Avengers of the 50s: Agents of Atlas

If anyone's read the What If? issue 9 with the 50s style Avengers in it, or remembers them from Kurt Busiek's Avengers Forever, well, they're getting their own mini-series soon.

I love Golden Age stuff, so it's got my blood pumping, but listening to the creators, they're so psyched for it, it's almost infectious. Seriously, who can say no to Special Agent Jimmy Woo, Gorilla Man, Venus, Marvel Boy and the Human Robot anyways?

Looks like it'll be a great story and a sort of haven from all the mega-events going on. I urge everyone to check it out. Below are links to a series of articles about it on CBR. There's been some coverage at Newsarama too, but CBR's more into it.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7324

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7367

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7423

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7475

I own the old What IF? anf the Human Robot is my avatar over at avengersforever.org.

And don't forget the 3D-Man. 😉

I have the 3D-Man premiere issue somewhere. Pretty hoaky stuff, but enjoyable.

So this Friday on comicbookresources.com they'll reveal the mystery 6th member! Just a couple days ago they did a small piece on Jimmy Woo as well, giving more of an in depth profile to him and showing us a few pages from the first two issues.

Also http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73719

They started an online scavenger hunt. I'm terrible at stuff like that, but it's a cool promotion anyhow.

Can't wait for this book. Hopefully someone besides me posts in this thread!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7542

More info on Jimmy Woo, with lots of Yellow Claw scans and some previews of the first two issues. We get a scene with Marvel Boy/Crusader and the Fantastic Four, a flashback detailing the events in Fantastic Four 164-165 where he "died."

So for those of you sad to see Namorita gone with Civil War, check out Agents of Atlas and you'll see...

Spoiler:
Namora! Her "mother" returned to the world

I know no one cares but me, however...this cover rocks.

And as part of the online scavenger hunt, Mike Weiringo was "influenced" to draw this....

Click here for Leonard Kirk's rendition of the mysterious sixth Agent of Atlas. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/MarchToFuzzMH/mysteryAoA.jpg

I'm sure DarkCrawler will be pleased because

Spoiler:
she's like Namor, only a girl, so we can all go ga-ga. Wonder Woman be damned.

So the first issue is out. Did anyone check it out and what did you think? I thought it was pretty good. Here's a fair review of it at the X-Axis, a site I usually tend to agree with http://www.thexaxis.com/misc/agentsofatlas1.htm

I think it's pretty neat how unintentionally cyclical this stuff can be. Quasar died and simultaneously, seemingly coincidental Marvel Boy the original bearer of the quantum bands shows up. Namorita kicks it, and Namora is planned to be revived in this series. I love how this group blends most of the subgenres from the Atomic age into a team. With Gorilla Man we have fantasy and horror, the Human Robot gives us a sci-fi horror twist, Venus had a fairly succesful romance comic, Jimmy Woo was from a Yellow Menace/espionage comic and Marvel Boy has the 1950s Flash Gordon flying saucer space scene covered. Blend it all together and it's unique and enjoyable.