Avengers assemble!

One of the first comics I ever purchased was Avengers 221. I think I was sold by the cool cover (props to Ed Hannigan, who had an excellent design sense) which made me want to find out who might be joining this particular team. The artwork inside was clean and appealing, and the story really entertaining (Jim Shooter was on a roll at this time, and I followed the title for a dozen issues or so).

I don't think I ever would've imagined an Avengers movie as a kid; even when I heard it announced a couple years ago, I figured the logistics of appeasing actor egos and coming up with a coherent plot for such divergent characters would be doomed to failure. As it stands, it looks like Joss Whedon may have pulled off a minor miracle in delivering  a comic book blockbuster that might feel like a good ol' fashioned comic book.

On the threshold of Avengers mania, I think a loud shout out should go to the dudes behind it all: Stan and Jack. Considering the wealth of characters both conceived or put their stamp on is absolutely humbling; it always puts a smile on my face, considering a time when creativity wasn't hampered by focus groups or Twitter trends, and books were put together on the fly. 

A couple of talented guys thought it'd be neat to put Iron Man, Ant Man, Thor, Wasp, and the Hulk together to beat up on Loki, and dammit, they were right! Cheers to the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, I hope the movie kicks tail and maybe inspires some kid to think up new characters to save the day in the funny books!