INVADERS #40

"V...--IS FOR VAMPIRE!"
Concept/Editor: Roy Thomas
Writer: Don Glut | Artists/Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Chic Stone
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski | Colorist: Carl Gafford | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: In the caverns beneath the Falsworth estate, Baron Blood battles Union Jack and Spitfire. He defeats them, but Lady Lotus's telepathic summons stops him from finishing them off, and forces him to leave with her men. Union Jack and Spitfire come around and try to stop the escape, but they're too late.

Later, in the United States, the Invaders are en route from California back to New York when they receive a call from Union Jack, informing them that Baron Blood is loose. Meanwhile, Lady Lotus meets with Baron Blood and U-Man, reinforcing her control over Blood and giving him a mission to carry out. Later still, the Invaders peform a morale exhibition for soldiers stationed at Fort Dix. But when the base's commander informs them that a German aircraft was spotted entering New York airspace, the group heads for Idlewild airport to get Namor's flagship and search for it.

But at Idlewild, Baron Blood braks into the air traffic control tower, killing its operator and clearing a path for the German plane to land. The Invaders arrive and attack Blood, but he escapes after a brief skirmish, when the Invaders are forced to save two airmen whose planes collide due to the lack of a traffic controller. Later, Baron Blood returns to Lady Lotus's curio shop, where she introduces him to the Germans whose arrival in America he facilitated: Master Man and Warrior Woman.

Continuity Notes: A footnote on the first page reminds readers that Baron Blood's fight with Spitfire and Union Jack started last issue (which kind of seems like it could go without saying, but still). A page later, another note tells us that Baron Blood was defeated by the Invaders in issue 9. Also, as noted last issue, Blood believes that the Union Jack he encounters here is his brother, not his nephew.

Namor reveals that the spy ring he and the Whizzer went to investigate in San Diego turned out to be a false lead. Bizarrely, Miss America acts like she was with Captain America and the Human Torch over the past couple issues, which is completely incorrect. She went with Namor and Whizzer!

The same scene also lets us know that Cap and the Torch (and somehow apparently Miss America) teamed up with the Kid Commandos in issue 39 (a.k.a. last issue). One single page later, we get a footnote to issues 38 and 39 as Cap ruminates on the return of U-Man and how it might relate to the return of Baron Blood, due to the Japanese being involved with both.

Another footnote to issue 9 pops up when Baron Blood reveals that he was "turned" by Count Dracula. We also learn that Lady Lotus's power of hypnosis is greater than that of Dracula's vampire spawn. In the same scene, Lady Lotus shows Blood that, per vampire regulations, she has prepared a bed of British soil for him to sleep upon while he's in the United States. Additonally, Lotus provides Blood with a new costume to replace the one that was damaged when he was impaled. This is the more familiar purple and lavender (?) number which has become his default look ever since.

My Thoughts: For the most part, I really like this issue. I appreciate Glut keeping Spitfire and Union Jack in circulation, reminding readers that they're still Invaders, even though they're separated from their teammates by the Atlantic Ocean. Though that brings up the question of why the rest of the Invaders are still hanging out in the U.S. at this point. They came back specifically to investigate the super-saboteur who turned out to be Iron Cross way back in issue 35. Subsequent to that, since they happened to be "in the neighborhood", they were dispatched to the West Coast to look into saboteurs there as well. But now, we're told via narration, they've remained in New York at Fort Dix for days after learning that Baron Blood is loose again. The flimsy reasoning is that he could be anywhere in the world, so they can't be out searching for him. Which on its own is fine, but why would they not head back to England, to their base of operations at Falsworth Manor, and continue their activities on the European front?

Of course the real reason is that Don Glut wants them in the United States to keep fighting Lady Lotus, which is just fine. But he could do readers the courtesy of coming up with a reason other than "they're hanging around an army base, twiddling their thumbs and putting on stunt shows for the soldiers." Even something as simple as Cap saying, "We know there's a Japanese sabotage ring up to something here in the States, so we should stay put in case this is where they bring Blood," would've been fine!

But beyond that, I can't complain at all. This is another issue concerned with moving pieces around, but it gets that task done quite nicely, using Baron Blood to faclitate the arrival of Master Man and Warrior Woman, thus allowing the Invaders a rematch with Blood while also advancing Lady Lotus's plot. Perhaps my one other complaint is that the cover has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with what happens inside! At no point do the Invaders go searching for Blood underground (though he does at least grab Miss America during the fight). This cover, by Dave Cockrum, makes it appear as if the Invaders are searching for Blood in the Falsworth Manor caverns after the events of the prior issue. I know Cockrum isn't the series' regular artist, but still. Prior covers by artists such as Jack Kirby and Gil Kane generally featured a scene accurate to the issue's contents!

As you might guess, the (weirdly enthusiastic, considering its subject matter) letters page announcement is that next issue will be the series' last. Also, I cannot adequately articulate how much I aboslutely love that art deco "Super Axis" logo from Tom Orzechowski!