Remembering Artist Dick Sprang

Remembering Batman artist Dick Sprang (July 28, 1915 to May 10, 2000)...

...with the Detective Comics covers featuring Batman and Robin's 1940s battles with the Joker....

...because we all need a smile today!

Detective Comics #85 and #91 (March and September, 1944)

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Detective Comics #102 and #118 (August, 1945 and December, 1946)

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Detective Comics #128 and #149 (October , 1947 and July, 1949)

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He did some stunners for Batman as well, but we'll cover those later!

X-Men And Avengers Beginnings

Back on July 2, 1963 was a day like no other.  The Marvel Universe was changed, when two teams were formed, one of a group of students bound together by their mutations, the other, a mighty gathering of the greatest heroes of that age.

Join this entry of the Super Blog Team-Up, wherein will be discussed the earliest days of the X-Men and the Avengers.

Formation

With these two books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Marvel Universe began to take shape.  X-Men #1 (September, 1963 inked by Sol Brodsky and Frank Giacoia) introduced the world to the mutants of Professor X's school for gifted youngers, as these kids banded together to face Magneto, while Thor, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Iron Man and the Hulk were gathered together to fight Loki in Avengers #1 (September, 1963, inked by Dick Ayers).

More X-Men early history here, with the beginnings of the Avengers here.

Meeting

The two teams first met in X-Men #9 (January, 1965, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Chic Stone), as Professor X tracked down his nemesis, Lucifer (the alien who cost Xavier the use of his legs).  Xavier has to dispatch his team of X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel and the Beast) to stop the Avengers (with Captain America replacing Hulk) from defeating Lucifer, as the tricky villain has tied a thermal bomb to his heartbeat, with the bomb detonating should the Avengers defeat him.  

This sets the stage of X-Men vs. Avengers which would then play out over decades....

Crossover

The two teams would later encounter one another due to the manipulations of Magneto, searching for two of his ex-students, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (who had joined the Avengers).  Magneto had also captured the X-Men, with Cyclops breaking free to battle Quicksilver in X-Men #45 (June, 1968), with the X-Men facing the Avengers (which included Hawkeye and Black Panther, along with former Ant-Man now Goliath and the Wasp) in Avengers #53 (June, 1968).  The heroes would eventually realize they had been manipulated into fighting, and gather to work against Magneto and his allies, the Toad and Mastermind.

Combination

As a little extra for anyone still reading, the teams even started to combine, as the Beast had graduated the X-Men, got a job, mutated a little further to being grey and furry, then became blue and furry, and joined the Avengers in Avengers #137 (July, 1975) by Steve Englehart, George Tuska and Vince Colletta (with Jim Starlin providing one panel, and John Romita providing the cover).

The Avengers are short members (Swordsman dying, Mantis leaving, and the Vision and Scarlet Witch going on a honeymoon), and begin a recruitment drive, which, along with the return of Yellowjacket (formerly Goliath) and the Wasp, get the Beast (an ex-X-Man) as well as the enigmatic Moondragon....all to face what appears to be the menace of old X-Men cosmic villain, the Stranger!

Oh, but how much stranger the years would become.

Super Blog Team-Up!

Thanks to the rest of the Super Blog Team-Up members...

...even more X-Men and Avengers history is revealed, and you can read them here....

Between The Pages Blog:

Avengers & X-Men 60th Birthday Party

*51:

You Can Do That in a Superhero Comic?!? (Uncanny X-Men #297)

SNAP Material (podcast):

Marvel SNAP On-Air Battle -

“West Coast Avengers (Evan) vs. X-Force (Jesse)”

Source Material Comics Podcast:

“Ultron vs. Nimrod: An AI Perspective”

Charlton Hero: Super-Blog Team-Up: X-Men/Avengers 60.

Wolverine Style.

Mad About Shark Week

A shark...me worry?  Celebrating the start of Shark Week with this cover of Mad Magazine (#180 from January, 1976) by Mort Kunstler, spoofing the current hit of the time, Jaws, thinking better about taking a bite of Alfred E. Neuman.

Not enough...check out these sharks here!

The First Men In The Moon

In honor of Neil Armstrong's one small step onto the moon on July 20, 1969, here, a Classics Illustrated cover (#144 from May, 1958), depicting what H. G. Wells thought of, when he wrote his novel, The First Men In The Moon.

Wells' men had a little more of an adventure on their trip, and encountered people there, as this alternate cover shows!

Celebrating Artist Phil Noto

Celebrating the birthday of artist Phil Noto (July 18, 1971) with a look at his covers for Jonah Hex... 

...that include the origin of Tallulah Black in the wild West, as well as Jonah having a few odd encounters in his travels, including with Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Jonah Hex #10 and #16 (October, 2006 and April, 2007)

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Jonah Hex #17 and #19 (May and July, 2007)

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Jonah Hex #20 and #22 (August and October, 2007)

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Best of all, Phil's cover for Jonah Hex: Only The Good Die Young from June, 2008, which collects Jonah Hex #19-#24.

Great old time western stories like they don't tell anymore.

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Everything's Archie Rodeo

Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge have plans for Archie Andrews at the rodeo in Riverdale, as evidenced by these two covers for Everything's Archie!

Two covers so close to being the same but were not!

Here's each of them to take a look at!

Everything's Archie #68 (August, 1978) has Betty staking her claim on Archie, much to Veronica's displeasure on a cover with an unidentified artist...

....while Everything's Archie #92 (May, 1981) has Veronica upset about Archie roping Betty for a little romance, in a cover by Stan Goldberg.

Remembering Artist Murphy Anderson

Remembering artist Murphy Anderson (July 9, 1926 - October 22, 2015) on his birthday.

Likely known better for his inking work (especially on Superman and Adam Strange), or his art on Captain Comet, Hawkman and the Atomic Knights, we celebrate Murphy Anderson today with his covers featuring the Spectre...as Murphy worked on the ghostly guardian's Silver Age revival in Showcase and the first issue of his series (where, unlike the rest of his Justice Society Of America friends, the Spectre was revived for more fun comics on his own).

Showcase #60 and #61 (January-February and March-April, 1966)

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Showcase #64 (September-October, 1966) and Spectre #1 (November-December, 1967)

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National Bikini Day 2023 With Betty And Veronica

Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle are celebrating National Bikini Day as most men do.  They are enjoying the bikinis that Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge are showing off on this cover to Archie Giant Series Magazine #621 (September, 1991), with art by Dan DeCarlo and Alison Flood.

Happy Fourth Of July With Captain America

Saluting the 4th of July with this John Romita, Sr. drawn July entry from the 1976 Marvel Bicentennial Calendar, with Captain America front and center, standing strong to uphold the United States Declaration Of Independence.