 |
 Written by Bob Gansler |
A |
| |
Written by Bob Gansler |
A |
1958. Communists, aliens, terrorists. As the nation faced these many dangers, President Eisenhower brought together the greatest heroes of the day as the Avengers. Together, they protect America from the threats of this world and of others.
|
|
|
| Marvel Boy (Bob Grayson)
An Earthman armed with the skills and science of the Eternals of Uranus. Gorilla-Man (Ken Hale)
3-D Man (Hal & Chuck Chandler)
Venus
Captain America ('Steve Rogers')
Bucky (Jack Monroe)
Cold Warrior (Will Sinkowitz)
Namora (Aquaria Nautica Neptunia)
|
The Avengers reformed at the request of President
Eisenhower to deal with the Yellow Claw, who had stolen an atomic weapon.
The heroes decided to remain together to defend America.
The Communist super-agent, the Red Skull, tried to create economic chaos in New York City. The Avengers, with the help of the thawed out 1950's Captain America and Bucky, stopped the Skull's crime wave. Meanwhile, out on the Atlantic, Soviet war ships have been mysteriously attacked by a mysterious figure. Namora's search for her cousin the Sub-Mariner led her to one of these attacks. |
"Thank you for coming here so quickly, Avengers," Eisenhower said gratefully. "We have a situation that I think requires your investigation."
"I still think this is something that the Navy can handle," Nixon interrupted. A quick glare from Eisenhower kept the Vice-President from saying anything further.
"As I was saying," Eisenhower continued. "We have a situation in the Atlantic Ocean. The Russian fleet has been losing a number of ships."
Bucky applauded. "I don't have any problem with that. Those stinking Commies couldn’t float a toy boat in a bathtub."
Eisenhower smiled faintly. "I'm glad to see that you've fully recovered from your injuries, lad, but now isn't the time for levity." {Bucky was seriously wounded by the Red Skull in issue #5}
"Have we been firing on their ships, Mr. President?" 3-D Man asked, somewhat fearfully. He did not relish the thought of an atomic war with the Soviet Union.
"No, and that's just it," Eisenhower replied. "We haven't been shooting at their ships. Somebody else is?"
Captain America rubbed his chin in thought. "Who could it be? The English, the French? The Chinese?"
"No, Cap, it's not any of them," Eisenhower responded. "When I said 'somebody', I meant somebody. The Russians claim that a single person is wrecking their ships." The President still did not know what to make of this man who wore the mantle of Captain America. He certainly was not the same type of man that Ike fought alongside during the war. Steve Rogers was one of a kind.
"A single person?" Gorilla-Man was incredulous. "Who are the Reds trying to kid? Nobody's got that kind of power."
"Well," Eisenhower sighed. "That's what I thought, but I've gotten reports from the Navy verifying that the Russians are losing ships, and our boats are sighting any other vessels in the vicinity."
The intercom on the President's desk buzzed. Eisenhower frowned and the pressed the talk button down. "I thought I said I wasn't to be disturbed. I'm meeting with the Avengers right now."
"I'm sorry, sir," came the reply. "But Director Hoover is here with someone whom he says could shed some light on the subject."
"Hoover!" Eisenhower thought. "He has to have his fingers on everything." Taking a deep breath, Eisenhower said. "All right, send them in."
All of the occupants looked up as J. Edgar Hoover walked in with two beautiful women. One of them was recognized by all - it was the legendary Atlantean Namora.
“Good day, Mr. President,” Hoover said cordially. He motioned to the beautiful blonde woman in a grey skirt and white blouse. "This is Mary Mitchell, my executive secretary." Then he motioned towards Namora. “This is Namora, whom I think some of you have met already.”
Mary took a seat that was graciously offered by Captain America. “Thank you very much, Cap,” she said gratefully and shot him a quick wink. Cap was taken off-guard by her seeming familiarity. She must have known one of the previous titleholders. Could she tell that he was not one of them?
“Mr. President, it’s a pleasure,” Namora said as she went over to shake the Chief Executive’s hand. 3-D Man watched in awe. She was just as stunning as she was the first time he had met her. {In the immortal What If #9}
“The pleasure is mine, Namora. You’re as beautiful as ever,” Eisenhower commented. He motioned her to take a seat, but she shook her head to indicate she preferred to stand.
“I think you’ve met some of these Avengers before,” Eisenhower said. “That’s Marvel Boy, Gorilla-Man, 3-D Man, Human Robot, Captain America, Bucky, and Venus"
“Lady Venus, I am deeply honored,” Namora bowed down on one knee. She took the hand of Venus and kissed it slightly.
“Rise, child,” Venus said. She was gratified that there were still some humans who still showed the proper respect for Olympians. The Atlantean people had always been quite devoted to Neptune. She wondered if the people of the sunken city knew about the King of the Sea’s fate. If they did, she thought that Namora would not be here. She considered telling Namora about Neptune’s destruction because of an American atomic test; she decided now was not the time. {Neptune's death was revealed in Venus #26}
“The Russians are getting mighty angry. So would I if my Atlantic Fleet was being destroyed a little bit at a time,” Eisenhower explained. “Now what brings you here Namora?”
“I think, Mr. President,” Namora replied, “that our problems are one and the same.”
“Are you still looking for your cousin the Sub-Mariner?” 3-D interjected.
“I’ve found him … or at least I've spotted him. I believe he’s the one responsible for the destruction of the Soviet ships.”
Gorilla-Man was confused. “I remember when Namor was trying to wreck the USA, but then he fought for us in the Liberators and then the All-Winners Squad. Then he was gone for a few years and came back. What did the Soviets do, bomb Atlantis?”
Namora shot an angry look at Gorilla-Man. She did not feel that the beast-man merited a response regarding the fabled city. “Namor’s reasons are his own. I need to return him to our people.”
“It seems our course of action is clear,” Marvel Boy remarked. “We find Namor and we stop his rampage. Problem solved.”
“Do you have any idea how tough a customer the Sub-Mariner is?” Gorilla-Man shouted back. “He’s not going to be a walk in the park.”
Marvel Boy shook his head in disgust. Obviously his own superior skills would be enough to handle the hybrid. “Come on, let’s board the Silver Bullet and head out to the Atlantic.” He rose from his seat. “We can monitor the radio frequencies and respond to any distress calls while we’re looking for him." He paused for a moment. "First we'll have to make a stop and pick up something, though."
The President shook his head in agreement. “We don’t have a lot to go on, but at least with Namora’s information, we know what we’re looking for. I wish you all the best of luck.”
The Avengers rose to head out to the Rose Garden where the Silver Bullet was parked. As they filed out, Hoover motioned to the two super-patriots. "Captain America and Bucky? I'd like to have a word with you," Hoover said sternly. “Miss Mitchell, if you would?”
Mary directed the star-spangled heroes into another room in the White House while Hoover went to talk with the President.
"Mr. President,” Hoover began. “I'd suggest that Captain America and Bucky not be a part of this mission. If there gets to be some kind of squabble with the Russians, I'd think it'd be prudent not to have such a powerful American presence there," Hoover offered. "With Marvel Boy, who's practically an alien, Venus the goddess, and the mechanical Human Robot, you'd have less of a nationalistic appearance."
As loathe as he was to go along with anything that Hoover wanted, Eisenhower
had to agree. He did not trust this new Captain America and Bucky
team if there happened to be an encounter with the Soviets. He called
for a Secret Service agent to deliver the news to the Avengers waiting
in the Silver Bullet. Captain America and Bucky would not be coming
with them.
The pointy-eared flat head of a humanoid figure popped out of the Ocean near the Statue of Island. It had been some time since he had last been here. He had covered most of the world in the past years, but there was still something special about this city. There was something about it that was dear to his heart. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became as to what it was.
"The times here with the Matchstick and the all-American. Those were the days," he thought to himself. He had been much younger then. The world was at war, but things still seemed simpler back then. At least, things seemed simpler for a while. Then matters became complicated, and his life had never been the same.
Now, after years of circling the globe, he had found a new calling. The Cold War that was brewing was something that could not be permitted to continue. He decided to do what he could to stop it. It meant choosing sides. He really did not own allegiance to anybody, although there was a link to the Americans. Besides he learned about the atrocities the Soviets had committed upon their own citizens before, during, and after the war. His choice was clear.
Taking in a deep breath of oxygenated air into his hybrid lungs, he plunged back into the sea. There were more Soviet war ships out there for him to deal with.
Having returned from his successful talk with the President, J. Edgar Hoover was now explaining his views to the heroes seated before him. "Captain America and Bucky are too vital of a national symbol to lose again."
"We're not planning on going anywhere, Mr. Hoover," Captain America replied matter-of-factly.
"I know that, but the fact of the matter is that Bucky was almost killed by the Red Skull."
"Hey, it was a lucky shot," Bucky protested. "Besides, I'm better now."
"You may be better, but you're not good enough," was Hoover’s stern response
The statement took Cap off-guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, that despite your Super-Soldier Strength, you two are still amateurs when it comes to the crime fighting game."
"So what are you gonna try to do? Ground us?" Bucky sneered.
Cap was getting a little incensed by the implications. "You can't stop us from doing our patriotic duty."
Hoover folded his hands in front of him and put on a broad smile. "I wouldn't dream of it. But perhaps, for the time being, you could do it as someone else."
"Whaddaya mean by that?" Bucky replied snidely.
"I've had some of my bright boys put together new costumes and new identities for you." He opened his closet to reveal two costumes. The larger one was a silvery body suit with an American shield emblem surrounded by the letter 'U'. The smaller one was in the same pattern as Bucky's but instead of blue and red it was yellow and blue. "Gentlemen, I'd like to make you 'Ultra-Nationalist and Jacky'." Hoover pointed to the Ultra-Nationalist suit. "It's made of a bulletproof material so you won't be needing your shield anymore."
Captain America and Bucky exchanged glances and then started laughing heartily.
"What's so funny," Hoover demanded to know.
Cap stifled his laughter. “You can’t really expect us to give up our identities to jump around in those outfits.”
“And why is that?!?” Hoover said impatiently.
“Because we are Captain America and Bucky. We’re not your Captain America and Bucky. We’re not even the President’s Captain America and Bucky. We’re Captain America and Bucky, and we’re not beholden to anybody except for the country that we serve,” Cap explained with complete conviction.
“You tell him, Cap!” Bucky piped up.
“We’re grateful that you brought us out of cold storage, and how you helped us get back on track,” Cap continued, though leaving out the fact that it was under Hoover’s own orders that the duo had been put into storage. “We’re not your lackeys. We do share a vision for America, a land that’s threatened by many outside menaces.”
“Yes, well, er,” Hoover muttered.
Cap rose from his chair and slammed his hands on the table. “I know I’m not the original Cap, never have been and likely never will be. I idolized the man and what he stood for. When I heard he died.” Cap became a little choked up at this point. “When I heard he died, I knew what I had to do. I studied, I investigated, I learned. I became Captain America. I am Captain America, and nobody will ever take that away from me.”
Hoover’s eyes widened as he took a deep breath. “I see.” He paused. “It’s refreshing to see such enthusiasm. What say we forget that this conversation ever took place? Just keep an eye on those other Avengers once they get back.”
“We’ll certainly do that, Mr. Hoover. Just keep one thing in mind - Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are dead. We are Captain America and Bucky now.”
Hoover shook his head slowly. “I am completely aware of that.”
Tom Raymond and his newlywed wife Ann were comfortably settled on the couch in front of the television set. They had just watched a local news broadcast that had mentioned the Avengers battle with the Red Skull’s forces in New York City.
“Tom, what do you think about all of this?” Ann asked.
Tom thought for a moment. “Well, I guess that the country’s always going to need heroes. I met Marvel Boy before, but I don’t know any of those others. Still, they can’t be all bad if they could deal with the Red Skull.”
“Do you miss it?”
Tom tugged at his collar. “Sometimes, I guess. But it was time for me to move on. The Torch and I were a team, and when he went nova in the desert a few years ago, the fire kind of died in me.”
Ann laughed. “No pun intended, I’m sure.”
“Hunh,” Tom replied. “Oh, ‘fire’, yeah, no, that wasn’t intended.” He sat up and rested his chin in his right hand. “I saw a lot of horrible things during the war, and I lost a lot of good friends. The Torch was my best friend. I miss him more than I miss being Toro.”
Before Ann could ask another question, the telephone rang. Ann got up to answer it. She called back to him. “Tom, it’s for you.”
Tom walked over and took the receiver from her. “Thanks, hon.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. “This is Tom.”
"Tom, it's Mary Mitchell," the voice on the other end said.
The name bounced around inside of Tom’s head. "Mary Mitchell? Mary Mitchell! Omigosh … Sun Girl! How the heck are you?" He had not talked with the Torch’s other partner for a few years. Sun Girl had filled in for Toro when Tom was out with a broken bone. Though she had no powers, she was very skilled acrobat and a judo expert. She had armed herself with a sunbeam ray that allowed her to blind her opponents. She had been a member of the second incarnation of the All-Winners Squad before retiring from the superhero life. “What are you up to?”
“Well, I’m still doing my part to protect this country,” Mary replied. “I’m working here in DC as an executive secretary to J. Edgar Hoover. It lets me keep tabs on things.”
“That’s great.”
“I’d love to chat and catch up on old times, but something’s come up here.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s a situation and I think your help is going to be needed.”
“Mary, I’m out of the superhero game. I’m married now, that was my wife Ann who answered the phone. I don’t do the Toro thing now, since the Torch ...”
“Yes, I heard about the Torch. I’m sorry. That’s why I had to come to you. Only one of you firebugs could deal with this problem.”
“What problem, Mary?”
“It’s Namor. He’s back, and he’s on a rampage. He’s liable to start World War Three if he isn’t stopped.”
Tom thought for a moment. He wanted to be out of the superhero business. He wanted a normal life. He had it here with Ann, but he could not shirk the sense of responsibility that the Torch had instilled in him. Furthermore, Namor had saved his life countless times during the 40’s. For the debts he owed the Torch and the Sub-Mariner, he knew he could not turn away. “All right, I’ll be in DC in a few hours.” He hung up the phone.
“Tom, what is it? Who was that?” Ann asked innocently.
“An old friend calling about another old friend. I have to deal with it.” He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. He stepped away and headed out into the backyard. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He went into the garage. When he re-emerged, he had exchanged his clothes for a pair of fireproof black shorts and a fireproof black T-shirt. He took a deep breath and then said the famous words. “Flame On!” His body erupted into flame. He rose into the air, and then, pointing himself east, he flew into the bright blue sky.
COVER CREDITS: Namor from Sub-Mariner #; Namora from Sub-Mariner #
NEXT ISSUE: Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
Comments, criticisms, and concerns for FLASHBACKWORDS accepted at rgansler@facstaff.wisc.edu
The Avengers 1958 web page is at http://www.cae.wisc.edu/~gansler/avengers58/av58.htm