INVADERS #41

"BEWARE THE SUPER-AXIS!"
Editor: Roy Thomas | Writer: Don Glut
Artists/Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Chic Stone
Letterer: Diana Albers | Colorist: Carl Gafford | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: As the Invaders recuperate following their battle with Baron Blood at Idlewild Airfield, the Human Torch spots a rapidly-vanishing trail of mist in the air and takes off to follow it. The trail leads him to Chinatown, where he spots a shop called the House of Lotus. Recalling Golden Girl's mention of a Japanese spy named Lady Lotus, the Torch enters the building. Inside, Lady Lotus brings Master Man and Warrior Woman under her sway, then goes to the front of the shop to greet the Torch. She uses her mental powers on him as well.

Later, Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, Miss America, and the Whizzer are hanging out in a hotel room when a news bulletin announces costumed beings wreaking havoc at the Chicago rail yards. The heroes fly there in Namor's ship, and leap into battle against Master Man, Warrior Woman, U-Man, and Baron Blood -- collectively calling themselves the Super-Axis. The Invaders get the villains on the ropes, but the Human Torch arrives, attacking his friends. The Torch nearly kills Whizzer and Miss America before Namor douses his flame and Cap talks sense into him. The Invaders then move along to Chicago's Riverview amusement park, where the Super-Axis members continue to terrorize the populace.

As most of the Invaders rejoin the battle, the Human Torch flies Namor's ship back to New York and breaks into Lady Lotus's shop. Her henchmen hold him off as Lotus escapes into the night. Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Invaders defeat the Super-Axis and turn them over to the police. Following the fight, Cap, Namor, and the Torch leave the United States, returning to England to reunite with Spitfire, Union Jack, and Lord Falsworth.

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.

INVADERS #39

"BACK FROM THE GRAVE!"
Concept/Editor: Roy Thomas | Writer: Don Glut | Artists: Alan Kupperberg & Chic Stone
Lettering: Tom Orzechowski | Coloring: Carl Gafford | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Captain America and the Human Torch arrive at the Santa Monica Pier to find U-Man standing over the defeated Kid Commandos. U-Man knocks out Cap and absconds into the sea with Golden Girl. Unable to pursue underwater, the Torch rouses Cap and the kids, then he and Toro take to the skies to search for U-Man. Meanwhile, the villain emerges from the water elsewhere, and brings Golden Girl to Lady Lotus inside a warehouse.

Lady Lotus awakens Golden Girl and entreats her to join forces and destroy America for its practice of interring Japanese citizens. Outside, the Torches find a suspcious plane and go to get Cap and the Kid Commandos. Meanwhile, in England, Brian and Jacqueline Falsworth, on a hunch from Brian, don their costumes of Union Jack and Spitfire to go patrol the Falsworth Estate. In America, Golden Girl refuses to join Lady Lotus, and resists Lotus's mental control. When U-Man and Lotus's men attack her, Golden Girl evades U-Man and knocks out all of Lotus's soldiers. Cap, the Torches, and the Kid Commandos arrive a moment later, and U-Man and Lady Lotus escape in an experimental plane, too fast for the Torches to follow.

At the Falsworth estate, Union Jack and Spitfire find Japanese soldiers in the cave where Baron Blood died, working to remove the boulder pinning a stalactite in the vampire's chest. The heroes intervene, but in the ensuing struggle, one of Union Jack's electrical zaps goes wild and inadvertently frees Baron Blood, who attacks the heroes.

INVADERS #38

"U-MAN COMES TO TOWN!"
Concept & Editor: Roy Thomas | Guest Writer: Don Glut
Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Don Heck | Inker: Chic Stone
Letterer: Jim Novak | Colorist: Carl Gafford | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, and the Whizzer stop a shakedown by a group of Nazi sympathizers at a munitions plant in New York. Afterward, Whizzer leaves for a meeting with the Liberty Legion. He stops a mugging on his way, and then reports to his teammates that he is taking a leave of absence from the Legion in order to support the Invaders while they're in the United States. Miss America immediately volulnteers to join as well, and the two depart Legion headquarters.

In Chinatown, U-Man finally meets his mysterious master, Lady Lotus. After demonstrating her power to mentally control him, she dispatches him to California to capture Golden Girl. Elsewhere, Captain America chats with Bucky via the radio in Namor's flagship. The Invaders have been asked to investigate a sabotage ring in San Diego, and Cap believes Namor, Whizzer, and Miss America can handle it alone -- so he and the Torch want to visit their former partners, Bucky and Toro.

Later, in California, Cap and the Torch bail out of Namor's ship as it travels on toward San Diego. Meanwhile, the Kid Commandos thwart a Japanese sabotage plot at the Santa Monica Pier -- but in the aftermath, they're attacked and subdued by U-Man, who triumphantly hoists Golden Girl over his head.

INVADERS #37

"THE LIBERTY LEGION BUSTS LOOSE!"
Editor: Roy Thomas | Writer: Don Glut
Artists/Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Rick Hoberg | Inker: Chic Stone
Colorist: Carl Gafford | Letterer: Irving Watanabe | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Beneath the Atlantic, Sub-Mariner watches as Iron Cross escapes with Professor Schnieder. Meanwhile, aboard Iron Cross's submarine, the Liberty Legion members defeat his Nazi allies. On the surface, Iron Cross knocks Namor's flagship out of the air, sending it into a splash landing. Meanwhile, Thin Man covers the hole in the damaged U-boat while Namor lifts it to the surface. There, Jack Frost creates a floating ice platform to hold the submarine.

Namor takes to the skies in pursuit of Iron Cross, joined in his chase by the Liberty Legion's flyers, Miss America and Red Raven, as well as the Human Torch.Iron Cross knocks Red Raven and Miss AMerica out of the sky, but the former is saved by his own wings while the latter is caught by the Whizzer. Meanwhile, Iron Cross knocks out Namor as well, leaving the Human Torch alone to face him. When Namor emerges from the sea and hits Iron Cross, the villain drops Professor Schneider. Namor flies down to catch him, while the Torch overheats Iron Cross's metal armor, burning the man inside and fusing the suit's systems. Iron Cross plummets into the sea.

The Invaders and Liberty Legion regroup, cramming aboard Sub-Mariner's ship with their Nazi prisoners, and take off for the United States. Meanwile, the Atlantean U-Man arrives in time to watch the heroes depart -- then he is summoned away by the mental voice of the mysterious Lady Lotus.

INVADERS #34

"HE WHO DESTROYS!"
Concept/Editor: Roy Thomas | Guest Writer: Don Glut
Artists/Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Frank Springer
Letters: Joe Rosen | Colors: Nel Yomtov | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: The Invaders are startled to read in the newspapers that the mighty Destroyer has defected to the Nazis. Then, even as they discuss the situation, a radio news report states that the Destroyer is attacking the London Bridge with a Nazi fighter plane. The Invaders set out to stop him. At the bridge, the Sub-Mariner and Human Torch disembark Namor's flagship to assist with rescue operations, while Captain America pilots the craft in pursuit of the Destroyer's plane.

The plane lands at a castle on the moors, where Union Jack and Spitfire bail out as Cap maintains a holding pattern. The sibling Invaders, having deduced that the "Destroyer" is an imposter, enter the castle, with Union Jack insisting that he must unmask the villain masquerading as his friend. So, while Spitfire searches the castle for the real Destroyer, Roger Aubrey, Union Jack battles his impersonator. Spitfire finds Roger, who explains that he was captured behind Nazi lines by Master Man, who now wears his costume. Meanwhile, Master Man defeats and reveals himself to Union Jack. Master Man's three henchmen, who had been knocked out by Spitfire, come around and flee the castle rather than face the Invaders. When Master Man sees their plane taking off, he leaps onto its wing with Union Jack captive -- but U.J. struggles free and leaps from the plane. Spitfire creates an updraft to slow his fall, and Roger catches him.

Later, back at Falsworth Manor, Captain America invites the Destroyer to join the Invaders again, but once more he refuses, though he allows that he would be willing to work with them if they ever need him, as an "honorary" Invader. Then, moments after the Destroyer leaves, Lord Falsworth presents Captain America with a message from President Roosevelt, summoning Cap, Namor, and the Human Torch back to America immediately.

INVADERS #31

"HEIL FRANKENSTEIN!"
Guest Writer & Artist: Don Glut & Chic Stone | Inker: Bill Black
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski | Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas

The Plot: During some downtime at Falsworth Manor, Spitfire stumbles across an oversized Nazi officer's hat. Captain America appears and relates to her an early, untold Invaders adventure: the Human Torch and Toro went to the Alps to investigate possible Nazi activity. When they failed to report back, Cap, Bucky, and Namor followed. There, they found a mob of villagers who reported a monster sighting, as well as the Torches' arrival and disappearance inside the nearby Castle Frankenstein.

Cap and Bucky infiltrated the castle while Namor stayed in the village. Within the castle, the heroes found several Nazis, in league with a paraplegic scientist named Basil Frankenstein, his partner and lover, Doctor "Kitty" Kitagowa, and their creation: a lumbering behemoth of a monster. The monster overcame Cap and Bucky, and Frankenstein and Kitty made plans to transfer Frankenstein's brain into Cap's body. Meanwhile, they also drained the Human Torch's android energies to enlarge their monster.

When the castle lit up due to the latter procedure, Namor flew in to investigate. Together, the Invaders battled the monster until it was electrocuted, which shorted out the brain control device Frankenstein and Kitty had implanted. With its free will restored, the monster grabbed its creators and leapt off the castle, killing all three of them. When the villagers then prepared to destroy the castle, the Human Torch forced them to leave it standing as a memorial to the fallen monster, which he considered a kindred spirit.

INVADERS #30

"FIVE AGAINST THE FLYING DEATH!"
Guest Writer: Don Glut | Penciler: Alan Kupperberg | Inker/Embellisher: Frank Springer
Colors: George Roussos | Letters: Jim Novak | Editor: Roy Thomas

The Plot: Aboard Namor's flagship in the British skies, the Invaders battle the Teutonic Knight's "Flying Death" -- or der Fliegentod. When the craft blasts a building, Namor flies out to save it from toppling. Meanwhile, the Human Torch distracts the Flying Death from without, while Captain America, Union Jack and Spitfire board the craft. They easily dispatch its crew, but the Teutonic Knight appears, holding Doctor Barrow hostage. The three Invaders save Barrow and knock out the Knight, while the Torch takes out the Flying Death's final blaster. But the ship suddenly begins shaking. Doctor Barrow realizes the engine is disabled, and the Flying Death is about to crash.

The Torch helps Namor get the damaged building fused back together, but Spitfire arrives a second later, having bailed out of the falling ship. She enlists the pair to stop its fall, and then the Invaders turn the Teutonic Knight over to the British authorities. But their mission is not finished: having been informed by the Knight that Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery are in town for a secret meeting and are the targets of a Nazi kidnapping squad, the Invaders find the meeting spot and rescue the British leaders, capturing the squad as well.

Their mission now complete, the Invaders head home aboard Namor's flagship, content that the Flying Death has proved an unfeasible experiment for the Germans.

INVADERS #29

"ATTACK OF THE TEUTONIC KNIGHT!"
Guest Writer: Don Glut | Penciler: Alan Kupperberg | Embellisher: Frank Springer
Colorist: Françoise Mouly | Letterer: John Costanza | Editor: Roy Thomas

The Plot: Aboard Namor's flagship, the Invaders fly off on a secret mission. Union Jack explains that the group is out to find a Nazi villain called Komtur, the Teutonic Knight, which elicits exclamations of recognition from Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner.

One at a time, the three Invaders relate their respective encounters with the Teutonic Knight: Cap and Bucky fought him in late 1941 in the United States, when they were guarding a government warehouse. The Knight raided the facility and escaped with the plans for a saucer ship called the "Flying Arsenal". Not long after, the Torch and Toro were guarding a British scientist, Doctor Barrow, who held the secret of the Flying Arsenal's experimental engine. The Knight kidnapped Barrow and escaped the Torch and his ward. Then, later still, Namor found himself aboard an American ship near Africa with his friend, reporter Betty Dean, and a newly discovered element called Radium-X. The Knight attacked the ship and stole the Radium-X.

Union Jack then reveals that the Teutonic Knight has been terrorizing Britain aboard a flying craft, which the Invaders realize must be the experimental ship, constructed from the purloined plans, running thanks to Doctor Barrows' special engine, and powered with Radium-X. No sooner do they reach this conclusion, than the group comes across the ship involved in a dogfight with British planes.

HE-MAN MINICOMICS 1982

"HE-MAN AND THE POWER SWORD" | "KING OF CASTLE GRAYSKULL"
"BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS" | "THE VENGEANCE OF SKELETOR"

Written by: Donald F. Glut | Illustrated by: Alfredo Alcala

The first couple years of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE minicomics are an interesting curiosity in the property's history. I touched on this a bit when I looked at a graphic novel from the eighties called THE SUNBIRD LEGACY, which was sort of a transitional state from the early comics world to the more familiar setup with He-Man as an alter ego for Prince Adam, along with a generally more light-hearted/superheroic tone. But in these four earliest MASTERS tales, none of that was even remotely established.

These stories instead paint a drastically different picture of the planet Eternia than what most fans have come to expect thanks to the Filmation TV series. Here, Eternia is a wild, untamed world. He-Man is a barbarian who leaves his tribe to defend the planet from the forces of evil. Castle Grayskull, rather than being the benign source of He-Man's power, is a mysterious fortress, neutral to good and evil alike, but which holds the power to rule the planet. References are made to a "Great War", which turned Eternia into a wasteland. As a result, high technology is an unusual artifact of the past.

Now, I'd never trade away my memories of the Filmation cartoon, which I loved as a child (and really, I still like it quite a bit today). And as that same child, I never really warmed up to the early minicomics, different as they were from the TV show -- heck, even the later minicomics, which as we'll see generally hewed pretty closely to the Filmation setup, didn't always float my boat either due to smaller inconsistencies. But nowadays, there's room in my head for different interpretations of the He-Man mythos, and I actually really like this early minicomic continuity quite a bit. It's more of a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy than the straight science-fantasy that later interpretations would present.