It’s a stupid goal, but one that I’ve been working on since the beginning of the year. I started reading every night before I go to sleep as a way to clear my head of design and advertising. And these early Stan Lee issues are so boring they do the trick.

I seem to be right on track to hit my goal. Some observations from the first 20 or so issues:

• If Stan Lee’s writing of how women think is any indication of what he thinks of women I’m seriously amazed that he ever got married. Any female character in the book constantly talks about how she wants to go shopping or wonders what a hunky hero looks like without a mask. They also get kidnapped a lot and used as “bait” for the male characters.
• One of the most brilliant things Stan Lee ever did was bring Captain America back from the grave.
• The on again, off again relationship with the Hulk was pretty much a waste of time.
• Things started getting good with Zemo, but the fact that his anger with Captain America was based around his inability to remove a mask that was stuck to his face with a super adhesive is laughable. Kang was a much better villain.
• The additon of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver really helped get a greater diversity of skills on the team.
• Wonder Man’s origin should have played a bigger role in a larger plot. While he does come back in later issues, his relationship with Tony Stark and the Grim Reaper could have had a much larger impact on readers. I feel like this was a missed opportunity (but how was Lee to know this series would last more than 12 issues anyway).
• I’ve always disliked Giant Man. Huge guy that’s strong. Hulk was strong. Thor was strong. Giant Man just takes up space. On a side note, I watched the Avengers animated series with my daughter and their portrayal of Giant Man was so much better than these stories. The animated series focused the writing on his intellect and his character and he was far more likable.
• Kirby was not at his best, but certainly good. His trademark style, big, crazy colors, characters and settings certainly was put on display. He did a great job of bringing Stan Lee’s absurd inventions to life.
• The Avengers should have payed more attention to who they admitted into their ranks. Wonder Man–villain. Quicksilver–villan. Scarlet Witch–villan. Swordsman–villan. Hawkeye–villan. Even their butler Jarvis–villan (that comes later). And while most would eventually become heros, it still sets a bad precedence.
• Longer story arcs finally gave  to shine. Kang’s reappearance in 24-26 was the first solid story of the comic.
• I really admire Marvel’s efforts to keep continuity across all their books consistant. If a storyline was important in Thor or Captain America, those characters were unavailable for the Avengers. Much different than current Marvel that is more than happy with Spiderman or Wolverine being featured in five books a month.

I’m holding out as long as I can to get through Lee’s writing. I know the stories get better (especially with the introduction of Ultron and the Vision). So it’s just a matter of time. I’ll write more as I continue my journey.