Don Heck

DON HECK 02 January 1929 – 23 February 1995

Avengers Pencils: #9 -14, 17-40, 108-112, 145-146, 157

Avengers Inks: #32-37, 119-121, 123, 301

Avengers Covers: #19, 22, 26, 31-36, 39, 40, 47, 112

Don Heck’s earliest recorded credit is the cover of the 1952 Weird Terror #1. Having come on staff at Atlas in 1954, Heck also did the cover for Tales of Suspense #1 in 1959. Heck’s work ranged from War, through sci-fi, mystery, suspense to superhero and even romance titles. While Heck’s credits also include Justice League of America, The Flash, and Wonder Woman for DC and Gold Key’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Don Heck is probably best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, and his work on The Avengers. Although Jack Kirby designed the original appearance of Iron Man, it was Heck who developed the look for Tony Stark and other supporting characters. For a long time it was believed that a lot of Heck’s artwork on Iron Man was over Kirby’s pencils and layouts but Mark Evanier a former assistant to Kirby and a comic historian in his own right has dispelled these claims. Heck also pencilled the first appearances of future Avengers Hawkeye and Black Widow in Tales of Suspense #57 and Tales of Suspense #52. Heck often inked his own pencils and having pencilled 39 issues, only John Buscema and George Perez have pencilled more issues of The Avengers.  

"NEW AVENGERS": The first membership shake-up

 Avengers #16 May 1965

Chic Stone

CHIC STONE (Charles Eber Stone)

04 January 1923 - 28 July 2000

Avengers Inker #6, 7, 11, 14, 15

Avengers Covers: #6-15

Avengers #6
Jul 1964

Chic Stone entered the comic book industry in 1939. In the 1940s, he worked for Fawcett on the original Captain Marvel and also at Timely. Stone’s Marvel debut was on Fantastic Four #27 taking over from George Roussos. Like Roussos, Dick Ayers, Paul Reinman, and Vince Colletta, Stone was widely recognised as one of the inkers associated with Jack Kirby during the silver-age and he worked in particular on Kirby’s Uncanny X-Men and Mighty Thor. He also freelanced for DC, and later spent time at Archie / Red Circle. Stone was inking for Marvel as late as The A-Team #1 (March 1984). In the early 1990s, he drew commissioned art in Silver Age Kirby-Stone style for sales through dealers. 

George Roussos

GEORGE ROUSSOS aka "George Bell"

20 August 1915 - 19 February 2000

Avengers Inker: #4

Affectionately nicknamed “Inky” by his colleagues, George Roussos entered the comic industry as a letterer in 1939. Before working on a variety of National (DC) titles, he worked for Bob Kane and Bill Finger to ink, letter, and draw backgrounds on Batman. In the early 1960s Roussos often went by the name George Bell and became a regular inker for Jack Kirby. 

On The Avengers he inked both the cover and interior of The Avengers #4 featuring the return of Captain America. Roussos was placed #15 in a survey to identify the 20 Greatest Inkers of American Comic Books. Along with Marie Severin, Roussos was frequently the un-credited colourist on many early Marvel titles and became Marvel’s official cover colorist.

Right: A prophetic title for

 Roussos’ final Avengers 

inking assignment?

Avengers #92 Sep 1971

Artie Simek

Artie Simek
circa 1964

ARTIE SIMEK

 01 January 1916 – 20 February 1975

Avengers Lettering #2, 4, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21 …

An Artie Simek Classic

Avengers #67 Aug 1969

Despite a lack of lettering credits Artie Simek is remembered as working for Timely in the 1940s by artist Joe Giela. Simek’s earliest credited work dates from Dec 1957 when he lettered a Batman / Superman feature for DC in Worlds Finest #91 and in the same month a story in Batman #112. When the Marvel Comics revolution occurred in the early 1960s he, along with Sam Rosen, became widely regarded as two of the best in the field. Between the two they lettered almost every early 60s Marvel title. Simek lettered Fantastic Four #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15. Simek lettered 37 of the first 100 Avengers issues commencing with #2.

Giant Size Defenders #5 from 1975 features Simek’s last work before he passed away.

Paul Reinman

PAUL REINMAN 2 September 1910 - 27 September 1988

Avengers Inker #2, 3, 5

Avengers Covers: #3

In the 1940s Reinman worked on characters such as the Golden Age Green Lantern, Atom, Starman and Wonder Woman. At MLJ (later Archie) his assignments included the Black Hood and the Hangman. 

Later in 1965 he and Jerry Siegel created The Mighty Crusaders. 

At Timely he worked on the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner stories before going on to a range of genres for Atlas in the 50s.

Along with Dick Ayers, George Roussos, Chic Stone and Vince Colletta, Reinman became one of the inkers most associated with Jack Kirby in the early 1960s. Reinman worked with Kirby on Incredible Hulk #1, Uncanny X-Men #1-5 and 3 early Avengers.

“Robot Hater” from Tales of Suspense #3 May 1959

Pencils and Inks by Paul Reinman

Reinman continued with Marvel into the 1970s. He pencilled Ka-Zar #1 (Jan 1974) and assisted John Romita with the pencils of Amazing Spider-Man #132 (May 1974).

Sam Rosen

SAM ROSEN

Avengers Lettering #1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 22 … 

Although Sam Rosen started his career in the 1940s with a 7 page assignment on Will Eisner’s The Spirit, he is best known as one of the two calligraphers, usually credited as letterers, responsible for almost every Marvel title in the early 1960s.

Often alternating with Artie Simek, Rosen worked during a time when all lettering, logos and word balloons were hand drawn. Credits for lettering were often omitted until the early-to-mid 1960s however Rosen is credited with 1962’s The Incredible Hulk #3 and The Avengers #1. He proceeded to letter 51 of the first 100 issues of The Avengers. Rosen's last known credited work appears Captain America #156 (Dec 1972).

Splash page for Avengers #93 Nov 1971

Letters by Sam Rosen

Dick Ayers

DICK AYERS (b. Richard Bache Ayers)

28 April 1924 -

Avengers Inker #1, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25

Avengers Covers: 1, 22, 24, 25

Dick Ayers is well known for his storytelling skills and prolific output. He was one of the first artists in Marvel’s "Bullpen" and inked Jack Kirby's pencils on many landmark Marvel silver-age titles. Perhaps best known for his long runs on Marvel’s Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos, and western titles Kid Colt Outlaw and Rawhide Kid, Ayers inked 12 issues of The Avengers and 4 covers including issue #1.

Sgt Fury & The Howling Commandos Annual #1 October 1965 – Pencils by Dick Ayers