Sorcery Vs Red Sonja

Red Sonja usually fought monsters and men, but occasionally fought sorcerers, like the evil Kulan-Gath (as shown in these two versions of Red Sonja #12 (July, 2006, by George Perez and John Romita Jr).

But, Kulan Gath began his career in Conan The Barbarian #14 (March, 1972), and faced Red Sonja (via possession) along with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #79 (March, 1979).

Kulan Gath would also return to fight the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #190 and #191, February and March 1985, as well as the Avengers in Avengers #28 through #30, May to July, 2000.

Celebrating Artist Ed Hannigan

Celebrating the birthday of artist Ed Hannigan (August 6, 1951) with a couple of his incredible Avengers covers.

Here, with Avengers #221 (July, 1982)....spoilers...Hawkeye returns to the team after a bit of an absence, and She-Hulk joins the team as well (and, even more of these folks who really didn't fit with the Avengers would join over the next few decades...).

Avengers #223 (September, 1982) focused on Hawkeye and Ant-Man (though Scott Lang hadn't become a member, yet), as the duo faced off against the Taskmaster.

Incredible covers from an incredible artist!

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.

She-Hulk Firsts

Likely readers remember the first cover with She-Hulk (Savage She-Hulk #1 from February, 1980 by John Buscema) or John Byrne's Sensational She-Hulk #1 (May, 1989), but how about these other She-Hulk firsts from the 1980s?

Let's take a look!

Marvel Team-Up #107 and Marvel Two-In-One #88 from July 1981 and June 1982 

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Meeting Spider-Man and the Thing, with covers by Herb Trimpe and Frank Giacoia, and Alan Kupperberg and Frank Giacoia.

Avengers #221 and Fantastic Four #265 from July 1982 and April 1984

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She-Hulk joins the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, with covers by Ed Hannigan and Joe Rubinstein, and John Byrne.

Marvel Graphic Novel #18 from 1985

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She-Hulk gets a shot on her own, with this cover by John Byrne, eventually leading to her own series.

A hard book to find in nice shape, due to that all black cover, but oh what a book!

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She-Hulk In Ceremony from 1989

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Covers by June Brigman and Stan Drake, ending the 1980s, with even more She-Hulk to come!

Remembering Artist Neal Adams

Remembering artist Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 - April 28, 2022), with some of his Superman, Batman, Avengers, X-Men and other work.

An incredible artist, an influence to many, with decades of stunning work, who shall be missed.

Avengers

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X-Men

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Batman

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Superman

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House Of Mystery

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Green Lantern

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Deadman In Strange Adventures

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Spectre

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Phantom Stranger

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For these and so many, many more, we will remember Neal Adams.

George Perez's Fantastic Titanic Firsts

Welcome to something a little different this time around, as I get a little personal about my favorite artist, George Perez, and reflect on a few of the places I first encountered his work on certain titles (focusing on the big teams) over the years for my entry this time for the Super Blog Team-Up.

Avengers Assemble

To start, the first Avengers issue I read featuring George Perez on art (well, about half the issue), written by Steve Englehart, with interior inks by John Tartaglione and cover inks by Mike Esposito, Avengers #150 (August, 1976), well into George's first run of Avengers, but still pretty early in his career.

What an issue to be introduced to the Avengers!  True, Steve and George only did the first 6 pages, and half of that was historical info on the Avengers, with the last half being a reprint of the Avengers first roster change into Cap's Kooky Quartet, this and its following issue was a great place to start on the long history of the Avengers, and gave me a love for this team (and you can follow that start here as well).

Improbable As It May Seem - The Impossible Man Is Back In Town

Next up, the only issue of the bunch with a cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott, is this Roy Thomas penned tale, with George inked by Joe Sinnott on the inside, Fantastic Four #176 (November, 1976), as the first time I encountered George with the Fantastic Four.

Following up on a run of issues where Ben Grimm was a man in a Thing suit, here Ben and his three fantastic teammates were returning to Earth in a space ship as Ben had changed back into the Thing.  Due to some mishaps, the team crashed their spaceship into Central Park.  

With all the excitement, the team lost track of their guest, the shape changing Impossible Man (who, in his wandering found the offices of Marvel Comics, and had some adventures with Stan, Jack, Roy, George and the rest of the Marvel Bullpen...which also allowed George to draw some parts of the Marvel Universe he hadn't gotten too yet....).

More than a little love for the Fantastic Four here, as I covered their Marvel Index book (as well as the Avengers one).

Apokolips Now

Here, a switch, and a bit of a bittersweet issue, as George took over art duties from Dick Dillin, who had passed away only finishing the first five pages of this issue, is Justice League of America #184 (November, 1980), written by Gerry Conway and cover inks by Dick Giordano, with interior inks by Frank McLaughlin.  This being George's first JLA issue (though I had read many before).

The second part of a three part JLA/JSA crossover involving the New Gods, a chance to throw George into the deep end of the DC Universe as he switch over from Marvel, with small teams of Justice League and Justice Society members working with Jack Kirby's New Gods against the forces of Apokolips as they tried to resurrect Darkseid (showcasing George's ability to do backgrounds, like when he did Marvel's Logan's Run!)

More of this JLA/JSA team up here, and the other JLA/JSA team up George drew here!

The Birth Of The Titans

Last, but by no means least, New Teen Titans #1 (November, 1980), written by Marv Wolfman, with cover inks by Dick Giordano, and interior inks by Romeo Tanghal, technically the second appearance of the team (though only Raven and Robin were in DC Comics Presents #26 in a non-dream sequence), this was chosen for that incredible cover, and its historical significance.

The Titans had been a team before, but things were going to be different here, as the alien Koriand'r (later to be Starfire) was making her way to Earth, as empathic Raven started to manipulate Robin into reforming the Teen Titans with old standbys Wonder Girl and Kid Flash (adding an infrequent member, Beast Boy, to the team, but giving him the new name of Changeling...and setting up future storylines for Donna, Wally and Gar).

Raven was also motivating injured Vic Stone to accept the deal life had given him by turning this student athlete into Cyborg, getting him to go along with the rest of the team.  These Titans, together, rescued Starfire from the Gordanians she had escaped from, but the mysteries of why Raven would want this group together would unfold over the next few issues (as well as the problems that Wilson lad would give the team, especially after his father got involved as well).  

Here, a little more history of the newer members of the Titans team, with more of George's artwork!

Since I'm breaking tradition a little, going more with my feelings towards the material as opposed to just the facts, here, a picture of me with the legend himself, from the Motor City, where I was his overflow line coordinator (and got a chance the next day on my off day to meet and get a sketch from George...one of three times I've met Mr. Perez over the years, and I'm grateful to have done so as he is a fantastic person).

I am not only only fan who appreciates the work of George Perez, so here are a few more articles from the SBTU gang!

Here they are:

The Superhero Satellite:

PEREZ  

Between the Pages Blog:

George Perez’s Uncanny X-Men

Source Material:

Brave and the Bold #1-6

In My Not So Humble Opinion:

I-BOTS from Tekno Comix

*51:

JLA/Avengers: It Had to be George

The Telltale Mind:

Future Perfect - Hulk: Future Imperfect

Comics Comics Comics blog (JJG):

Justice League of America 200 and discovering George Perez

RAdulich in Broadcasting Network:

Comic Stripped: Logan’s Run

The Daily Rios:

A George Pérez Celebration #2

Marvel Comics Index Avengers And Fantastic Four

Continuing a look back at how readers tracked comics back before digital downloads and the internet, with two more issues of George Olshevsky's Marvel Comics Index.

This time around, focusing on the teams of the Marvel Universe, specifically the Avengers and the Fantastic Four!

The Avengers, Defenders and Captain Marvel

There was a time heroes in the Marvel Universe worked alone, at least until the threat of Loki, with plans to use the Hulk against his brother, Thor, united Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp with those two other heroes to form....the Avengers, as happened in their first issue in Avengers #1 (September, 1963, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby).

The third volume of the Marvel Comics Index series, The Avengers, Defenders and Captain Marvel, was dated August, 1976, so it was a little later than originally planned, but it had lots of information within it, all under a front cover by Neal Adams, and special back cover by Franc Reyes!

This issue covers a bit of the history of teams in the Marvel Universe, from the All-Winners Squad of the Golden Age to the recent teams of the Invaders (though set before the All-Winners, as they were a post-WWII group) and the Champions (the more recent to be covered in later issues of the Indexes).  This issue even gives a list of the members and brief histories of them (for any that won't have Indexes of their own, based on a format by Murray Ward).

The issues covered here are:

Black Knight #1-5 (May 1955 to April 1956)
(Though the Index makes a great deal about only covering post Fantastic Four #1 events, it does cover these 5 issues, about Sir Percy, the ancestor of the Black Knight who was a member of the Masters Of Evil, as well as Dane Whitman, who was an would become and Avenger, their relationship covered in Marvel Super-Heroes #17).

Avengers #1-151 (September 1963 to September 1976)
(The original Avengers formed in Avengers #1, but the Hulk teamed up with the Sub-Mariner, and left the group in Avengers #3, with Sub-Mariner leading to the discovery of Captain America from WWII in Avengers #4, who would change the Avengers forever, leading them against foes like Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil, Kang and Wonder Man.

All the remaining original Avengers got a little too busy to stay with the group, so Captain America had to assemble new members, which included Iron Man foe Hawkeye, and ex-Brotherhood Of Evil X-Men villains Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, all starting in Avengers #16.  Giant-Man and the Wasp returned (with he taking the name of Goliath), facing foes like the Swordsman, Living Laser, the Red Guardian and the Grim Reaper, while Hercules joined the team (and Black Widow hung around as well).

The team met the current Black Knight, added Black Panther as a member, then the Vision, while fighting Ultron and a new Masters of Evil, with Goliath becoming Yellowjacket, and Hawkeye becoming Goliath., and then fighting the Squadron Sinister, then their alternate counterparts, the Squadron Supreme, then the Kree-Skrull War with the Kree Captain Marvel.

Hawkeye and Ant-Man took their original identities back, Black Widow briefly joined, Swordsman rejoined with new member Mantis, the team fought the Defenders, Thanos, the Legion of the Unliving, learned more of the Vision and Ultron, fought the Squadron Supreme again, and the X-Men's Beast joined, with new heroes Moondragon and Hellcat leaving for a while in Avengers #150).

Avengers Annual #1-5 (Sep 1967 to January 1972)

(The first couple of Avengers Annuals had new stories tied into the regular issues of the time, but the last three annuals had reprints of important tales in Avengers history).

Giant-Size Avengers #1-5 (August 1974 to 1975)
(Larger issues like annuals, focused on the Vision and Scarlet Witch, as well as Mantis for the first four issues, with Kang, as well as having reprints, and the fifth was all reprint).

Captain Marvel #1-46 (May 1968 to September 1976)
(The alien Kree were introduced in Fantastic Four, but they sent one of their own, Captain Mar-Vell, to Earth, and he faced the Sentry #459 and established a secret identity for himself and met Carol Danvers in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 and #13.  Those were to be indexed later, this covers his early battles....

...then his change into a new costume, and getting bonded with Hulk and Captain America friend, Rick Jones, with the two of them facing Thanos, the Controller, the Super-Skrull and so much more after over their run of issues, with Captain Marvel becoming a universal protector and facing Nitro, even if they had a break in their run a few times).

Giant-Size Captain Marvel #1 (1975)
(Published towards the later issues of the run, this reprinted Captain Marvel's encounters with Captain America and the Hulk, though the Hulk issues had pages edited out for space!)

Weird Wonder Tales #7 (December 1974)
(An odd issue of 1950s and 1960 reprints, featuring Dr. Arthur Nagan, Jerold Morgan and Chondu the Mystic, who would come together to menace the villains turned heroes of the Defenders!)



Defenders #1-39 (August 1972 to September 1976)

(The Avengers were the cause of the Defenders, as sometimes menaces to mankind, Hulk and Sub-Mariner had teamed up before....and, after one brief gathering in two issues of Sub-Mariner with Silver Surfer, it was Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Dr. Strange who came together to fight Yandroth in Marvel Feature #1 that formed the Defenders.  The trio worked together again, fighting Dormammu in issue #2, and Xemnu the Titan in #3, before this non-team finally had regular meetings starting in Defenders #1 (August, 1972), with Silver Surfer joining the team in Defenders #2.

The non-team continued to add members who had been villains, with the addition of the Valkyrie in Defenders #4 and Nighthawk of the Squadron Sinister in Defenders #14, as well as having Hawkeye hang around for a bit as Loki and Dormammu battled, igniting the Avengers/Defenders War between their two titles.

As menaces grew, like the Sons of the Serpent, Nebulon and the grouping of the Headmen, the team gained temporary allies like Luke Cage, Daredevil, Yellowjacket, the Son of Satan, traveled to the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy and even a female version of a Black Widow foe, the Red Guardian).

Giant-Size Defenders #1-5 (July 1974 to July 1975)
(The Defenders even joined the Giant-Size craze of the 1970s, with five issues, half new stories and half reprints of individual stories of each Defender, all tied in to the current events in issues of Defenders).






This team book also had lists of every member who joined each team, as well as a little history on each team member that was not due to receive their own Marvel Comics Index, a break down of team membership issue by issue, some corrections of mistakes of previous issues, explanations of why the book was late, and an outline of future volumes of the series.




The Fantastic Four And The Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby started the current Marvel Universe, as well as introducing Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing, as these four people came together after a mishap involving cosmic rays grounded their spaceflight and gave them super powers.  So, it would make sense that the fourth Marvel Comics Index of July, 1977 would cover this team, all under a stunner of a cover by Jim Steranko, that also featured the Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four fought many monsters (of the type faced in many old Timely books like Journey Into Mystery, Strange Tales and Tales To Astonish) that were on Mole Man's island, as well as invading aliens like the Skrulls in their second issue, and all these and so much more would become the basis for what followed.


The issues covered here are:

Marvel Boy #1-2 (December 1950 to February 1951)
(Still, a look back at features before the FF, with Marvel Boy, Timely's second character of that name, who fought alien menaces with technology from Uranus).

Astonishing Tales #3-6 (April 1951 to October 1951)
(Marvel Boy's tales continued with a title change to Astonishing Tales before his feature ended, though Marvel Boy did grow up and get revived in issues of Fantastic Four....kind of, as the Crusader).

Fantastic Four #1-180 (November 1961 to March 1977)

(The Fantastic Four kicked into high gear when they got their own headquarters and uniforms, and started facing Doctor Doom on a regular basis, while meeting with other members added to this new Marvel Universe, and expanding on the ideas they had already introduced.

The Fantastic Four continued to add enemies and friends around their Baxter Building confines, such as Molecule Man, Diablo, the Frightful Four, the Inhumans and the Black Panther over the years, as their family grew in size as well (and their new friends had foes of their own as well).

The Fantastic Four also had a few epic tales involving the Silver Surfer, the herald of Galactus, and his battles trapped on Earth, facing Doctor Doom, who wanted his power cosmic for himself, and how the Fantastic Four helped the Silver Surfer for a time as well.

Still, the Fantastic Four added a member for a while, the Inhuman, Crystal, with her elemental powers, but even then, her time with the team would come to an end, as did Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's run on the title.  New members like Medusa and Luke Cage would join for a bit, and the Fantastic Four would continue!).

Fantastic Four Annual #1-11 (1963 to 1976)
(Bigger than usual events, with in depth stories on Sub-Mariner and Doctor Doom, the wedding of Reed and Sue, the meeting of the original Human Torch and the current one of Johnny Storm, the teaming of the Inhumans and the Black Panther against the Psycho-Man, and the birth of Sue's baby as the team faced Annihilus....led the first six FF Annuals.

Then, they were reprint books including issues of the annuals above, until the most recent covered in the index, with the Fantastic Four meeting the World War II based Invaders!).

Giant-Size Super-Stars #1 (May 1974)
(This stand alone issue featured a Thing/Hulk battle, long a staple of the Fantastic Four since Hulk first met the team back when he had his original title. 

The title of this book changed with its second issue).

Giant-Size Fantastic Four #2-6 (August 1974 to October 1975)
(Taking over from the previous title, the book had new tales with reprints in back, including the introduction of the mutant Madrox the Multiple Man, then started reprints Fantastic Four Annuals to fill its pages.).

Human Torch #1-8 (September 1974 to November 1975)
(Wonderful reprints of the solo strange tales of the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, including the introduction of the Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete, along with a few pre-FF reprints of the original android Human Torch of the 1940s and 1950s).

Silver Surfer #1-18 (August 1968 to September 1970)
(Starting off with a flashback tale of how Norrin Radd of Zenn-La gave up his life and love, Shalla Bal, to save his world from the hunger of Galactus, the saga of the Silver Surfer on Earth would unfold.

Running afoul of the underworld Mephisto, Silver Surfer lived a tortured life on Earth, trying to escape the barrier which trapped him on this world, forever apart from his love, thought to be a menace to all by the end of this run of stories (which led him to work with the Hulk and Sub-Mariner, and later to be a Defender).

The index also has its usual updates from previous issues like the Conan index, cross index of writers and artists, as well as character cross index as well as a list of future issues, which would include focuses on original Avengers Thor, Hulk and Iron Man, and more!