Mine certainly never has been. That's why, to this day, I still live in a cave, knee-deep in guano and communicate purely by squeaking.
But how did Marvel respond to this deadly threat from DC?
Here's where we find out.
Even though I'm certain I've read it, I don't remember the story at all but it's certainly a memorable cover.
It's that one where Matt Murdock runs away to sea for some reason that I can't remember and ends up in the Savage Land and blind for some reason that I can't remember.
I do though remember the Plunderer and his deadly, metal-melting gun. Or was it a sound absorbing gun? Or was it a sound emitting gun? I lose track.
I think this tale may have been my second ever exposure to Ka-Zar. My first having been the Hulk's earliest encounter with him.
Black Bolt puts in his first full appearance, having made a one-panel smash at the end of the previous issue.
I do remember being most impressed by his foldy wings and his tuning fork.
I remember being impressed by the Inhumans in general, who seemed highly mysterious at the time.
Hercules shows up. Which is bad news for Thor's love life.
It's also bad news for the Demon who's the real antagonist of this tale but has to settle for being relegated to the bottom of the cover.
This is a huge shame as I was always taken by the cut of the Demon's jib and felt he deserved far more cover attention than he got.
Did he ever make a reappearance? I always felt like he should have done.
It's not just the Avengers who're having trouble with encircling hordes of villains.
Hold on a minute. Are those Hydra agents using Hover Boards? Don't they know they were all recalled as being faulty?
Still, you have to hand it to them. They're nothing if not zeitgeisty with their technology.
I don't know why but I always liked it when the Black Knight took on Iron Man.
I also liked Gene Colan's artwork on this issue, even though I'm fairly sure he was still claiming to be Adam Austin, which did always make him sound more like a 1960s secret agent than a comic book artist.
I've no idea at all as to what happens in this one.
I do believe that's the Master Mould, which would lead me to believe the Sentinels are involved.
I am somewhat concerned by the way the Angel's flying straight at that giant X at the top of the page though.
If he's not careful, he could find himself X-terminated.
Is this one of the ones with Doctor Octopus as the Master Planner?
Don't remember the story to Avengers #24 either (although I loved them & read them over & over). But, I do remember that cover & thinking (at the time) how very convenient it was that the ONLY bad guys who were shooting their ray guns were the ones shooting them DIRECTLY at Cap's shield. Ha Ha Stupid bad guys!!
ReplyDeleteIIRC, Avengers #24 had the kooky quartet going to the future and fighting Kang.
ReplyDeleteThose look like Kang's boys, allright. They always wear different armor and carry different-style pop-guns. No uniformity in the future!
ReplyDeleteI liked the Demon too. Some Asian warlord who became a major theat when he got his hands on a Norn stone, whatever that is.
I want one!
M.P.
Remember those Kang a the elite culled from various time period hence the lack of uniformity. And that gun is the anti shield gun, originally created by paste pot pete.
ReplyDeleteIn Tales To Astonish #75, Sub-Mariner was on a quest to retrieve Neptune's Trident or something, but he had to abandon it to rescue Lady Dorma. He spent most of the issue carrying her unconscious body around. He finally got home and dropped her off where his scientist friend could treat her with a healing ray. Then he went off to fight Warlord Krang or Attuma or whoever was trying to take over Atlantis that month.
ReplyDeleteThe Hulk was trying to rescue Rick Jones, who was in prison for knowing the Hulk's identity. The Hulk went to Washington DC to ask the president to intervene, but he got into a fight with the military. They zapped him with an experimental ray gun invented by Bruce Banner, and he got sent into the future. IIRC, he ended up fighting an army there, too. Don't remember if it was Kang's, though.
Thanks for the info, Anon. And thanks to you all for your info and comments.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that it was around this series of Sub-Mariner stories that Namor's head goes from the traditional flat to completely round. I wonder if this was Gene Colan's idea or Stan Lee's?
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question, Will. I recall that Sal Buscema always drew Namor with a flat head, regardless of what any other artists did.
ReplyDelete