WHAT IF #4

"WHAT IF THE INVADERS HAD STAYED TOGETHER AFTER WORLD WAR TWO?"
Co-Conjurers of Cosmic Cacophany: Roy Thomas & Frank Robbins
Embellisher: Frank Springer | Colorist: George Bell
Letterers: Joe Rosen & John Costanza

The Plot: In April of 1945, the Invaders have gone their separate ways. Captain America and Bucky are presumed killed in action as they thwart Baron Zemo's attempted theft of a new Allied radio drone. Meanwhile, the Human Torch and Toro have taken the fight to Berlin, where the Torch kills Hitler in his bunker. Elsewhere, Namor battles the Japanese in the Pacific while Spitfire and Union Jack defend Winston Churchill from Nazi assassins. The group is summoned back together by their liaison officers, who reveal the deaths of Cap and Bucky. Namor and the Torches then fly to the United States for a meeting with recently inaugurated President Harry Truman, who explains that he had the press quash all coverage of Cap's death. Truman introduces Namor and the Torches to a new Captain America and Bucky -- the former Crusader called the Spirit of '76, and New York Yankees batboy Fred Davis -- and asks that they be allowed to join the Invaders.

Truman also adds the Whizzer and Miss America to the group, revealing that the Liberty Legion recently disbanded. Thus the new Invaders battle together and separately against the final remaining Axis power, Japan -- until the war finally ends. At that point, again at Truman's suggestion, the team re-christens themselves the All-Winners Squad and continues to fight crime in the United States. But eventually, the All-Winners decide to take a break. The Human Torch and Toro fly to Boston to visit the Torch's creator, Professor Horton -- but find that he has been imprisoned by his new android creation, Adam-II. Adam traps the Torch and Toro in a deathtrap with Horton, then departs on a mission. But former Liberty Legionnaire the Patriot comes to the aid of the Torches and Horton. As soon as he has freed them, Horton reveals that Adam-II is on his way to replace a congressional candidate with another android.

INVADERS #19

"WAR COMES TO THE WILHELMSTRASSE"
Author/Editor: Roy Thomas | Illustrators/Innovators: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer
Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Goerge Roussos | Consulting Editor: Archie Goodwin

The Plot: Namor, the Human Torch, Toro, and Bucky, all captives of the Third Reich, are paraded through Berlin. Captain America and the Destroyer observe from hiding, until Bucky angers a Nazi guard. When the guard prepares to shoot Bucky, Cap leaps into action, and the Destroyer follows. But in the ensuing skirmish, the Destroyer is killed by a grenade blast, and Cap is captured.

The entire incident is observed from hiding by Lord Falsworth, Spitfire, Dyna-Mite, and their aide, Oskar. The quartet has come to Berlin seeking a way to restore Dyna-Mite to his normal size, and looking for Falsworth's son, Brian. When the group heads to the Nazi Institute of Science, they run across the scientist who altered Dyna-Mite and the other Crusaders, but he captures them with a trap door and some knockout gas.

The next morning, Spitfire stands alongside the other Invaders, all drugged to prevent escape, for execution. As Master Man and Warrior Woman stand before a minister to be publicly wed, Hitler orders a firing squad to finish the Invaders. But before the squad can carry out this command, Union Jack leaps into the scene.

INVADERS ANNUAL #1

"OKAY, AXIS--HERE WE COME!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas
Illustrators: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer (Chapters 1 & 5),
Alex Schomburg (Chapter 2), Don Rico (Chapter 3), Lee Elias & Frank Springer (Chapter 4)
Colorist: Sam Kato | Letterers: Darn Near Everybody! | Consulting Editor: Archie Goodwin

The Plot: In London, the Invaders meet with their British and American liaisons and are informed that three of their old enemies have resurfaces, working for the Axis powers, in the United States. Captain America, Namor, and the Human Torch head for the East Coast, where they split up to search for their sparring partners.

First, the Torch finds his foe, the Hyena, out to hijack a shipment of valuable medical supplies. The Torch lays a trap and intercepts the Hyena's ambush, but the Hyena has a trap of his own waiting for the Torch. After capturing his enemy, the Hyena extracts some of the Torch's blood for use in making super-powered Nazi agents, and then prepares to kill the Torch -- but the hero vanishes into thin air before the Hyena can finish him.

Elsewhere, Captain America arrives at the Statue of Liberty to meet an FBI contact, but is shocked that the man is a mere puppet of the sinister Agent Axis. Axis has come to take Captain America's shield, and already has his originial triangular shield with him, which he has determined has no special properties. Cap fights back against Axis, and their battle takes them up the statue. Cap flings his shield at the villain, but it's magnetically pulled to a nearby autogyro. Seconds later, with only his triangular shield in-hand, Cap vanishes, to reappear in a featureless void beside the Human Torch.

Namor jumps from his flagship to protect a British ship from an attack by the Shark. But the Shark's electrified torpedo knocks out the Sub-Mariner, and when he comes around, he finds himself a prisoner of the Shark, who has taken his special scaled trunks for study. Namor manages to get free, but vanishes, reappearing with the Human Torch and Captain America. The trio then mateiralizes in front of the Lourve in occupied Paris, face-to-face with three costumed characters who they assume to be Axis agents.

The Invaders battle these strangers, Black Panther, Yellowjacket, and the Vision, but the strangers, who identify themselves as the Avengers, are victorious. Briefly, the Avengers explain that the battle is part of a contest between cosmic beings called Kang and the Grand Master, then both groups vanish. The Grandmaster returns the Invaders to their proper time, where they confront Agent Axis, the Shark, and the Hyena aboard the Shark's boat. The Invaders win the day, recover the blood, shield, and trunks, and head home.

SONS OF THE TIGER PART 13

As presented in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN Nos. 9 & 10.

Though DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU ended with the February 1977 installment, Bill Mantlo was by no means finished with his co-creaton, Hector Ayala, a.k.a. the White Tiger. Also the writer of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, Mantlo brought Hector in as a supporting character on that series in very short order. Hector and/or the White Tiger appeared in several issues of Mantlo's run, but I don't intend to look at all of them here. I will, however, examine issues 9 and 10, the Tiger's first encounter with Spider-Man, and next week we'll look at issues 19 and 20, as they feature a major event in Hector's life.

"...LIKE A TIGER IN THE NIGHT!"
Writer: Bill Mantlo | Artists: Sal Buscema & Mike Esposito
Letters: John Costanza | Colors: Phil Rache | Editor: Archie Goodwin

"TIGER IN A WEB!"
Writer: Bill Mantlo | Artists: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, & Frank Giacoia
Letterer: Irving Watanabe | Colorist: Sam Kato | Editor: Archie Goodwin

The Plot: (Issue 9) Peter Parker arrives at Empire State University to find students up in arms over the school president's cancellation of night classes due to budget issues. But when ethnic studies professor Ramon Vasquez reveals that the school recently turned down a multi-million dollar bid for its prized Erskine Manuscripts, and that the money could've been used to keep the night classes running, the students become more riled up. One student present is recent enrollee Hector Ayala.

That night, the White Tiger arrives at ESU to steal the Erskine papers, and finds Peter Parker in the science library for a project. The Tiger and Peter have a scuffle and the Tiger gets away with the papers. Peter chases him into the hallway to find the Tiger fighting a group of armed, costumed men. The Tiger beats these men into retreat, and then departs. ESU's President Dwyer then arrives and announces the school is under a state of emergency. Spider-Man does some research on White Tiger, chatting briefly with Blackbyrd in the process, and then returns to ESU. Meanwhile, White Tiger has done the same, entering Professor Vasquez's office to find the professor looking at the Erskine Manuscripts. A moment later Spider-Man arrives as well.

MARVEL TEAM-UP #60

Stan Lee presents: SPIDEY and the WASP -- together!

”A MATTER OF LOVE… AND DEATH!”
Author: Chris Claremont | Artist: John Byrne | Inker: Dave Hunt
Letterer: Joe Rosen | Colorist: Don Warfield | Editor: Archie Goodwin

The Plot: Equinox gloats over Yellowjacket’s death as Spider-Man, Wasp, and the police look on. Wasp assaults Equinox but is rebuffed, then she and Spider-Man go to speak with his mother, Margay. Equinox follows and the group retreats to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building for help in changing the villain back to normal. Along the way, Margay describes Equinox’s origin.

Wasp’s Avengers ID card gains the group entrance to the Baxter Building, but the Fantastic Four are away. Meanwhile, Equinox rampages through Manhattan, his actions leading indirectly to a Midtown blackout. Spider-Man and Margay make it into the FF’s lab, but Wasp is separated from them when the Baxter Building’s backup generators kick in, activating an automated defense system.

While an inexplicably more powerful than normal Wasp battles the Baxter Building’s defenses, Spider-Man and Margay rig up a harness which attaches to Margay’s blaster to amplify her potential cure. Equinox arrives in the Baxter Building and attacks, but Yellowjacket appears as well soon after. Together, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Spider-Man, and Margay cure Equinox. Then, while the rest of the group leaves, Spider-Man remains behind to clean up after the fight.

IRON FIST #14

The Canadian Rockies, west of Calgary…

Gunshots! Loud, staccato explosions shattering the silence of the mid-winter night…

…And then, a scream!

”SNOWFIRE”
Author: Chris Claremont | Artist: John Byrne | Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: Annette Kawecki | Colorist: Janice Cohen | Editor: Archie Goodwin

The Plot: Iron Fist and Colleen Wing flee across the Canadian tundra from a pair of mercenaries. Colleen is injured, but Iron Fist gets her to safety then flashes back to New York, where he was recently ambushed by someone very familiar with his past. Then, in Canada, he and Colleen find a weather shack and hide out.

Iron Fist flashes back again, to Colleen inviting him to Canada to help her guard Jeryn Hogarth, but when they arrived at his estate they found him the prisoner of a mercenary named Sabre-Tooth. Sabre-Tooth’s men chased the duo away from Hogarth’s grounds and into the story’s opening page.

Back in the present, another pair of mercenaries arrives looking for Iron Fist and Colleen. They subdue this pair and take their uniforms, then return to Hogarth’s estate. While Colleen frees Hogarth’s staff and destroys Sabre-Tooth’s helicopter, Iron Fist rescues Hogarth and has a rematch with the villain. Despite a sudden case of snow-blindness, Iron Fist is victorious and Sabre-Tooth is captured.

MOON KNIGHT: THE GUEST APPEARANCES

The MARVEL SPOTLIGHT stories were published in 1976. The HULK! magazine stories, which we’ll begin to cover next time, came out in 1978. But from 1977 – 1979, Moon Knight had a handful of appearances in other series, chronicled by writers other than his creator, Doug Moench. In a nutshell, these are those tales:

DEFENDERS #47 - 50
“NIGHT MOVES!” | “SINISTER SAVIOR!” | “RAMPAGE”
“SCORPIO MUST DIE!” | “A ROUND WITH THE RINGER!” (excerpt)
Writer: David Kraft | Penciler: Keith Giffen | Editor: Archie Goodwin

Co-Plot: Roger Slifer (#47) | Script: John Warner (#47)
Inks: Klaus Janson (#47 & 51), Dan Green (#48), Mike Royer (#49),
Keith Giffen w/Mike Royer, John Tartaglione, & Dave Cockrum (#50)
Letters: John Costanza (#47 & 50), Annette Kawecki (#48),
Irving Watanabe & Mike Royer (#49), Bruce Patterson (#51)
Colors: David Kraft (#48-49), Don Warfield (#50), Phil Rache (#51)

The Plot: Moon Knight becomes involved with the Defenders as they attempt to rescue their friend, Jack Norriss, from the clutches of the villainous Scorpio.

My Thoughts: I haven't read much by David Kraft, but I have at least read his run on the original SAVAGE SHE-HULK series. These issues read nothing like SHE-HULK, so I'm guessing that perhaps Kraft is emulating the style of previous DEFENDERS writers here (I've never read any of DEFENDERS outside of these five issues). The story is dark, the script is ponderous and the dialogue is occasionally unnatural. The characters, good and bad alike, all seem very disenfranchised with the world and even depressed and generally unhappy. This isn't typical Marvel "soap opera"-style angst -- it's the adventures of a bunch of mopey sad sacks. These are not fun comics, and I doubt I'll ever read them again.

(Also, what's with all the weird references to beer strewn throughout these issues?)

Artistically, Keith Giffen performs an acceptable Jack Kirby impression, but his work looks best when inked by Klaus Janson in a more traditional style. Also, Giffen seems to have misinterpreted Moon Knight’s ability to glide on his cape as the power of flight, showing him zooming around an enclosed room alongside Nighthawk several times.