The Avengers Defenders Clash - September 1973!

Avengers #118 features the climax to the epic Clash between the Assemblers and the Dynamic Defenders.  The energetic but never chaotic cover is by Ron Wilson and John Romita.

"Chapter 18: To The Death"  by Steve Englehart, Bob Brown and inkers Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia, shows the two defiant teams after they talked instead of fought and have discovered that both have been manipulated by Dormammu and Loki to find the six parts of the magical Evil Eye of Avalon. Dormammu has used the Eye to weave a spell on all of the Earth dimension and is slowly drawing it into the Dark Dimension where he can rule without qualm. As he does this people are turning into monsters.

The combined teams fight to fend off the transformed humans but know they must enter the Dark Dimension to confront Dormammu and Loki directly. Help arrives when SHIELD shows up to take over and the heroes go to save the day. They find themselves on the mysterious and dangerous snaking paths of the Dark Dimension and attempt to find their way forward. Meanwhile the Watcher appears to Dormammu and Loki and reveals that he is merely there to observe this change in the status quo of the universe. The combined forces of the Avengers and Defenders confront and defeat the Mindless Ones. On Earth however we see the threat is widespread as heroes and villains alike confront the tranformations which threaten everyone. On Earth and beyond the threat spreads. Dormammu casts a spell which defeats the Defenders, but the Avengers gather themselves and charge using their famous battle cry.

Then many of them fall victim to deadly quicksand-like traps and only Thor, Iron Man and the Scarlet Witch escape. Soon though both Thor and Iron Man are changed into their secret identities and the Witch is alone to confront the two gods who have perpetrated the plot. Dormammu had previously caged Loki who he understood had betrayed him and Loki is able to change his form and attacks Dormammu as the Scarlet Witch in a final desperate move casts a hex which causes the Evil Eye to absorb the total power of Dormammu and then transfer that power into the mind of Loki who goes mad as result.

The spell is broken just like that and Earth and elsewhere return to normal though much damage has been done. The Avengers reassemble with the Defenders and the combined teams take the mad Loki into custody and depart the Dark Dimension leaving only the Watcher to have the final word as the threat is ended for now.

Defenders #11  by Englehart, Sal Buscema and inker Frank Bolle, gives us the finale of this sprawling adventure and surprising one it is indeed. "Chapter 12: A Dark and Stormy Knight" begins with the Defenders saying farewell to the Avengers and Doctor Strange casting spells to return folks to normal mostly. He and the Defenders then return to his Sanctum where the stone body of the Black Knight awaits. Once again Strange seeks to contract the spirit of the Knight but finds it missing. Using the Evil Eye the Defenders find themselves transported to the 12th Century in the middle of the Crusades and the Black Knight appears suddenly in battle to tell them that must beware the Muslim enemy as well as deadly giant Gnomes.

Later the Black Knight reveals that his spirit had been drawn by the magic of Merlin to battle the evil of Modred who as it turns out is opposing King Richard the Lionhearted and assisting his treacherous brother Prince John. The Defenders enter the castle disguised as priests but are nearly defeated by Gnomes, deadly Earth spirits. These have been raised by the combined magic of Modred and Chandu the Mystic. But the Earth spirits fall victim to water and Namor sees to it that waves of water wash over the monsters ending the threat. Then Prester John appears, takes command of the Evil Eye and ends the menace of Modred and Chandu.

He claims that the time-twisting adventure has ended as it ought and the Defenders prepare to head back to their own time. But in a surprise twist the Black Knight who has once again taken control of the Ebony Blade says he's happy in the 12th Century and decides to stay. The Defenders bid him farewell and after returning to the present day go their separate ways as was the case with the non-team.

And that wraps up a truly memorable summer spectacle. They don't make 'em like that anymore and more is the pity indeed.

No story could develop like this now, as the advanced hype would denude it of any real surprises that the series might deliver as it unfolded over a mere four months. A conflict like this would result in a cascade of sidebar comics all branded to maximize the need for the completist to pick it up. I know that compulsion, I have fallen victim to it more than a few times.

The Clash lives in our memories so warmly because it was a big deal that took itself just seriously enough to get the job done. It's a story that delivered on all its main points (battles between rivals Hawkeye and Iron Man, Captain America and Sub-Mariner, and Hulk and Thor) as well as adding lots of spice to new smaller characters (Swordsman, Valkyrie, and Mantis). This was a project of love by an enthusiastic writer and two rock solid professional artists that came off with few evident problems. Deadlines came and the books never missed, not the situation we have today.

Kudos to Steve Englehart for trying it, and congrats for getting it done. I was lucky enough to meet Englehart a few years ago at a local convention and I hastily picked up a hardback collection of The Clash to have him sign. He did and I treasure this one yet, in fact it's the volume I used to read the story this time. Thanks Steve, this is one fan who still remembers how special the summer of 1973 was.

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The Avengers Defenders Clash - August 1973!

Avengers #117 picks up the mighty Clash between the Avengers and the Defenders. In "Holocaust" we visit our villains who are upset that the Avengers have involved themselves. Loki keeps his own role in activating them a secret as Dormammu rages.

"Chapter 7: Swordsman Versus Valkyrie" offers up one of the more curious chapters as two sword-wielding heroes clash. The Swordsman is loathe to visit Bolivia since the last time he was in South America it was part of the Mandarin's Minions in a scheme to conquer the world. Now reformed he comes to a castle which looks like it was picked up and transplanted straight from Europe. That's pretty much the case it turns out as it is the castle of a former Nazi, and its current owner admits the Swordsman to investigate. The Evil Eye is concealed in a chest in the castle but before he can claim it the Valkyrie appears and a vicious sword battle begins. The unlucky Swordsman though is wounded when his host proves to be an unreconstructed Nazi and shoots him in the back. He is dealt with by Valkyrie but she then takes the Eye and departs as the police arrive to save the wounded Swordsman.

"Chapter 8: Captain America Versus The Sub-Mariner" finds the two former Invader allies facing off in the streets of Osaka, Japan where Namor has already found the Evil Eye. They trade barbs and eventually blows. The battle is furious and Cap's consummate skill allows him to hold his own against Namor's power but their conflict is halted when Japan's resident superhero Sunfire appears and takes hold of the Evil Eye. Despite having been allies in the pages of Subby's own title, the two fight and Sunfire loses his grasp on the Eye. It comes into the clutches of Captain America who decides that there has been enough fighting. He and Namor form a tentative truce and head back to America.

Defenders #10 titled "Breakthrough" offers up the epic battle most fans had been looking for. "Chapter 8: Hulk Versus Thor" finds the Hulk lumbering through the streets of Los Angeles His mystically guided instincts have him find the Evil Eye and dig it up out of the center of the street when Thor arrives. The two mighty foes face off and a ferocious battle ensues. Onlookers are at once mesmerized and terrorized by the war between these two titans and just as they are about the clash for the finale of their battle the combined forces of the Avengers and the Defenders arrive and announce an end to hostilities.

"Chapter 10: United We Stand" shows how the Defenders at Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum are comparing notes after their battles when Namor returns from Japan. He brings with him the assembled Avengers and soon the two teams are discussing the matter like allies and even friends instead of rivals. They then see the pressing need to head to Los Angeles and stop the conflict between Thor and the Hulk and do that. But just as the two teams realize that they have been manipulated and attempt to put the collected parts of the Evil Eye together Dormammu's servant Asti appears and gobbles them up and disappears into the Dark Dimension. Almost immediately the Earth and its inhabitants begin to change and become monstrous as Dormammu appears and announces his scheme to have the Earth enter into the Dark Dimension and become yet one more of his kingdoms. The Defenders and the Avengers vow to battle this threat.

These installments really offer up some delightful battles. The conflict between Swordsman and Valkyrie is a natural in many ways and offers up some real surprises. The Swordsman is Englehart's hard luck hero and his efforts to show his mettle almost come up short as seen here. Cap and Namor are fun as always and their battle plays to the strengths of both. Cap has super-strength during his time and that at least makes the conflict plausible if the outcome was not in really in doubt.

The addition of Sunfire to the situation was a real treat for me. I caught his debut in X-Men #64 and have always liked the Japanese hero. That he didn't become part of the new X-Men some years later was a real disappointment to this fan.

The battle between the Hulk and Thor of course is a rematch. These two faced off in Journey into Mystery #114 which itself is an expanded version of a battle they had all the way back in Avengers #3.

That the two teams would cleave together in the end was only natural. Englehart does a masterful job of pacing this story and reading this time I was especially mindful of how the turns come just in the nick of time. Since I always read it now through, it's difficult to remember what it was like to read it as it emerged month by month over the summer.

Next time the saga ends. The teams have stopped battling each other, but there's plenty more to fight over tomorrow.

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The Avengers Defenders Clash - July 1973!

The Clash between the Avengers and the Defenders really begins to boil in Avengers #116 in "Chapter 2: Betrayal". Under a dynamic cover by John Romita and featuring interior artwork by longtime DC veteran and recent Marvel arrival Bob Brown with inks by Mike Esposito this issue is a true classic which celebrates to an extent a decade of Avengers action. The Avengers go to Doc Strange's Sanctum and are summarily flung back by his protective spells. When they finally hammer on the door Wong appears and tells them vamoose. They don't cotton this treatment and think they see the Black Knight inside but then they are once again whisked away by Strange's spells, the third time this has happened to them. We then switch to the villains Dormammu and Loki looking on as Doctor Strange and the Defenders learn how the Evil Eye was not destroyed in Fantastic Four #54 but rather divided into six parts and transported across the globe to different far-flung destinations. The Defenders divide their forces to retrieve the six parts. Loki meanwhile grows suspicious of his ally and goes to the Avengers in astral form to tell them of the Defenders and how they are attempting to get the Evil Eye elements for their own dire purposes. The Avengers then divide their forces to stop the Defenders threat and get the Evil Eye parts for themselves.

"Chapter 3: The Silver Surfer and the Vision and the Scarlet Witch" has the Surfer travel to the distant Pacific island of Rurutu where his appearance makes him a god in the eyes of the rustic natives. He gleans that the Eye must be in the island's active volcano and goes to investigate. Meanwhile the Vision and Wanda arrive just as the Surfer's activity causes the volcano to spew lava. This eruption injures the Scarlet Witch and an enraged Vision attacks the oblivious Surfer. The fight rages inside the volcano but when lava threatens to overrun Wanda's unconscious form Vision flies to save her while the Surfer captures the Evil Eye and flies off eager to warn his fellow Defenders that the Avengers are apparently on the board.

Next we slide over to Defenders #9 by Englehart with artwork by Sal Buscema and Frank McLaughlin. "Chapter 4: Divide and Conquer" has the Surfer arrive at Doc Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum and fill him in on the Avengers role in their efforts to capture the Evil Eye and save the Black Knight. Doc warns the other Defenders while the Vision does likewise by radio to his Avenger allies. The enemies now are ready to fight for what they need.

"Chapter 5: Iron Man Versus Hawkeye" is set in Monterrey Mexico as the Valkyrie drops Hawkeye the Archer off gather his portion of the Evil Eye. Hawkeye puts the moves on Valkyrie but is rejected as Hawkeye's attention is distracted by his old ally and current nemesis Iron Man flying overhead. Shellhead gets the Evil Eye from a local archeologist who discovered it in ruins a few years before but before he can leave with it Hawkeye attacks and takes the Eye. The two old enemies face off but when Hawkeye uses his arrows to distract Iron Man and have his repulsors cause damage which requires Shellhead to save bystanders he escape with the Eye.

"Chapter 6: Dr. Strange Versus Black Panther and Mantis" is set in the cornfields of Indiana. Doc Strange has found the Eye and is seeking to leave quietly disguised as a portly woman when Mantis uncovers his ruse and attacks. Then the Panther attacks and the two supreme athletes are able to cause Doc to lose control of the Eye. The three fight but the intervention of a farmer who is about to shoot is a sufficient distraction that Doc is able to weave a spell and leaves with the Eye in tow.

In these issues the saga really takes hold and the natural enmity between old foes like Hawkeye and Iron Man helps to fuel the conflict. While the battle between Strange and the Panther and Mantis seems wildly out of proportion, it nonetheless is a dandy little yarn with some really clever turns. Englehart said that he didn't want the Clash to be just a bunch of costumes battling it out but rather he wanted to give each character a moment to reveal something and in these two issues he does just that. The Vision's anger is surprising and revealing. The Scarlet Witch has very little to do here, but as we'll see she makes up for it later.  Hawkeye's always present grudge against his old comrades is natural and makes the battle between him and Iron Man quite reasonable.

Also spreading the conflicts across the globe to less traveled areas was a nifty idea. While Marvel had been adding some locales to its backgrounds for some years ( Daredevil in San Francisco for instance) the MU was still exceedingly New York City dominated. Getting this story out and about adds a freshness to it which might not be fully appreciated by modern audiences.

More to come as the Clash continues tomorrow.

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The Avengers Defenders Clash - June 1973!

It's the summer of 1973 and the Avengers are a decade old when the Clash's unofficial roots really begin. The Avengers grow concerned about The Black Knight and their recent inability to contact one of their newest members. To ascertain his situation the Assemblers fly to England and try to enter Garrett Castle but because of a spell by Doctor Strange cannot enter. They suspect foul play and detect Strange's role. Before they can act further though they are attacked by savage "Troglodytes" who live beneath the castle, a tribe of debased peasants who have lived in isolation for centuries. Fending off that threat they return to America to confront Doctor Strange.

But the Clash officially kicks off with "Prologue: Alliance Most Foul" in the back pages of Avengers #115 (Englehart with pencils by Bob Brown and inks by Mike Esposito). In that prologue we return to the final moments of Thor #207 as Loki seemingly falls to his doom after being blinded.

He is instead whisked to the Dark Dimension by Dormammu who seeks to ally himself with the Norse god to bring defeat to the Defenders and Doctor Strange. Dormammu's plan is to not violate his oath to Strange to not enter the Earth dimension, he will instead use the power of The Evil Eye to make the Earth part of his own Dark Dimension. In exchange for his arcane might, Dormammu promises to return Loki's sight. The God of Mischief agrees to the Dread Dormammu's deal and the stage is set. 

In Defenders #8 (by Englehart and featuring artwork by Sal Buscema and inker Frank McLaughlin) after defeating the schemes of the Red Ghost and Attuma in the front story,  the Defenders repair to Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. "Chapter One: Deception" begins with the Defenders surrounding the stone figure once named The Black Knight. Using the Orb of Agamotto Doctor Strange is able to send a message to the distant dimension where Dane Whitman's spirit resides and he finds him and delivers a message of hope that the Defenders will work to return him to his body and Earth. But the spiritual Knight's return message is intercepted by Dormammu and Loki and altered. The altered message instructs the Defenders that they need to search the Earth for the Evil Eye because only its power can save the Knight. With that misinformation, the Defenders pledge to find the ancient weapon.

While it's a tried and true trope of the Marvel Universe that heroes will fight when they encounter one another, this story which would occupy several comics over several months needed a good motivator. And this one is not bad. The Black Knight's complex destiny had been an ongoing affair in the pages of the Avengers for years. And the Defenders were a collection of some of the most dangerous beings on the planet, none of whom had really rock solid reputations. So it's quite easy for Loki, the being who actually helped create the Avengers and Dormammu, the Defenders most deadly enemy to twist the truth just enough. It will take a few more twists before this deception is complete and those come next time in Chapter 2 in  the pages Avengers #116.

More to come as the Clash continues tomorrow.

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King-Size Special Summers!

The beauty of youth is how time is perceived so differently. Summers could seem to stretch on forever, sprawling chasms of time which needed giant entertainments to fill them up. "King-Size Special" comics did that quite well for many of us. The logic of summer annuals I guess had to do mostly with school schedules, and the tradition of not having school in the summer. Presumably those seemingly endless carefree hours of summer must be filled and the always eager-to-make-a-buck publishers of comics saw that kids and desperate parents might be willing to drop a bit of change to get some nifty extra adventures. The great "Clash" between The Avengers and The Defenders in the summer of 1973 grew from Steven Englehart's desire to offer up a story akin to those he himself had enjoyed throughout much of Marvel's decade-long history.

The Avengers actually had their first all-new summer event in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 in 1966 as guest-stars in a whopper of story which co-starred the Hulk and had Spidey turn down the Assemblers for membership. It's cute little epic, but only a glimpse of what was to come.

My first annual and as it turns out my first Avengers comic book was 1967's  Avengers King-Size Special #1. This epic nigh-fity page yarn showcased most of those who had been Avengers in a blockbuster battle against the "Mandarin's Minions", a who's who of former Avengers baddies. The artwork was Don Heck at his most dazzling. (Sadly for Heck it was apparently this job which paved the way for John Buscema to step in on the regular series and began the steady and unfair decline of Heck's reputation.)

The next summer they did it again King-Size Avengers Annual #2 when in a time-travel tale the current Avengers traveled to an alternate universe in which the original team under the sway of the mysterious Scarlet Centurion had defeated most if not all of the superheroes and super-villains of their world and ruled with an iron fist. Again we have Thomas and Heck kicking out an over-sized blockbuster which sported one of the great iconic covers ever in comics by John Buscema.

Along with these new stories though, summer specials had been used to showcased vintage tales from Marvel's past (merely a few years of course). The Avengers were featured in 1965's Marvel Tales Annual #2 when their debut adventure became one of several stories put forth. These over-sized packages were different and hefty enough to shout value. Getting these treasures was a treat for any fan who had missed out by lack of foresight in having been born a bit sooner.

That tradition followed in 1966's Marvel Super-Heroes Annual #1 which reprinted the second Avengers adventure battling the mysterious Space Phantom.

Marvel soon recognized the value of their growing backlog of printed material and great value-for-money packages were popping off the presses such as the transformed Marvel Super-Heroes regular series which gave up its Showcase wannabe vibe and switched to just old material. One of the great comics of all time for this fanboy was MSH #21 which reprinted Avengers #2 as well as X-Men #2.

In the summer of 1969 new material is eschewed in the Avengers annuals too as we get Avengers #4 featuring the return of Captain America. Cap is the focus of this one all the way through as that story is accompanied by three of his adventures from Tales of Suspense. John Buscema does a masterful job reinterpreting Kirby's original image for Avengers #4.

A year is skipped but in 1971 the Avengers Annual returns and gives us Avengers issues #5 and #6 Lee and Kirby. It's a great comic with the Assemblers battling Lava Men and Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil all neatly tucked up under one of my favorite Sal Buscema covers.

In 1972 we get Kang the Conqueror as his story from Avengers #6 is presented as well as his follow up attack from issue #11 co-starring Spider-Man.

And it is in 1972 that Marvel kicks off a robust reprint line. The Avengers eventually get the birth in the oddly named Marvel Triple Action and will hold down that title for a good bit of the Bronze Age. In a time when comics shops were rare as hen's teeth and there was no real outlet for many to acquire back issues, these reprints were a golden way to glimpse Marvel's history. Loved 'em.

And that brings us to 1973. For whatever reason Marvel only offered up a few reprint specials that month and neither the Avengers nor the newly-minted Defenders were on that short list. Steve Englehart attempted to rectify that by offering up a story which move across the two titles month-after-month through the summer. If not a "king-size special" really, it was indeed a king-sized story. Partnering with two consummate storytellers in Sal Buscema and Bob Brown, Englehart had the bones to make it happen and he did.

Tomorrow at the Dojo, the Clash commences!

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The Knight Is Blackest Before The Clash!

I've focused on The Black Knight here before in a series of posts which paid most attention to the original 1950's version of the iconic Marvel hero. Today it's Dane Whitman's turn to get the spotlight.  Whitman is the third Black Knight, and second heroic one and how he came to be a hero is a complicated process and how he came to be the focus of the might Clash between the Avengers and the Defenders is an even more circuitous journey.

It begins in Avengers #47 where we meet Dane Whitman, a young and handsome scientist for the first time. Along with his treacherous assistant he is experimenting with magnetic waves for the purpose of communications. Unwittingly his experiments provide an avenue for the arch villain Magneto and his sidekick Toad to return to planet Earth, escaping once again their captor The Stranger. 

It is in the next issue of the Avengers that we learn that Dane Whitman is the nephew of the recently deceased Nathan Garrett, the original evil Black Knight. Further Whitman has taken over the effects of his late uncle and has used his own ingenuity to recreate many of his weapons, both biological and technical. It is a modern tech-savvy warrior to takes to the skies atop his winged horse Pegasus  to attempt to alert the Avengers to the danger Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are in having been captured by Magneto. He of course is misunderstood and everyone fights in tried and true Marvel manner.

When next we meet The Black Knight he is seemingly part of the new Masters of Evil in Avengers #54, a gang brought together by the Crimson Cowl to gain revenge on the Assemblers. But Whitman was merely acting the part to gain information and soon enough is riding his new winged steed Aragorn to warn the Avengers of the new threat when he is attacked by his villainous comrades and left. They then attack the Avengers and captured them.

The Black Knight is instrumental is freeing the Assemblers and fights at their side to put down the new Masters of Evil who learn to their dismay as much as the Avengers themselves that the real enemy is a robot named Ultron-5.  The Knight acquits himself honorably.

Then in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes #17 the Black Knight story is altered a bit when we and Whitman learn that he is to some extent the mystical heir of the original Black Knight from King Arthur's court and that the connection between himself and Sir Percy of Scandia is profound and mystical. He comes into possession of his Ebony Blade for the first time, a weapon which will prove both a boon and a burden for the rest of his career.

Soon after he meets Doctor Strange for the first time in Doctor Strange #178 and is recruited by Strange to battle the menace of Tiboro.

The Knight is injured in the aftermath of that battle and it takes the skill of Doc Strange to save him and the combined might of both them and the Avengers to forestall the twin threats of Surtur the Fire Demon and Ymir the Ice Giant, both brought to Earth in a deadly spell in Avengers #61. He hangs around in the next issue but that one featured the Black Panther and the Knight has almost nothing to do.

It is in pages of Avengers #70 that we meet the Knight again when he interrupts the contest between the Grandmaster and Kang the Conqueror. He loses his blade and later in Avengers #71 through it he is able to travel to the future by mystical means and save the Avengers when his blow against the evil Kang brings him low. Kang's mistake was that he wished for and got absolute protection against the Avengers but at that moment the Black Knight was not an Avenger.

But the Assemblers rectify that situation when on the final page they make the Black Knight an Avenger at long last.

Avengers #84 is a key story in the saga of the Black Knight, though sadly he again does not rate a cover image.

In this story the Knight is seeking to get rid of the Ebony Blade which seems to be taking a firmer and darker control of him the more he uses it. The sword fashioned by Merlin from a black meteor has mystical powers galore and these potent energies are darkening the spirit of the user Dane Whitman. So he seeks a means to get shed of the sword and eventually finds the Well at the End of Time. But he is intercepted by Arkon the Magnificent and the Enchantress who brings the Knight under her spell for the first time. Eventually the Avengers get involved and the battle rages and the Knight is freed and he is for a short time rid of his burden.

But not for very long it seems. The epic hundredth issue of the Avengers is once again all about the Black Knight. He is the one who assembles the team and the call brings everyone who has ever been an Avenger even unlikely folks like the Hulk and the Swordsman.

The heroes have been battling Aries of Olympus and learn in this story that his attempts to wage war on Earth are brought on by the Enchantress and the Ebony Blade, both of which ended up on Olympus. The heroes invade Olympus and battle on Earth too, but eventually the threat is quelled. The Black Knight takes up the Ebony Blade once again, his destiny seemingly fixed.

That destiny leads him to The Defenders and in issue #4 of that series he once again finds himself the victim of the Enchantress who after her defeat at the hands of the heroes rewards her stalwart ally by giving him a kiss which transforms him into stone. His Ebony Blade and his horse Aragorn come into the care of the newly created Valkyrie. The stone body of the Dane Whitman is transported by Doctor Strange to his Sanctum and a spell is placed around the the Garrett Castle in England.

In this story the seeds are well and truly sown for the coming clash between to might super teams. The Black Knight's saga has been a tragic one with his constant search for a purpose and his desire to redeem the villainous deeds of his uncle having brought him to a low point. Things are going to change for sure, if they improve is open to question.

More tomorrow.

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