The Avengers #3

Featuring: Avengers
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: P. Reinman
25 pages

We see a new cover box. Acknowledges that Hank is now Giant-Man and that Wasp exists.

Welcome to a special Mothers Day post. What makes this a Mothers Day post? Well, today is Mothers Day. Also, my mother likes the Sub-Mariner, and this is the issue where the Avengers meet Sub-Mariner.

Sub-Mariner doesn’t show up until page 15, but still gets the issue titled after him. Good for him.

In the first issue, Loki tricked the Avengers into attacking the Hulk.

In the second issue, Space Phantom tricked the Avengers into attacking the Hulk.

This issue, the Avengers just decide to attack the Hulk.

It begins with the Avengers having their regular monthly meeting in Tony Stark’s mansion. Nobody finds it odd that Tony Stark lent them his mansion, but has never once greeted them all there.

Iron Man considers it urgent that they track down the Hulk. He’s been on the loose since last issue, which was at a previous monthly meeting, so it’s been at least a month. If it was so urgent, perhaps it shouldn’t have waited for the meeting.

Please note again that Wasp clearly still has her wings when full-sized.

Iron Man has an impossibly sophisticated device that allows him to transmit an image of himself, which can interact with others. His projection can be seen and heard, and also see and hear. This seems immensely useful and powerful. He uses it to call friends and ask for help with the Hulk.

Iron Man reaches out to the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. He has met the X-Men before, but this is his first meeting with both the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. A pretty significant moment in comics, if somewhat understated.

This is Kirby’s first attempt at Spider-Man without Ditko assisting. It comes out as pretty sloppy-looking to me.

We get a little more insight as to the confusing status quo of the Hulk. It’s basically what we had surmised, but said more clearly here. The machine in their hidden cave still works and can change Bruce Banner into the Hulk and vice versa. However, Bruce is basically no longer in control of the Hulk side. Also, sometimes he might change in either direction even without the machine.

We see this right away. Rick convinces the Hulk to come to the cave and be subjected to the machine. However, that night, Bruce changes back to Hulk without using the machine. He suggests it’s because Rick didn’t give him a strong enough gamma dose.

Wasp and narrator seem to stick to the naming scheme. When he shrinks, he’s Ant-Man. When he grows, he’s Giant-Man. It seems a bit weird that his codename changes depending on the last pill he took. It would be kind of like Spider-Man calling himself “Wallcrawler” when he climbs a wall, but then insisting he be called “Webslinger” when he’s using his webs.

The basic story. Avengers attack Hulk. Hulk escapes. Sub-Mariner tracks down Hulk and they agree to team up to destroy the Avengers. During the fight, Hulk suddenly changes into Bob Banner, and runs away before anybody sees him. Namor escapes.

Avengers #4 seems to pick up where this issue leaves off. The Avengers are in the same bathyscaph trying to catch up with Namor. However, the ending of this issue clearly states that the Avengers went home after this battle. It’s good that it says that, because the Avengers have a lot of solo adventures in the two months before issue 4 comes out. That said, they shouldn’t have too many. As Iron Man noted it was urgent they deal with the Hulk, and they have not yet done so.

Many chronological headaches result from the next few issues, trying to decide how to place the Avengers comics amongst the solo adventures of the members. I plan to dedicate an entire post to the question in the future.

For the moment, I will track the clues this issue provides.

• Iron Man is wearing his new armor, which debuted in Tales of Suspense #48.
• Giant-Man is wearing his “light vertical stripes” outfit which debuted in Tales to Astonish #50.
• Wasp is wearing the new simplified headgear which debuted in Tales to Astonish #51.
• The team agrees it is “urgent” to deal with the Hulk. He has been on the loose since #2 and they are still searching for him in #4.
• Namor escapes this issue and they are actively searching for him in #4.
• The issue begins with the Avengers’ monthly meeting. Issue 2 also featured a regular meeting. Perhaps the last meeting, perhaps not. This suggests this issue takes place at least 1 month after issue 2.
• This issue references Iron Man’s meeting with the X-Men in Tales of Suspense #49.

Rating: ★★★☆☆, 55/100
Significance: ★★★★☆

I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers #1. The scans are taken from a reprint in Avengers Classic #3 (2007).

You can also find the story in Avengers Epic Collection vol.1: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Or on Kindle.

Characters:

• Sub-Mariner/Prince Namor
• Thor/Dr. Blake
• Giant-Man/Ant-Man
• Iron Man/Anthony “Tony” Stark
• The Wasp
• Hulk/Bruce (Bob) Banner
• Thing
• Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Human Torch
• Invisible Girl
• Spider-Man
• Iceman
• Angel
• Beast
• Marvel Girl
• Cyclops
• Professor X
• Rick Jones
• Jane Foster

Story notes:

• Avengers are meeting monthly.
• Tony Stark’s image projector – projects an image that can see, hear, and talk.
• Fantastic Four too busy to help find Hulk. Thing has date; Reed and Johnny involved in an experiment about flame control; Sue off to fashion show.
• Rick can still convince Hulk to use the machine to change back into Banner.
• Bruce notes he sometimes changes without the machine; Rick notes Hulk is getting harder to control.
• Bruce does change back to Hulk; he blames the gamma ray dose not being strong enough.
• Rick calls Teen Brigade Condition Red.
• Hulk in Sector B in New Mexico.
• Hulk jumps into ocean near Gulf Stream. Hulk can remain underwater for long periods of time. He swims for days out into the Atlantic.
• Namor easily overpowers Hulk in the ocean.
• Namor and Hulk team up to battle the Avengers, but both plan to betray the other.
• Namor chooses Gibraltar as battleground.
• Avengers use Stark deep-sea jet bathyscaph.
• Hulk changes to Bruce Banner suddenly in battle. He refers to himself as “Bob Banner”.

#142 story in reading order
Next: Fantastic Four #23
Previous: Tales to Astonish #52, Story B