his own distribution company, Atlas Comics. This creation would ultimately allow for a more varied line of books (crime, horror, romance, and more). However, Goodman would face two of his biggest challenges in the middle of that decade. The first would be the McCarthyist witch hunts brought about by the book Seduction of the Innocent. Its author, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, determined that comic books had a negative effect on children. The heavy censorship brought about by Senate subcommittees investigating Wertham’s claim led to another major disaster for Atlas.

The shrinking market, which took out many of Goodman’s competitors, began to affect his company as well. The final comic bearing an Atlas logo was released in 1957, followed shortly by a transition to the name Goodman Comics under the Independent News umbrella. The other arms of Independent News saw success. Goodman Comics did not. That was until Stan “The Man” Lee saw an assist from Jack “The King” Kirby and began the Marvel Age.

© 1939 Timely Comics. Story and art by various artists. Cover art by Frank R. Paul.

FIGURE 1-1: The android Human Torch makes his fiery debut.

The Marvel Age

A slew of anthologies featuring tales of fantasy (Journey Into Mystery), horror (Strange Tales), and science fiction (Tales of Suspense) set the stage for two creators to change how people viewed super-hero comics. The combination of stunning visuals by artist Jack Kirby, along with the layered characterization by one of Goodman’s editors, wordsmith Stan Lee, helped Fantastic Four #1, shown in Figure 1-2, kick off the Marvel Age with a bang in November 1961. The book was groundbreaking in that it featured characters who bickered and didn’t always get along. It also featured at least one hero whom the public perceived as a monster. The mind-blowing designs and layouts by Kirby made fans come back for more every month. More top-notch creators, such as Steve Ditko, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Joe Sinnott joined the fray.

What followed was the creation of Marvel’s Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and many more. Between 1961 and 1963, some of your favorite characters in animation and live-action were born on the four-colored page. Yet, to the editor-in-chief and one of the heads of this creative brain trust, something was missing, something that was inspired by their distinguished competition, no less.

Story and art by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

FIGURE 1-2: A scientist, his adventurous wife, her hot-headed brother, and their gruff pilot friend went into space and came back transformed into something fantastic.

Bringing the Pieces Together: The Avengers Assemble

The Marvel Age was partially a response to DC Comics’ resurgence in 1956 and their successful revitalization of The Flash and Green Lantern. DC eventually brought their heaviest hitters together in their all-star team-up book, Justice League.

Not to be outdone, Goodman sought to have a similar team book with a lineup of Marvel’s biggest stars at the time. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby understood the assignment. Along with inker Dick Ayers, colorist Stan Goldberg, and letterer Sam Rosen, Lee and Kirby created The Avengers, shown in Figure 1-3, which debuted in September 1963 (the same month that X-Men #1 launched).

Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.

FIGURE 1-3: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes unite for the first time.

The first chapter

The inaugural chapter of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes featured Loki Laufeyson, the god of mischief, shown in Figure 1-4. At the tail end of a war between Asgard and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, a youthful Loki, a Jotun himself, was taken in by Odin and raised as one of his own in the royal family of the mythical realm, Asgard. Along with a genius-level intellect, Loki has phenomenal strength and durability, is long-lived, and possesses a vast knowledge of sorcery. Imprisoned on the Isle of Silence for his numerous transgressions against his adopted home, Loki still looked for a way to best his brother, Thor, God of Thunder.

Loki sought to create chaos and pin the blame on the Hulk, the Marvel Universe equivalent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Courtesy of mental manipulation by Loki, this monster was made to believe that there were explosives planted on a bridge. Surprisingly, the monster had a conscience and tried to take the explosive out. Unfortunately, the monster accidentally destroyed this bridge. A young ally to the monster got wind of what was going on and tried to get the word out to any heroes out there who could intervene.

Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.

FIGURE 1-4: Mischievous thoughts by a mischievous god.

The Avengers lineup

Before I continue with the story, let's go over the roster of everyone involved.

The Incredible Hulk

The monster in question is better known to the world at large as the Incredible Hulk, shown in Figure 1-5. When nuclear physicist Bruce Banner was caught in the heart of a gamma bomb detonation (one that he saved teenager Rick Jones from as the kid wandered onto the test site), Banner was exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation. The gamma triggered a change within him, initially causing him to transform into a giant gray monster that roamed the desert at night. Over time, symptoms of the mutation evolved. Whenever Banner experienced any sort of rage, he would transform into a nearly eight-foot-tall over half-ton super-strong and completely invulnerable green engine of destruction.

Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.

FIGURE 1-5: Bruce Banner becomes the strongest one there is.

Rick Jones

Rick Jones (shown in Figure 1-6) lost his parents at a young age, and he bounced from orphanage to orphanage. One orphanage in particular had a particularly unsavory administrator, one who smashed Rick’s guitar, the sole item left to him by his late father. Jones became a drifter and later a rebellious teenager. Shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Jones took a ridiculous bet to drive out to an Army weapons test site. It was there that he met Bruce Banner, a man who risked his life to save Jones by rushing him to a protective trench before the gamma bomb detonated. From that moment on, Rick felt indebted to Banner.

So, when Loki’s machinations attracted the attention of Jones and some of his friends (known as the Teen Brigade), Rick was confident that other heroes could help diffuse the situation before it spread to a densely populated area. Rick’s SOS went out to any costumed heroes, several of whom answered the call.

Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.

FIGURE 1-6: Rick Jones putting out the call to any available heroes.

Iron Man

Tony Stark is the son of Maria and Howard Stark. Their vast fortune comes from Howard’s work as a weapons manufacturer and industrialist. Tony was a genius engineer and inventor who had no problem following in his father’s footsteps. That was until a consultation for a weapons contract overseas, which led to an explosive device destroying their transport. It also embedded shrapnel dangerously close to his heart.

Taken captive by those responsible for the attack, Tony and another brilliant scientist, Ho Yinsen, were forced to create deadly advanced weaponry. Instead, they constructed one very small and one very huge key to defeating their...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.7.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater
• Schlagworte: 3-D Man • Amadeus Cho • Ant-Man • Ares • Avengers • Avengers Hangar • Avengers Mansion • Avengers Mountain • Beast • Black Bolt • Black Knight • Black Panther • Black Widow • Bucky Barnes • Cannonball • Captain America • Captain Britain • Captain Universe • Carol Danvers • Cassie Lang • Clint Barton • Comics • Crystal • Dane Whitman • Danny Rand • Daredevil • Darkhawk • Demolition Man • Doctor Druid • Doctor Octopus • Doctor Strange • Earths Mightiest Heroes • Echo • Edwin Jarvis • Eric O'Grady • Firebird • Firestar • Flash Thompson • Gilgamesh • Hank McCoy • Hank Pym • Hawkeye • Hellcat • Hercules • Hulk • Human Torch • Hydrobase • Hyperion • Impossible City • Infinite Avengers Mansion • Invisible Woman • Iron Fist • Iron Man • Jack Kirby • Jack of Hearts • Janet van Dyne • Jennifer Walters • Jessica Drew • Jessica Jones • Jim Rhodes • Jocasta • Julia Carpenter • Kamala Khan • Lionheart • Living Lightning • Luke Cage • Machine Man • manifold • Mantis • Marvel • Marvel Cinematic Universe • Marvel Comics • MCU • Miles Morales • mockingbird • Monica Rambeau • Moondragon • Moon Knight • Mr. Fantastic • Namor • Natasha Romanoff • Noh-Varr • Quake • Quasar • Quicksilver • Sam Wilson • Sandman • Scarlet Witch • Sentry • Sersi • Shang-Chi • Sharon Carter • She-Hulk • Silverclaw • Simon Williams • Smasher • Spider-Man • Spider-Woman • Stan Lee • Starfox • Stark Tower • Steve Rogers • Stingray • Storm • SunSPOT • swordsman • The Archer • The Avengers • The Celestial Madonna • The Debutante • The Demigod • The Engineer • The Eye in the Sky • The Gunslinger • The Knight • The Kree Soldier • The Marvelous Ace • The Model Turned Crimefighter • The Monster • The Mutant Genius • The Norse God • The Psychic Priestess • The Quinjet • the scientist • The Sidekick • The Speedster • the spy • The Stuntman who Defied Death • The Super Soldier • The Swashuckler • The Synthetic Being • The Warrior King • The Wartime Fleetfoot • The Witch • Thing • Thor • Thunderbolt Ross • Thunderstrike • Tigra • Tony Stark • Two-Gun Kid • Valkyrie • Vision • war machine • Wasp • Wolverine • Wonder Man
• ISBN-10: 1-394-29936-2 / 1394299362
• ISBN-13: 978-1-394-29936-2 / 9781394299362