It's not much discussed that alongside Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner, Marvel had several other Golden Age revivals. Of course today there are dozens, but even in the earliest days there was Ka-Zar, Lord of the Savage Land, like Johnny Storm a modern reinvention of the a classic hero. But another that was not remarked upon at all in this regard is the Vision.
In Avengers #57 the modern android Vision reinvented by Roy Thomas and dramatically drawn by John Buscema debuted, a villain ostensibly and a tool of the uber-Avenger baddie Ultron (still in his fifth incarnation at that time). Like Johnny Storm and Ka-Zar this was a great modern rendition of the classic if obscure Joe Simon and Jack Kirby character the Vision.
That Vision was a being from another dimension, somewhat Spectre-like. That original version has resurfaced in the MU, but is almost completely overshadowed by his modern counterpart.
The debut cover for the Vision by the master John Buscema is arguably the finest for any hero of the Marvel Age. His iconic stance on an almost completely red cover is mesmerizing.
The stance as it turns out was borrowed from a splash page by Simon and Kirby.
But even more interestingly it's been reprint, homaged and swiped on many many covers since. Here's a gallery of them.
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I love me some Vision! He is a GREAT android character with an interesting power set. He was, in my mind, the pre-Data from Star Trek New Gen fame. As in, the template upon which the character seemed to have been based.
ReplyDeleteAlong with Noman from Tower Comics and Red Tornado from National /DC there was a bundle of these android types.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what a group name for androids would be? A drone? A fake? A droid?
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The Amazing Android Avengers
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