INVADERS #6 & MARVEL PREMIERE #30

"...AND LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Artists: Frank Robbins & Vince Colletta
Colorist: Phil Rachelson | Letterer: John Costanza

The Plot: At their New York radio station base of operations, Bucky and the Liberty Legion hold a brief press conference, daring the Red Skull to send the Invaders against them. The group then heads out, battling Nazi spies across the home front, until the Skull can take no more. He publicly announces that he will send the Invaders to destroy the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, and the Lincoln Memorial.

The Liberty Legion splits up to guard the historical landmarks, with Jack Frost and the Blue Diamond defending Lady Liberty from the Sub-Mariner. The duo gets Namor on the ropes and he is ordered to retreat by the Red Skull. Meanwhile, Captain America attacks the Liberty Bell, but is fought off by the Patriot and Miss America. Cap escapes as well, while Red Raven and the Whizzer battle the Human Torch and Toro at the Lincoln Memorial. The heroes defeat and capture Toro, but the Torch escapes, flying to New York, where Bucky and the Thin Man spot him out the radio station window.

Continuity Notes: Days pass during the course of this issue, as the Liberty Legion fights Nazis to draw out the Red Skull.

Krieghund, the Nazi U-boat commander from GIANT-SIZE INVADERS #1, now serves the Red Skull in America. Krieghund notes that he assisted the Skull in capturing the Invaders thanks to equipment he brought to the U.S. from the late Brain Drain's base. Moments later, when the Skull boasts of his creation, the "Nulla-Ray" branwashing machine, Krieghund accuses him of actually stealing the technology to create the device from scientists in occupied Europe. This leads to the Skull executing Krieghund's right-hand lackey to keep him in line.

"HEY, MA! THEY'RE BLITZIN' THE BRONX!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Artist: Don Heck | Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Petra Goldberg | Letterer: John Costanza

The Plot: As the Human Torch approaches the radio station, Bucky and the Thin Man attempt to stop him -- but the Torch escapes. Meanwhile, the the Red Skull dons the guise of magnate Bettman P. Lyles to check on the Liberty Legion. The Legionnaires show him that they have freed Toro of his brainwashing, leading the Skull to realize he needs to finish the group off. He challenges the Legion to face the Invaders at Yankee Stadium the next day.

When the appointed moment comes, the Skull dispatches the Invaders from a zeppelin to challenge the Legion. As the battle rages, Bucky and FBI liaison Stuart discuss the fact that they've learned Lyles is actually the Skull, and that they used trickery to make him beleive Toro had been cured when really he was not. Having deduced that the brainwashed Invaders will make a beeline for the Skull when fleeing, Bucky and Stuart bring Toro around. He immediately takes off for the zeppelin, which explodes thanks to his flame. With the Nulla-Ray machine gone, the Invaders are returned to their right minds and make peace with the Liberty Legion.

Continuity Notes: Krieghund explains that the airborne vortex which captured the Invaders in their fifth issue was created using Brain Drain's technology. During the same conversation, as described above, the Red Skull reveals that he's been impersonating Bettman P. Lyles, who he killed and replaced, since prior to that same issue. We also learn in this scene that the Skull has been operating out of a hidden headquarters beneath the very radio station from which the Liberty Legion has been working.

For some reason, despite the massive danger (and liability issues!), the Yankees allow a capacity crowd into their ballpark to watch the Invaders and Liberty Legion duke it out.

On the final page, Captain America states that while the Invaders take the fight to the Third Reich in Europe, the Liberty Legion will guard the homefront in their stead. (This fits with what I had always understood about the Invaders; that they spent most of their time operating out of the U.K. and not the U.S.)

The Red Skull is presumed dead in the zeppelin explosion, but Captain Americe skeptically remarks that he's "died" before.

My Thoughts: The Liberty Legionnaires proudly declare Bucky their leader in the opening scene of INVADERS #6, which seems... questionable. Yeah, he's Captain America's partner and yeah, he's been in the super-hero game a bit longer than the rest of the group, but still... he's like fifteen or something. I will admit that Roy Thomas does sell him as a capable leader, so I have no problem with him filling that role -- it's just the idea of this group of freshly assembled adults deciding immediately to follow a teenager into battle that seems odd. It would've made more sense if he was forced to prove himself to them in some way before they all fell into line behind him.

Beyond that, I guess this story is fine. It's really just an excuse for Thomas to scratch his Golden Age itch beyond what the ongoing INVADERS series allows. Frankly, I don't blame a comic guy for wanting to write about the characters he grew up with. John Byrne has voiced exactly that sentiment -- that he has never had much interest in his own creator-owned characters, or even new characters he created for the big publishers, such as ALPHA FLIGHT. I believe his exact quote was somethign to the effect that those characters don't feel "real" to him in the way the FF, the Avengers, etc. do. I know for a fact that, were I a professional writer, I would feel the same way. I don't want to create and write about my own characters. I want to play in the sandboxes I grew up loving.

Anyway, I got off track. Again, the story is decent, and it's nice to see the Red Skull make his INVADERS debut (and engaging in one of his time-honored traditions as well; killing and impersonating someone as part of his plan). It just feels a bit too long, and it's very clearly an advertisement for the Liberty Legion more than an Invaders story, even in the INVADERS issues themselves.

It almost feels like everything to date has been prologue to the actual saga of the Invaders. Almost like these first six issues are the "cold open" to thier "movie". I believe next week they'll finally head off to Europe for real, so hopefully things will pick up at last. Anway, we'll soon find out!