INVADERS #3

"BLITZKRIEG AT BERMUDA"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Artists: Frank Robbins & Vince Colletta
Colorist: Don Warfield | Letterer: John Costanza

The Plot: En route back to the U.S. from Britain aboard Namor's flagship, the Invaders observe as Namor teaches Bucky how to operate the craft. But before long, the heroes spot a British warship under attack by a Nazi submarine. The Invaders save the ship and capture the U-boat's commander, who carries with him a coded secret message. Later, in Washington, D.C., the Invaders' contact, Stuart, has the message decoded. It reveals plans for the Nazis to intercept Winston Churchill on his way home through Bermuda. But Stuart reveals more to the Invaders: the Nazis have a new super-agent named U-Man, a blue-skinned water warrior who will lead the attack on Churchill.

Realizing that U-Man must be a super-powered Atlantean -- and that he has a troupe of Atlantean soldiers following him -- Namor sets out to attack the villain alone. The Invaders try to stop him, but after a skirmish at the Capitol, Namor escapes in his flagship with an unlikely ally -- Bucky, who wants to tag along as Namor's backup pilot. Meanwhile, Stuart learns that Churchill is ahead of schedule, having already left for Bermuda aboard an American plane. Captain America, the Human Torch, and Toro set out to follow Namor and protect the Prime Minister.

Continuity Notes: As mentioned above, Bucky received flying lessons from Namor in the issue's opening scene, leading to his joining Namor's mission later on. Following from Bucky being sidelined in the past two issues as the Invaders' liaison to the British, I can only assume that Roy Thomas is still searching for a proper role for the young sidekick. Unlike Toro, Bucky has no super-powers -- not even an enhanced physique like his partner, Cap. He's just a teenage kid running around with a bunch of super-heroes. So it makes sense that Thomas might want to find some support position for him to fill since he's unlikely to contribute to the sorts of super-battles in which the Invaders are sure to become involved.

At one point, Cap comments on something I've mentioned here a couple of times: the fact that Namor speaks much more casually than I'm used to (though Cap specifically notes that Namor does use his more flowery speech sometimes but not others, something I have yet to notice). Namor simply states that it's due to his being half human, half Atlantean, which seems odd.

A footnote recalls that Churchill arrived in the U.S. in GIANT-SIZE INVADERS #1. Cap later observes that the Nazis are sending U-Man to finish Churchill where Master Man failed.

My Thoughts: You may recall I was a bit down on INVADERS after the inaugural two-perter -- which was repurposed from its original intention as GIANT-SIZE INVADERS #2. But I can report that as of this issue, that attitude has changed, at least for the moment. Something about the saga of the Star-Gods just felt half-hearted -- "phoned in", to use a phrase I don't love. I mean, I'm sure Thomas thought it was good. And it might well have been, for a double-sized story in a quarterly comic -- not unlike an annual. But as the first two chapters of an ongoing series, it felt a little off-kilter in ways I can't quite articulate.

Which brings us to issue 3, and a story that really feels like it would've made a much better number 1! I mean, I wouldn't expect Thomas and Frank Robbins to completely discard the Star-Gods story (nor would I imagine Marvel would want to spike something already written, drawn, and paid for) -- but I can't help thinking that instead of using it as the first two issues, perhaps the continuity could've been slightly rejiggered, the schedule pushed back a tiny bit, and the story could've been repurposed for a couple of later INVADERS issues instead, with this U-Man tale occupying the issues 1 and 2 slots. Everything about this one feels fresh and interesting, in a way the Star-Gods didn't. We have the Invaders returning triumphantly home from a mission to lead things off, we have the team's dynamic set up very nicely, we have all the characters, including Bucky, playing roles in the action. Like I said, it feels more like a first issue than did the actual first issue!

But all of this is ancient history. And there are probably reasons, either continuity-wise or schedule-wise, why Marvel couldn't have simply delayed the launch of INVADERS by a couple months to allow Thomas and Robbins to produce the U-Man story ahead of the Star-Gods. And, as noted, the repurposing of the Star-Gods from GIANT-SIZE #2 to INVADERS #1 (and 2) did it no favors. But this -- this is what a first issue should feel like. I liked it a lot and look forward to part 2 (where I'll actually speak a bit about the story itself)!