This is one I've wanted to flip through for a while, although it maybe only needed one blurb on the cover? Two feels like too much. From 2014, All-New Invaders #9, "Death-Locked!" Written by James Robinson, art by Steve Pugh. Cover by Michael Komarck.

Most of the Invaders are trying to rescue Jim Hammond's old sidekick Toro from German terrorist Kurt Dagmar, with Captain America racing to join them. Bucky has already started to realize this is a trap, as he fights his way past a rather generic cyborg, while Namor and the Torch fight an army of Deathloks! Another, somewhat Cap-themed Deathlok (with shield!) shoots down Cap, holding him up a bit. Dagmar is all smiles, as his lackey continues a scan, or a hack, on the Torch; while also chatting it up with original Deathlok Luther Manning. Luther was under Dagmar's control, given just enough freedom to be frustrated and mouthy. Dagmar confides how he started his collection by buying a Deathlok from Roxxon, and he had gotten others from seemingly dozens of alternate timelines.

While the Winter Soldier meets a weird cybernetic woman in the base's central storage hub, Dagmar has the Torch disabled, then has Luther use a modified Kree weapon on Namor. He's confident it will kill Namor outright, but Cap arrives just in time to block it and save Namor, who he's not thrilled with: Cap seems so mad at him that he momentarily forgets about Dagmar, but he reflected the blast back at him, killing him...and revealing "Dagmar" to be a Martian! Huh, it's kind of a big thing; and I don't remember them being able to change shape like DC's Martians. Also, unless Cap saw Martians earlier in this run, it had been a long, long time since he'd seen any: wait, I was thinking Marvel Two-in-One #5, but that would've been Cap vs. the Badoon. When did he see Martians? Or did he just know them from the files? Cap was one to do the research. Read more!

I haven't read all of Invaders, but I'm not sure Namor ever talked to him.

Also, the fight on the cover? Yeah, maybe next month, tough break there. From 2016, Squadron Supreme #7, written by James Robinson, pencils by Leonard Kirk and Paolo Villanelli, inks by Paul Neary and Marc Deering.

We saw another issue of this some time back, but this incarnation of the Squadron was mostly extradimensional refugees: the black Nighthawk from Supreme Power, Blur from D.P.7, and a Doctor Spectrum who had been saved by her world's destroyer, Black Bolt. (I believe that was from the 'incursions' in Hickman's Avengers.) Spectrum had been infiltrating the base of the alien Myriad, and runs into first Toro, then Black Bolt. Toro was an Inhuman (now, since this would've been in the middle of their big push) and discovered some Myriad tech that the Inhumans wanted destroyed: a machine that could tell what abilities an Inhuman would get when exposed to the Terrigen Mists. (Spectrum thinks that "sounds useful," while Toro, who wasn't raised Inhuman, still argues it's against their faith.) Their conversation derails before Toro says what country the Myriad had taken over, when it comes up that the Squadron killed his "old friend," Namor: were they friends, though? He was a junior member, a sidekick, and Namor is hardly the chummy type. (Well, I suppose Namor was chummy after the Squadron killed him, but that's not what I meant...)

Those three fight their way through the Myriad--which seriously should not be tough, with those three. Meanwhile, Hyperion, in his trucker ID, hits on a waitress--in an interlude possibly stolen from a Superman movie! And Raymond Kane has an intruder in his skyscraper office: Kyle Richmond, the Nighthawk of this earth. Kyle wants to bring in Raymond, for the murder of his teammate Namor--again, were they really teammates? Admittedly, Kyle would feel it more than Namor, but I don't feel like they were close. Raymond talks some trash, to get his counterpart off balance, as Kyle remembers "--a hawk will always fight to defend its nest--especially from another hawk." (Spoiler alert: there is a cheat here, that kind of makes sense with the villains of this series.)

Do I have the next issue? I don't want to see Kyle replaced, but Raymond was hardcore. Read more!

We started in 2017, but last time I said we'd finish this storyline sometime, and I guess that's today! From 2012, Thunderbolts #165, "Golden Age Thunderbolts Part 3: The Fiery Death from Above!" Written by Jeff Parker, pencils by Kev Walker, inks by Terry Pallot.

In search of their missing Invaders teammate the Human Torch, Captain America and Namor are faced with a small army of knockoff Torches and are in bad shape. Luckily, they have back-up, "America's newest power squadron," the American Thunderbolts! Who are, of course, the escaped Thunderbolts from the future, trying to figure out what they could or couldn't do in the past: probably can't let Cap or Namor die, but they definitely can't let Baron Zemo get killed, either, as that would mess up the Thunderbolts' timeline more directly. With Namor pretty fried, Satana gets him back to Thunderbolts Tower, to fix him with a somewhat risque-looking spell; while the rest of the heroes try to stop the Torch-clones.

Centurius realizes that while Zemo was able to make the clones, he doesn't understand their cell structure yet, and can't be allowed to escape with any samples. With his lab under siege, Zemo is ordered by the Red Skull (accompanied by a sultry blonde!) to evacuate. Cap wonders if the "American Thunderbolts" aren't a little bloodthirsty, as they kill off the Torch-clones; while Fixer and Centurius rescue and repair the original Torch. Zemo takes off in an escape rocket, but is unable to outrun Moonstone, who takes away the Torch-samples, and leaves him with a warning: have a son, but "don't fill his head with all this Nazi crap."

The Invaders are reunited, but with bombers incoming, the Thunderbolts fall back to their tower, and attempt another time-jump; after Moonstone sneaks in a quick kiss goodbye with Cap. The bombs cover their departure; as Cap mourns the loss of some brave heroes. Look, he was pretty young; I don't think he was a good judge of character yet. I'm also not sure if this retconned the Nazi out of Helmut Zemo either. Read more!

I'd love to finish the team, but now I want variant costumes.

All together now: "some time back," we saw the previous issue; we may finish this storyline someday! From 2011, Thunderbolts #164, "Golden Age Thunderbolts" Written by Jeff Parker, pencils by Kev Walker, inks by Terry Pallot.

Fine, I guess I'll just read comics at home then! (Sniff!)

Ah, MST3K Live got snowed out and postponed to February 6! Guess I've got time to read a comic then. Oh, no. From 1978, Invaders #25, "The Power and the Panzers!" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, pencils by Frank Robbins, inks by Frank Springer.

Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Faoul is dead, or so he claims, since he's now the Blue Beetle er, Scarlet Scarab! Wow, I am not letting that bit go. He's kicking the tar out of Namor and the Human Torch, since he's on the side of the Nazis against the hated British. Union Jack and Spitfire both get a little huffy there, with Jack noting the Brits had been in Egypt for over a century. Namor suggests, maybe that's long enough.

As you'd expect, it doesn't take long for the Nazis to show their true colors, as they maybe kill, maybe threaten a pair of survivors in a bombed-out village. That section isn't clear, but while the Scarab turns on the Nazis, he makes it clear he'd fight the Allies too "if they tried to level a peaceful village!" Jack again takes that as a slight, like obviously the British would have a jolly good reason if they had to level said village. Meanwhile, there's more hurt feelings and racism in America, as Bucky tries to get the ailing Toro to Doctor Sabuki, only to find he has been 're-located' to an internment camp. Also, some dick bought his house "for a song."

I had to go back through the covers for this series, since I swore somebody is thrown bodily every cover. Eh, it's maybe 20% or so.

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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.
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"The End" Week: Invaders #41 and #15!

From 1979, Invaders #41, "Beware the Super-Axis!" Written by Don Glut, breakdowns by Alan Kupperberg, finishes by Chic Stone, edited by Roy Thomas. (Who I'm sure had some input!) And from 2015, All-New Invaders #15, "The Return of Toro, part 2" Written by James Robinson, art by Steve Pugh.

Even though it's not a series I read regularly at the time, I have strong memories of the old Invaders: they appeared as the Grandmaster's pawns in Avengers #71, which was reprinted in Marvel Super Action #32, which was probably my first Avengers comic. (Man, I haven't blogged that yet? At all? The hell? No, I did post one Invader-less panel way back when!) And I remember reading an issue where the team was captured and the Human Torch was kept in an airless, vacuum container; and I was trying to figure out why he didn't suffocate: I didn't know the "Human" Torch was an android! Not positive what issue that was.

Anyway, this issue is mostly fight sequence, between the Invaders (with less well known members the Whizzer and Miss America) punching it up with the Super-Axis, featuring Baron Blood, Master Man and Warrior Woman, and U-Man. The Torch is hypnotized by Lady Lotus for a good chunk of it, and the issue ends with Lotus escaping to fight another day, with her uncle, the Yellow Claw!

The modern, "All-New" Invaders was at least two-thirds old members: the Torch, Namor, the returned (and now of Inhuman origin) Toro, and as of this issue the old Steve Rogers, since he had lost the Super-Soldier Formula. I kind of suspect that was at least part of the reason this was cancelled: keeping consistency with Steve appearing in his book, who knows how many Avengers titles, and anything else. While Steve is having a hard time adjusting to being old, he meets with Namor and the Torch, over the coordinates in the ocean where the Avengers found him, frozen in ice.

In a recent adventure, Lash, an Inhuman searching for others of his kind that he deemed 'worthy,' intervened in a fight to invite Toro and Iron Cross to join him. Card-carrying Nazi Iron Cross was not thrilled at that revelation, but realizes his old life was over, and joins Lash. While their current adventures appeared to be wrapping up, Namor tells the Torch that he had "been the villain to Steve on many occasions," but Jim Hammond brought out the best in him. And Jim was not only working with S.H.I.E.L.D, he had rescued another former lab specimen like himself: Speedball's cat, Niels!

Who trashed a good chunk of his place, but seems to be coming around to him. It's a nice ending, that I'm pretty sure was crapped all over by Secret Empire, if not sooner; and a better storyline--the Winter Soldier, the British Invaders, and Killraven versus a new Martian tripod invasion--was left hanging. Robinson notes in the closing that some of the loose ends might be wrapped up elsewhere, but Secret Wars might've derailed that. Unless they were in Robinson's next book...better look for the last issue of that, now.

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Mars, keep thinking about it, bigger than the moon, and half as crowded...

For Marvel, "Invaders" has become something like "Manhunter" has for DC: a name they keep trying to do something with, with varying degrees of traction. For example, I think I was only peripherally aware of this title when it came out: from 2015, All-New Invaders #12, "Martians Attack!" Written by James Robinson, pencils by Barry Kitson and Marc Laming, inks by P. Craig Russell and Laming.

Traditionally, Invaders had been a World War II-set title, featuring Captain America and Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and the original android Human Torch, among others. This version was the same batch of characters in the modern day, a "band of brothers" as Cap puts it. It was also very tied to the current continuity: The returned Toro now had an origin tied to the Inhumans. Cap was aged into an old man between issues #10 and #11, and was also for most of the issues I've seen, somewhat pissed at "Subby" for his Illuminati crap. For his part, Namor is played more sympathetically here than in other titles; having a good deal of comradery and affection for his teammates, and admitting a lot of his problems are self-inflicted. (Namor is certainly treated more sympathetically here than Robinson would on his next title, Squadron Supreme!)

Somewhat as he did at DC, Robinson plays a lot with legacy here; more than I've seen at Marvel recently. This particular issue features a World War I team, Freedom's Five: the original Union Jack leading the Orson Randall Iron Fist, Phantom Eagle, Crimson Cavalier, and Sir Steel. I think Cavalier and Steel were new: Steel may have been inspired (or derived) from the original Black Knight, while the Cavalier was a relation of Batroc. The Phantom Eagle is also played traditionally here, not the somewhat unsympathetic prat of Garth Ennis's version. While planning an assault on Ursula Frankenstein's castle, the Five are interrupted by a Martian invasion in London. Not the first one, either: some of the team recall hearing about such before, although it had been hushed up by the government. The Martians are defeated again, with the assistance of Eben Stafford and his mysterious "Men on the Wall." (Notably, the Men lose a man who is on a tripod when it disappears...)

Years later, Lord James Falsworth, the retired Union Jack, puts the tale to paper; which is read years later by his daughter Jacqueline, the Invader Spitfire, as they try to figure out why the Martians have appeared again. (Jacqueline is also somewhat distracted by her father's admission of suicidal thoughts.) Spitfire, along with the Mighty Destroyer and the current Union Jack, had fought another tripod that had disappeared; and now Bucky, the Winter Soldier, brings them someone who may have some answers: Jonathan Raven, better known as Killraven.

I completely slept on this title before, but after getting a few issues cheap it's got my interest. Still, there were only three issues left to come, and I'm not sure the Martian plotline was resolved there. Oh, and today's title is from an old song by a somewhat obscure band called Rise Robots Rise.

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