User blog comment:20thCentFopp/The First Avengers Team and Marvel Hierarchy/@comment-61022-20131028061342/@comment-23748647-20131028153655

This is always the criticism of modern literary discourse; judging the older works by modern mores. That is the reason for the creation of the term zeitgeist (or spirit of the times, literally translated time ghost) meaning judging a work by its own time’s opinions. However, I and a few of my colleagues, find this idea a tad ludicrous as we can never truly know how the zeitgeist truly affected opinions of the work. Therefore, the way I do close readings of comics is judging a work by it’s merits today still be read to by how it would have been read in the 60s. If you read my article on Xenophobia in the Fantastic Four, you will see how sometimes a glimpse into the zeitgeist can be worthy of a read.

The comparison to the Justice League is warranted as Stan, on many occasions has often talked about his want, in to early years, to put his twist on that idea. It was this want that actually spurred on the creation of the creation of the Fantastic Four. My mention of team work is just to show the difference of the two. Though this is not made explicably clear as Thor remains on his own trajectory the entire issue.

As I am reading these comics blind I am not sure what to expect next so I look forward to character development in the future.

Thank you for the comments and I wish you a happy fandom!