Avengers / Invaders (2008) #1, "Old Soldiers, New Wars"

In the two previous posts, we've seen meetings of Marvel super-teams. In one, Namor was a member of the X-Men and in the other, the Avengers.

Today we'll see him either team-up with, or battle (that part is to be determined at this point), the Avengers as a member of the Invaders.

The story begins in 1943 during one of the Invaders' many battles with German soldiers. Pages from Bucky's war journal provide the narration as Bucky introduces us to his teammates. He doesn't say much about Namor specifically, just that if he (Bucky) had powers, he'd want to have the avenging son's strength, flight, etc. Okay.

During the battle, they are surrounded by some sort of green mist. Remember that, it's important later.

We cut to present-day New York, where Spider-Man is battling the Thunderbolts. The 'bolts are there to apprehend the web-slinger as part of the government's crack down on superheroes at the time. So we actually get three teams in this book! Neat!

And in the midst of this battle, the Invaders suddenly emerge.

Still in "battle mode", and in light of Bucky detecting a German accent on Citizen V, the Thunberbolt leader, the Invaders simply...jump right into the fight!

Namor does some pretty solid damage here. With an assist from Bucky, he floors the Radioactive Man...

Then shortly thereafter devastates Penance.

Oh, you really don't want to know...

The Invaders defeat the 'bolts, then Captain America decides that he and his team should go into hiding until they figure out what's going on.

None of this, of course ,escapes the attention of SHIELD and, by association, Tony "Iron Man" Stark. How will he react? We'll need to find out in issue #2.

Good set up even if, in reality, we only got one member of the Avengers in on the action in Spider-Man.

It is also a bit of a drag that the Avengers roster at the time was not exactly a classic one. I doubt if you asked folks to identify the core Avengers team, they would include Wolverine, Luke Cage and Spider-Woman. But whatever. I still look forward to seeing where this goes.

Thunderbolts (1997) #163

This is a much shorter appearance by the Avenging Son than the book's cover would have you believe.

Based on the recap in the inside cover of the book, The Thunderbolts were fighting an evil force known as The Serpent then made "The Great Escape". Their base of operations began to glow then disappeared. Why an escape was required is a little less clear because according to that very same recap, the tide had turned in their favour anyway, but here we are.

The Thunderbolts come to find out that they've gone back to the 1940s when they are suddenly attacked by Nazis. They are specifically in Austria, though they don't seem to be aware of that detail at this point. Regardless, if you're in Europe during WW2, you're going to get a visit from...

Unfortunately, that grand entrance doesn't happen until page 19 so up to this point it's really just a bunch of talking, second-guessing about what got the team where they are, etc. Rather dull, to tell the truth.

And since page space is limited by now, Namor's contribution is likewise limited. Now that I own several issue from his Invaders days, I marvel at how often he has found himself redirecting torpedoes towards Nazi U-Boats. Well, in this one, he throws a rocket back at them. More of the same, really, but at least we get the old battle cry out of it.

This all builds to a "golden age Thunderbolts" story in which the team will ally itself with The Invaders, or at least those two members.

That story actually skips an issue (sort of...it's number is 163.1. Marvel numbering, y'all) before resuming in 164 and concluding in 165. This issue might have taken a while to get going but I do look forward to seeing the story takes us.