As luck would have it, the birthday “boy” was born on the same month and year of the Avengers comic book’s 20th anniversary issue. This year his 30th birthday falls on the 50th anniversary! Good thing he LOVES the Avengers! This wife wanted to celebrate with a special cake. There are three comic book covers — the Sept 1963 #1 issue, the Sept 1983 cover and the Sept 2013 issue. All were hand-painted with food coloring on fondant. Thor’s hammer, Hawkeye’s scope and arrow, Black Widow’s belt buckle and Captain America’s shield are all make from gum paste. Iron Man’s Arc Reactor (yup, had to learn all about this stuff – I kept wanting to call in the “Flux Capacitor”. Wrong movie!) is fondant over plastic and lights up blue. The Hulk fist is modeling chocolate over Rice Crispies treats. The banner is modeling chocolate and fondant. This cake was loads of fun! I loved getting the chance to paint! The first picture shows the cake without all the 3D add-ons.