Wonder Man, Power Man and Giant Man?

[Red Oak Kid]

I have a couple of questions about these characters and the early run of Avengers.

Are Wonder Man, Power Man and Giant Man the same character or three separate characters? And I'm just asking about the period of the early 60s. I don't want to get bogged down in retcons from the following decades.

I noticed at the GCD that Giant Man seemed to dominate 8 consecutive Avengers covers; 28-35. Was Marvel trying to push this character in hopes he could carry his own title? Or did Avengers covers with him just sell better.

One thing that triggered this was a French digest I have that seems to reprint Avengers 22. In some panels, there have been major art changes. They really stand out because the original was inked by Wally Wood. I have attached an example. Check out the Power Man head in panel 2.

I wonder what the original Heck/Wood panel looked like?

[MWGallaher]

They're three different characters. Giant-Man is Henry Pym, a founding member of the Avengers (as Ant-Man, back then). At the time of those covers you mention, his series had been cancelled, so there might have been some intent to stir up interest. More likely, I think, he just had to dominate because that was his gimmick: he was bigger than everyone else. This may in fact be why they dropped him from the team--unpopular character taking up too much cover space!
Power Man and Wonder Man were two different villains, although Wonder Man was rehabilitated and eventually became a member. Both had some of the ugliest costume designs ever. I love the heck outta Heck, but he didn't have a knack for costuming.

[Gingold]

The first Power Man (as opposed to Luke Cage, who later went by Power Man for awhile) had similar powers to Wonder Man. He later changed his name to Goliath (which was used by Hank Pym after he was Giant Man, but before he was Yellow Jacket). He later reformed and became Atlas of the the Thunderbolts. Crystal clear, right?

[spoon_jenkins]

I'm reading my Essential Avengers in order, and I just finished vol. 2 (#25-46), so this thread is right up my alley. A lot has been covered. Let me add that in those covers of those issues Hank Pym dominated (28-35), he had switched names from Giant-Man to Goliath.

At the time of those covers you mention, his series had been cancelled, so there might have been some intent to stir up interest. More likely, I think, he just had to dominate because that was his gimmick: he was bigger than everyone else. This may in fact be why they dropped him from the team--unpopular character taking up too much cover space!
I agree that he probably dominated because he was large, but I disagree with the rest. Hank Pym wasn't dropped from the team after those issues. He was dropped from the team before that (in #16, when the other original Avengers left as well). Instead, #28 marks Pym's return to the team after his hiatus. His stint starting with #28 lasted several years (during which he switched codenames again to Yellowjacket).

I think, in part, Goliath was also featured on the covers because he had some significant plotlines at the time. Also, because he had once had his own feature (in Tales to Astonish), I'd guess he might have been considered a bigger draw than folks like Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Quicksilver (who hadn't had solo features).

One thing that triggered this was a French digest I have that seems to reprint Avengers 22. In some panels, there have been major art changes. They really stand out because the original was inked by Wally Wood. I have attached an example. Check out the Power Man head in panel 2.

I wonder what the original Heck/Wood panel looked like?
(The following is based on my Essential Avengers TPB.) The panels come from Avengers 21. In the original the first 2 panels were on one page, and the next 2 panels were on the following page. The other 3 panels actually look fairly similar to the originals, but it seems like your reprint changed the dimensions of the various panels. Panel 2 originally cut off the back over Power Man's head around the middle of his ear. So apparentally they had some draw the back of his head and part of his body, which weren't in the original panel.

[Roquefort Raider]

One thing that triggered this was a French digest I have that seems to reprint Avengers 22. In some panels, there have been major art changes. They really stand out because the original was inked by Wally Wood. I have attached an example. Check out the Power Man head in panel 2.


Is that an issue of Vengeur, published by Artima? Those digests were incredible. That's where I read the entire run of Steranko' SHEILD stories or Starlin's Warlock run for a handful of pennies.

As you noticed, many panels were "filled out" by in-house artists so that they would fit the digest's size. Artima didn't go with a "one page = one page" approach like Pocket Books did with its Marvel reprints, but neither did it leave blank spaces when things didn't fit.

[Red Oak Kid]

Is that an issue of Vengeur, published by Artima? Those digests were incredible. That's where I read the entire run of Steranko' SHEILD stories or Starlin's Warlock run for a handful of pennies.

As you noticed, many panels were "filled out" by in-house artists so that they would fit the digest's size. Artima didn't go with a "one page = one page" approach like Pocket Books did with its Marvel reprints, but neither did it leave blank spaces when things didn't fit.

Yes, it is Vengeur # 16 with lots of Steranko SHIELD reprints.

[benday-dot]

On a semi-relevant, mostly irrelevant note. I always hated the change from Hank Pym as Ant-Man to Hank Pym as Giant Man/Goliath.

The Ant-Man character I always thought was fascinating and endowed with lots of great plot potential (even if seen before with Atom and other miniature heroes) and sported an original and pretty cool looking costume to boot. I loved his antenaed helmet! Very small guy was much more intriguing than very large guy, who just seemed pretty boring.

The later assumption of the Yellow Jacket guise was welcome to me, but still never seemed to match the silver age lustre of the Ant-Man character.