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.

INVADERS #15

"GOD SAVE THE KING!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Artists: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer
Colorist: Don Warfield | Letterer: John Costanza

The Plot: The Invaders discuss King George's order to replace them with the Crusaders as his honor guard at the christening of a new warship. With urging from Spitfire, they finally agree to give up their roles at the ceremony. Meanwhile, the Crusaders meet with their handler, the cab driver Alfie, who shows them photos proving the Invaders are actually Nazi agents.

Alfie then departs and, from a secret waterfront lair, reports in to his superiors in Germany that the Crusaders have fallen into line. But Alfie has been followed by Dyna-Mite, who he tosses into the sea. Dyna-Mite escapes the water and makes his way to Falsworth Manor, where he warns the Invaders of Alfie's plan. The next morning, the Invaders -- less Spitfire, who remained behind to tend to Dyna-Mite -- arrive to stop King George from breaking a booby-trapped champagne bottle. The two super-teams come to blows, but when the bottle explodes -- harmlessly thanks to the Human Torch and Namor -- the Crusaders realize they've been had. Alfie makes a break for it and the Torch pursues, but Alfie drives off the Tower Bridge and his flaming car explodes in midair.

With Alfie dead, the control belt that provided the Crusaders with their powers is gone as well, leaving the group normal humans once more. They make peace with the Invaders, who then head back to Falsworth Manor -- where they discover that Spitfire, Lord Falsworth, and Dyna-Mite have departed on a secret mission.

INVADERS #14

"CALLING... THE CRUSADERS!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Illustrators: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer
Colorist: Marie Severin | Letterer: Joe Rosen

The Plot: The Invaders return to Poland to find London under siege by German aircraft. One Nazi plane crashes and its pilots begin to massacre members of the British Home Guard -- until three new heroes, the Spirit of '76, Dyna-Mite, and Ghost Girl, come to their aid just before Namor, the Human Torch, and Toro arrive. Meanwhile, Captain America, Bucky, and Spitfire move to aid the victims of a nearby fire, when three more heroes appear: Captain Wings, Tommy Lignting, and Thunderfist. Collectively, these six call themselves the Crusaders, but they depart before answering any of the Invaders' questions about where they came from.

The Invaders return to Falsworth Manor and then set out the next morning aboard Namor's flagship for a secret mission. But their task is interrupted when a car below explodes. The Invaders land to investigate, and are directed by a cabbie to search for the culprit in nearby St. James Park. But at the same time, a limousine carrying King George is attacked by an assassin. Dyna-Mite appears to thwart the villain, and the rest of the Crusaders arrive just behind him.

The Invaders soon arrive as well, realizing that the car that exploded was a decoy meant to pull them from the attack on the king. The Crusaders announce that they, as mostly British-born heroes, want to replace the mostly American Invaders as King George's honor guard at the christening of a new warship the next day. The king and the Invaders agree. When the announcement of this switch is made over a radio broadcast, the cabbie, Alfie, laughs maniacally.

INVADERS #13

"THE GOLEM WALKS AGAIN!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Artist: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer
Colorist: George Roussos | Letterer: John Costanza

The Plot: The Invaders, awaken, prisoners of Colonel Eisen, a.k.a. "The Face" -- the commander of the Nazi forces in Warsaw. Eisen taunts the Invaders and then takes Captain America's shield to study it as a way to get back into Hitler's graces, following the recent theft of some heavy water under his care.

Elswhere, Jacob Goldstein, who has come into possession of the heavy water, performs a ceremony with the water to create a Golem. Goldstein is merged with the earthen creature and storms through the Nazis in Warsaw, headed for Eisen's castle. There, the mindless Golem frees the Invaders and goes in search of Eisen. Captain America follows, recovers his shield, and watches helplessly as the Golem pursues Eisen to a tall tower and throws him off, killing him.

In the aftermath, the Golem changes back into Jacob. He insists on remaining in Poland to aid his people in someday revolting against their Nazi overlords The Invaders honor his wishes and depart.