Random Happenstance

Last year we blogged Mystery in Space #113, and I remembered reading the Michael Golden story off the spinner rack, even if I wouldn't get a copy of that issue for, um, 38 years. Today we've got one I remembered reading at least part of in a drug store in 1977: the Invaders #19, "War Comes to the Wilhelmstrasse" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, pencils by Frank Robbins, inks by Frank Springer.

Four of the Invaders--Namor, Bucky, the (android) Human Torch and Toro--have been captured by the Nazis and are currently the unwilling subjects of a "victory parade," even if some citizens don't support the mistreatment of prisoners. Namor is kept dehydrated while the Torches are only given enough oxygen to barely breathe, so they couldn't flame on--and I always wondered about that! I thought the Torch was kept in a completely airless prison and couldn't figure out why he didn't die. Toro would be out of luck, but would the Torch die without air, or just go dormant?

Captain America and the Destroyer are still free...for about two pages. When a guard moves to gun down Bucky for embarrassing him with an honestly hilarious kick in the ass, Cap has to step in to save him...and then has to surrender when a major puts a gun to Bucky's head. The Destroyer isn't compelled to surrender, but the embarrassed guard tries to regain face by fragging several of his fellow Nazis with a grenade, seemingly obliterating the Destroyer. And in a way, it did...

Nearby, Spitfire, Dyna-mite, Lord Falsworth, and his chauffeur Oskar, now have "free the Invaders" added to their mission goals. They were trying to figure out what happened to Brian Falsworth, and how family friend Roger Aubrey was turned into the foot-tall "Dyna-mite." Busting into a Nazi lab, they find the scientist that experimented on Roger, and discover Brian's fate: he had broken out, stolen a Nazi formula, and become...the mighty Destroyer! Dismayed that they had just seen him die, they don't catch the Nazi pressing the secret button to drop them into a trap and gas them.

Now with all six Invaders captured, Hitler has a big day planned: execute the drugged Invaders by firing squad, then the propaganda wedding of super-Nazis Master Man and Warrior Woman. (Warrior Woman is markedly unenthusiastic about that...) But the firing squad catches a live grenade, as Union Jack swoops in to save them...continued next issue! Ah, I bought the next issue too at the comicon, but it's a short one, featuring a reprint of Sub-Mariner's first appearance in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly.