By Ben Morse
It's a crazy weekend round the House of Ideas, as creators and editors alike scramble to get things ready for
Wizard World Los Angeles, where Marvel's got some major bombs to drop. But we didn't forget about you, faithful non-California-bound reader, and thus still managed to corral some of our favorite editors and creators to talk about their favorite Avengers of all time in a companion piece to this week's
Take 10.
It's Friday, so kick back, relax and enjoy.
BILL ROSEMANN (Marvel editor): It may be the popular pick, but I gotta go with Captain America. Sure he's juiced by the Super Soldier Serum, but he's still just a man—and he's standing alongside synthezoids, giants and Norse & Greek legends.
Just think about that short but famous scene that Frank Miller put in Daredevil: Born Again when the Avengers assembled to help the people of Hell's Kitchen. Miller described Cap as "A voice that could command a god...and does." That, True Believers, is certainly one of Earth's Mightiest!
MARK WAID (former writer of AVENGERS): Wolverine! Kidding. I really always liked the Wasp. I love how she changes her costume every nine pages, I'm in awe of her financial portfolio, and she puts up with crap from no one. Plus, she doesn't trust Spider-Man because, as everyone knows, wasps and spiders are natural enemies.
ROY THOMAS (former writer of AVENGERS, former Marvel Editor-In-Chief): If I have a favorite [single issue of AVENGERS], it would have to be [volume one] #57, that introduced the Vision, because of the character himself and the serependipity of being able to stick Percy Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" at the end.
RALPH MACCHIO (Marvel Executive Editor): My favorite Avenger is the Vision.
I love this android and his many origins. No one could write him as well as his creator, [writer] Roy Thomas. The story "Even An Android
Can Cry" [from AVENGERS v1 #58] is one of my all-time favorite Avengers books, both for story and that unmatchable John Buscema penciling.
A fascinating aspect of the character is that he was originally brought to life by Ultron to destroy the Avengers and wound up becoming a mainstay in the ever-rotating [team] lineup. And I like his somewhat withdrawn personality as well. He was an outsider even as an Avenger. Finally, his powers are cool! He can go from being diamond hard to virtually intangible. Plus, he's got that cool solar-powered gem that shoots thermoscopic beams. And I didn't learn until decades later that Roy had based his look on a Vision character from the 1940's created by Jack Kirby!
Great stuff.
TOM DEFALCO (former Marvel Editor-In-Chief): My favorite Avengers have always been Captain America and Hawkeye: Cap because he never gives up and always finds a way to overcome the most unbeatable foes and Hawk because he's always practicing, always striving to get improve his skills and he loves what he does!
C.B. CEBULSKI (writer of AVENGERS FAIRY TALES): I don't know why, but as soon as I read your question, Mockingbird popped into my head. Weird...
But putting a little more thought into it, I think I'd have to say that the Wasp is my favorite Avenger. Not really sure why, but as a younger reader, I always liked her look and attitude. As a writer, the couple times I've written her have been a pleasure.
DAVID MICHELINIE (former writer of AVENGERS): Putting aside a selfish affection for Iron Man, I'd have to say Captain America has always been the top Avenger for me. He's the ultimate leader, the prototype team player, the guy you can count on under any circumstances. Just the kind of person you want watching your six in a life-or-death situation.
JERRY ORDWAY (former writer and artist of AVENGERS): My personal favorite Avenger is a tie between Clint Barton as Goliath and the Black Knight. Both were featured in favorite stories done in the days when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Yeah, I'm that old.
Black Knight, of course, was terrific in the Masters of Evil story, [in AVENGERS v1 #54-55], I believe, where Jarvis sells out the Avengers. What a great concept, having the Knight be a hero when you expect him to be a villain, and Jarvis as the villain when he's a good guy. Great Roy Thomas and John Buscema stuff.
The Goliath story that did it for me was the one where the Swordsman returns , [AVENGERS v1 #65], and we get some of Clint's back story. And that had Roy as writer and Gene Colan on pencils. That costume was so cool, though of course, don't try it in live action, or the audience will never stop laughing. I think Roy excelled at giving nuance to these somewhat "B-list" heroes, and made each more compelling with just a flashback or two to flesh out their motivations.
TOM BREVOORT (Marvel Executive Editor): The concept of the Avengers is really all the top heroes banded together, so trying to select a single character as best or favorite Avenger never quite worked for me. So I'm going to say Jarvis.
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