Avengers (1963) 189

Avengers (1963) 189

Nov 1979

Wings and Arrows!

by Steven Grant, Mark Gruenwald, Roger Stern, John Byrne, Dan Green, Jim Novak, Ben Sean

Hawkeye finds himself temporarily out of a job after he is replaced on the Avengers roster by Falcon. Hawkeye leaves Avengers mansion disgruntled but before long he lands a job at Cross Technological Enterprises (CTE) as their new security chief.

Deathbird breaks into Warehouse 12 during Hawkeye’s first week on the job. Hawkeye confronts her and they fight inside the warehouse. Deathbird seems to be too much for the archer to handle but Hawkeye evens the odds and defeats her. She is hauled away by CTE security guards but not until after Hawkeye kisses her, which enrages her.

Avengers (1963) 187

Avengers 187

Sep 1979

The Call of the Mountain Thing!

by Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, John Byrne, Dan Green, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Roger Stern

The Avengers (Captain America, Falcon, Ms. Marvel, Beast, Wonder Man, Wasp) arrive in Transia while it is being assaulted by heavy winds. Everyone except Wonder Man bails out of the Quinjet. They battle Modred the Mystic who deals with Captain America, Falcon, and Ms. Marvel but is overcome by the Wasp.

Avengers (1963) 186

Avengers (1963) 186

Aug 1979

Nights of Wundagore!

by Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, John Byrne, Dan Green, Jim Novak, Roger Slifer, Roger Stern

Bova tells Quicksilver about who she is and what she knows of his origins. Scarlet Witch fights back against Modred the Mystic using magic and her mutant hex superpower. Modred proves to be more powerful than the Scarlet Witch.

Quicksilver abandons Bova and resumes his search for his sister. He finds Django Maximoff wandering in the forest. Both men are attacked by Scarlet Witch who uses her abilities to make the trees come to life. Quicksilver breaks them free and speedily transports them back to the village. He calls Avengers Mansion and fills the Vision in on the situation on Wundagore Mountain.

Avengers (1963) 185

Avengers (1963) 185

Jul 1979

The Yesterday Quest!

by Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, John Byrne, Dan Green, John Costanza, Roger Slifer, Roger Stern

Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Django Maximoff arrive at the inn in East Transia where they will be staying. It isn’t far from Wundagore Mountain. Modred the Mystic intrudes on the Scarlet Witch in her room at the inn and encourages her to come with him to Wundagore Mountain if she wants to learn the truth about her origins. It turns out to be a trap.

Quicksilver wakes up and finds that his sister is gone. He goes looking for her and after searching in vain for her throughout the village winds up on Wundagore Mountain. He gets injured during his search and winds up in the care of a human-bovine hybrid.

Avengers (1963) 182

Avengers (1963) 182

Apr 1979

Honor Thy Father

by David Michelinie, John Byrne, Klaus Janson, Bob Sharen, Diana Albert, Roger Stern

Hank Pym diagnoses Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver who collapsed during a scene that took up the last three pages of Avengers 181 (Mar 1979). His best guess is that someone has stolen their souls. Jocasta’s cybernetic senses lead her and the other Avengers (Iron Man, Hawkeye, Vision, Captain America, Wasp, Beast, Yellowjacket) to a boarding house on 4th street in the Bowery.

Avengers 1959 (2011) 1

Avengers 1959 (2011) 1

Dec 2011

by Howard Chaykin, Jesus Aburtov, Jared K. Fletcher, Lauren Sankovitch

I was unaware of this title until I heard it mentioned on a podcast (Sidebar Forever) that I listened to earlier today. The Sidebar hosts reposted an interview they did with Howard Chaykin about a decade ago. I’m pretty sure I listened to this interview when it first dropped but I didn’t recall the title Avengers 1959.

They didn’t really spend any time talking about this series during the interview. I had been looking for something from Marvel to read and I usually like books that Chaykin writes and draws so I went looking for it. I found it on Marvel Unlimited and decided to give it a try. 

Avengers Forever 6

Avengers Forever 6

May 1999

In the Meantime… In Between Times…

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

The Wasp and Captain Marvel return to the Sphinx. Rick has discovered some new leads as to what Immortus might be aiming to do. 

Captain America and Giant-Man travel with Black Panther, Thundra, Crimson Dynamo, Jocasta, and Living Lightning to Wakanda. Black Panther is hoping to find enough Vibranium to power a fleet of spaceships to invade Mars. They find instead a swarm of deadly insect-like creatures.

Avengers Forever 5

Avengers Forever 5

Apr 1999

Past Imperfect… Future Tense!

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

Rick watches the three teams from the safety of the Sphinx. 

Captain America and Giant-Man fight the alien invaders alongside Black Panther, Killraven, Jocasta, Thundra, Living Lightning, and Crimson Dynamo in the 21st century.

The Wasp and Captain Marvel get into a fight with the Avengers of the 1950s. Marvel Boy, Venus, 3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, and Human Robot eventually realize they have made a mistake: the Wasp and Captain Marvel are not Communists. It is the Skrull impersonating Richard Nixon that they should be taking into custody. 

Avengers Forever 4

Avengers Forever 4

Mar 1999

Running Out of Time

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

The Avengers escape in the Sphinx. Giant Man and Yellowjacket figure out how to pilot the ship and the shuttlecraft contained within the Sphinx. The Avengers split up into three teams and head out to investigate three different points in time. Rick Jones stays behind. 

Captain America and Giant Man arrive in New York City in the early 21st century.  The city is under attack by giant machines that walk on three legs. Cap and Giant Man meet what’s left of the 21st century Avengers: Black Panther, Jocasta, Living Lightning, Thundra, Crimson Dynamo, and Killraven. 

Avengers Forever 3

Avengers Forever 3

Feb 1999

The City at the Heart of Forever

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

The Avengers fight alongside Kang to defend Chronopolis from the forces of Immortus. Yellowjacket tries flirting with the Wasp. She lets him know that the time isn’t right for that kind of behavior. Kang explains to them that Heart of Forever is after the engine that powers Chronopolis. Rick Jones asks Captain Marvel why he can’t tell them who will win the fight, since he is from the future. Wasp gives Captain America a pep talk when she sees he is looks kind of down. Rick Jones magically heals his legs in the midst of the fight. 

Avengers Forever 2

Avengers Forever 2

Jan 1999

Now Is the Time for All Good Men…

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

The assembled Avengers join Kang in the fight against the forces that Immortus has assembled for the purpose of killing Rick Jones. The Avengers turn to Kang for answers once Immortus’ troops have been dispatched. He tells them to take care of Rick while he goes after Immortus, his future self. 

The hooded figure from the previous issue steps in to help the Avengers make some sense of what is going on. His name is Libra. He was once a member of the criminal organization known as Zodiac. This is not the first time he has met the Avengers. They are wary of him but decide to hear him out. 

Avengers Forever (1998) 1

Avengers Forever 1

Dec 1998

Destiny Made Manifest

by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesús Merino, Steve Oliff, Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne

Prologue

26th Century. The city of Zatoa on the 4th planet in the Beta Centauri system is hit hard by an army of men who resemble the Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Ant Man) and led by Jonz Rickard who resembles Rick Jones. It is in retribution for an attempt at rebellion. The retribution does not go unnoticed. 

Avengers (1963) 277

Avengers (1963) 277
Mar 1987

The Price of Victory
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Most of the villains have been defeated and are down for the count but the fight continues. Thor fights Goliath. Captain America battles the Wrecker. It takes Thor some time but he defeats the giant villain. Cap has his hands full with the Wrecker who is stronger now that the rest of his crew have lost their superpowers. He defeats the super villain with a big assist from the Wasp.

Avengers (1963) 276

Avengers (1963) 276
Feb 1987

Revenge
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Thor answers the call sent by the Wasp and Ant-Man. Captain Marvel escapes from the Dark Force thanks to the Shroud. She emerges in San Francisco just as the Shroud is apprehending a criminal. She races to Avengers Mansion in New York City at the speed of light. She meets up with Wasp, Thor, and Ant-Man. They trade information and decide on a course of action.

Avengers (1963) 275

Avengers (1963) 275
Jan 1987

Even a God Can Die!
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Hercules almost dies in the hospital. His heartbeat slows to the point that it seems as if he is dead. Baron Zemo sends Absorbing Man and Titania to the hospital to finish off Hercules. Wasp is the only Avenger at the hospital but she is joined by Ant-Man (Scott Lang). Together they deal with the two powerhouse villains. I had my doubts but I really liked the way this part of the story plays out.

Avengers (1963) 274

Avengers (1963) 274
Dec 1986

Divided…We Fall!
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

The Black Knight returns to Avengers Mansion and walks right into the trap that the Masters of Evil set for him. He was still mulling over how the evening with the Wasp went when Yellowjacket attacks him and then runs. He chases her and is surprised by Mister Hyde who jumps through a wall to attack him. He is knocked out fairly quickly.

Avengers (1963) 273

Avengers (1963) 273
Nov 1986

Rites of Conquest!
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Hercules gives away some key information while carousing in a bar. He’s just having fun and doesn’t realize that he’s talking to the Wrecker.

Moonstone develops a new weapon for Baron Zemo, the leader of the Masters of Evil. He is plotting the downfall of the Avengers. He knows how tough they can be to beat. Moonstone’s weapon is Blackout, a man who was procured from Project Pegasus. He is easy to control and can summon the Darkforce, which will probably prove to be useful against Captain Marvel.

Avengers (1963) 272

Avengers (1963) 272
Oct 1986

Assault on Atlantis
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

The Avengers travel to Atlantis to help Namor. Attuma has captured Marrina. The Avengers (and Alpha Flight) help Namor to rescue Marrina. The issue ends with Namor deciding that he needs to take a leave of absence from the Avengers and spend some time

The story is bookended by a couple moments that focus on Captain Marvel. She wonders about how trustworthy Namor is at the beginning of the story. She gets a better understanding of the Sub-Mariner over the course of the story. She judges him to be worthy of their trust in the end.

Avengers (1963) 271

Avengers (1963) 271
Sep 1986

Breakaway!
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Hercules gets tired of taking instructions from the Wasp and leaves. Black Knight explains what happened to the Sub-Mariner.

The Wasp heads home where she finds Paladin waiting for her. She wasn’t expecting to find him there. She talk him into tagging along on a trip to a Passaic County Jail. There they interrogate Rita Demara aka Yellowjacket. They get interrupted by a couple super villains disguised as Yellowjacket’s attorney and his legal assistant.

Avengers (1963) 270

Avengers (1963) 270
Aug 1986

Wild in the Streets!
by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

The Avengers (Captain America, Wasp, Hercules, Black Knight, Captain Marvel, Sub-Mariner) return from a mission only to discover that Avengers Mansion is surrounded by protestors and counter-protesters. People are up in arms about the addition of Sub-Mariner to the team. Veterans of World War 2 support him because he fought on the side of the allies. Others point out his invasion of the surface world to explain why they are opposed to him and why feel he has no place on the team.