Avengers #17

Featuring: Avengers
Release: April 8, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Story by: Stan Lee (Who else?)
Art by: Don Heck (Why not?)
Inked by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: S. Rosen
20 pages

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Tales to Astonish #69, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #18
Avengers #16	Avengers	Avengers #18

Here it is, the first outing of the New Avengers. How will they measure up to the old team? Lots of differences. In terms of power level, we’ve traded in a god and a man in a powerful suit of iron armor for a guy with a bow and arrows and a guy who runs fast. In terms of character strength, we’ve traded in four people who sustained their own features for 3 years now for three who have only been side characters. In terms of ethics, we’ve traded in four superheroes for three characters who were super-villains a month ago. Two members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and one lovesick Soviet stooge.

The opening tag refers to the team as the New Avengers, which is what I have always called them. Similarly if you hear me refer to the New X-Men, I probably mean the 1975 team.

It also lets us know the Avengers have begun the search for the Hulk. I’m not convinced they look very hard at all.

Rick must be in a weird position. The Avengers commit to finding the Hulk, and Rick just nods along, as he has to keep Hulk’s secret. He then leaves the Avengers and goes to visit Dr. Banner in jail, leaving the Avengers to go searching.

“Sorry guys, I don’t know where the Hulk is. Why not follow this killer robot sent to lure you into a trap?”

We don’t see it, but hopefully he at least passed on the message to Dr. Banner that the Avengers want him to join them.

This is one of the weirdest crossovers ever. It’s a crossover with the Hulk story in Tales to Astonish #69, except not really. It’s more like they talk about the Hulk a lot, and every time they mention him, we get a panel showing us what Hulk is up to right now that’s copied out of this month’s Hulk story. Doing that once in a comic will become pretty typical. A little nod to advertise another comic on the stands. But this comic does it four times!

We’ll see it as we go.

First, we see some tension that will define the team. Should Cap be the leader?

Interestingly, for the first 16 issues, the Avengers didn’t have a leader. They rotated who the chairman was every week. We’ve seen each of them be the chair at least once… except maybe for Iron Man. Please tell me if I missed an issue, but I can’t find any issue where Iron Man was the chair. Presumably he was on weeks we didn’t see. And he sometimes seemed to be de facto in charge.

Now, they’re done with the rotations and Captain America is just in charge. This makes some sense as Captain America is a veteran Avenger of several months and the others are rookies. Also, Captain America wasn’t a super-villain last week.

“When you’ve been an Avenger as long as I have…” Please, Cap. You’ve been an Avenger like 6 months.

Neither Hawkeye nor Quicksilver seem entirely on board with this. They each think they should be the one in charge. This tension will be a defining element of the series.

When the news mentions the Avengers are searching for the Hulk, we see a panel out of the latest Hulk issue showing Hulk a captive of the Leader. It wouldn’t be such a weird crossover if they stopped there. One reference is normal.

“You don’t have to do anything, Gorgeous! Just stand there and let us look at you!” says Hawkeye. This was perhaps considered appropriate for the workplace in 1965, but I wouldn’t suggest emulating Hawkeye at your own place of employment.

Anyways, Rick wouldn’t lead them to the Hulk, so their only lead is this robot that tried to kill them telling them Hulk is in the desert. I tried to ask Admiral Ackbar his opinion, but he just said he needed a drink.

I can’t tell if Moleman wanted the robot to destroy them or give them a message. I guess he’d have been happy either way. But it’s weird that the robot attacks them, then gives them a message.

And that they listened.

And that they knew what the robot meant by “the desert”.

Hawkeye then points out the desert is really big and they don’t know where in the desert Hulk is. I’d like to point out there are a lot of deserts on Earth and even in America, so how did they even know which one to go to?

“If it is a trap”, they say. Ackbar seems to be passed out. The bottle of tequila is empty.

Coincidentally, they are very close to the Hulk. Leader’s base turns out to be on a mesa in “the desert”.

But that’s just a coincidence. Moleman didn’t know where Hulk was. The robot’s message was a trap.

This makes twice the Avengers have referred to the Hulk and we’ve flashed to what Hulk is up to. As they were failing to find him, we was breaking out of Leader’s cell. Since Hulk was close by, that’s not too weird. But they’re not done.

Hawkeye acknowledges (not out loud of course) that Captain America is a natural leader. This is consistent with my impression of Cap, but it’s really the first time that’s been noted, at least since his return in the modern age.

Captain America demonstrates his leadership ability by repeatedly telling Hawkeye what arrow to use. I’d call that micromanaging, but Hawkeye seems impressed every time Captain America suggests he fire an arrow.

“The same as we battle any other danger… with courage and skill! And two words ringing on our lips… Avengers Assemble!!” You tell ’em, Cap. Best moment of a mostly nonsensical issue.

During the battle with the Minotaur, Quicksilver remarks that they sure could use the Hulk right now. Yet another excuse for this fake crossover to show us Hulk still fighting the Leader.

Notice Scarlet Witch’s powers are still pretty simple and consistent with what we know. She points at things and they break or collapse.

Now, Cap’s plans seem to rely on a predictability to her powers when we know them to be inherently unpredictable.

Quicksilver won’t disgrace the glorious tradition of the Avengers. This is the thing we talked about last issue. In later Avengers comics, I loved lines like that. But… we just read the last 16 issues of Avengers. They weren’t all that glorious.

Having beaten the Minotaur, the overconfident Avengers decide they no longer need Hulk and end their search. The real Hulk was the friends they made along the way.

It would have been futile to keep searching for Hulk anyway, for as we are reminded… Bruce Banner is dead.

What a weird crossover.

Rating: ★★½, 41/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆

I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers vol. 2. You can find it in Avengers Epic Collection vol.1: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Or on Kindle.

Characters:

• Minotaur
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Hawkeye
• Captain America
• Rick Jones
• Moleman/Mole Man

Story notes:

• Issue features the first scheduled meeting, presumably a week after their formation.
• Secret underground fortress beneath Stark’s mansion.
• Both Quicksilver and Hawkeye question Cap’s leadership.
• News reports Avengers prepared to offer full partnership to Hulk.
• Avengers play room is like the X-Men Danger Room.
• Reference to battle against Lava Men in #5.
• Hawkeye notices that Captain America is a natural leader.
• Minotaur inspired ancient legends.
• Wanda points and rocks collapse and machine gets destroyed.
• Quicksilver refers to glorious tradition of Avengers he will not disgrace.
• Scarlet Witch refers to Cap’s leadership.

Previous	#358	Next
Tales to Astonish #69, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #18
Avengers #16	Avengers	Avengers #18