Featuring: Avengers
Release: June 8, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Artie Simek
20 pages
| Previous | #410 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales of Suspense #71, Story B | Reading order | Avengers #20 |
| Avengers #18 | Avengers | Avengers #20 |
There must be no surrender!
“Marvel Pop Art Productions”? This phrase started appearing on covers these last couple months. The letters page explains that fans object to these magazines being called comics, perhaps as that implies they are humorous and juvenile. So Stan is going to start calling them “pop art books”. I started reading these things about 25 years later and heard they were called comics, so I’m not sure this rebranding will stick.
Swordsman tries to join the Avengers but is rebuffed after a fight.
We start to see the evolution of Scarlet Witch’s power. Her power is a hex over which she has little control. She points and something unlucky happens in the area. So she makes Swordman’s sword drop as intended, but accidentally trips her brother.
Her hex power had previously been depicted just as her pointing, but now a pink glow is added. Whether the characters literally see the glow or if this is just representational is unclear. This is the beginning of the downfall of Wanda’s powers. First it was a hex, then a hex depicted by a glow… soon it will just be weird glowing energy with nebulous effect. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe will follow, thinking everybody’s power is weird glowing energy with nebulous effect.
I have no idea how Swordsman got away from Quicksilver so easily.
The team is offended that a villain such as Swordsman would try to join the Avengers. A proud and noble heritage featuring two members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the partner to the Soviet spy Black Widow, and that once featured the rampaging Hulk.
And I think they’re still trying to re-recruit the Hulk.
We learn the origin of Hawkeye.
Hawkeye was an orphan taken in by a carnival. Swordsman becomes his mentor, and Hawkeye learns archery.
Later writers would question this origin, finding it odd Swordsman would mentor Hawkeye in archery, and not, say, sword-fighting. They would muck with this origin to find a marksman mentor for Hawkeye.
But I think it makes sense in the context of a carnival. Hawkeye needed a different gimmick for the show. The show doesn’t need two swordsmen.
Hawkeye learns Sworsdsman is a thief and they fight. Swordsman wins and leaves Hawkeye for dead.
We learn a lot about Hawkeye’s origin, but not his name. Not even a first name. Still just Hawkeye. Stan isn’t really keen on coming up with names for people if he doesn’t have to. We know the first names of Pietro and Wanda, but not surnames. Thing’s girlfriend is just Alicia. Of course Thor’s hammer doesn’t have a name. It’s a hammer.
Even when Stan does name characters, he forgets them from one issue to the next. Was it Bruce or Bob Banner? Peter… Palmer. That sounds right.
Here’s where the continuity comes into play, placing this story in the middle of the Hydra Saga (Strange Tales #135-141). Cap is annoyed Fury never responded to his letter, not realizing Fury had secretly been called off to head SHIELD.
Of course, Captain America and Nick Fury were both at the wedding, so they could have discussed the issue then. But there were a lot of super-villains to fight. (This could be seen as an argument this story takes place before the wedding. We’ll see next issue why that can’t be, but it is possible the wedding fits in the middle of this Swordsman arc.)
Hydra is still looking for Fury’s HQ, as they were in Strange Tales #136. Try looking up, Hydra. It’s a gigantic flying ship.
We see here that they steal the letter from Fury’s apartment before he ever sees it. Will this be a source of tension the next time Cap and Fury meet? Ironically, Hydra finds the letter useless and discards it.
It ends up with a criminal named Blackie (that’s every criminal’s name), who sells it to Swordsman, who comes up with a plan to lure Captain America to him.
It’s a trap!
We see plenty of bickering amongst the new Avengers. Both Quicksilver and Hawkeye want to be the leader. Quicksilver is quite annoyed to learn Captain America wanted to work for Nick Fury and become a part time Avenger.
The Avengers scramble to find Cap before remembering they have a tracer for his belt designed by Stark. Why wasn’t this the first thought?
Fearing the Avengers will surrender in order to save him, Cap decides to jump himself, denying them the choice. To be continued.
Swordsman made his MCU debut last year played by Tony Dalton in the Hawkeye series. He didn’t use a fancy costume or the name “Swordsman”. He was known as Jack Duquesne and was quite good with a sword.
It’s been 3 months since the changing of the Avengers line-up, enough time for the reactions of fans to make it into print. Half the letters printed are excited about the change, and half are pretty angry to see their favorite characters replaced by these losers.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
Characters:
- Swordsman
- Quicksilver/Pietro
- Scarlet Witch/Wanda
- Captain America
- Hawkeye
Minor characters:
- Blackie
Story notes:
- Swordsman’s sword spins like a propeller.
- Scarlet Witch uses hex power to cause Swordman’s sword to slip and accidentally makes Quicksilver trip as well. Hex power depicted as pink glow.
- Swordsman seeks to join Avengers, but Wanda thinks he lacks honor.
- Avengers micro-tape identity file knows Swordsman has been exiled from a dozen countries; he’s known in Europe as a dangerous adventurer.
- Hydra unable to find Fury’s new secret HQ.
- Hydra uses displacer ray to steal Cap’s letter from Fury’s apartment.
- Hydra discards letter to street, where it is found by a crook named Blackie, who sells the letter to the Swordsman.
- Hawkeye catches Blackie and an accomplice at a crime and learns about trap.
- Stark made a tracer beam to locate hidden disc in Cap’s belt.
- Swordsman defeats Captain America.
- Hawkeye admits he wanted to be rid of Cap.
- Swordsman demands leadership of the Avengers in exchange for Cap’s life.
| Previous | #410 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales of Suspense #71, Story B | Reading order | Avengers #20 |
| Avengers #18 | Avengers | Avengers #20 |
