Avengers, The (1963 series) #1

Now I can speak up my mind!

Hulk's first battle with Iron Man. Plus, probably your only chance to see Hulk wearing clown makeup.

The Avengers effectively start life as a way of controlling the Hulk. They spend #1-3, Fantastic Four #25-26, and #5 trying to do that job, with time off to induct Captain America in #4. The Avengers will often return to the task of trying to capture Hulk. In fact it will be the first thing the replacement Avengers do (in #17) after they are formed in #16. Hulk, Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade haven't been seen since Hulk's initial run ended with #6. Then he used a machine to swap between Hulk and Bruce Banner. Now he seems to be permanently Hulk. But next issue will suggest he is still transforming by machine. The Official Index puts Thor and Loki here between Journey into Mystery #96 (in the same month as this issue) and #97. Loki has been imprisoned in Asgard for a while, including those 2 issues, but the Isle of Silence prison depicted here is a unique to this issue. During this period he is forced, as here, to pursue his vendetta against Thor by influencing others. Similarly Iron Man, in his clunky yellow armour, and Ant-Man and the Wasp are just placed between contemporary issues of Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish. Loki will never be a regular Avengers foe but he will crop up occasionally, the next event being the Avengers/Defenders war starting in #115. This and other early issues have had other stories interpolated by Avengers Classics and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes v1. Avengers #1½ was specifically inserted after this issue. And lately #1 was expanded into Avengers: The Origin limited series.

The Avengers was Marvel's response to DC's Justice League of America. And Rick Jones was the equivalent of JLA's teen Snapper Carr. But I think it is indicative of Marvel's approach that they didn't invent a whole new character to fit the bill, but used an existing one. Rick's ties to other characters was a big factor in him having a more substantial career than Snapper.