Same Story, Different Cover: "And there came a day, unlike any other..."

"...when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then—for now, the Avengers Assemble!"

L: The Avengers v.1 #1 (September 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
M: Avengers Classic #1 (August 2007), pencils and inks by Art Adams, colors by Laura Martin
R: The Coming of the Avengers one-shot (April 2012), pencils by Jack Kirby, painted colors by Dean White
(Click image to mightisize)

Today in Comics History, May 5: The invention of the Chia Pet

from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #73 (DC, July 1995), script by James Robinson, pencils and inks by John Watkiss, colors by Digital Chameleon, letters by Willie Schubert

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 126

Panel from "Bruce Wayne—Batman" in Batman #117 (August 1958), unknown scripter, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Pat Gordon

Dick's Chinese-style pajamas are a giggle-inducing attention to detail here.

Although it's been said many times, many ways

Panel from Star Wars #16 (Marvel, October 1978), script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Walt Simonson, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Denis Wohl

In Which Bully is Uncommonly Incendiary

My Avengers movie is better than your Avengers movie! Because mine has

Iron Man with a nose!

Panels from Iron Man #68 (June 1974), script by Mike Friedrich, pencils by George Tuska, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Linda Lessmann, letters by June Braverman

The Hulk eating hot dogs!

Panels from "With Friends Like These..." in Marvel Fanfare #7 (March 1983), script by Steven Grant, pencils by Joe Barney, inks by George Freeman, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Jim Novak

Thor in love!

Panels from Thor #394 (August 1988), script by Roger Stern, pencils by Bob Hall, inks by Tony DeZuniga, colors by George Roussos, letters by Diana Albers

Captain America digging this day!

Panels from Captain America #116 (August 1969), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Sam Rosen

Hawkeye getting thrown off of The Ed Sullivan Show!

Panel from Avengers v.1 #22 (November 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Don Heck, inks by Wally Wood, letters by Ray Holloway

Nick Fury doin' what Nick Fury does best!

Page from Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.* #2 (July 1968), script, pencils, and colors by Jim Steranko; inks by Frank Giacoia with Joe Giella; letters by Sam Rosen

Loki doing this thing!

Panel from Thor: First Thunder #3 (January 2011), script by Bryan J. L. Glass, pencils and inks by Tan Eng Huat, colors by José Villarrubia

Black Widow doing stuff you only wish Scarlett Johansson was doing!

Panels from Black Widow: Deadly Origin #3 (March 2010), script by Paul Cornell, pencils by Tom Raney, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Matt Milla, letters by Cory Petit

Besides, my movie has better tie-in merchandising than yours does.

Panel from Black Widow v.6 #7 (December 2010), script by Duane Swierczynski, pencils by Manuel Garcia, inks by Lorenzo Ruggiero, colors by Jim Charalampidis, letters by Nate Piekos

And Jarvis is in it!

Panels from (ahem) "Bully!" in Avengers #201 (November 1980), script by David Michelinie, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Gene Day, colors by Ben Sean, letters by John Costanza

Let's face it...even crummy low-down dirty Nazi scum like my Avengers movie!

Panel from "Back From the Dead!" in Young Men #24 (December 1953), pencils and inks by John Romita Sr. (?)



So if you don't think Joss Whedon is a moviemaking god...go cut up your comic books and make your own Avengers movie! With whoever you want on the team! I did!


Panel from Avengers #151 (September 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by George Pérez, inks by John Tartaglione, colors by Don Warfield, letters by Irving Watanabe




*Silver-Screen Hell Isn't Entertaining Like Dis

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 125

Panels from "The Parasols of Plunder!" in Batman #70 (April-May 1952), script by Bill Woolfolk, pencils by Bob Kane (Batman & Robin figures only) and Lew Schwartz, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Joe Letterese (?)

You Went to the Head of the Class!

Did you take my Comic Book Header Quiz last night? (If not, why not? Please submit your excuse in now fewer than five hundred words.) And as promised, here's the answers!

#1: Fantastic Four
#2: Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane
#3: The Avengers



#4: Shazam!
#5: Howard the Duck
#6: Angel and the Ape



#7: Thunderbolts
#8: X-Men
#9: Star Wars



#10: Daredevil
#11: The Atom
#12: The Witching Hour



#13: The Micronauts
#14: Booster Gold
#15: The Phantom Stranger



#16: Swamp Thing
#17: The House of Mystery
#18: X-Men



How'd you do? Remember, we're all winners! Also, I can tell by the comments on this quiz that pal Chris Sims, who got 'em all right, definitely needs to get outside more. But here, applause for everybody!



And because, as you know, Comics Oughta Be Fun, I was tickled pink and LOLing out loud at MrJM's suggest that they were all Millie the Model! Sayyyyyyyy!...






I'm not sure I get that last one.

Anyway, let's wrap this up with just one more comic book header, one of my favorite recent toplines from current comics...can you guess it? The Defenders (Highlight the blank spaces before this sentence to find the answer!)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 124

Panels from Batman Annual #24 (October 2000), script by John Ostrander, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Sal Buscema, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by Clem Robins

Go the the Head of the Class

Hey, how well do you know your comic books? (They're those floppy things with colored pictures in them.) You may know what title Ant-Man debuted in (Tiny Heroes Monthly #39) or how much the Hulk beat the Thing (in the 1st round 6–1, 6–4; in straight sets in the second round), or why Superman wears wore a yellow belt (to keep his blue pants up). You may even know Iron Man's favorite brand of breakfast cereal (Kellogg's Whiskey-Pops)! But...and this is the important question here...how well do you know your comic book headers? Y'know, those taglines at the top of a comic cover that give you a hint or clue what the title is about, or maybe some outright hucksterism (World's Finest, my fuzzy butt!).

Why don't you drop whatever you're doing...c'mon, that Ming vase isn't that important right now!...and take my totally mind-baffling brain-twisting cheese-and-onion-flavored Comic Book Header Quiz. If you can name all 18, I will pat you firmly on the back and tell you you should get out more. If'n you wanna play, list your guesses in the comments (don't look at anyone else's), and I'll give you the answers tomorrow. (Don't lose any sleep about it or nothin', tho'.) And just because I like you guys and I am a very pleasant and polite little stuffed bull, I'll start the list out with some easy ones. Good luck, and remember...this is a quiz, not a race! No putting potatoes in each other's tailpipes. I saw that, Dick Dastardly!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

Do you have 'em all? Did you get that one, you know, the tricky one? Good! Tune in tomorrow night for the answers, and if you're not careful, we may just learn something!

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 123

Panels from "Gotham City—Ghost City!" in World's Finest Comics #259 (October-November 1979), script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Ben Oda