AVENGERS ’58 #2 "Avengers Re-Assemble" Written by Bob Gansler

1958. Communists, aliens, terrorists. As the nation faced these many dangers, President Eisenhower brought together the greatest heroes of the day.

Marvel Boy – Super-powered youth armed with Uranian science
Venus – The goddess of love
3-D Man – The triple-powered protector
Gorilla Man – A human mind in the body of a beast
Human Robot – The mechanical marvel

Together, they protect America from the threats of this world and of others.

Bob Gansler presents: AVENGERS ‘58

OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

Marvel Boy checked the chronometer on the control panel of the Silver Bullet. He had only been airborne for a few minutes, and his rocketship had already carried him a good portion of the journey. Time was of the essence now. He wished that he could use the Silver Bullet’s main engines, but he knew that would be unwise. His Eternal teachers back on Uranus had demonstrated to him that the Silver Bullet’s cosmic-drive engines were only appropriate for space travel. To utilize them in a planet’s atmosphere could be quite dangerous. Marvel Boy had to content himself with the supersonic speed that the ‘lesser’ fusion engines could provide. As it was, he would be over Africa shortly - to the place he had last seen Gorilla-Man.

He had already sent a message via Interplanetary Cosmic Radio to his one other acquaintance in Africa - Jann of the Jungle. The legendary jungle girl had helped Marvel Boy find Gorilla-Man the first time a few months ago. Marvel Boy mused at how long ago that encounter had seemed. Jann was so much different than he was. She was a woman who went from the civilized Western world to the relatively primitive world of Africa. Marvel Boy, on the other hand, had emigrated as a child with his father from the relatively primitive USA to the super-scientific civilization of the Uranian Eternals. Still, there was a common link between them. They were both dedicated to helping those who needed protecting.

It was because of this link that Marvel Boy had left the Interplanetary Cosmic Radio with Jann. He had promised her his assistance whenever she might call upon it. Also, it was a way for him to keep track of Gorilla-Man. After the break-up of the Avengers, Marvel Boy had taken Gorilla-Man back to Uranus in hope of finding a cure to his condition. After months of experiments and tests at the hands of Uranian scientists, they had not been able to give Gorilla-Man that which he desired most - the humanity that had been his as Ken Hale. Marvel Boy had implored Gorilla-Man to stay on Venus. The crusader was convinced the Uranian science would develop a cure for the beast-man’s affliction. However, Gorilla-Man had become impatient; he was certain that there was no scientific cure. Magic had turned him into a beast; only magic could restore his humanity. Such magic could only be found in the dark jungles of Africa, so he had insisted that Marvel Boy take him back to his adopted home.

This had only been a few months ago. Marvel Boy’s communications with Jann had informed him that Gorilla-Man had fallen in with a tribe of great apes that had grudgingly accepted the beast-man. Apparently, Gorilla-Man had found something of a family as he sought to find a cure for his curse. Jann had also reported that Gorilla-Man and his band of "Gorilla Guerrillas" had been quite effective in stopping the activities of greedy poachers. Marvel Boy felt relieved that Gorilla-Man was making some good out of his situation, despite all the bitterness that the beast-man harbored. The crusader almost felt sorry for any poachers that Gorilla-Man might encounter.

Luckily, Jann had been in her jungle cave when Marvel Boy had tried to reach her via radio. Even more fortunate, Jann knew that Gorilla-Man and his gorilla patrol had been active in her immediate vicinity recently. Marvel Boy informed her of the current situation. He verified her coordinates and gave her his estimated time of arrival. Together, they hoped to able to quickly find Gorilla-Man and convince him to join the cause against the Yellow Claw.

Marvel Boy quietly set the Silver Bullet down in a clearing near Jann’s cave. The blond-haired ‘savage’ was waiting at the mouth of her cliff-face cave, watching for his arrival. When the rocketship had landed, she scampered down the cliff and was at the door of the ship before Marvel Boy could exit.

The door of Silver Bullet slid open. Marvel Boy stepped out, adjusting the bracelets on his wrists. He knew that the heat of Africa would make them quite uncomfortable. Jann greeted him with a very chaste hug. Marvel Boy knew it, too. Jann was not the girl for him. He was not convinced that Lilli back on Uranus was the girl for him, either. Ever since he had met Venus on the Avengers previous mission, other women just did not hold the same appeal.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jann inquired.

"Oh, er, nothing," Marvel Boy stammered. "Nothing important. Let’s go find Gorilla-Man, shall we?"

With that, the duo began the search. After a few minutes, Jan announced that she had located Gorilla-Man’s trail. Marvel Boy could see no clues amongst the jungle brush, but he trusted Jann’s skills. Jann informed him that Gorilla-Man and his group were about twenty minutes ahead of them. Jann led the way as they both took off at a terrific pace to track down the beast-man.

True to her word, about fifteen minutes later they came upon a group of great apes. The unmistakable form of Gorilla-Man was at the center of the conglomeration of sitting simians. He seemed to be communicating with them. He was making a few grunting sounds now and then, but his message was mainly transmitted via a series of body motions. Marvel Boy had never seen anything like it before. However, now was not the time for scientific inquiry.

"Gorilla-Man!" Marvel Boy called out. At the sound of his name, Gorilla-Man turned. His band of gorillas rose to their feet, obviously ready for combat. Gorilla-Man looked quite surprised to see Marvel Boy, although his visage turned much more kindly when he saw Jann.

"Aw, if it ain’t Marvel Boy and the Jungle Girl again. Didn’t we do this before?" Gorilla-Man called out. His gorillas turned to him in confusion. He gave a short grunt, did a series of waves, and then pointed off into the distance. The gorillas relaxed and began to walk deeper into the jungle.

Once the gorillas had left, Marvel Boy and Jann approached the beast-man. Jann went up and hugged Gorilla-Man. Marvel Boy stayed a few steps behind.

"Ken, we need your help," Marvel Boy asked.

"Don’t call me by that name," Gorilla-Man growled. "That’s the name of a man. I’m not a man … I’m just a monster, a freak. I’m Gorilla-Man. Just leave me alone. I thought I told you that when your spaceman pals couldn’t cure me."

"If you had just given Uranian science a little more time ..." Marvel Boy replied.

"Grrrrr ... those quacks didn’t know anything."

"Gentlemen," Jann interrupted. "I believe that there is a much more serious issue at stake here."

"Spaceboy has something more important than my humanity? Don’t make me laugh," Gorilla-Man scoffed.

"Gorilla-Man," Marvel Boy sighed. "We need your help. The Yellow Claw is back and he has a supply of atomic bombs. He’s threatening to use them. Untold numbers of innocents could die."

"What do I care? None of them care about me." Gorilla-Man pounded his chest. "Maybe I just ought to stay the way I am. What good is the human race anyway?"

Marvel Boy had expected this to be difficult. However, he had an ace in the hole. His talks with Gorilla-Man during their time on Venus together had supplied him with the information that would be very certain to convince the beast-man. "The Claw is going to detonate them in Nevada and send California plunging into the sea."

"California? My wife! My kid!" Gorilla-Man was aghast. He had tried to put them out of his mind since his return from Uranus. The memories were too painful. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would never seen them again as long as he was trapped in this animal form. In the back of his mind, he always figured that they would be safe without him. Now the Yellow Claw was threatening them - his family.

Gorilla-Man’s breathing was hard and labored. He was filled with rage and fear. "Just this once, Marvel Boy. Then you take me back here. I don’t want this ugly face of mine plastered over every newspaper once we save the country. I just want to be left alone so I can find a cure."

Marvel Boy offered his hand. "Certainly. Once we’ve stopped the Claw, I’ll fly you back here myself."

Gorilla-Man shook Marvel Boy’s hand, being careful not to squeeze too hard with his simian strength. He turned towards Jann, who had been silently watching the conversation between the two ex-teammates. "Aren’t you coming along, Jann?"

"No," she shook her head. "My duty, as always is here. Besides what could a mere jungle girl do against atomic weapons?"

"Hey, anybody that can do what you do here is aces in my book." Gorilla-Man gave Jann the thumbs-up sign.

"Thank you, my friend. I wish you well. I have work of my own here in Africa. My friend Lorna has intercepted news that revolution is brewing in a neighboring country. Hopefully, we two Jungle Queens can ensure the peace of this land." Jann waved as Gorilla-Man and Marvel Boy hurried back to the Silver Bullet. She wished that she could accompany them, but she knew that her skills would be better utilized against the potential revolution. Besides, the Avengers had defeated the Yellow Claw before without her. The battle against megalomaniacs in search of world domination was not for her. Africa was her home, Africa was her responsibility.

WASHINGTON

It had been a long flight from Los Angeles for Hal Chandler. Even though it had been two days before, he still had not gotten over the jet lag. However, jet lag was not the foremost concern on his mind. Those shape-shifting aliens, the Skrulls, were up to something again. This time, it was here in the nation’s capital. He had done all of the investigating that he could in his lame form. Now it was time for the Human Triple Threat to go into action.

Inside of his modest hotel room, Hal slowly sat on the bed. He slipped off his regular pair of glasses and slid them into his shirt pocket. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and removed his special pair of glasses. Sliding them on to his nose, he concentrated on the human image that was on each lens. One was green, one was red. As two images merged in his vision, Hal Chandler slipped into a coma-like trance and the red and green form of the 3-D Man.

The 3-D Man, housing the consciousness of Hal’s brother Chuck, checked on Hal sleeping form. The hero double-checked the lock on the door and made for the window. Raising the glass up, he sprang through and landed on the next rooftop, a good thirty feet away. The 3-D Man got his bearings and reviewed his mission. His information indicated that the Skrulls were after Congressman Simon. The Representative from Los Angeles had been a strong proponent of American exploration of space. Without his support in the House, the future of the American space program might be in jeopardy. 3-D Man wished that he knew how the Skrulls were going to make the move on Simon. Were they going to try to impersonate the Congressman, or would they try to infiltrate his office or even his family?

With leaps and bounds, 3-D Man made his way over to Capitol Hill. Using his keen eyesight, he scanned the multitude of people walking to and from the hill. He recognized many of the political figures. He had made it a priority to keep abreast of all political activity on the national level. He was on the lookout for any drastic change in any politician’s stand on the issues. "You never know when the Skrulls are going to replace somebody," he thought cynically. However, the notes he had recovered after his last Skrull-busting made it clear that the Skrulls deemed Congressman Simon a grave threat. It was imperative that he be kept safe.

3-D Man kept close watch from his vantage point up in the trees along Pennsylvania Avenue. The combination of the green in his costume along with the impending dusk kept him from being noticed by all the politicians, aides, and lobbyists that were milling around. There still was no sign of Congressman Simon, though. "He must be working late," 3-D Man thought. "It’s good to know that at least some of them work hard."

As he continued to survey the scene, the 3-D Man sensitive hearing picked up some suspicious sounds below him. He looked down to see a familiar FBI agent down at the base of the tree. "Jimmy Woo? What are you doing here?"

3-D Man thought that maybe the government was now clued in on the menace of the Skrulls. Government help would certainly be welcome, but the 3-D Man had never asked for it before. He was afraid that he would lose any reputation he had with law enforcement officials if they did not believe his story. He had heard, however, that the government did know about the existence of extraterrestrial beings. He had also heard that the government was involved in covering up their existence. In all, the climate was already not very trusting. Superheroes were tolerated at best. 3-D Man figured that his best course of action was to continue in his one-man crusade against the Skrulls until he could offer definitive and incontrovertible proof of the existence of the Skrull menace.

Woo motioned for the 3-D Man to come down. The Human Triple Threat complied and dropped straight to the ground. "I came to find you, 3-D Man," Woo explained. "You’re wanted - by the President himself!"

"Wanted?" 3-D Man gasped. "Don’t tell me that you’ve been tricked into thinking I’m a Communist agent again?" He perked up his enhanced senses. He could not see or hear any other agents in the vicinity.

Woo shook his head. "Nothing like that. The President wants your help on a mission of dire need."

"What’s the scoop?" 3-D Man silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fighting the Skrulls was hard enough, fighting the government was a load that he did not want to bear. If only he could find a way to convince the government to share his crusade.

"Sorry, I can’t go into it. You’ll get the words straight from the President." He motioned 3-D Man over to a nearby automobile. "C’mon, I have a car waiting. I’ll take you to him."

ABOVE THE ATLANTIC

Marvel Boy and Gorilla-Man spent the trip back to Washington in relative silence. Any attempts by Marvel Boy to begin a conversation was only met with noncommittal grunts and growls by Gorilla-Man. After a few attempts, Marvel Boy simply gave up trying. He hoped that Gorilla-Man would be more communicative in the thick of battle. Teamwork was what won the day against the Yellow Claw the last time; teamwork would be required again, and communication was the best way to generate teamwork, in Marvel Boy’s opinion.

Marvel Boy did a cursory check of the controls. The automatic pilot would soon have them in New York City. Now he could send the message that would hopefully obtain the necessary coordinates. He adjusted the frequency of his Interplanetary Cosmic Radio to a level that he was sure would be monitored by the intended recipient.

"This is Marvel Boy. Your assistance is needed," was Marvel Boy’s simple message.

The somewhat strange message perked Gorilla-Man attention. "Hey, who are you calling with your fancy-schmancy radio?"

"One of our old teammates," Marvel Boy replied. "The Human Robot."

NEW YORK CITY

In an abandoned government lab deep beneath the streets of Manhattan, the silver and blue metallic form of the Human Robot stood before a massive array of television sets, radios, and record players. To human senses, the mixed sounds that the collection of electronic equipment was making would be senseless, if not maddening. However, to the mechanical senses of the Human Robot, it all made perfect sense. His computer mind was multi-tasking - a portion of his processing power was devoted to each signal. He could separate each information flow and process it independently.

The Human Robot had made a great deal of personal progress in the months since he had become reactivated. A good portion of the progress was due to the scientific skills of Marvel Boy. The youth had supplied the Human Robot with some new programming tapes and some more efficient components. The mechanical marvel had taken this assistance and improved even upon it. He had redesigned his own circuitry internally which made him more powerful and more efficient.

His powers of independent thought had also grown. He had spent a great deal of time pondering his own existence. He had found his own name troubling. The "Human Robot". He certainly was not a human, but he was more than a robot. The human aspect appealed to him, but he did not know what it was to be human. To this end, he had decided to consume as much information as he could about humanity in order to understand it better. With the help of Marvel Boy, the Human Robot had turned this abandoned laboratory into his own private sanctum in which he could discover what humanity was. The equipment was also procured with Marvel Boy’s help, since a Human Robot could not exactly go to the department store and purchase such items.

The Human Robot was enjoying the day’s information digestion when a signal came across on his internal radio. He knew that the type of signal could only come from one person - Marvel Boy. He processed the message in nanoseconds and sent off his reply along with coordinates.

Back in the Silver Bullet, Marvel Boy took off his headset when he had heard the Human Robot’s reply.

Gorilla-Man was shaking Marvel Boy’s shoulder. "So, is the machine man gonna help us? What did he say"

"He said, ‘Go . . . Avengers . . . Go!’"

"That sounds pretty good to me," Gorilla-Man replied with a smile. "With old Robby the Robot back on the team, I won’t have the ugliest face."

WASHINGTON

The tourist crowd gathered around the Washington Monument was in a decided panic. They had come to see a piece of American history. They had not expected to see the pieces of American history that were before them. The crowd was being tormented and attacked by angry spirits - spirits of dead American patriots.

The tourists tried to defend themselves, but there was no way to ward off the ghostly attacks. The ghost could harm them, but the ghosts themselves could not be touched. The ghosts were not doing much damage, but the people were becoming more and more terrified.

Suddenly, a voice boomed out. "Spirits of the dead, what business do you have here?" This brought the battle scene to an abrupt stop. Both human and spirit alike turned to see the source of the voice. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful female that any one of them had ever seen. She was Venus, goddess of love. She could feel the hate and the frustration of the spirits and its intensity troubled her

She walked into the midst of the human and spirit conglomeration. Her silky white dress, pure as snow, draped her perfect form with a magical glow. She addressed the spirits. "I say to you again. What business do you spirits have in the land of the living?"

One of the spirits, appearing in the form of a Civil War era Union soldier, replied, "We have been cursed. We served our country well, we died for our country, and she will not let us go." His tone was hollow and his voice had a strange echo to it.

Venus recognized the uniform of the spirit. She saw that the other spirits were outfitted in military uniforms from the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and the First World War. "How long have you been cursed? Were you summoned from beyond?"

"What is time to one who is dead?" a Revolutionary war veteran replied. "We were summoned, but we remember not who the summoner was, or what our purpose was. We cannot go back to our rest. The magic of the summoner binds us here."

Venus thought about what magic could be at work here. Her half-brother Mercury had once told her of Major Liberty, an American wartime hero. Major Liberty supposedly possessed the power to summon the spirits of American patriots to aid him in his battles against crimes and the Axis. Could this wartime hero have been responsible for the plight of these poor spirits.

"There is no magic that is more powerful than love," Venus stated as she felt her godly power well up within her. "Do you love your country, you American patriots?"

The spirits gathered around the form of Venus. "We do."

Venus reached out her hands. "Then let the power of that love be your escape. Go within yourselves and grasp that love for your country." The visages of the spirits began to change - from faces of fear, of terror, of anger, of resentment - to faces of pride. The fear that had gripped the hearts of the tourists was gone as well. They were also overtaken by a sense of pride in their country.

Venus slowly closed her hands. "Return to your sleep. You have earned it. Walk no more in land that you love. Rest assured that she will not forget you." The spirits smiled with contentment and slowly dissipated. In a few moments, all of them had disappeared into nothingness.

The crowd rushed around Venus to express their congratulations and thanks. She politely accepted their praise and gratitude. Eventually, the crowd dispersed. A number of them were humming or whistling tunes such as "Yankee Doodle" and "God Bless America."

"Venus, very impressive!" a voice called out from behind her.

Venus turned to see Jimmy Woo approaching. She instantly recognized the FBI agent. "Jimmy, good to see you once again." She offered her hand which Woo took and then kissed. From the touch, Venus could sense the feelings of love that Woo had for the Yellow Claw’s niece, Suwan. Woo was a good man; she hoped that one day those two could be together.

"That was some scene that just happened here," Woo stated. "Then again, you seem to be involved in weird stuff as of late."

Venus nodded. Her adventures had been focused on ancient evils and mystic menaces as of late. Simple crime-fighting was now a thing of the past. She wondered if her husband Vulcan worried about her back on Mount Olympus. There were not many threats that could spell death for an Olympian, but some of the dangers that she had faced recently were certainly in that category. If only she could convince Vulcan about the need for her efforts. "I’d like to find out the story behind these disgruntled American spirits."

"I'd love to help you," Woo replied. "But it’ll have to wait for another day. If we don’t stop the Yellow Claw, there’s going to be a whole lot more American martyrs in the history books."

"The Yellow Claw is back?"

"Yeah," Woo shrugged. "And as usual, he's up to no good." Woo pointed at his parked nearby. "I need to get you back to the White House. The President wants to reform the Avengers. Will you come?"

"Certainly, Jimmy."

WHITE HOUSE

Inside of the Oval Office, the Avengers now stood before the President. Marvel Boy had landed the Silver Bullet on the White House lawn again, bringing Gorilla-Man and the Human Robot with him. They had picked up the Human Robot somewhere in New Jersey. The mechanical marvel had covered a good distance on foot after he had received Marvel Boy's signal.

The 3-D Man had been waiting in the office for some time while Jimmy Woo had found Venus. The Human Triple Threat had not been comfortable waiting in the Office with Vice-President Nixon and FBI Director Hoover. Nixon was one that he could not trust, even though he knew that it was just a Skrull impersonating Nixon that had put the Cold Warrior on his tail. He just did not feel that the Vice-President was an honest man. Hoover, on the other hand, was someone 3-D Man knew he should not trust. The look that Hoover gave the assembled heroes was not one of acceptance. 3-D Man remembered hearing about some of the problems that his idols, the All-Winners Squad, had with the FBI in general and with the Director in particular.

Gorilla-Man was clearly disgruntled. He paced back and forth as he replied to the President's assessment of the situation. "Sure, now you want us back together again. It was you who disbanded us in the first place."

3-D Man turned towards Gorilla-Man. "Give the man a little respect. You’re an American. He is your President, you know."

"Yeah, I know what I am and I know who he is. But do you figure they’re going to extend the privileges of democracy to a Joe who looks like he belongs in a zoo?" Gorilla-Man snarled. "If it wasn’t for . . . if it wasn’t for reasons of my own, I wouldn’t have anything to do with this. If the Prez wants my help, he’s gonna have to put up with my grief."

"No, he’s right 3-D Man." Eisenhower replied before 3-D Man could retort. "I was the one responsible for disbanding the Avengers. I take full responsibility for that action. I thought it was in the best interests of the country, but it seems that I am proven wrong. All it did was leave a void for the criminal element to fill in." He walked from behind his desk and put his hand on Gorilla-Man’s massive shoulder. "I’m asking you, as one American to another . . . will you help save our country?"

The ape-man frowned. "There you go, speaking to my patriotism, giving me visions of baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. Just like a politician." Gorilla-Man paused briefly. Everyone else wondered and feared what his next words would be. Any fears proved to be unfounded as a giant smile formed upon his simian face. "America’s my country. I’ll be damned if I’ll let the Yellow Claw take any of it. I’m in, Mr. President."

The other Avengers nodded their assent as well. There was a sense of pride at the thought of reforming a team in the proud tradition of the Invaders, the Liberators, and the All-Winners Squad.

Eisenhower sat back down and his desk and clasped his hands. "Wonderful. Godspeed and good luck."

The five Avengers gathered in a circle. Marvel Boy put forth his right hand. The light jewel on his bracelet briefly glowed. "Everybody remember our battle cry?" The other four Avengers put their right hands on top of Marvel Boy's, first 3-D Man's gloved hand, then Venus with her soft skin, then the cold metal of Human Robot, and finally the furry paw of Gorilla-Man. In unison, they exclaimed, "Go, Avengers, Go!" With that, they raced out of the Oval Office to the waiting Silver Bullet.

Inside of the Office, Nixon stood up and asked his boss, "Mr. President? What do you want us to do?"

Eisenhower was watching through the window as the Silver Bullet took off into the sky. "Pray, Dick. Pray that the Avengers can stop the Claw before all of California becomes a casualty."

Here's the first letter written to me regarding AVENGERS '58.

Bob,

Loved Avengers 1958 #1! I haven't read What If? #9 (put that on my back issue list for San Diego, I guess) but this team sounds like a lot of fun. Seeing such historical personae as Eisenhower, Hoover and Nixon was a blast. And I loved seeing Jimmy Woo as well! LIBERATORS is a favorite of mine, and this has the same "historical" feel but in a different (and mostly unexplored) era. Looks like fun.

Randy

Thanks Randy. Reading LIBERATORS is what inspired me to write this series. I had been writing HIGHLANDER fanfiction, but those were turning into stories of novel-like length. I think the publication schedule of a fanfic comic will work better with my style.

I'll be using some other historical figures in AVENGERS '58 as the story progresses. I'd recommend picking up that WHAT IF issue; it's a good read. Randy, by the way, is the author of the MV1 title THE VAULT. Pick it up, you'll be glad you did.

COVER CREDITS: From What If #9

NEXT ISSUE: "The Claw Plays His Hand" The reformed Avengers battle the minions of the Yellow Claw in Nevada. Will they be able to stop the detonation of the atomic devices, or will California sink into the sea?