SPECTACULAR SPLASH PAGES #22...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Back between 1972 and '74, me and a couple of pals used to clamber over the roof of an ancient pub in the Old Village quarter of our town (usually at night, but not always).  Joined onto one end of the pub was an old building, of which only one upstairs room was used by a dentist.  If memory serves, the dentist's place aside, the rest of the building had bare floorboards and stairs, and gave the impression of being quite dilapidated.  How did I know?  I once clambered in through the open window of the upstairs toilet and explored the place a little.  Fearless, me!  

So when I first saw this splash page in b&w in the pages of MARVEL UK's AVENGERS weekly, it reminded me of the interiors of that very building, and that's always the place I think of whenever I see this image of The Mighty Avengers (and irritating 'groupie' RICK JONES) striding through the run-down, rubble-strewn room. See? Association is a powerful thing. However, it's not just my personal memories that inspire my appreciation of the piece, but the fact that it's a neatly-composed picture that causes quite a splash.  Hey, maybe that's why it's called a splash page, eh?

And, in case you were wondering, the old building was eventually refurbished (many years ago, in fact) and is once more a residential abode.  However, below is a photo taken in the late '70s or very early '80s of the window (after it had been boarded up) where I gained access back in 1972 or '73.  Ah, memories!

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