50th anniversay mega-poster

     Since today is the last day of 2013, it's the last day of the Avengers' golden anniversary from when the series started in 1963. Marvel has created a mega-poster that I've already shown part of, but over the months, they've released more alternate covers with more parts of the poster, so I've combined the remaining parts to create the whole image. The most recent covers, and even one that hasn't even been released yet still have the cover titles, logos, and other sundry images on them, but that is what is available at this time.

     There are special issues of the current issue Avengers (2013) 24 that can be purchased that come bundled with the actual poster that is apparently 6 feet long featuring the same image. But for those of us who don't have free wall space or approval to use said wall space, I've posted some versions of the full image. Though I don't normally like to have a page that breaks out of the blog column on the right, I'll make an exception so the whole image can actually be enjoyed without it shrinking too much. A full-length one is followed by a smaller one that fits the column, and the third is a version that is cut roughly in half and stacks them to make fit a full computer screen a bit better. Enjoy. 

 

Updates for 12/13/13

     The Marvel Unlimited app featured some old issues featuring the Inhumans for free this month, which featured some older Avengers appearances I had overlooked. I had access to the story from Fantastic Four 150 and could include it in the timeline after Avengers 127 where it belongs. Yee-Gods! I forgot how Iron Man had a nose on his mask already!

     In housekeeping news, after a period of one year, I'll be eliminating old posts that are updates like this one. Since the changes have been incorporated to their appropriate points in the timeline, it's just redundant to have the updates archived as well.

 

Fantastic Four 150
Ultron-7: He'll Rule the World!

September, 1974

Written by Gerry Conway
Art by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott

Lettered by John Costanza

Colored by Linda Lessmann

 

Ultron-7 gloats over the paralyzed bodies of the assembled Fantastic Four, Avengers, and Inhumans. He is so confident that he frees them from their paralysis to see what fruitless actions they will take. Thing attacks him, but it has no effect. Rather than join Thing in further assault, the other heroes try to figure out a plan. Ultron-7 readily reveals to them how Maximus found his robot brain, brought it to Attilan, and attached it to Omega's body. Ultron-7 nearly immediately got rid of Maxiumus and pursued his own schemes to destroy the heroes. He launches a psychic attack to dissolve the psyches of the all his opponents and leave them brainless. This wakes up the comatose Franklin Richards, who returns the mental assault with more force and totally deactivates Ultron-7's robot brain. After this defeat, we see several of the guests preparing for the wedding and speaking of their own romances. Everyone gathers for the ceremony, and Crystal and Quicksilver are wed. They are teleported away by Lockjaw to their honeymoon while the guests look on.

 

Narration: "There are probably a thousand things we could say at a moment like this...but we won't say any of them. We like to think...the moment says it all."

• Although Quicksilver appears on the cover in his green uniform, he wears a silver one in the issue and during his wedding. The rest of the superheroes wear their hero uniforms rather than dress in formal wear.
• Thing calls Ultron-7 "jaundice jaws." Jaundice usually refers to a yellow pigmentation, which Ultron does not have.
• Franklin's powers are described by narration as being enough "to consume an entire planet." Later, he uses the power to create an entire new universe, one that temporarily serves as home to the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and others for over a year of publication.
• Thing says the wedding pageantry resembles a Rose Bowl Parade. The Rose Bowl Parade started in 1890 in Pasadena as a New Year's Day parade and features floats decorated with only flowers and other natural ornamentation such as fruit and grains. It grew in popularity and has been seen on television around in world in over 200 countries.
• Both Quicksilver and Crystal do not have one line of dialogue in the issue that contains their wedding.

for Avengers 3 (as a counterpoint to its story) and 160 (for when it was published)

• What If? (1977) 3 is published this month. The story is "What If the Avengers Had Never Been?" In this alternate universe, later called Earth-776, the team broke up after Avengers 2. When Hulk and Namor team up, as they did in Avengers 3, Iron Man builds powered armor for Ant-Man, Wasp, and Rick Jones to help him, even though they aren't Avengers. They can't use their armor effectively, so Iron Man goes to fights the two enemies alone. The other heroes eventually join Iron Man, but Iron Man is killed in the battle.

For Avengers 14

• Also this month, the Avengers appear in Fantastic Four (1961) 36 as guests at the engagement party for Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl.

For Avengers 164

• An Alice appears as a biochemist helping to inspect Wonder Man. Some sources claim this is Alice Nugent, who later becomes Doctor Spectrum in 2006. She does share the first name and a resemblance, so it is a possibility. Alice Nugent owned a technology company, but as Henry Pym has demonstrated, Marvel scientists are often proficient in multiple fields.

For Avengers 170

• The Thor here is still sent by the Collector from another time period. (I got fooled and thought it was the real McCoy, but I was wrong.)

For Avengers 172

• What If? (1977) 9 is published this month. The story is "What If the Avengers Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" It does not feature the established Avengers, but instead a new group consisting of  3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, The Human Robot, Marvel Boy, and Venus. Although this story is not part of the official Marvel Universe, the same heroes would be seen as a team in Avengers Forever and then later as the Agents of Atlas group in 2006.

For Avengers 179

• This month features the first appearance of James Rhodes in Iron Man (1968)118. Before becoming Iron Man, War Machine or Iron Patriot, he was Tony Stark's personal aviation mechanic, and that's what he's doing in this appearance.

Avengers 178 to 180 (including Avengers Annual 8)

Wasp's most colorful garb?
Who dies to lighten Beast's soul?
Bloodhawk's goose is cooked.

Beast; Henry "Hank" McCoy

Captain America; Steve Rogers

Iron Man; Tony Stark

Scarlet Witch; Wanda Maximoff

Thor; Donald Blake

Vision

Wasp; Janet Van Dyne

Yellowjacket; Henry "Hank" Pym

Featured Allies

Black Panther; T'Challa

Doctor Strange; Stephen Strange

Hawkeye; Clint Barton

Ms. Marvel; Carol Danvers

Quicksilver; Pietro Maximoff

Wonder Man; Simon Williams

     After the lengthy Korvac Saga, readers were treated to a few short stories by guest writers and artists before another story line began to form in the following months. The last issue of the Korvac Saga left the entire team lying near death in the middle of a suburban living room, but that scene is not expanded upon. They just jump into the action of the next few stories without dwelling on it. Moondragon must really be good at erasing memories! The extra characters that had been involved in that story also disappear from the book without much mention until the membership is heavily shaken up in issue 181.
    The four stories in this section are of a varied sort. The Avengers Annual 8 tale is heavy on action and features guest stars and the membership split up into mini-chapters before the whole tale is over, but it concludes nicely without leaving loose ends in the regular continuity. Avengers 178 by guest writer Steve Gerber is very light on action and spotlights Beast heavily. It delves into philosophy, psychology, and spy craft and does not lend itself to easy analysis. The reader has plenty of questions left over that are never answered. Gerber is known for his off-beat tales, and here's an example of one in a "mainstream" series.
     The next two issues are stories that were likely written months prior to their publication, to be used to fill an empty spot in the schedule. In the story, a Quinjet blasts off out of the Avengers Mansion even though their flight privileges had been revoked in issue 172. Yellowjacket explains that the FAA granted them special permission to use their Quinjets as long as they land at a commercial airport. Based on this scene and previous editor Jim Shooter being credited as the editor, the story was probably completed before their privileges were revoked, and then this dialogue was added to explain how the "incorrect" scene fit into current continuity.
     Lastly, I included an Avengers-heavy issue of Iron Man (1968) that takes place around this time. If you wonder what happens to those villains the Avengers put in storage and say they plan to cure, this issue does show what has become of some of them. It also introduces a threat that will be forgotten and then showcased again in the next Avengers Annual.

Avengers Annual 8

Spectrums of Deceit!

January, 1979

Written by Roger Slifer
Art by George Pérez, Pablo Marcos, and Ricard Villamonte

Lettered by Joe Rosen and Elaine Heinl

Colored by Carl Gafford

Yellowjacket plans to surprise Wasp by giving her the reconstituted Power Prism as a birthday present. He assumes that when it shattered, it became inactive. Wasp sneaks a look at her present and finds that it still functions. The will inside the gem takes over her body and creates a Doctor Spectrum outfit for her. She attacks Quicksilver and Wonder Man at the mansion. The Prism covets Thor as a host, but it is worried that Iron Man will defeat it with his knowledge of its weakness, so it uses Wasp to ambush Iron Man at a construction site. The three defeated heroes are kept in stasis by the Prism and sent to the bottom of the ocean. Yellowjacket battles Wasp and is joined by Beast, Black Panther, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. The Prism's weakness to ultraviolet light had been shared by Iron Man, so Wasp is left unconscious once the Avengers use ultraviolet beams to subdue her. Not knowing the Prism wants Thor, the Avengers summon Donald Blake to tend to Wasp. They find that the gem has grafted itself into Wasp's hand. They seek out Doctor Strange for advice, but he is busy with his own affairs. He does tell them that the former Squadron Sinister members have been mesmerized to forgot their criminal pasts and powers, but that confronting them would bring those memories back. Hoping that the previous Doctor Spectrum may be able to help Wasp, the team splits up to track down the previous Squadron members to make sure they do not cause problems when they regain their memories. Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, and Vision track down Hyperion working at a gym, where the superhuman Thundra happens to also be looking for a job. When the Avengers arrive, a brawl breaks out, but Vision convinces Hyperion that rather than lashing out, he should track down the scientists who destroyed his subatomic world and warn them of what their experiments can do, so Hyperion calms down. Captain America, Hawkeye, and Scarlet Witch find Whizzer working at his old chemical company. He attacks them on sight when his memories return, but the heroes manage to subdue him. The previous Doctor Spectrum, Billy Roberts, is preaching at a religious festival, and Beast brings him back to the Mansion. Reverend Roberts tells of how he was able to overcome the evil influence of the Power Prism, giving the team hope Wasp can do the same. When Roberts gets close the Prism, he takes possession of it willingly, showing his true evil intentions. The change of hosts disrupts the construct at the bottom of the ocean holding Iron Man, Quicksilver, and Wonder Man, and Iron Man jets toward the fight. The Prism briefly outfits Roberts as Doctor Spectrum, but it imposes its own will and ejects itself off Roberts and toward Thor, taking him under its control by implanting itself in Mjolnir, Thor's hammer. Iron Man arrives and uses an ultraviolet beam on Thor, but Thor proves immune to this type of attack. Since the Prism is not a worthy entity, Thor is forced to drop Mjolnir due to the hammer's enchantment requiring a worthy owner. After 60 seconds of battle pass, Thor becomes Donald Blake, and Mjolnir transforms to its mundane form of a walking stick. Since the Prism was linked to Mjolnir, it ceases to exist during the transformation and does not return. Wasp celebrates her birthday soon after.

Ms. Marvel, about Vision and Hyperion's end to hostilities: "By the great Pama! It's incredible! They--They're talking!"

• This is Roger Slifer's only Avengers writing credit. He had colored part of issue 160 before this.
• It is also Elaine Heinl's and Carl Gafford's first Avengers work.
• Wasp talks about the Halston original she has on order. Roy Halston Frowick was a popular fashion designer in the 1970s and even designed the U.S. Olympic uniforms in 1976.
• The Power Prism was shattered in Giant-Size Defenders 4. Yellowjacket was part of the action in that issue, which is how he acquired the pieces. This is the Power Prism from Earth-616, formerly used by the Squadron Sinister. Although it appears to be an object, it is actually a Skull named Krimonn that was locked into this form as a punishment and later empowered by the Grandmaster.
• When the Power Prism takes over Wasp's mind, narration tells us it feels like when her life force was drained to animate Jocasta.
• The Prism states that Wasp is totally overwhelmed by its will because she is free of obsessive desires like its previous evil hosts.
• Yellowjacket probably refers to his insect soldiers as "squadron after squadron" of ants because of Doctor Spectrum having been in various teams named Squadron.
• For those who think it's ludicrous that Bruce Banner is always finding purple pants, Donald Blake is wearing purple pants as well in this issue. Some things are subtly different in the Marvel Universe, and the prevalence of purple pants seems to be one of them.
• Hyperion is working at the Arnold Columbo Health Spa in Queens with many bodybuilders. The 1977 bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron featured Franco Columbu and Arnold Schwarzenegger as two of the featured body builders, so this name may be a mix of the two.
• The amnesiac Hyperion is going by the name "Mr. Kant," which is a close match to Superman's Mr. Kent.
• Whizzer is working at Hudson Chemicals in West Caldwell, New Jersey, which is where he worked before gaining his powers. For some reason, a security guard calls him Harvey, but since Whizzer had a job there as James Saunders previously, it's unlikely he was working under an alias. The guard probably just made a mistake.
• Billy Roberts (probably a mix of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts) became Doctor Spectrum after the death of the original, Kinji Obatu. A trash worker, Bob Farmer, found the Power Prism, but he could not be corrupted by it. Farmer brought it to his pastor, Roberts, who took on the Doctor Spectrum identity.
• At the birthday party for Wasp, she has 21 candles visible on her cake.
• The Power Prism eventually does return in New Thunderbolts 13 taking on a new host, Martha Gomes. She wakes up one day with it attached to her and does not know where it came from. Awkward.

Avengers 178

The Martyr Perplex!

December, 1978

Written by Steve Gerber
Art by Carmine Infantino and Rudy Nebres

Lettered by Joe Rosen

Colored by Nel Yomtov

Beast is out at a nightclub, but his evening is spoiled by a man who doesn't approve of the admiration women are heaping upon Beast. As Beast leaves the club, he is met by a haggard man in torn clothing with a staff. The strange man claims he will now die in order to remove the desolation from Beast's soul. A bolt of lightning comes from out of the sky and turns the man to ash. A shaken Beast returns home, but can't make sense of this encounter or its meaning. Over the next few days, the experience haunts him. He is out another evening with a date, Winnie. He shares some of his emptiness with her, and she asks him a favor. We see that a costumed villain, the Manipulator, is in a meeting with men who are paying him 10 million dollars in order to manipulate the Avengers in the future to benefit their four criminal organizations. The Manipulator claims that he has lured Beast to this apartment under the pretense of stealing a box for Winnie. Behind a two-way mirror, they indeed see Beast enter and take the box, and the Manipulator remotely traps Beast in a cage. Beast claims that his theft is justified, and he opens the box to show the proof he believes to be inside. Instead, a light beam comes from the box to flood Beast's mind with an overwhelming amount of memories and puts him under Manipulator's control. The Manipulator accepts payment from his business partners for his future services, but then he turns a beam on the men, causing them to start dancing uncontrollably. Government agents enter the room, and we discover the whole thing was a sting to get the criminals to incriminate themselves.  The agents take a memory-cell stimulator device and pay Manipulator with a large amount of cash. Manipulator leaves, and Beast soon recovers. Although he can't exactly remember what happened, he feels a lightness in his spirit. The two agents exit the building, and a haggard man in torn clothing tells them that now he has come to die for them...

Narration: "It's a common enough coping tactic among super-heroes: when the true danger is too horrible to contemplate, they contrive a physical peril to distract themselves."

• This is the only Avengers issue written by Steve Gerber. I had to call Mr. Gerber several times in 1995 to check up on his script for a Sludge special that was in production. I only ever got his answering machine. That script was never finished. He passed away in 2008 and was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2010 for his many accomplishments.
• This is Carmine Infantino's first issue of Avengers. He had been the Editorial Director and then Publisher at rival DC Comics from 1967 to 1976, but he was a freelance artist at this time. He was inducted in the Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2000.
• This is inker Rudy Nebres' only interior art for Avengers. He was working as an artist in the Philippines in 1971 when Carmine Infantino went on a trip there to scout for talent, which led to Nebres getting work at DC Comics and then other publishers.
• Although Wonder Man, Captain America, and Wasp appear on the cover racing to action, they only appear in the Mansion and have brief conversations with Beast in the issue.
• This is the Manipulator's first appearance. He appears only one other time, in Captain America (1968) 242. In that story, he discovers he is a robot. Faced with his own artificiality, he shuts down from the shock. It's later discovered he was created by the villain Machinesmith.
• The Manipulator's status as a deceiver is highly visible. He literally has two faces--one in the front and one in the back of his head, and his costume has a coiled snake as its emblem. Both heads speak during the story.
• The criminals that Manipulator works for include Mr. Jackson, Mr. Gottlieb, and Mr. Warington.
• When forced to reveal his thoughts, Beast sings that he likes to eat quiche.
• The government agents are Agents Marsden and Stern. Roger Stern is the editor of the book.
• Also this month, several Avengers appear in Captain America 224 in a scene at Avengers Mansion. Beast rushes down the stairs and leaves to go on a date, but this time with a Darleen. He seems to be back to his happy-go-lucky self.

Avengers 179

Slowly Slays the Stinger!

January, 1979

Written by Tom DeFalco

Art by Jim Mooney and Al Gordon

Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Mario Sen
 

After Black Panther fights some robbers on patrol, he is surprised by the costumed villain the Stinger and is rendered unconscious by a drug-tipped barb. Stinger boasts that he will destroy the rest of the Avengers and goes to a museum benefit that they are hosting. He waits outside to ambush them, not realizing that someone else is going to crash the party first. A stone disk called  "He Who Protects" is on display at the museum, and it is said to possess magical powers of protection for the island nation of Muara. Two residents of that nation arrive at the party, and one reveals he is a humanoid bird-man called Bloodhawk. Bloodhawk intends to steal the disk and ends up fighting a full contingent of Avengers. Although he is able to subdue a few of the team, eventually he is overpowered. Bloodhawk's companion, an older man who calls himself Teacher, asks the Avengers to let him explain these events. Back at the Mansion, Teacher fills in the Avengers on both Bloodhawk and the totem. Bloodhawk's father was a geneticist who experimented on his pregnant wife, causing their offspring to have avian characteristics and suffer from bouts of insane rage. Unfortunately the mother died in childbirth, and the distraught father was said to have left Bloodhawk in Teacher's care. Stinger, having lost his opportunity at the museum, has followed the team home and sneaks into the Mansion while invisible. The Avengers are assured that the disk has magic powers that will protect Muara, but half the team can't believe it, thinking it to be superstitious nonsense. After it is put to a vote, they decide to return the disk. Vision, Thor, and Beast accompany Bloodhawk and Teacher back to Muara in a Quinjet with the totem, and Iron Man flies off in disgust with the vote's outcome. Stinger chooses this moment to attack and incapacitates Yellowjacket, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Man using his invisibility and weaponry. The rest of the Avengers arrive at Muara just in time to see that the ceremonial altar which housed the disk is now rising from the ocean and is the head of a gigantic stone statue.
 

Thug: "Don't hurt me! I got a wife and kids--Ugg!"

Black Panther: "Your family has my sympathy!"

• Jim Shooter briefly returns as credited editor for this issue and the next. Roger Stern is still given credit on the letters pages.
• This is Tom DeFalco's first issue on Avengers. This is only his second writing assignment for Marvel Comics, after having worked for DC and other publishers. He will later become Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics.
• The next two issues are Jim Mooney's only Avengers penciling work. He has inked issues previously, but issue 180 will be his last in any capacity.
• This is inker Al Gordon's first issue of Avengers.
• This is Mario Sen's only issue as colorist for Avengers.
• An opening scene shows crates of "Oliff's Coffee." Steve Oliff was a colorist that will work on Avengers Forever in 1998. He had begun his career in 1979, however.
• In the issue there are signs for "Anderson Trucking" and later "Brents Booze." Artist Brent Anderson was starting up his career at the time and would go on to draw Avengers in 2002.
• This is the first appearance of both Stinger and Bloodhawk. They only appear in this issue and 180.
• Captain America is unable to take part in this adventure because he's busy with SHIELD affairs in his own series, specifically Captain America 229.
• The island nation is alternately spelled "Muara" and "Maura" throughout the issue, but Muara is more prevalent and seems to have won out. It is said to be in the South Sea Islands, which is another name for Polynesia. "Muara" is the Malay word for "estuary" and also the name of a city in Brunei.
• When Wasp shrinks wearing her evening wear, she ends up in her underwear. Apparently all her clothes are not treated to shrink with her.
• Bloodhawk's fist against Iron Man's face creates a "Kang!" sound effect.
• Although the Avengers split is categorized roughly along the lines of scientists versus members who believe in the mystical powers of the slab, Beast and Wonder Man, both scientists, side with those who believe in magic.
• Jarvis is among those incapacitated by Stinger. Stinger also calls him "Tubby."
• This month features the first appearance of James Rhodes in Iron Man (1968)118. Before becoming Iron Man, War Machine or Iron Patriot, he was Tony Stark's personal aviation mechanic, and that's what he's doing in this appearance.

Avengers 180
Berserkers' Holiday!
February, 1979
Written by Tom DeFalco
Art by Jim Mooney and Mike Esposito
Lettered by Denise Wohl
Colored by Bob Sharen
 
The Monolith that rises from the ocean off Muara proves difficult to defeat. Thor and Vision are unable to stop its advance, and the rock creature speaks of how it came from the stars and how it has a desire to get revenge on the island sorcerers that immobilized it in the past. Beast does not join in the direct assault. Bloodhawk succumbs to one of his rages, stealing the magic totem that was reclaimed from the museum. Beast follows Bloodhawk and subdues him, reclaiming the talisman. Thor is pinned under the creature's foot, but he throw Mjolnir up toward the Monolith's head, and Beast grabs onto the hammer as it flies upwards. Once he reaches the head, he places the disk in the slot on the alien's head, causing it to become immobile again. Thor uses Mjolnir to create a space warp that sends the Monolith to another part of the galaxy. Meanwhile the Avengers captured by Stinger are being prepared for auction to the highest bidder. The away team is unaware of this, and they return to the Mansion with Bloodhawk. Vision and Beast are subdued by Stinger one at a time. Thor proves too durable for a direct attack, so Stinger activates his invisibility. Bloodhawk rushes into battle and intercepts a fatal blast meant for Thor with his own body. Stinger tries to escape, but he finds that Beast has already freed the rest of the team. Stinger is captured easily by the entire team. Bloodhawk dies, wondering if his father will ever be proud of him. Teacher admits that he truly is Bloodhawk's father and mourns his son.
 
Bloodhawk: "You incompetent clods dare call yourselves 'Earth's Mightiest?'"
Beast: "Clamp it, Bloodhawk!"
 
• Beast refers to himself as a "fabulous furry freak," evoking the independent comic The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
• The island nation continues to fluctuate spellings between Maura and Muara.
• Narration refers to "stately Avengers Mansion." This is likely a nod at the Batman TV series from 1966 to 1968, which often referred to "stately Wayne Manor."
• One letter writer talks about a possible relationship between Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel. This happens in the future, but only briefly and not very seriously. The writer also says that a "man of steel needs a woman stronger than tissue." Writer Larry Niven wrote an essay called "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" in 1971 that talks about the difficulties Superman and Lois Lane would have in reproducing. It didn't go well for Lois.
• Before returning the Mansion, Beast does offer Bloodhawk the opportunity to live at Professor Xavier's with the X-Men since Bloodhawk is a mutant of sorts. Bloodhawk accepts, and Beast says he will never regret that decision. Oops.
• Stinger mentions that he got all his wonderful toys from the Tinkerer. The Tinkerer, Phineas Mason, had already been established as an technology dealer for super-villains. Much later, it's revealed that Tinkerer is backed by Doctor Doom's Latveria as a way to destabilize American society by creating domestic super-threats.

Iron Man 114

The Menace of...Arsenal!

September, 1978

Written by Bill Mantlo

Art by Keith Giffen and Bruce Patterson

Lettered by Diana Albers

Colored by Ben Sean
 

Iron Man recruits Yellowjacket to help him revive his enemy, the Unicorn, who is suffering from an unknown malady that left him comatose. Along with Wonder Man, Beast, and Vision, they analyze Unicorn's condition at the Avengers Mansion lab. Unicorn is left in a device for treatment, but when the Avengers leave the room, he reawakens and begins to smash his way out of the lab. Iron Man has revealed that he believes Unicorn is under control by another opponent, and that unknown foe bids Unicorn to attack the Avengers. The beam from Unicorn's head smashes through the floor during the combat, so he drops down to the lowest sublevel of the Mansion. Being so far underground shields him from the radio signal that controls him, and he begins to regain his senses. The signal is boosted and has the side effect of releasing a robot called Arsenal that was stashed down on this sublevel without the Avengers' knowledge. Arsenal turns to attack the Avengers after smashing Unicorn. The robot shows a variety of weapons and has the Avengers on the ropes. Captain America and Scarlet Witch return from dinner to join in on the battle and are also defeated. Iron Man recovers and manages to injure the robot. Arsenal uses a bright flare that blinds Iron Man temporarily and escapes during his recovery. The Avengers have no idea how this robot ended up in their headquarters, and Iron Man takes the wounded Unicorn to Stark's labs for further treatment.
 

Iron Man: "You're lucky you're only facing the second most powerful Avenger, robot! If Thor were here, you wouldn't be getting up again after this!!"

• Bruce Patterson goes by the name Bruce D. in the credits. The "D" is for his middle name, Douglas.
• Yellowjacket has helped in Iron Man's series before with his biochemistry background. He turned people back to normal from gold statues in Iron Man 108.
• In a lab nearby, we see that the unconscious forms of Jason Beere and Count Nefaria are held in stasis from Avengers 169 and 166. Count Nefaria looks much older and is being held in an ultra-protein bath. It is explained this is part of the treatment to return him to normal. His stasis pod is crushed in Iron Man 116, and he supposedly dies. He revives later in Iron Man 1999 Annual as an ionic vampire.
• The equipment used to help Unicorn is called the Revitalizer. It may be a form of the Ultra-Rejuvenator last seen in Avengers 69. The Revitalizer uses radiation, however, and it's not safe to be around while in use.
• The mysterious person controlling the Unicorn is Iron Man villain Titanium Man, formerly part of the Titantic Three. He was last seen in the Avengers in Giant-Size Avengers 4.
• A letter writer to the issue is named Peter Petruski. This is the civilian name of Marvel supervillain the Trapster, formerly Paste-Pot Pete.

Avengers 173 to 177: Korvac Saga, part 2

Near mint collecting.
Avengers to the slaughter.
Eternity remains.

Captain America; Steve Rogers

Iron Man; Tony Stark

Scarlet Witch; Wanda Maximoff
Thor; Donald Blake
Vision

Wasp; Janet Van Dyne

Yellowjacket; Henry "Hank" Pym

Featured Allies
Black Panther; T'Challa
Black Widow; Natasha Romanoff
Captain Marvel; Mar-Vell

Charlie-27
Hawkeye; Clint Barton
Hercules; Heracles
Jocasta
Martinex
Moondragon; Heather Douglas
Ms. Marvel; Carol Danvers
Nikki; Nicholette Gold
Quicksilver; Pietro Maximoff
Starhawk; Stakar/Aleta Ogord
Two-Gun Kid; Matthew Hawk
Vance Astro; Vance Astrovik
Vance Astrovik (future Marvel Boy/Justice)
Wonder Man; Simon Williams
Yondu; Yondu Udonta    

 

     The middle of the Korvac Saga saw a shift in the creative personnel. Jim Shooter was now Editor-in-Chief, so he needed help to finish off the saga, and writers David Michelinie and Bill Mantlo came aboard. Roger Stern and his assistant Jim Salicrup took the editorial reins from Shooter on the book as well. These changes mid-story didn't stop the whole saga from winning the 1979 Eagle Award for Best Continued Story, the second time the series had captured that honor in a row.
     Although these issues are noteworthy for the sheer number of characters, almost every Avenger that had so far appeared, it may be better remembered for its novel denouement. The Avengers are nearly all killed, but the wannabe deity they are fighting loses heart, nonchalantly brings them all back to life, and appears to kill himself when his wife feels doubt for him. Korvac, now calling himself Michael, does not really consider the Avengers his enemies, though they call him "The Enemy" before his identity is discovered. Michael's struggle is being played out against universal forces, and we don't really get a clear look at what he's doing or a vision of what his universe would look like. He systematically removes or incapacitates anyone who can sense him so that he can work unhindered, but the Avengers are dogged in finding out who is behind recent events and end up painting Michael as a target to the cosmic forces he had hoped to avoid.
     The last few pages of issue 177 create the moral quandary that sets the saga apart. Moondragon looks inside Michael's spirit and declares that his goals were peaceful and would not have hurt anyone. Thor, the only Avenger left standing after the carnage, ponders if maybe the Avengers should have left Michael alone and had only made things worse by pursuing him. The characters are not given much time to figure this out, as Moondragon erases everyone's memory of these facts so they are not burdened with the thought they may have attacked the wrong person. This at least lets the reader think about how force can be abused by the authorities when all the facts aren't known, and this ambiguity of who is the hero probably helped the story secure its Eagle Award by standing out.
     In the big picture, there are a few reasons to support Moondragon's assertion. The Avengers are freaked out by all their comrades disappearing and being collected, so when the Collector is killed and an even more powerful adversary is revealed, they are so on edge that they act out of fear and concern. Unfortunately, except for the subtle change in Starhawk's perception so he can be left alone, Michael really didn't do anything directly to them to warrant being attacked. He admits he wants to rule the universe, but the Avengers don't really have jurisdiction over who is "in charge" of the universe. As in most comic book stories, the existence of God is not debated or mentioned, so instead the previous supreme cosmic being, Eternity, is presented as the ultimate cosmic power that Michael wants to overthrow. Since there are no elections for cosmic ruler, it's unclear how such power changeovers should naturally go and whether Michael is really doing anything against that process.
     Since the Avengers are our heroes of the series, there are reasons to side with them instead. In my mind, the greatest problem with Moondragon's point is that she's the one to make it. She has demonstrated time and again that she lacks compassion, and in issue 176, she demonstrates this by forcibly going into Quicksilver's mind to remove his prejudice. Her tactic here, taking something that is justifiably negative and just removing it with no regard to Quicksilver's right to be his own crude and imperfect self, shows her idea of how to deal with problems. Quicksilver himself says he feels better afterwards, but considering his mind has just been altered, is that a fair payoff that most people would favor? Michael likewise talks about his distaste for things that are chaotic and crude, which probably is why Moondragon is such a fan of the universe he would rule over. It will be orderly, and she sees that as a better universe. Her teammates may not agree with her at all. Many of them would side with the rights of an individual over that of someone imposing order, no matter how benevolent, and would probably still fight Michael because of this principle, even knowing what he planned. Despite his words, Michael had recently killed the Collector, making him a murderer on a cosmic scale and responsible for his crime, even if it wasn't directed at the Avengers themselves. History is also not kind to Michael. In his subsequent appearances, he acts selfish and dictatorial, showing his true nature is not very benevolent after all.
     As a character, Michael is also a good example of someone who makes continuity in a fantasy universe impossible. He can 1) travel through time 2) alter another character completely without them noticing it, as in the case of Starhawk 3) avoid most detection if he wishes, and 4) alter the perceptions of most of the universe. We see he is not omnipotent or omnipresent since the Collector is able to capture Avengers without Michael's knowledge, so he has limits, but even with them, he's a continuity nightmare. While the Avengers were searching for him in his tasteful suburban home, he could have traveled to a near-infinite number of locations, changed subtle things, and no one would ever have known. So if a character is acting "out of character" or some part of history doesn't seem to fit anymore, Michael or someone else like him could be the cause, and we'd never know...

 

 

Avengers 173
Threshold of Oblivion!

July, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie
Art by Sal Buscema and D. Hands

Lettered by Annette Kawecki

Colored by Nel Yomtov

 

After old members and allies were informed of the disappearances, they begin to arrive at the Mansion. Hercules, Black Widow, Whizzer, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther are the first to arrive. Michael Korvac mentally observes not only events at Avengers Mansion, but also those of the Guardians of the Galaxy and several cosmic entities that he wishes to keep ignorant of his affairs. His end plan is to gain control of the entire universe. While he monitors others, his wife Carina surprisingly reaches out with her own cosmic power. Michael senses she is doing so and confronts her, but upon searching the depths of her soul, he finds no hint of betrayal, only love. Yellowjacket admits defeat on finding any clues to the disappearances, so Black Panther suggests they use the Guardians' equipment from the 31st century to aid their search. Before those two can follow through, they disappear suddenly, becoming the latest victims. This is soon followed by Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man's disappearances as well. Vance Astro is still orbiting in Drydock, and he does find an orbiting construct that may have teleported the missing heroes away. Vance Astro teleports Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Wasp into the construct, where they find the missing heroes and their kidnapper, the Collector.

 

Michael: "Eternity! He who is the universe personified...within whom all the stuff of this reality exists. He's so confident, so serene in his omnipotence! He would pay little heed to a mote such as I, even had I not shielded myself from his sight! But one day--one day soon--I will take what is rightfully mine!"

• This is David Michelinie's first issue as writer. He will continue to contribute to the series for the next three years or so.
• The use of "D. Hands" refers to "diverse hands." Inkers Pablo Marcos, Win Mortimer, Bob McLeod, Joe Rubenstein, Dan Green, Rick Bryant, and Klaus Janson each worked on two or three pages of the issue. They are given credit in the letter column of issue 179. Except for regular inker Marcos, Janson and Rubenstein had each worked on only one issue of Avengers before this, and the rest have this as their first issue.
• Speaking of firsts, this is also the first Avengers issue for letterer Annette Kawecki and colorist Nel Yomtov as well. Its also Kawecki's only Avengers issue, so it's her last as well.
• This is the first issue to credit the assistant editor, in this case Jim Salicrup. Usually only the editor is credited.
• The Champions series had ended in January, 1978, and the team had disbanded, leaving Hercules and Black Widow with some free time.
• Hercules is still being confused with Steve Reeves, this time by a little boy. In 1978, Reeves was 52 years old and hadn't appeared in a movie as Hercules since 1959, long before the little boy was born.
• The Watcher is a character who spends his time watching events on Earth. In this issue, we see that Michael is watching the Watcher without his knowledge.
• Whizzer has decided to retire from superheroics after his last showing against Count Nefaria. He shows up in his civilian clothes.
• Thor arrives at the mansion and not only doesn't have knowledge of all their recent battles, but he hasn't even met Wonder Man after his return from the dead. This means every Thor from issue 159 on was not the present Thor until now.
• Although their disappearances are not shown, Black Widow, Hercules, and Captain Marvel are among the Collector's collection by the end of the issue.
• The Collector is able to grab so many team members in a short period because he knows from Carina that Michael is busy elsewhere.
• The Collector's gigantic ship only appears as three meters across on Astro's scanners. He advises that the Avengers don't try to teleport there, but he helps them anyway.
• The Bullpen Bulletins announce that Mark Gruenwald has joined the staff as an assistant editor. He will later become the editor guiding the Avengers line of comics in 1982 and will be editor of the title at his death in 1996.  

Avengers 173
Captives of the Collector!

July, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and Bill Mantlo
Art by Dave Wenzel and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Shelly Leferman

Colored by Phil Rachelson

 

Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Wasp face down the Collector aboard his ship. The Collector grabs nearby artifacts to combat them. He summons energy creatures that he claims are conduits to another dimension. Thor's hammer gets stuck in one creature, and the Collector claims that removing it would cause an upheaval in the other dimension, killing billions of beings. This takes Thor out of the fight, and gas capsules immobilize Iron Man's armor. In reality, Thor is only absorbing negative energy through his hammer, and the death of innocents was a lie. The Collector jolts Thor with positive energy, and this reacts with the negative energy Thor absorbed and knocks him out. Wasp is shocked into unconscious by an electrified net, leaving only Hawkeye in the fight. Hawkeye evades several other threats and corners the Collector, who calls on the Power Cosmic. The Collector had not used this ability in some time, so it is slow to build, giving Hawkeye time to disable him with a shock arrow. The captured heroes are freed, and they question the Collector. He claims that he saw a future where the universe was in peril from Thanos, so he spent thousands of years collecting items and creatures of interest to preserve them. On the defeat of Thanos, the Collector sensed another powerful enemy was coming, so he sent his daughter Carina to get close to this new threat. Before the Collector can reveal Michael's identity, Michael disintegrates him with a bolt from Earth.

 

Vision: "But the Enemy learned that he was about to be revealed--and eliminated the Collector from afar!"

Iron Man: "And right before our eyes--as if to show us how insignificant we are! Fleas compared to a being--who can kill a god!"

• Bill Mantlo steps in to handle the scripting this issue. This is his first Avengers writing credit, but he had done coloring for the series previously.
• Beast appears on the cover in a tube, but he was not collected. He was busy with the X-Men in their series. Narration says that only 13 people have been taken, so since 13 have so far been accounted for without Beast, he can't be hiding in stasis around the ship somewhere.
• Hawkeye mentions that they thought the ship was three cubic yards. He changed that from Vance Astro's actual reading of three cubic meters. Hawkeye doesn't do metric, apparently.
• The Collector's items this issue include a Vandarian power wand, energy creatures from Erdile, a Biogram image, missiles from Dergos, and a positron cannon.
• Collector finally reveals that he has the Power Cosmic and also the existence of the Elders of the Universe. He refers to a "brother" who roams the universe and plays games, probably the Grandmaster. They are not true brothers, more like fraternity brothers.
• The Collector is truly dead until his resurrection in Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions.

 

 

Avengers 175
The End...and Beginning!

September, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie
Art by Dave Wenzel and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Annette Kawecki

Colored by Nel Yomtov

 

The shocked Avengers stand over the Collector's ashes. They search his ship for answers, but the computer's memory that stored information on "the Enemy" has also been turned to dust. They do come upon Collector's time device, and Two-Gun Kid is ready to be sent back to his home time period. They manage to use the teleporter to get the rest of themselves back to Earth, but the coordinates are not accurate, leaving some heroes in precarious situations. While they return home, Michael is trying to see how Carina is coping with the murder of her father. She seems fully all right with it and supportive of Michael's plan to alter the universe into a peaceful place under his complete rule. Michael's ascension is explained as his having absorbed information and power from the computers aboard Galactus' star ship into his own body. Though he was once a villain obsessed with revenge, he found that his new state of being made him forget such small concerns and instead focus on the welfare of the universe. His last selfish act had been transforming himself from the half-computer body he had previously been trapped in. The Avengers meet in their mansion, but they have no idea how to proceed. Ms. Marvel arrives to help, and Quicksilver, after causing tension among the group with his comments about Jocasta and Vision, prepares to return home. Small teams investigate different avenues, and Iron Man is upset to find that Gyrich has removed most of their computers. Jarvis suggest they turn to Starhawk's cosmic senses, and Iron Man calls him in, not knowing that Michael has made Starhawk unable to sense Michael in any way.

 

Wonder Man, after totaling a bus: "I, uh, had to promise the driver that Tony Stark would pay for the bus."

Scarlet Witch: "That's okay, Simon. Mr. Stark makes a habit of bailing out Avengers."

 

Iron Man: "All right, cut it out! The days when Avengers punched each other out at the drop of a cowl are over! We're a team now--and we're going to act like one!"

 

Michael: "...I hold no enmity towards the Avengers. And it would be a pity indeed--to have to destroy them!"

 

• The memory banks of the Collector's time machine reveal how he transported Thor to help the Avengers from issues 162 to 170, then sent him back with his memory erased. The era that Thor came from is not pinpointed, but based on his behavior it is during his time with the Avengers.
• While narration retells Michael and Carina's story, the two have sex in the bedroom of their house. They turn into glowing cosmic images of themselves, but despite their evolved nature, they still are horizontal in an embrace. This is the first shown sex scene in Avengers.
• Narration tells that Carina's body was chosen to appeal to Korvac. It's not her original form. But then, her father, the Collector's, original form looks like this...

  

  His cape is actually Galactus' baby washcloth and the jewel of his collection. (not true)

  
  
  
  

Avengers 176

The Destiny Hunt!

October, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie
Art by Dave Wenzel and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Rick Parker

Colored by Bob Sharen

The Avengers and their allies separate to search for any lead on their mystery adversary. Moondragon grows tired of Quicksilver's words and uses her mental powers to remove bigotry and hatred from his mind. She then begins commanding the other heroes around and taking charge of the situation. She calls everyone back in for a meeting, and the information they've gathered is compiled in the computer. Although each member's data seems trivial and unconnected, the computer does produce an address for a home in Forest Hills Gardens. The team is unable to use a Quinjet with their government clearances revoked, so they are forced to commandeer a bus in order to get their nonflying members there. They ring Michael's doorbell, and though he is annoyed, he calmly lets the heroes in. They search the house and find nothing out of order. Starhawk, unable to sense Michael in any way, exclaims that the group has been talking to empty air during the whole visit. Realizing that Starhawk's senses have been tampered with, the Avengers conclude that Michael is their true enemy. He confirms their suspicions and tells them that they have ruined his plans by revealing his presence to the greater powers of the universe. Michael declares war on the Avengers and displays his cosmic power in preparation for a battle.

 

Herb: "Gee, guys, I, um, don't have anything against super-heroes, but...well, don't things have a habit of getting trashed when you're around? I mean, I've only got three more payments on my mortgage and--"

Woman: "R-Relax, Herb, they're probably just here to open a 7-Eleven or something!"

Hawkeye: "Terrific. 'Avengers attack suburban home! Defeated by stylish décor!' The tabloids are gonna love this."

• This is Rick Parker's first issue lettering the series. He is also a cartoonist and would be one of the artists to create the "Bull's Eye" cartoons for the Bullpen Bulletins in the late eighties and nineties. He also drew the Beavis and Butthead series for Marvel.
• This is colorist Bob Sharen's first issue. He had only been doing color guides for Marvel for about two months before doing this issue.
• The cover declares the price is still 35₵. DC Comics had raised the price of their comics to 50₵ in September, but they would drop it down to 40₵ in December. Marvel would eventually raise their prices to 40₵ as well in May of 1979.
• Hawkeye calls Quicksilver a "Simon Pure." This is a character from A Bold Stroke for a Wife, an English play from 1717. The character's name became a term for either someone of integrity or someone who pretends to have that that quality, but it is really a hypocrite. We can assume Hawkeye is using it the latter sense.
• When Wonder Man is frustrated with inactivity, Black Panther suggests he reads some Keats. He's referring to John Keats, a 19th-century romantic poet, perhaps best known for his "Ode on a Grecian Urn."
• When Jocasta reveals herself in a crowd, someone wonders if Alan Funt is around. Alan Funt was the creator and host of Candid Camera, which filmed people's reactions to staged events. The show appeared on television in one format or another from 1948 until 2004.
• When the Avengers arrive in Forest Hills Gardens, a bystander says they may be there to open a 7-Eleven. 7-Eleven sold Slurpee cups featuring a large variety of Marvel characters on them in 1975 and 1977.
• Wasp declares that Michael and Carina's home is decorated in good taste, so at least Michael's rule of the universe would have been visually stylish.
• There is a letter in the letter column from future Marvel archivist Peter Sanderson.
• The Bullpen Bulletins mentions new artist John Romita Jr. starting on Iron Man (1968). He will later be the regular Avengers artist at the start of the 2010 series. It also compliments Dave Wenzel on his work on Avengers and states the Korvac Saga is 10 issues long, which tracks back to it starting on issue 167. (skipping 169)

 

Avengers 177

The Hope...and the Slaughter!

November, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter
Art by Dave Wenzel, Pablo Marcos, and Ricardo Villamonte

Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Nel Yomtov

 

The Avengers are poised to strike at Michael, but they are all frozen in place by his cosmic power. Moondragon sends out a mental summons to the nearby Guardians of the Galaxy, who race to Michael's house in a borrowed Quinjet. Michael laments the fact that these events have revealed him to the powers of the universe and ended his chance for a silent takeover. When the Guardians arrive, Michael does not freeze them, and he shows his overwhelming power by destroying the Drydock space station with Vance Astro in it, killing his first hero. Nikki rushes to attack, and she distracts Michael, ending the paralyzing effect in place on the other heroes. They all attack in turn, but no one is powerful enough to do serious harm to Michael. Iron Man suggest they use Carina as a hostage, but Michael responds by killing Yellowjacket. Several Avengers die in the assault, and the rest are knocked out or stunned except for Captain America, who engages Michael in hand-in-hand combat. Moondragon has remained out of the fight, and she stands by weeping now that she has sensed Michael's inner self. During this battle, several of the more powerful heroes have had time to recover, and they pile onto Michael. He reaches out his consciousness to Carina for mental support and finds that she has been shocked by all the carnage and has a seed of doubt about Michael's intentions. Sensing that their love is not as perfect as he had hoped, he wills himself to die. Carina is distraught and starts fighting the heroes with her own formidable cosmic power. After calming down somewhat, she resolves to join Michael in death and mentally forces the last remaining hero, Thor, to fatally wound her while she lowers her defenses. She dies next to Michael, reaching for his hand. Moondragon explains to Thor that Michael's plan was not truly evil and that Michael had also reached out with his power before dying to resurrect and heal all the heroes that had been slain. Thor wonders if perhaps the Avengers were standing in the way of goodness this time. Moondragon uses her mental power to remove everyone's memory of her disturbing revelations, letting them believe that they won a great victory over yet another villain, but she herself will remember.

 

Michael: "Know this, as humble as you are, I would rather enter into death myself than slay you--were it not for Carina and what I have found with her!"

 

Captain America: "Or maybe you don't even count me--because I'm just a man? Hear that, Mike? This is no god hitting you...no super-man! Just a man!"

 

Moondragon: "He was not evil, Thor! He sought not to rule us...nor even to interfere with our madness! He wished only to free us from the capricious whims of Eternity!"

 

Thor: "Can it be that Michael was just--and we were the villains? Verily, then, his innocent blood is on our hands!"

• Jim Shooter did not have a cowriter for this issue, probably because it was the crux of the story he wanted to tell.
• This is inker Ricardo Villamonte's first Avengers issue.
• For those more familiar with Avengers film characters, that is Dr. Don Blake on the cover, Thor's secret identity.
• Narration translates the name Michael as meaning "like unto God."
• Black Panther has an opportunity to attack Carina, but he doesn't. He still feels it's dishonorable to attack a woman. Yellowjacket has no such qualms and takes her hostage briefly.
• Captain America's shield striking Michael's head makes a "Kang!" sound effect.
• When Donald Blake has the entire team to give medical aid to, he goes to Iron Man first, even though his wearing armor will make him the most difficult to help right away.
• A future story reveals that Michael's suicide was not due to Carina's doubt. Now that Michael was revealed to the universe, Galactus became aware of him and was not happy Michael had stolen the energies from Galactus' computers. An Ultimate Nullifier beam was on its way to Michael, and Michael sent out a "gene packet" to his ancestors and then ended his own life, allowing him to plant the seed for a return in the future. The Ultimate Nullifier's effects would have been more permanent for him, so this was his way of avoiding that worse fate.
• Carina will also return. Her glowing body is mistaken for Wasp's when Henry Pym discovers it in Underspace and builds the Infinite Mansion there. Avengers Academy student Veil brings back Carina into normal space in 2011 thinking it is Wasp, who was missing at that time.

Avengers 167-168, 170-172: Korvac Saga, Part 1

The future arrives.
Do you know the Enemy?
Pop, go Avengers

Beast; Henry "Hank" McCoy

Captain America; Steve Rogers

Iron Man; Tony Stark

Scarlet Witch; Wanda Maximoff
Thor; Donald Blake
Vision

Wasp; Janet Van Dyne

Yellowjacket; Henry "Hank" Pym

Featured Allies
Black Panther; T'Challa

Charlie-27
Crystal; Crystalia Amaquelin
Hawkeye; Clint Barton
Jocasta
Martinex
Moondragon; Heather Douglas
Ms. Marvel; Carol Danvers
Nikki; Nicholette Gold
Quicksilver; Pietro Maximoff
Spider-Man; Peter Parker
Starhawk; Stakar/Aleta Ogord
Two-Gun Kid; Matthew Hawk
Vance Astro; Vance Astrovik
Vance Astrovik (future Marvel Boy/Justice)
Wonder Man; Simon Williams
Yondu; Yondu Udonta

    
     Since issue 169 was a fill-in story, it was featured in the entry for Avengers 158 to 163, where it likely took place chronologically.    
     A lot of characters are included in just a few issues, as the Collector plucks various people away without any warning, causing a lot of concern. But he takes his time, stringing the tension along and his identity remains a mystery until later. These events don't stop other Avengers' foes Ultron and Tyrak from rearing their heads and causing their own mayhem.
     We also get to see the Guardians of the Galaxy make their Avengers debut. Someone who has only seen the Guardians of the Galaxy film would not recognize this older team of characters. That team name was co-opted in 2008 by the current team of heroes who got the cinematic treatment, but it originated in 1969 in a story featuring heroes from Earth's solar system in the 31st century. After a few scattered stories, they end up in Avengers and become temporary members of the Avengers during their stay in the 20th century. Despite the Guardians being from the future, both Captain America and Thor have had previous adventures with them and are happy to help them. It should be noted that Marvel had yet to use the idea of multiple universes and alternate time lines extensively, so the story has the characters worried about changing history and affecting the future the Guardians come from as if it is the future of the current Marvel Universe.
     These issues are considered part of the Korvac Saga even though Michael Korvac does not appear in issues 169 through 173. His arrival and the battle against him bookend the ends of the "saga." The complete Korvac Saga, issues 170 through 177, was voted on by fans as the 47th best Marvel comic in the first 75 years of Marvel's publishing history.
      

Avengers 167
Tomorrow Dies Today!

January, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and Roger Stern
Art by George Pérez and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Joe Rosen

Colored by Phil Rachelson

SHIELD summons the Avengers when a gigantic spacecraft appears next to the SHIELD space platform and seems poised to collide with it. Once the Avengers are assembled, they fly into space and board the strange craft. They split up to search it, and Beast is the first to encounter Nikki and Charlie-27, who grabs Beast by the scruff of his neck. Not having familiarized himself with the Avengers' full archives yet, Beast starts a scuffle. The rest of the Guardians and Avengers converge on the fight and split up the combatants. The Guardians claim that their ship's natural meteor deflectors would have prevented any collision, and they state why they have come to this time period. They followed their enemy Korvac here, thinking he may plan to attack the young Vance Astro and cause the Guardians to never exist. On Earth, Wasp is holding a fashion show featuring her clothing designs. Nighthawk is in attendance as Kyle Richmond, and he notices an intense man staring at the model Carina Walters. Porcupine, a supervillain, is there at the hotel to rob it when he and his henchmen stumble upon the fashion show and demand the attendees' valuables. Yellowjacket, Wasp, and Nighthawk make short work of the robbers, but during the fight, the intense man and Carina discover they have a deep, unspoken bond, and they teleport out of the ballroom together.

Wonder Man: "Sometimes I--I feel as through I'm not man enough to be a super man!"

Thor: "They are called the Guardians of the Galaxy in their own far-future era! They are heroes of passing valor!"
Captain America: "You should have recognized them, Beast! I met them once before and recorded their descriptions in the Avengers' archives!"

• Roger Stern is the co-plotter for this issue, and it's his first Avengers credit. He had previously written adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel Presents 10 through 12. That series ended in 1977, and the Guardians made one appearance in Thor Annual (1966) 6, also written by Stern, before appearing here. Stern will later become editor of Avengers and also the regular writer for an extended stint.
•  Beast mentions that he uses a five-gallon container of shampoo.
• Captain America says he regularly wakes up at 0600 hours.
• The SHIELD satellite is the same one the Avengers left the galaxy from in Avengers 96. Since we saw it, a group of Sentinel robots took it over and occupied it up through X-Men (1963) 100. SHIELD recently reclaimed and rebuilt it.
• Tony Stark is already aboard the space platform, but since Iron Man is required, he has to take a shuttle back to Earth to suit up as Iron Man and come back to the platform with the Avengers. Captain America chews him out for taking so long to respond to the summons.
• Thor shares his concerns about how he keeps showing up to help the Avengers and how he feels he should be elsewhere. He surmises that this new threat may be why he didn't instantly return to space after Nefaria was defeated.
• Wonder Man is summoned to the Mansion by a "people beeper." Pagers hadn't reached widespread use, but they had been available for professionals since the 1950s.
• Wonder Man gives up on wearing a costume and starts wearing a red safari jacket with his red eyeglasses. Work it, Simon. Remember he's an engineer, not a stylist. 

• The Quinjet hanger has at least four Quinjets, with markings QJ-1, et cetera, and a little SI logo for Stark International.
• Iron Man forgoes flying at one point and uses his built-in roller skates. Two heroines who used roller skates as part of their ensemble, Dazzler and Kitty Pryde, wouldn't be introduced until 1980, but roller discos had been popular for a few years already.
• These Guardians of the Galaxy are from the 31st century. With the rise of using alternate dimensions to account for time travel, their universe is later called Earth-691, from their first published adventure being in January (1) of '69. The members here will all become honorary Avengers.
• Beast, ever enjoying actor references, thinks Charlie-27 resembles a space Hoss Cartwright.

Must be the belt buckle

• Vance Astro is an alternate version of the Vance Astrovik from the main Marvel Earth-616 who will become Justice, a future Avenger. The Guardians' version was born in the twentieth century, but went into hypersleep for hundreds of years. He idolizes the Avengers from his youth. This is not the only time two alternate versions of the same person will both be members of the Avengers. There is later a teenage version of Tony Stark from an alternate dimension that is part of the team as Iron Man for several months.
• Vance Astro stays in space because he fears that having two versions of himself interact on Earth might mess up the time stream.
• It is later discovered that Stakar, the male half of Starhawk, is the son of future Avenger Quasar, although it is the Quasar from Earth-691. Stakar's mother is Her, the female counterpart to Adam Warlock, who just appeared and died in the previous Avengers story.
• Speaking of Quasar, this month features Wendell Vaughn's first appearance in Captain America (1968) 217, where he goes by his first alias, Marvel Boy. Vance Astrovik will also use the Marvel Boy alias before he goes by the code name of Justice.
• People in the future still speak English as their main language, even though they are from different planets.
• One of the models at the Wasp's fashion show is named Denise Vladimir. Avengers letterer Denise Wohl had previously been credited as Denise Vladimer. She didn't letter this issue, however.
• Korvac was an enslaved Human computer technician in the 31st century. His masters punished him by grafting a powerful computer onto him, replacing the bottom half of his body. That computer was able to analyze and siphon cosmic power from the Grandmaster and allow Korvac increased power and the ability to travel through time.
• This is the only Avengers appearance for petty super-criminal Alex Gentry, the Porcupine.  He started his career as an Ant-Man villain and coincidentally runs into Hank Pym again in this issue. Porcupine will later retire from crime after being a continual failure. In Captain America 315, he is down on his luck and tries to sell his most recent version of the Porcupine suit to the Avengers for $10,000. He gets pulled into a fight with the Serpent Society and ends up falling on one of his own quills and dying. Captain America buries him in a plot reserved for Avengers comrades, and his Porcupine armor is put on display on the second floor of the Mansion with a plaque reading "Honored Foe of the Avengers."

Avengers 168
First Blood
February, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter
Art by George Pérez and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Phil Rachelson

The Avengers return to the Mansion with the Guardians of the Galaxy along for the ride. They are able to land inside the hanger, but an alarm alerts them there is an intruder. They find Henry Peter Gyrich in the meeting room and demand answers. He berates them for their poor security and says he could have easily gotten away with not only equipment, but United States secrets stored on the Avengers' computers. He points out that he can revoke their security clearance as well as their other privileges and storms off. Captain America chews out Iron Man for his recent leadership of the team and strikes him. Scarlet Witch intervenes and counters by saying that Captain America has proven himself less than useful in the last few battles. Brooding, Captain America stalks away. When Iron Man turns to the Guardians to plan how to help them, he sees that Starhawk has disappeared. We see Starhawk in his feminine form of Aleta going to a home in Forest Hills Gardens to confront Korvac. The two enemies seem calm, but Korvac, now calling himself Michael, warns Aleta that Starhawk is the only being in the universe that can sense him and that cannot be allowed. They enter into a psychic struggle, and although Starhawk is powerful, Michael incinerates Starhawk with his cosmic power. To remove any trace of his activity, Michael resurrects Starhawk as he was down to the molecule, but he removes Starhawk's ability to ever perceive Michael in any way. Starhawk returns to his comrades and does not have any memory of this encounter with Michael.

Scarlet Witch: "The days when Avengers engage in senseless brawls among themselves are past--as long as the Scarlet Witch can help it...and I most certainly can!"

• Inker Pablo Marcos ends his consecutive streak of issues at 15 in a row. This is the longest streak by an inker so far.
• That's Henry Peter Gyrich in the chair on the cover. Based on the star logo, that's Captain America's chair he's sitting in, and Captain America is absent from the cover. Inside the issue, we see the Vision's chair has a diamond logo like that on his chest and Yellowjacket's chair has his insect symbol on it. Wonder Man sits in a chair that is only partially seen, but it looks like there may be a "W" on it. There is yet another chair with a simple "X" on the back. Perhaps this is Beast's because of his former ties to the X-Men.
• Although the film version won't come out until 1982, the novel First Blood, the first tale of John Rambo, had been published in 1972. The title for this story refers to Starhawk's temporary death as the first casualty against Korvac.
• The team is worried Charlie-27's super dense body is too much for elevator cables to hold. He only weighs 555 pounds. Thor actually weighs more, at 640 pounds.
• Gyrich works for the National Security Council, which is a real organization. It is chaired by the President of the United States and advises him on national security issues. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter had cut back greatly on the NSC's staff and authority after perceived abuses under former Secretary-of-State, Henry Kissinger.
• Poor Jarvis is tied up by Gyrich when he breaches the Mansion. Jarvis says he was taken by surprise, but he suggests he should take a jiu-jitsu course to be better prepared for intruders. In Avengers 201, Jarvis uses boxing to defeat a far more formidable looking man and remarks he was a former boxing champion and has been tutored a bit by Captain America.
• The rather large hole in the wall of the Mansion that Gyrich used to enter has been there since issue 165.
• Captain America punches Iron Man's face and produces a "Kang!" sound effect.
• We see the first Avenger ally to just disappear out of the blue, and it's the Two-Gun Kid right in front of Hawkeye. He disappears to become part of the Collector's collection.
• Starhawk has two people living in his/her body, step-siblings Stakar and Aleta Ogord. They were merged together in an incident with an energy-conversion device. They have lived this way for hundreds of years and got "married" to each other during that time. Although Aleta appears human, she is an Arcturan from the planet Arcturus.
• When Korvac introduces himself, he says he has taken the name Michael, implying that wasn't his name before. Speaking of odd marriages, he also introduces Carina as his wife, even though they met only hours before.
• Several heroes with extra-sensory powers feel a psychic echo of the battle between Korvac and Starhawk. They include Spider-Man (spider-sense); Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and the Silver Surfer. Captain Marvel has cosmic awareness and should know more details, but he feels they are being kept secret by an outside force.
• Spider-Man is also from Forest Hills, Queens, where Michael makes his home. Peter Parker is shopping nearby with Mary Jane Watson when the backlash from the psychic combat causes wind and property damage.
• The Next Issue blurb has the story title for issue 170, so the use of a fill-in story for 169 was not yet planned when this issue went to press.

Ms. Marvel 18
The St. Valentine's Day/Avengers Massacre!
June, 1978

Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Jim Mooney and Ricardo Villamonte
Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Phil Rachelson

Ms. Marvel is flying home when she is attacked by a man in powered armor called the Centurion. Wasp and Scarlet Witch are nearby and rush to her aid. Ms. Marvel changes to her Carol Danvers identity and mixes into the crowd to recover her wits. Wonder Man, Vision, and Yellowjacket arrive to help their teammates. When Ms. Marvel changes back into her costume, the Centurion senses her immediately and is able to follow her movements, leading her to believe that the armor can track her Kree battle uniform. Her theory is confirmed when she changes back to Danvers and is again clear of her opponent's sensors. She improvises a new outfit and gets back in the fight. The Avengers are wary of the Centurion's Meson disruptor beam, which they believe would be fatal to any of them but Wonder man, so they hang back out of range to wait for Thor or Iron Man. Ms. Marvel lures Centurion to a power plant and jury-rigs a magnetic field that disables the armor, ending the threat.

Wasp: "It's Ms. Marvel! She's changed her costume!"

Yellowjacket: "My apologies, Jan. I thought you were one-of-a-kind in the costume-a-day department."

• Wasp is sporting an older costume on the cover, but she wears her orange outfit inside.
• This issue features the first time readers see the character of Mystique in her "normal" blue-skinned form. She is called by the name Raven Darkholme, not Mystique yet. Though she is one of Ms. Marvel's premier foes, she gains more fame as an X-Men villain.
• Though the rest of the Avengers have met Carol Danvers before, Wonder Man has not, so he does not know who she is.
• Wasp recognizes the newly black-suited heroine as Ms. Marvel because she still has the same hairstyle. Carol Danvers' hairstyle does actually change when she takes on the Ms. Marvel identity. She is able to instantly will herself into her Kree battle uniform, and the change also changes her hairstyle.
• Ms. Marvel throws Wonder Man into Centurion in a variation of the X-Men's "fastball special," where Colossus throws Wolverine at a target. Wonder Man wasn't actually ready or willing for it, so it's wholly ungraceful and not that effective. Also Wonder Man presumably falls many stories down to the street and is not seen again until the end of the issue.
• The story is set in winter, with snow on the ground and tops of buildings. The Avengers issues in this time frame don't have snow in the background.

Avengers 170
"...Though Hell Should Bar the Way!"
April, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter and George Pérez
Art by George Pérez and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Jim Shooter

Iron Man apologizes to Captain America for his lapses in leadership and is ready to tell him his secret identity as Tony Stark, but Cap stops him and accepts his apology, promising to toe the line under Iron Man's command. The deactivated bride of Ultron is delivered to Avengers Mansion and comes to life suddenly in the lab. The movers run to the Avengers to inform them of the activation. The team rushes to the lab, but a falling security door splits the team into two groups. The forward group of Wasp, Yellowjacket, and Vision are unable to stop her from leaving the Mansion. Wonder Man, Beast, and Scarlet Witch catch up to her outside and are poised to destroy her, but Iron Man arrives and intervenes. Thor flies toward the mansion and sees the battle, so he hurls his hammer at her, not even recognizing her from the previous adventure. Captain America is nearby and throws his shield to deflect Mjolnir. Iron Man explains to the team that they should purposely let her escape so Iron Man can track her emissions to the location of Ultron.

Charlie-27: "It's a wonder anyone reaches maturity in this idiotic, backward era!"

Wonder Man: "This door and I have a personal thing going now! It's a grudge match--and I mean to settle it!"

• Although it had been stated George Pérez was co-plotting the series before this, this is his first credit as co-plotter
• This is the last issue of Avengers Jim Shooter will do color guides for.
• Beast quotes "eminent philosopher Johnny Olson." He's referring to the announcer on The Price is Right.
• Captain America verifies in this issue that he has lost the last of the super strength he gained back in March of 1973 in Captain America 159. It just wore off over time.
• Hawkeye informs the team via telephone about Two-Gun Kid's disappearance and says he's coming to New York. We also see that Quicksilver vanishes into thin air in front of his wife Crystal.
• One of the movers mistakenly calls Yellowjacket "Bumblebee." DC Comics had a Bumblebee character that was introduced in 1977 as a member of the Teen Titans. She was DC's first African-American heroine.
• We see that the Guardians of the Galaxy are staying in a rented house in Saugerties, New York, and keeping an eye on the young version of Vance Astro. Charlie-27 saves the boy from being hit by a semi.
• This is the first Avengers appearance of future Avenger Justice. He has yet to develop his telekinetic powers since he is just a boy here. It's not his first overall appearance. He had previously been in two Defenders stories. Doctor Strange erased his memories of those adventures, however.
• Ultron will claim next issue that he is the one who activated Jocasta.
• Jocasta is surprised to see Wasp alive. She assumed that if she has been activated, Wasp should have been killed in the process.
• Vision uses his disruption attack on Jocasta, but Ultron equipped her with antimatter pods inside of her structure. Apparently, they fill Vision with an energy he must process carefully, or those around him could be harmed by it. It takes him about two minutes to do so.
• Jocasta's voice sounds just like Wasp's voice through a robotic filter.
• Beast sings a bit of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" when attacking Jocasta in the garden outside Avengers Mansion. He just substitutes the word "kick" for "kiss." Although the song was number one on the music charts in 1929, it had more recently charted with Tiny Tim's version in 1968.
• Beast mentions that he had been looking for Thor earlier, but Thor had vanished. When Thor again arrives at the end of the issue, he says his "long-delayed return" is well timed, and he knows nothing of the last several Avengers adventures. This is yet another Thor sent by the Collector.
• Future Marvel staffer Peter Sanderson has a letter printed in the letter column.
• Future Avengers Luke Cage and Iron Fist start their buddy series, Power Man and Iron Fist (1978) this month. They start with issue 50 since they are taking over the numbering of Power Man's solo series.

Avengers 171
"...Where Angels Fear to Tread"
May, 1978

Written by Jim Shooter
Art by George Pérez and Pablo Marcos

Lettered by Denise Wohl

Colored by Phil Rachelson

The Avengers track Jocasta through the city's crowds and even holes in buildings. Ms. Marvel is nearby shopping in her civilian identity, and she gets a seventh sense premonition that the Avengers are heading into danger, so she changes into her Ms. Marvel identity and joins the Avengers. They track Jocasta to a convent, and a nun, Sister Eucalypta begins to show them around. After a bright light flashes, Scarlet Witch and Eucalypta have disappeared. The rest of the heroes hear Ultron's voice, and a fight breaks out between all of them and Ultron. He is able to hold them all at bay due to his indestructible adamantium outer shell. Meanwhile Scarlet Witch awakes in a room with dozens of mirrors on the walls and floor. Disoriented, she falls through a trapdoor and then ends up back in this chamber, kept purposely out of the fight with Ultron. Ms. Marvel breaks away from the combat to search the convent and is attacked by Sister Eucalypta, who turns out to be a robot. Ultron lures all those fighting him into a small force sphere and imprisons them so he can reunite with his bride, whom he names Jocasta. Jocasta feels her programming compel her to obey Ultron, but she also feels he is evil and attacks him, to his surprise. As he recovers, the Scarlet Witch and Ms. Marvel appear, and Scarlet Witch hexes Ultron, causing his molecular rearranger to malfunction and his outer shell to crack. Thor uses his hammer to absorb Ultron's energy through the cracks and sends the energy into space. Now empty, Ultron's shell collapses. As the heroes regroup, Jocasta suddenly disappears and so does Captain America.

Ultron: "My desires are the same as ever! I want your death...I want your wife...and then...I want the world!"

Jocasta: "I love you...and yet, I know what you are! I must end your evil despite my desires!"

Ultron: "This cannot be! I did not program this foolishness into you!"

• Jim Shooter becomes the writer/editor with this issue. He had also replaced Archie Goodwin as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics by this time.
• With this issue, Pablo Marcos has inked 17 issues of the series. This is the most thus far by any of the 30 inkers that have worked on the series, and it only took him 18 months to do it.
• Ms. Marvel mentions she owes the Avengers a favor. They had just saved her life in Ms. Marvel 18.
• Captain America calls Jocasta "Tin Lizzie." This is a nickname for the original Ford Model T automobile.
• Beast speaks some Latin to Sister Eucalypta. It translates, roughly, to "Sister, we believe a runaway (something) is in the area. (something) the safety of this house. Can we come in?" There are a couple of words that I couldn't translate.
• Ultron uses his encephalo-beam on Yellowjacket, but it now has no effect. Yellowjacket immunized the team against this weapon with a biochemical formula.
• Cap's shield striking Ultron produces a "Kang" sound effect. Actually four Avengers are all attacking Ultron in that panel, so that's my best guess as to what caused it.
• Ultron gives Jocasta her name in this issue. In Greek legend, Jocasta was the mother of Oedipus and later his wife as well. Ultron is often described as having an Oedipus complex because he has tried to kill his creator, Henry Pym, and created a wife in Wasp's image. In psychology, a Jocasta complex involves a mother having an intense relationship with her son, even if it's not sexual.
• While his energy is being absorbed, Ultron calls out for his mother. Presumably he's calling to Wasp.

Avengers 172
"Holocaust in New York Harbor!"
June, 1978
Written by Jim Shooter
Art by Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson
Lettered by Denise Wohl
Colored by Phil Rachelson

Hawkeye returns to the Mansion, but everyone else is out. The Avengers are processing the recent disappearances and return home to find that Hawkeye is back and that he trussed up Henry Gyrich, thinking he was an intruder. They free him, but he revokes all the Avengers' clearances and special privileges and leaves angrily. Crystal contacts them to tell them of Quicksilver's disappearance, and the team tries to contact everyone who has been an Avenger to check on their whereabouts. Jarvis informs the team that Tyrak has resurfaced and is attacking the harbor, so a team of Vision, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, and Scarlet Witch head to the emergency while the rest remain behind. Tyrak has attacked to draw out the Avengers and defeat them in an effort to reclaim his honor and return to Atlantis as a conqueror. He is as formidable as ever, and he defeats all the team but the Scarlet Witch, who dizzies him with a hex. As he advances on her, Vision revives enough to use his thermal beams to dehydrate Tyrak. The Atlantean collapses, but the Avengers are unable to summon the authorities to take him into custody after Gyrich had revoked their privileges. Faced with a dying Tyrak, Wonder Man throws him back into the ocean to save his life, and Tyrak does not resume the fight. As the team leaves the harbor, Vision disappears suddenly. We see he has been put inside a stasis tube in a secret lair along with the other missing Avengers and their allies.

Scarlet Witch: "Clint, it's so good to see you again! I can't tell you how much I missed your aggravation!"

Wonder Man, regarding Ms. Marvel: "I've never seen anybody so...aggressive! And she doesn't just strike a pose and point like Wanda or the Wasp! She hauls off and belts people--like a man would!"

•  This is Klaus Janson's first issue as inker on Avengers. He'll do a few issues here in the seventies and then return as regular inker in 2010 over 30 years later. He may be best known for his collaborations with Frank Miller on Daredevil and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
• Iron Man tells everyone to never be alone during this crisis, but he then goes to the lab by himself to research the problem. Beast calls him out on this, and Iron Man says he'll stay in contact with Tony Stark as his second person.
• When Black Panther is called, he mentions his own missing persons case. He is referring to Marvel Two-in-One 40 and 41, where he fights a vampire zuvembie (yeah, that's one creature) and the former Dr. Spectrum with the aid of the Thing and Brother Voodoo while searching for prominent citizens in his community who have been kidnapped.
• Beast stays at the Mansion, but by the end of the issue, he is gone. He answered a call from Polaris in Marvel Team-Up (1972) 69 and left in a Quinjet. He then appears in X-Men 111 searching for the X-Men after he finds that they are missing from Xavier's school. He appears in that series through issue 114 before returning to Avengers.
• After Beast leaves, Thor gets embroiled fighting the Living Monolith in Marvel Team-Up 70. Yellowjacket suggest the Avengers go help Thor, but Iron Man says Thor should handle it himself while they focus on the disappearances.
• In the Collector's tubes, we see Moondragon has also been collected. Her disappearance was not otherwise depicted.
• What If? (1977) 9 is published this month. The story is "What If the Avengers Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" It does not feature the established Avengers, but instead a new group consisting of  3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, The Human Robot, Marvel Boy, and Venus. Although this story is not part of the official Marvel Universe, the same heroes would be seen as a team in Avengers Forever and then later as the Agents of Atlas group in 2006.
• This is the month of the DC Implosion at DC Comics. DC Comics had been struggling financially, laid off part of their staff, and canceled about 40% of their series. If DC had landed the Star Wars license, this might have been Marvel's fate instead.