Coupla Early Avenger Covers by Jack Kirby

 Strangely enough, I dinnae even know about these until this century.  I've always loved Kirby, but I only saw or knew of his Marvel stuff of the late 1960s, and I remember the Fourth World explosion when I was 14 really made me sit up and take notice.  One summer afternoon at age 14, I was the running back in a sandlot football game between two Army family housing buildings.  I was the same size then as I am now, 6 foot 1 and a ton of fun, so I was dragging defenders with me into the end zone.  The biggest kid from the opposing building yelled down from his third story apartment, "Cap'n, if I was down there I would kick your butt!"  "So come on down!," I taunted him.  "Just got back from the PX," he yelled,"and I'm busy!"  He held a brand-new copy of New Gods #1 out the window and waved it at us.  Game over