Gaze upon me, mortals, and tremble! For I am the brute that walks!
Super-Villain Team-Up presents Baron Zemo and Vladimir Putin
Hold on a sex…
…sec…
First appearance of Erik Josten (aka Atlas)
[from The Avengers (1963) #21]
Erik has a long history of making bad decisions.
I like Erik’s original supervillain concept: None of this cornball stuff. Just a guy named “Erik” in a brown speedo.
Question: Was Josten supposed to be a German? He references “American” science fiction like that’s foreign to him, and he’s only worried about outstanding warrants in Europe.
When the comic was published, it was still a credible idea that Heinrich Zemo had simply survived World War II by living his natural lifespan, as opposed to the Compound X retcon that made him virtually immortal. So I wonder if the original concept was for Zemo’s army to be made up of other ex-Nazis and their ne’er-do-well sons.
Yeah, the context here implies that Josten is supposed to be European (although his dialogue sure sounds American), but I don’t think he’s meant to be a Nazi. That Stan presents a whole other reason for Josten to be here suggests that he wasn’t going there. (I mean, if Erik were a Nazi hiding from a war crimes tribunal, I doubt he’d be worried about the smuggling.) He also doesn’t come across as old enough to have served in World War II, even when the war was only twenty years earlier.
Lee did do the idea of a secret community of WWII war criminals, but it was over in Captain America, when the Red Skull went to the Isle of Exiles to look up some of his old henchmen.
Tell ‘em, big man.
These might be the most perfect two panels of the early Thunderbolts.
“Hmph. I’m startin’ to understand how Spider-Man feels.”
Hey!
I colored the last half of issue Thunderbolts #172! I know it’s a small appearance but I was really ecstatic to work alongside with Declan & Jeff Parker on this issue (I really hope we get to work together more!).
These pages are some of my favorites, I absolutely love the way Declan draws Meteorite.
Pick it up in stores today! I think Dec did a really great job on this entire issue, lots of action and great one liners.
Reblogging for truth.
Back in the early days of the Thunderbolts, they were always trying to keep anyone from finding out who they were. This was important, because they were posing as new heroes as part of their plot to take over the world, and if anyone found out they were supervillains, that would totally screw it up…
Reblogging for
When we last saw Atlas, he’d been stuck on top of the wellspring at his big size and couldn’t be shrunk down with Pym particles or anything else. His brother is all “How are you going to feed him?” and S.H.I.E.L.D. just handwaves.
I really need to know how the fuck he ends up attacking the Avengers Mansion.
Between those stories he appeared in Last Defenders #3, where Nighthawk recruits him for a very short-lived Defenders team. In that story he’s totally back to normal without any reference to the above scene, and basically trying to work within the rules of the Superhuman Registration Act. From there I assume he became frustrated with the Avengers Initiative’s lack of interest in utilizing him, as he explained in New Avengers Annual #1, and joined Wonder Man’s crew.
As for how he recovered from his bout of too-big-itis in T-bolts #109, it’s never been explained. I just have to take that SHIELD agent at her word—she said they’d find a way to help him, and somehow they did.
Seriously, Luke, this is at least the second time he’s done that to you.
And I never get tired of it.
Maybe I should start reading Thunderbolts…
Never steered me wrong.
Thunderbolts #171 - Thunderbolts Versus Thunderbolts!
OH MAN CLASSIC BOLTS VS THE RUNAWAY BOLTS
OMIGOSH
OMIGOSH
“Y’all musta FORGOT we been here since DAY ONE!”
