Despite the cover shown to the right, this graphic novel is really a Doctor Doom story that features the Avengers: My copy has "Emperor Doom" in large letters at the top and "Starring the Mighty Avengers" in much smaller print below it. As such, I certainly can't do justice to the main part of the... Continue Reading →
X-Men Vs. Avengers #1-4 (April-July 1987)
This looks like a miniseries about the Avengers fighting the X-Men—and, to be sure, it is—but at its heart it's a story about Magneto and his continued struggle to try to be the hero Charles Xavier believes he is, while protecting mutantkind the only way he knows how (which is not Charles' way). There are... Continue Reading →
Avengers #278-280 (April-June 1987)
These three issues are even lighter on Captain America content than usual. Each focuses on a separate character—the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Jarvis, respectively—as they consider some major life changes. Issue #278 opens with some not-too-bright burglars trying to loot Avengers Mansion, only to run into the Wasp—and, unfortunately for the one who thought he... Continue Reading →
Avengers #274-277 (December 1986-March 1987)
These four issues (together with issue #273) comprise the classic storyline in which Baron Zemo assembles a new line-up of the Masters of Evil and invades Avengers Mansion. It's a cracking good story with an emotional ending for Captain America, but as with many Avengers stories, he does share time with the rest of the... Continue Reading →
Avengers Annual #15 and West Coast Avengers Annual #1 (October 1986)
The two parts of this crossover between the two Avengers teams in their 1986 annuals are very different, as reflected in the covers: The Avengers annual focuses more on the big fight with a team of apparent ne'er-do-wells, while the West Coast Avengers annual is much more character-based and tied closely to the mystery figure's... Continue Reading →
Avengers #271-272, Alpha Flight #39, Eternals #12, and Power Man and Iron Fist #125 (September-October 1986)
This post covers, in very little detail, the Avengers' underseas adventure with Namor in Avengers and Alpha Flight, as well as Captain America's two minor appearances alongside the team in the final issues of Eternals and Power Man and Iron Fist. (Not a good sign to have the Avengers guest-star in your book, I guess—watch... Continue Reading →
Avengers #270 (August 1986)
This issue mostly follows up on the protests over Namor joining the Avengers that we've seen in recent issues, and, as one of his oldest friends—one of his only friends, really—Captain America is affected personally by this. (Am I reading too much in the cover, or could it be a bit of an homage to... Continue Reading →
The Incredible Hulk #320-323 (June-September 1986)
The story in these four issues has a very simple premise: After being split from Dr. Bruce Banner in issue #315, the Hulk has become a being of pure rage with no moderating intellect or rationality, and as a result is now more uncontrollably violent than ever. Both Avengers teams now have to confront the... Continue Reading →
New Mutants #40 (June 1986)
This issue sees the Avengers called in on a very special case dealing with Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism, but all is not what it seems—although Captain America didn't know that as of the time of the cover shoot! (It is a very striking cover by Barry Windsor-Smith, isn't it?) There's a lot going... Continue Reading →
Captain America #318 (June 1986)
This issue is the first of three that focus on the story of the Scourge of the Underworld, a mysterious individual who has been killing minor villains across various Marvel titles for the last few months, including Captain America #311, in what was actually an editorial "housecleaning" mechanism designed by editor and current Captain America... Continue Reading →