Captain America! Bucky! Thor! Giant-Man!
Hawkeye! The Black Widow! Scarlet Witch! Whizzer! Miss America! Hercules! Human
Torch! Quicksilver! Wonder Man! Iron Man! Master Man! Master Boy! Crimson
Dynamo! The 1960s. The Viet Nam War! Revolutions on college campuses! Social
upheaval! The moon mission! Into this turbulent times, when heroes are deeply
needed, they come together, to fight against deadly menaces from their world
and many others! They are the…
60s AVENGERS #46
INVASION, Chapter IV:
“The Fall of New York!”
|
I |
n
New York, the villainous Thor is hovering in front of the twentieth floor of a
large skyscraper, for which he provided a circular entrance ten floors below!
As he looks down, he sees the figure of the incredible Hulk emerging from the
rubble beneath them, an insane look of anger burning in his eyes.
“Hulk…SMASH!” the green-skinned monster
exclaims, through snarls and growls, so mad that he can hardly maintain the
ability to speak. He has never been so angry as he is now. And he wants nothing
more than the death of the being responsible for his current condition…the
villainous god of thunder…Thor! He leaps up quickly, surprising Thor, slamming
into him like a launched rocket! The impact of their collision sends them both
rising high into the air, narrowly missing a commercial airliner on their way
to the stratosphere!
“Thy
strength is formidable,” Thor comments, even as the Hulk stretches his arms
around Thor’s mid-section. “But thou art in a battle with thy master now.” So saying,
Thor delivers an uppercut that knocks the Hulk flying back through the air,
landing in neighboring Connecticut, smashing a house, with the impact greater
than a tornado!
When
Thor arrives, the Hulk has retained his footing. “Words!” the Hulk growls in
response. “You are strong, but you fight with words.” So saying the Hulk grabs
the entire outer wall of a fireplace, lifting it as if it was a paper weight.
He throws it at Thor with one fluid motion. Instinctively, the evil thunder god
reaches out with his hammer, spinning it with tremendous power. The hammer
strikes the brick fireplace with a spinning motion, shattering it, and sending
the debris flying back down at a surprised Hulk!
“Doth
it bother thee that we hath laid siege to thy world, Hulk?” Thor asks, as he
lowers himself down to the waiting Hulk. “Doth it anger thee to see the
buildings crushed and the people on this planet fall before our power?”
“People?
Buildings?!” the Hulk exclaims, clapping his hands, creating a gamma-powered
thunderclap that shakes the very foundations of the road that he is standing
upon, shattering windows of nearby houses, and sending Thor flying back! “Hulk
doesn’t like humans! Always hounding Hulk, always running from him, or shooting
at him. Hulk doesn’t care about this planet, tried to leave it before. Hulk
didn’t care about you until you fought me. No one wants to leave Hulk alone!
Now, you brought Hulk into the fight, and you’ll pay for it!”
“He is
quite a bit different from the Hulk on my Earth,” Thor muses to himself, as
he recovers from the thunderclap, shoving aside to large vehicles with minor
gestures from each of his hands, as he rushes into battle. “He is savage, but hath I not seen such a
change in the Hulk from my world as well? Perhaps ‘tis something in the gamma
transformation. No matter. The battle is joined, and must end by my hand!”
“So,
you still hound Hulk!” Hulk exclaims, reaching out with his massive hand and
grabbing the side of an armored truck, his fingers creating a new handhold on
the fifteen-ton vehicle, lifting it as if it were a baseball. “Why can’t you
leave Hulk alone?! If you want to fight, the Hulk will fight! And the Hulk will
win! He always wins!” He swings it forward towards Thor, who instinctively
pulls his hammer upward, turning the handle, as Mjolnir grinds into—and through
the solid steel walls of the truck, ripping it to shreds with his own
tremendous strength!
“Thou
art not now fighting the Rhino, or the Abomination!” Thor returns, slamming the
side of his hand into the mangled truck, sending it flying into the twentieth
floor of a skyscraper nearby, creating great panic within the building, as
those inside try to flee for their very lives. “Today, thou do battle with
Thor!” So saying, the thunder god slams his fist into the Hulk’s mid-section,
doubling him over, as the large green monster slams back into a brick building,
which is fifteen stories high. It instantly gives way to these two giants,
mortar and brick dislodged on the first floor, as the building shakes, its foundations
tested to the limit.
“None
of that matters!” the Hulk returns, delivering his own blow to Thor’s ribs, as
the two slug it out with a series of body blows, which take them further into
the building, landing on the first floor—an office complex, where people in
suits and women in tight-fitting skirts quickly find their way towards the
nearest exit at the sight of these two leviathans! “The Hulk doesn’t back down
from anyone!”
“Aye,”
Thor responds with an elbow to the Hulk’s mouth, jerking his head back
violently. “If thou did, I would be most disappointed! For, in truth, it hath
been some time indeed since I hath faced a foe worth my mettle!”
“Hulk
will fight!” the Hulk responds, moving the back of his hand across his lip
instinctively, as he advances towards Thor. He tackles the god of thunder
around the waist, and hits him with the impact of a runaway freight train,
sending them both crashing back outside the building and onto the sidewalk
outside, shattering a large window on their way out, and sending people
scattering in all directions. Tires screech, as people try to flee the
battlefield as quickly as possible.
Thor
lands on his back, raising up his feet, and flips the Hulk off of him, and onto
the top of a car parked on the side of the road, instantly demolishing the car
as if it was made of cardboard!
As
the Hulk climbs from the demolished car, Thor turns his attention to the side
of the building. He bends over, digging his powerful fingers into the very
foundation of the building and lifts with his incredible strength. The support
girders creak their disapproval, as the mighty thunder god lifts hundreds of
thousands of tons of dead weight, moving the building off the ground, exposing
water pipes and electrical wiring in the process. As he does so, he tilts it
sideways, and it crashes onto the Hulk, moments before he could reach Thor to
carry on their fight! With one quick motion, Thor buries the Hulk under
hundreds of thousands of tons of building and debris!
Thor
removes his hammer from his belt, and inspects the scene of carnage before him.
The building collapsed across the street, wrecking vehicles, buses, and
anything else that was in its path. There are moans of survivors, as well as
mangled bodies in the midst of the wreckage. This is of no significance to the
evil thunder god, who looks at his handiwork with cold eyes, watching for any
sign of movement from the debris.
Within
moments, the debris starts to shift. Thor watches with interest, as debris
explodes upward, as if shot from a cannon! The Hulk leaps out of the debris,
heading straight towards Thor. “Thou hath not disappointed me, monster!” Thor
remarks, holding the hammer in his right hand, as he rushes forward to join the
battle-ready Hulk!
“Hulk
doesn’t care!” he exclaims. “You tried to kill Hulk! Hulk doesn’t remember why
we’re fighting, but Hulk never stops!”
Thor’s
face twists into a determined look, as he swings his hammer in his fight hand.
“Thou will not have to stop!’ Thor calls out with determination. “I will stop
thee!”
As
the two powerhouses collide, Thor swings his hammer, hitting the Hulk in the
chin with tremendous force! The impact of the blow likewise sends Thor flying
back, smashing into another building, which shakes at its very foundations
under the impact of the blow!
Even
as Thor goes flying back, smashing into a building, the Hulk flies back through
the air, disappearing into the clouds, as his body is rocked from the impact of
Mjolnir and he goes flying back out of sight!
Rising
to his feet, Thor looks around, seeing no sign of his foe. He nods with
confidence. “’Tis as I thought,” Thor remarks. “I hath dispatched the beast, as
it had to be. Now, I must attend to a more important matter.”
|
E |
ven
as Thor and the Hulk were in the midst of their battle, other battles raged on
in New York City. The evil Bucky and the heroic Daredevil are battling at full
intensity! Daredevil does a back-flip, landing in front of Bucky. Leaping again
into the air, displaying his great skill, he kicks Bucky in the face, leaping
twisting his body away quickly in a mid-air spin immediately after contact. “I
can’t believe how ruthless you people are!” Daredevil remarks. “Killing people
with wild abandon and causing so much senseless damage.
“Your
problem, Red Devil, is that you worry too much about other people and not about
yourself!” Bucky responds, kicking his foe in the side as he touches down.
“That can be deadly when you’re fighting someone like me!” Bucky continues his
attack with a kick ot his foe’s head, which drives him to the ground!
Bucky
leaps at his foe, who rolls onto his back instinctively, hearing Bucky’s
approach with his own heightened senses. He puts out his legs and catches Bucky
in the mid-section. Using his opponent’s own momentum, he flips him back, away
from him. Bucky, however, using his own great agility, does a mid-air flip that
lands him perfectly on his feet.
“I’m still sore from my battle with
Spiderhawk,” Bucky thinks to himself, as he notices out of the corner of
his eye that his opponent has regained his footing. “That blow to the mid-section didn’t help any. I’ll have to put this one
out…and fast!”
“He’s not pulling any punches,” Daredevil
silently considers, approaching Bucky. “I’ll
have to give this everything I’ve got. Wait…that sound of rushing air…he’s
leaping at me. I’ll have to block with my left.” So saying, Daredevil puts
up his left arm, blocking Bucky’s kick with an extended forearm, surprising
Bucky and causing him to lose his balance. Daredevil takes advantage of this by
kicking his foe in the side on his way down! Bucky falls to his knees, gritting
his teeth.
“My ribs are sore…either bruised or cracked,”
Bucky thinks to himself. He notices Daredevil approaching, and flips onto a
handstand, kicking the crimson-clad adventurer in the jaw, driving him back,
stunned by the force of the kick. “But
that won’t stop me!” Both combatants are slow getting to their feet as they
face off against each other once again.
“I’ve never faced a more meticulous opponent,”
Daredevil thinks to himself. “Even though
I’ve managed to roll with most of his crippling blows, they’re taking their
toll. He’s so fast and ferocious! I haven’t had such a hard time since I fought
the Sub-Mariner!”*
[*In the
classic Daredevil #7.]
Daredevil
swings at Bucky, holding his fists in front of his face defensively, but Bucky
blocks his blow. However, Daredevil follows through with a combination,
slamming into Bucky with a left, which lands in Bucky’s mid-section, doubling
him over. Daredevil continues with a knee to his chin that sends Bucky falling
back towards the ground! Daredevil attempts to kick his foe on the ground, and
put him out, but Bucky manages to grab Daredevil’s foot, jerking him forward
and send him crashing to the ground as well. The two are slow to get up, as
they lumber towards each other. Bucky punches Daredevil in the face, jerking
his head violently to the side, as Daredevil stumbles back, away from the blow.
He can feel his knees giving way under him, and falls face-first to the ground,
unconscious.
Bucky
shakes his head, grabbing onto a railing on the side of a building where they
had been fighting, even as he slumps towards the ground himself. “I’ve got to
admit,” Bucky comments, as he rests on the ground, fighting off
unconsciousness. “That was some fight!”
|
W |
hile
that battle comes to a close, another rages on, between Doctor Strange and
Solar Man (the villainous Toro). Doctor Strange levitates in the air, his hands
in front of him, as he prepares to throw a spell. Solar Man flies above him, a
trail of fire in his wake! “The damage
being done by these people is enormous! I must stop it!” the master mage
thinks to himself. “Perhaps a spell of
frigidity will put a stop to the evil Toro!” With that, he utters an
incantation, as his fingertips flicker for an instant. Then, Solar Man is
encompassed by more a moving haze and extreme cold, encasing into a small area
around the flaming villain!
Solar
Man is completely covered by the eerie haze that surrounds him, a cold so
intense that people on the streets, thirty stories below, must rush into
buildings and bundle up more, to get away from the icy chill. Doctor Strange
looks around, to determine if anyone else is in immediately need—spotting
lifeless forms on the street below. “Those people don’t seem to be breathing,”
he utters. “I must get down there and help them.”
However,
something out of the corner of his eye halds his thoughts in that regard—a
brilliant light that cuts through the haze, as it melts away! And explosion
from within the rapidly-evaporating foggy haze sends fireballs in all
directions, incinerating everything that they touch! And from the center of it,
walking on the air itself, emerges Solar Man. Even though his face cannot be
seen, Doctor Strange instinctively knows it wears a sinister grin.
“Not
bad, Doctor Sinister,” Solar Man replies coldly, continuing to walk on the air
nonchalantly. “But, for someone who has withstood the void of outer space, and
the far colder reaches of Pluto, it
means very little. But, can you say the same about….this?!” With that, Solar
Man sends out a wave of flames at Dr. Strange, against which he barely manages
to erect a mystical shield in time! Beads of sweat cross the mage’s brow, as he
continues to hold up the mystic shield against the relentless assault of his
fiery foeman!
“Such intense heat…” Dr. Strange thinks
to himself, trying to keep up his concentration. “I can feel it even through my shields. I must return to the offensive,
or I will surely be undone.” So thinking, the sorcerer supreme changes the shape
of his shield, transforming it into massive talons of mystical energy that stab
out at his foe! Solar Man is caught unprepared for such an assault, and the
energy strikes him, causing him great pain!
“I wasn’t expecting that!” Solar Man silently considers, as he returns to his
flight, after momentarily taking a dive downward. “But, I have fought sorcerers before, and the one thing that’s always
true with them is that they need their concentration. Without it, they can’t
cast spells—or, in this case, stay alive!” With that in mind, Solar Man
sends out waves of fireballs at his foe, who again erects a shield to protect
himself against the great powers of his foe!
“This is no normal flame!” Dr. Strange thinks to himself. “It seems to have a life of its own. And,
more than that, it’s atomic…nuclear…I don’t…!”
But,
his concentration is broken by a massive burst of light that causes him to
shield his all-too-human eyes from the brilliance of the 100,000 candlelight
blast of light! And, beneath his fiery face, Solar Man smiles once again. She
sends out waves of flames and intense heat at his foe, who is hit by them with
great intensity! The only thing that saves his life is the fact that he always
has a personal shield to protect him from mortal injury. It cannot, however,
keep him from unconsciousness or serious injury, and he passes out, floating
towards the ground.
“That
did it, but I don’t understand why he’s still floating,” Solar Man muses,
walking over to his defeated foe. He touches the dangling cape, which does not
burn in his hand. “No matter. He’s defeated. We’ll deal with him later…in a
more permanent way! After all, how much satisfaction could I get if his end
came too quickly?” With that, the evil flame-thrower flies off, letting an all
too chilling laugh.
|
H |
undreds
of miles to the north, an emerald figure hits the ground with tremendous
intensity! A crater well over a hundred feet deep suddenly appears in the
Northwest Territory of northern Canada! Deep within that crater, the Hulk
quickly gets to his feet, and looks up at the distance towards the surface.
‘Hulk
doesn’t know where I am,” the green monster comments, slamming his fist into
the side of the hard, frozen tundra, creating handholds, as he starts to climb
out of the large crater.
He
slams one hand after another into the wall of the crater, climbing out of the
crater with his own amazing strength and stamina. “The Hulk thinks he was
fighting someone, but can’t remember,” he remarks.
As
the Hulk reaches the surface, a large green hand pulls his weight upwards; He
looks around, seeing frozen mountains, and elks in the distance. He shakes his
head. “This is strange place, different than Hulk is used to.”
“Hulk
will have to figure out where he is, and how to get back home,” the green goliath
remarks, walking towards a large, frozen lake. “Hulk thinks that he needs to
get back, but can’t remember where, or why. Why is it so hard for the Hulk to
think?”
|
C |
aptain
Anarchy, meanwhile, is still in battle with Cyclops of the X-Men! As the young
mutant fires his optic blasts at Captain Anarchy, the latter leaps out of the
way artfully! “I’ve always admired
Captain America!” Cyclops thinks, as he continues his barrage. “Dad said quite a few things about him. But,
I’ve just got to remember that this guy is everything that Captain America—and
the professor—is against! If we don’t stop him, and his group, the world won’t
stand a chance!”
Captain
Anarchy leaps across the ground, touching down every fifteen feet with great
precision, and avoiding every one of Cyclops’ optic blasts by the merest of
margins. Then, as he lands on his feet, he throws his shield, just as Cyclops
was blasting his beams in the villain’s direction! Cyclops is unable to get
completely out of the way of the shield. He ducks down, his arm rising
defensively. The shield hits his arm, cleaving the sleeve of his costume and
drawing blood!
“First
blood is mind, youth!” Captain Anarcy remarks, as he grabs his shield from the
air. “It won’t be the last, either! I’m not in the habit of killing
youngsters.”
“No,
just everyone else!” Cyclops
exclaims with frustration and anger.
“Just
everyone who cannot learn an important lesson, junior!” Captain Anarchy
responds sharply, even as his shield returns to his waiting hand.
“You’re
just like Magneto!” Cyclops exclaims, as he sends out more optic blasts at his
foe. “My blasts are already weakening,”
he thinks to himself. “Not a good sign.
I’ve never fought anyone with more skill.”
“We’re
quite a bit different, actually,” Captain Anarchy replies, leaping across the
distance separating them, and kicking his foe hard in the chin, driving him to
the ground! “Not that I don’t respect what he stands for. I am just the better
man to do it. In addition, I could care less about his agenda!”
“My head’s starting to throb,” Cyclops
thinks to himself. “It’s a combination of
the pain in my arm, and the fact that I’m expending too much energy too
quickly. If I don’t put him out quickly, I’ll pass out.”
“You
seem troubled,” Captain Anarchy comments, kicking his foe in the mid-section.
“Whatever it is, you have far worse problems!”
Cyclops
catches the next blow with a forearm that blocks his foe’s kick expertly. It
makes the pain in his right arm all the more intense, however. Captain Anarchy
seizes on the opportunity to lash out at the young mutant, slamming his fist
into Cyclops’ face, driving him staggering back! “If Magneto is evil on this
world too, that is valuable information indeed! I’ll grant you a quick death to
thank you for it!”
“No
thanks!” Cyclops responds, sweeping his foe off his feet by sweeping his leg
under Captain Anarchy’s! Captain Anarchy
falls back, but flips back up into the air, landing on his hands and using his
great strength and skill to keep from falling to the ground. This surprises
Cyclops, who is just now getting to his feet wearily, his head still throbbing,
and his arm still giving him trouble.
“Perhaps
you’re right,” Captain Anarchy responds, suddenly standing in front of his foe!
He delivers a blow to his foe’s mid-section, doubling him over! He then swings
his shield downward, smashing it into his foe’s face, which was looking
downward at the time, still stunned from the body blow. This jerks Cyclops’
head back, and he staggers, having trouble staying on his feet.
“Can’t
let you…” Cyclops attempts wearily, see his foe only through a clouded haze, as
unconsciousness threatens to take him. He fires a barrage of optic blasts
outward towards the multiple shapes he sees. Although Captain Anarchy does
duck, one of the blasts manages to graze
the villain, who falls back.
However,
it is not enough. Captain Anarchy leaps up with a tremendous showing of
strength, his shield catching the courageous Cyclops in the jaw, and sending
him back…nearly falling! “Amazing!” Captain Anarchy offers. He then does a
flying dropkick that knocks his foe out! “Such courage,” he comments. Then,
turning to Solar Man, he announces: “Tell the others to round up these fools.
The city is ours. And soon, the planet will follow.” He looks around. “Where is
Thor?”
‘He
defeated the Hulk, then took off,” Solar Man responds.
Where
indeed is Thor? The answer to that question will take us to Avengers Mansion,
where we find Janet Van Dyne, in her Wasp costume, as Jane Foster and Betty
McKenzie follow behind. Betty is holding Jan’s infant son in her arms.
“Be
reasonable, Jan!” Betty attemps. “At least wait until someone else shows up!
Cap or someone should be here before too much longer.”
“I’m
tired of waiting!’ Jan announces. “I’ve got to do something! I can’t let these
fiends run rampant like this!”
However,
all three women are caught off-guard as the ceiling seems to melt away, debris
falling in their direction. Betty is far enough back that it doesn’t come near
her, but the other two women have to leap back away from it. Jan gets to her
feet first, as the evil Thor levitates downward from the ceiling, seeing Jan on
her feet. Jan instantly recognizes him, and her knees grow weak, as she tries
to hold her ground.
“Ah,
Janet,” Thor mentions, walking towards her. “It hath been nine months since I
last…saw thee. Thou art looking as lovely as ever.”
“What…what
do you want?!” Jan manages.
“Do
I have to tell thee?” Thor asks, as he stands before her, his hand
outstretched. “What is rightfully mine…my child.”
“NO!”
Jan exclaims. “I can’t let you just come in here and take my child!”
Surely
thou doth jest, Janet!” Thor responds calmly. “Thou art a good breeder, but
thou shouldst remember thy place. The child is mind, and I hath come for him.”
“You
can’t have him!” Jan exclaims, as she feels chills run all through her body,
unable to shake the memory of their last meeting from her mind, or to overcome
the sheer presence of even this evil Thor.
“Thou
hath no say in the matter, Janet,” Thor announces. “Now, away with thee. It
would be a shame to cause thee injury so soon after thou hath brought me such
pleasure. But the orders of Thor are to be obeyed.”
NEXT ISSUE: More on Thor
and Jan! What’s going on in Washington? And, the return of Captain America and
his group! Plus: Much more! All in 60’s Avengers
#47!
______________________________________________________________________________
This issue, we have some, hopefully, memorable battles between some of two Earth’s mightiest characters. An invasion, such as is portrayed here, would bring out numerous characters who would not otherwise appear in one title. After all, if a huge threat came to the Earth, how realistic is it that every other character other than the title group would conveniently be out of town that issue? That is one of the challenges of writing such a storyline, but also one of the advantages—getting to write a number of characters. There will be more to this in the upcoming issues, as this story arc gradually comes to a close.
In this issue, we see the Hulk as he was in the 1960s. The Hulk started out as brutal, but intelligent, and gradually grew more and more savage. The transformation on the character brought about numerous changes in him. The Hulk increasingly wanted to be left alone, and tried on various occasions to be left alone. However, he also had significant problems with his memory. It was not uncommon for the Hulk to forget what happened an issue earlier—or even shorter periods of time than that. He would forget villains he had fought a few issues earlier, although he would sometimes recollect them during the course of a current conflict. At any rate, this Hulk was a character that could have some variance from issue to issue, based on how cognizant he was in that particular issue. At all times, though, he was a formidable foe. His memory lapses, however, were often quite profound. And we see that in this issue.