Avengers 1959 (2011) 1

Avengers 1959 (2011) 1

Dec 2011

by Howard Chaykin, Jesus Aburtov, Jared K. Fletcher, Lauren Sankovitch

I was unaware of this title until I heard it mentioned on a podcast (Sidebar Forever) that I listened to earlier today. The Sidebar hosts reposted an interview they did with Howard Chaykin about a decade ago. I’m pretty sure I listened to this interview when it first dropped but I didn’t recall the title Avengers 1959.

They didn’t really spend any time talking about this series during the interview. I had been looking for something from Marvel to read and I usually like books that Chaykin writes and draws so I went looking for it. I found it on Marvel Unlimited and decided to give it a try. 

I’m not crazy about this iteration of Chaykin’s art work but I think that might just be because I’m not used to it. I think, based on the interview, that he may be laying out the pages on paper but then inking them digitally. There is something about the look of the pages that feels both messy and slick at the same time. 

Nick Fury, Ulysses Bloodstone, Sergei Kravinoff (Kraven the Hunter), Namora, Victor Creed (Sabretooth), Ernst Sablinova (Silver Sable), and Dominic Fortune are some of the players in this issue. Bloodstone and Silver Sable only appear in the opening scene. All the others are attacked, at some point during this issue by men wearing green uniforms. Hydra?

How is the Blonde Phantom connected to the Avengers of 1959? She isn’t with them in the opening scene but she is on the covers for this issue and the next one. 

There isn’t a clear setup in this issue. I’ve seen that before in books written by Howard Chaykin. Who are the Avengers of 1959? It seems like they are a team but their mission seems unclear. Does the first scene take place before or after the rest of the events in this issue? I’m not sure but I’m leaning towards the former. 

Will I read any further? I am undecided, which probably means that I won't. I wasn't moved enough to want to continue to reading and there are plenty of other things I would like to read or at least try reading.