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It was around issues 144-148 of THE AVENGERS.

Perez was drawing up a storm, making a name for himself.

Patsy Walker dawned the HELLCAT costume and clawed her way into my heart, taking on no less than HYPERION her first time out. Of course, she got her head handed to her, but I digress...

The Squadron Supreme had the Avengers on the ropes, dissin' 'em and stuff until the Scarlet Witch let 'em know "the Avengers prectice what we preach!" (being Earth's mightiest heroes) and put the major zap on Dr. Spectrum!

Fun time to be a kiddie comic fan!

Here's another Avengers one (according to my Dad):

In Avengers #16, all of the Avengers resigned from the team, except Captain America, leaving him a new team of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, all of whom had been villians up to that point. Even more, they weren't even that great of characters yet, usually being manipulated by Magneto or the Black Widow.

My Dad, all of his friends, and pretty much all of Comic fandom was crushed. "Cap's Kooky Quartet" was what the fans called them, as well as what the public in the Avengers stories.

Then: #28. The Wasp on the cover. Since his last appearance in Tales to Astonish, neither Giant-Man or the Wasp had been seen. The Wasp is on the cover, and is involved in the story. Hank Pym is too, although retired.

Avengers #30: Among us...Walks a Goliath. Hank Pym returns to the Avengers, and Giant-Man lives again as Goliath. My Dad has tried to tell me how great this was and how every little Avengers fan rejoiced, but says I can't understad. Finally, the Avengers started looking like the Avengers again. Goliath and the Wasp back on the team, the era of Cap's Kooky Quartet was over. Even more, Hawkeye, Wanda and Pietro suddenly started to seem like good characters and good Avengers, since they weren't really replacing the old ones anymore.

So there it is: Hank Pym returns as Goliath, in a really cool story, with a cool costume and cooler codename!

Amazing Spider-man #200:

Peter comes face to face with the Burglar, the man who killed Uncle Ben all those years ago. And after 200 issues, countless stories and countless times Peter has looked back on that decision, he finally confronts the Burglar one more time.

And even more, Aunt May, who supposedly died, is revealed to still be alive. At this point in Spider-man, Peter hadn't seen much of his friends, had no girlfriend (Gwen was long dead and MJ had left the book) and on his last rope. May, who has consistently hated and feared Spider-man for 200 issues in a row, even preparing to shoot him in the back to save Docter Octopus at one point, looks up at Spider-man, holds his hand and smiles. Peter says "I'm not as scary as you think I am" or something like that. Finally, Peter can rest assured that Aunt May doesn't hate Spider-man like the rest of the world.

In my mind, Crisis on Infinite Earths is one of the best super-hero stories ever written. Even though it messed up a lot of continuity, it is still what I consider the all-time greatest DC Universe Super-Hero saga with the all-time greatest DC Villian, the Anti-Moderator.

Throughout the entire series, there was scene after scene that was amazing, including the phenominally written deaths of Supergirl and the Flash. But to me, one scene always gets me to get teary-eyed, and it's this one:

After the Anti-Moderator is defeated, the Heroes have a few pages where they are shown dealing with it. Kid-Flash, who had previously given up super-heroing, looks in the mirror, and puts on Barry's costume. Here, he decides to continue on as the Flash, to continue Barry's legacy, after Barry sacrificed himself to save them all. Wally, who had pretty much been sick to his stomach over super-heroing before, now decides that he will be the new Flash.

Here's one that wasn't really a series or mini-series, at least not story-wise.

DC's Who's Who of the DC Universe and Marvel's The Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

When those came out I thought it was so cool. To finally have a breakdown of origins and powers collected in one series. And when DC started their loose leaf updates, those were the best. Still have the original copies of the Handbook and Who's Who in my collection. And the loose leaf version is on one of my shelves.

When I started reading AVENGERS in 1973, Marvel was reprinting their old adventures in MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION. So there were two sets of Avengers running around, one featuring Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Panter, Swordsman and Mantis, and the other featuring Cap, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Quicksilver. I was mildly confused but just went with it since the stories were so good.

Two stories that stand out, one from each era, both involve the Swordsman. In AVENGERS # 117, he swordfights Valkyrie, but then is done in by a man guarding a castle who shoots him in the back. In MTA (reprinting AVENGERS # 20), Swordsman was still a villain when he tried to plant a bomb in Avengers Mansion, only to change his mind after falling in love with the Scarlet Witch. He was just a romantic at heart.

I remember Marvel Triple Action!

I loved it! The earliest issue I can remember is about # 35 or so-- it reprints the orignal Red Gaurdian/ Black Widow story. Shortly after that is the issue that reprints The Avengers vs. the Super-Adaptoid!

Those were some kick-ASS Avengers stories.

I miss the days of reprint titles.

I'm convinced DC's 100-Page Spectaculars (which were heavy with reprints) are the reason I'm such a huge DC fan today.

I think they worked especially well in the case of THE LEGION-- Cockrum and Grell's super-slick new tales alongside kick-ass Shooter/Swan reprints-- MAN that was good stuff!!!

Speaking of Avengers, one "kewl moment" was when the Avengers discovered the Vision's origin and whole-heartedly accepted him into their ranks, showing us that even and android can cry...

The Avengers really were full of kewl moments back in the day--


It was the EARLY 70s-- I'd missed Cockrum's LEGION run but remember being enthralled by the his artwork and the events of GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 2--

KANG had captured Thor, Iron Man and the Vision and placed them inside giant robots as his servants. He held Mantis, Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness captive, determined to discover which of them was the Celestial Madonna.

He had previously ignored The Swordsman, dissing him by calling him useless and stuff!

So Swordsy hooked up with Hawkeye (back then there weren't 600 ex-Avengers you could call on!) and the 2 of them-- along with Rama-Tut-- defeated & freed THE VISION! Wow!

Then they-- barely-- did the same for IRON MAN! Totally Kewl!

As Vision freed Wanda, Mantis and Ms. Harkness, Kang sent THOR after our near-hapless heroes!

Things were looking bleak-- Until Wanda reached to the sky, touched those scarlet gauntlets together-- and pulled a meteor from space down and directly into Thor! This knocked him out long enough for the team to free him!

Mantis-- who had been piggybacking Thor in a futile attempt to remove the robot-head-- commented cattily on the closeness of the meteor strike to her! (She & Wanda had been spatting over her flirtations with The Vision)

Swordsman had shown KANG why it was unwise for him to discount ANY Avenger and as one final act of bravery took a blast meant for the revealed Celestial Madonna Mantis.

As he died in her arms, Mantis apologized for her hussy-fied ways.

An amazing issue that I still love to this day!

Lash, that is one of the all-time best Avengers stories ever told. In fact, the whole Mantis saga, starting with her and Swordsman joining the Avengers, all the way up to the double wedding of Vision/Wanda and Mantis/cotati Swordsman (OK, that was weird), is still one my favorite eras! Good action from Iron Man, Thor, and Hawkeye too during this run. That issue is the highlight of this whole era IMO!

OK, here is a cool moment. This is my favorite X-Men scene ever:

After a whole bunch of things go wrong, including Storm losing her powers and the government cracking down on mutants again, NightCrawler calls a meeting for all the X-Men. We see the New Mutants on the stairs outside, with Racheal (Jean and Scott's daughter from the future) listening in, desperately trying to hear what's happening.

Inside, Nightcrawler goes on a rant to Prof. X, while Collosus, Kitty and Rogue listen. He starts questioning why the team even exists, what good they do and what chance mutants have at all. Yelling, he says "Look at us! Banshee, crippled! Thunderbird, Dead! Phoenix, Murdered!"

With a possible end of the X-Men in sight, Racheal bursts into the room, telling them not to give up, that they can make the world a better place, to stop things like her future from happening.

Prof. X looks at Nightcrawler, and tells him why the X-Men should stay together. He says something like "I still want to fight for the dream". Kurt replies with "then I'll fight by your side", and they shake hands.

This was somewhere around #183, at the end of one of the issues, in what was truly an emotional scene. Up until then the X-Men were having one terrible thing happen after another, and Kurt's feelings were pretty common among all of the X-Men. This was Claremont at his absolute best, dramatic and meaningful! My favorite X-scene ever.

The Marshall Rogers Detectives back in the late 70's. The next issue's villian would be subtly foreshadowed. Plus he drew a real sexy Dick Grayson Robin.

Great stories Quis. That was a great run, was that with Steve Englehart writing?

Here's a Batman one:

The finale of the Nocturna saga: Jason Todd, the second Robin had been adopted by Nocturna, a female villian who truly began to love Jason as a mother. Also, she had fallen in love with Batman/Bruce, and he had begun falling in love with her.

Things had been heating up between the two of them, as their love/hate relationship showed different levels with each issue. In the climax to the whole saga, the Night-Hunter (or what ever his name was), Nocturna's old partner who was obsessed with her, met up with Batman and Nocturna for a final battle. In the end, Nocturna is struck by lightning from the Crisis on Infinite Earths storms while in a large balloon, and may possibly be dead! Or...is she?!

Jason began loving her like a second mother, and Bruce was forced to see yet another relationship be destroyed.

Good stuff, I always prefered Nocturna to Catwoman with Bruce, although I prefer Talia to both of them.

The Swordsman was truly a sympathetic character. After leading a life of crime, he found the right woman (OK, so she was a prostitute, as Steve Englehart originally envisioned her, big deal) and went straight. Then he was jilted by her. Then he died saving her life.

I never quite understood the Cotati incident that followed -- basically, Mantis marries Swordsman's body, but someone else is inhabiting it? Even in death, Swordy was still being used. Sheesh.

Then there was GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 3-- Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, The Vision and Mantis VS. THE LEGION OF THE UNLIVING!

Crap on a STICK-- that was a kick-ASS story! Made all the better by Cockrum's exceptional ink-work!

Unfortunately, G-S AVENGERS # 4 featuted that "Mantis marries a plant inhabiting Swordsman's Body" story that HWW mentioned. BlEEEEch!

G.S. AVENGERS # 3 also revealed that Vision was the original Human Torch, re-fashioned by Ultron. His origin was another "kewl" moment, inasmuch as it 1) answered the question of whatever happened to Marvel's other chief Golden Age hero, and 2) gave Vision a noble lineage, of sorts.

Later stories by Byrne changed this so that Vision was made out of the Torch's "spare parts" but on that.

agreed, HWW!

Byrne needs to quit placing his un-needed stamp on already bitchen ideas!

Since this seems to be heading more towards kewl Avengers moments here's mine:

Avengers Annual #10. The introduction of that sugah from the South, Rogue. That is the one Avengers annual that sticks with me to this day.

Not only were the pencils by Michael Golden 'golden' to me but the story by Claremont was great. Not only did he introduce one hell of a villain destined to become a great hero he had her steal the powers and memories of an established heroine.

YES! Avengers hasn't ever been my great comics passion, but I did like the title and in the mid-80s I could get back issues on the cheap. THIS one in particular stuck out - it was a meal.

To veer this away from The Avengers--

It was issues 48-50 of THE DEFENDERS--

Moon Knight, Hellcat and Valkyrie discovered the hideout for Zodiac (who were, iirc, holding Nighthawk captive) but needed the muscle of The Hulk to take 'em down.

Trouble was-- the Hulk wanted to eat beans in the park and be left alone.

So our hapless trio started a fight with the non-jolly green behemoth, and lead him all the way across town to the Zodiac hideout, where he proceeded to turn his anger at his allies towards the members of Zodiac.

A great 3-part story that featured some awesome early (and rare for MARVEL) Giffen artwork.

The Hulk sure loved beans.

I remember another issue, somewhat later, where the Defenders had set up house somewhere and had to go shopping. The Hulk threw a fit and insisted on filling their shopping cart with beans, so that was all they bought.

That was DEFENDERS 89, where they went home with Patsy for her mother's funeral. There were alot of great character moments in that issue, like Nighthawk donning his flightpack to adjust the TV antenna, and Valkyrie changed back to her original Norse garb-- it bounced from riotous to poignant and back, effortlessly. I believe it was written by David Kraft, who'd written the series earlier. Great stuff.

Thanks for identifying the issue, Pov.

There were times when DEFENDERS was one of the funniest comics around. An earlier example is # 63, or thereabouts, when a film student friend of the group publicized their existence. Previously, the Defenders had thrived on secrecy and on being a "non-team" without formal rules or membership. Once the friend, "Dollar Bill," exposed them, every second-rate hero in the Marvel Universe showed up to claim membership, including Captain Ultra, Marvel Man (now Quasar), and others. Hilarious hijinks ensued, including my favorite moment, when an irate Nighthawk snaps at a bunch of newcomers -- and they quit on the spot.

Oh! One of my favorite issues of DEFENDERS!

Indeed, DEFENDERS leaned toward the more comical for a lenghty run.

Then it tried to get all serious and was never quite the same I thought.

I remember the villain LUNATIK-- who was both funny AND murderously insane-- an eerie combo for this kiddie Defenders fan!

Joe Pi answers Shock-Headed Peter's question in Top Ten #11.