The Invaders, Vol.I #18, 19, 21, July-October 1977

Wednesday, 9. April 2003

published by Marvel Comics Group

Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas Illustrators: Frank Robbins & Frank Springer

Why it matters:

"The Greatest Superheroes of World War II" were created by Roy Thomas in 1975. The Invaders is the essential title of Marvel's Retro-Fourties. The series ran until September 1979 (41 issues, one annual and a Giant Size Special) The title revived various Golden Age heroes for the modern age. Among them were the original Human Torch, created by Carl Burgos and Namor, the Submariner who was created by Bill Everett. Both made their debut in the legendary Marvel Comics#1 (October 1939, the title was called Marvel Mystery from #2 on). In the 1940s, Timely, the predecessor of Marvel, produced an enormous number of costumed heroes in a short time. Some lasted only for a few months while others are still around. Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes started in march 1941 before the US joined the war. The character, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, became America's most popular piece of propaganda.

The original title Captain America Comics was cancelled in 1954, but the character returned in the pages of The Avengers in December 1963. Looks like Captain America was revamped exactly one month after John F.Kennedy was shot. The return of the ultimate propaganda icon was the first reaction within the world of popular entertainment. That's interesting if you look at Marvels quick treatment of 9-11.

After sharing Tales of Suspense with Iron Man and some other heroes, the star spangled avenger got a new title on his own again in 1968.
The war era was not just a background for Captain America . It provided a mystical battlefield very much like the fictional world of the Wild West. Cap still fought his arch-enemy The Red Skull and the fight never stopped.

The Red Skull represented the Third Reich, but when the Silver Age started in the Sixties he was just a small fry among all those guys who wanted to conquer the world on a daily base.

The art of Jack Kirby was totally unleashed. Marvel's "human touch" had started a renaissance of fantasy-superheroes with Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk or titles like Silver Surfer and Dr.Strange. They were living in a world on their own and they were not just a simple vehicle for propaganda anymore. The Invaders included Captain America, Bucky, the Submariner, Toro and the original Human Torch. The team was created around thirty years after WW II "to battle the Axis Powers to the death, in the name of freedom!"

The Invaders recreated the style of the Golden Age at a time when the american soul suffered from not being able to win the war in Vietnam. But the series is too cheesy to be taken serious and it's completely far out. Roy Thomas must have written those while taking a shit in the morning.

There were more communists in the offices of Marvel Comics at this time than the Pravda had on it's subscribers-list, Mike Benton once said. Denny O'Neill wrote his great run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow for DC, introducing social problems to the superhero-world in 1970.

Adolf Hitler became a mild caricature of the dictator in The Invaders. His mindless stooges were the best sort of cannon fodder a war comic could ask for, but guys like Dr.Doom or Galactus appeared to be more evil. Hitler was a man of the past. Since showing concentration camps and the true horror of war didn't seem to be appropiate, the stories ended up being plain superhero plots set in 1944.

The storyline in #18-21 is a little cofusing. Captain America tries to rescue some soldier and all Invaders get caught by the Nazis. Adolf Hitler tries to make Warrior Woman ("a Seven-Foot Female Blitzkrieg") and Master Man marry and breed an Übermensch. Captain America meets a new version of the Destroyer, who was Stan Lee's first super hero creation. The Destroyer is a ruthless warrior who show no mercy. He's like an early Punisher with a ridiculous costume.

Issue#19 is called "War comes to the Wilhelmstrasse" it also features the Englishman called Union Jack who has a way cooler costume than his american Allies. I'm missing #20, but I also got #21 with the final "Battle of Berlin".

Toro dies, but he gets revamped in #22. Nobody dies in wars like that! Hitler jumps out of a plane with a parachute, but he's back after a while and then he escapes again and so on.

Villains have to escape or they can't return a month later. The war goes on and on and on.

THE INVADERS