The term "spin-off" is more associated with television. Which makes sense, as we've seen many television series have spawned spin-off shows over the years. However, the phenomenon occurs in various other media as well. In fact, the first modern media spinoff was in radio: The Great Gildersleeve spun-off from Fibber McGee and Molly in 1941. Comics have also seen their fair share of spin-offs. The West Coast Avengers is such an example, and arguably, one of its most famous examples.
The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of the West Coast Avengers' first mini-series. This four-issue mini eventually led to an ongoing series that had lasted 102 issues, from October 1985 to January 1994. The West Coast Avengers title would make an impact on the lives and profiles of several Avengers characters. But everything has to have a beginning. How did this team get started? Let's find out as we look at West Coast Avengers #1!
The cover is pretty neat. A Bob Hall and Brett Breeding piece, it's one of those covers that I think should be homaged more. You got Hawkeye standing in the center, raising his bow in triumph and proclaiming "Avengers Assemble"! He's surrounded by the heads of various Marvel characters, including Hercules, Red Wolf, and even Cyclops. I don't know why, but seeing Cyclops there makes me laugh. I do think it's neat that among the characters shown are characters that are not typically associated with the Avengers, like Puck and, well, Cyclops.
I like the detail of the corner box only having Hawkeye's head, but the other four heads blacked out with question marks. The creators know who they're bringing in, but you'll have to read to find out!
"Avengers Assemble"
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Bob Hall
Inker: Brett Breeding
Colorist: Julianna Ferriter
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
The story begins with one Clint Barton, aka the Avenging Archer Hawkeye, raising his bow in the air triumphantly and yelling out the Avengers' battle cry.
However, the only Avenger that answers is his then-wife: Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, aka Mockingbird.
The two lovebirds are the only ones in this new palatial estate. Well, a compound, actually. Yup, the two are in a new California compound that will function as a headquarters for a new West Coast-based branch of the Avengers. The compound is located over the bluffs of the Palos Verdes peninsula. The two head to a control center under the compound, and contact Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers' butler. He gets put through to the Vision.
The synthezoid has made contact with some potential new members for Hawkeye's new West Coast Avengers. Let's meet them, shall we?
We first go to downtown San Francisco one hour earlier, where we look in on a private investigator named Jessica Drew, formerly the original Spider-Woman.
At the time, Jessica had appeared to have had permanently lost her superpowers after the events of Avengers #240-241 (February-March 1984), and started working as a PI with her friend Lindsay McCabe's detective agency. She's conversing with a mysterious woman in a hat and trenchcoat, who reveals herself to be one Greer Grant-Nelson, aka Tigra. The feline heroine had been doing some modeling work recently, but there wasn't a lot of demand for catgirl models. Maybe she should try Japan.
As such, Jessica wants to offer her a job at the detective agency, but she gets a call from the Vision. The West Coast Avengers are recruiting, and she's invited! Tigra was a member of the original Avengers team in the past, so it makes sense they'd call some past members for a new team. Jessica notes that Tigra was rattled by that call, and it's made her suspicious. She makes a call to a place called the Cat's Jazz Club...
Meanwhile, in the Mojave Desert, there's a car chase going down.
The driver of the red sports car manages to foil his Jeep-riding gun-toting pursuers with a couple of car gadgets that would make James Bond proud. The Bond-esque man even provides a one-liner pun in the vein of Roger Moore. And that's a take! Yup, that car chase was being filmed for an upcoming action flick. One of the stuntmen is still trapped in a burning jeep, but he's okay.
As can be seen, the stuntman isn't bothered by a burning wreck. For this man is a real wonder. Yup, he's Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. He's found himself a job in Hollywood as a stuntman. It's actually a great fit for him. Wonder Man's basically a mighty brick when it comes to superheroes: Super-strong, super-tough. He could do some rather dangerous stunts, and studios wouldn't have to worry about him being injured. He gets a call in his trailer. You guessed it, it's the Avengers. And with their summons, he suits up.
Yeah, Simon Williams has never really had a history of having great costumes, but I do like this one. I don't know why, I just do. He heads out, using the jet boosters in his belt. Yeah, at the time, Wonder Man's powers had not evolved to the point where he was able to fly on his own yet. The scene then shifts to an hour later at Stanford University. Flying over the campus's accelerator is the Golden Avenger, Iron Man.
Thing is, at the time, it was not Tony Stark wearing the suit. It's James Rhodes, who is more popularly known as War Machine. Rhodes's mind is occupied by events in the Iron Man book at the time. Tony's recovering from his alcoholism, and he's starting a new company: Circuits Maximus, which first appeared in Iron Man #188 (November 1984). Stark lost his old company thanks to Obadiah Stane's manipulations, hence the new company. Rhodes is growing used to being the Iron Man, but he's dragged back to reality by his suit getting a call. James Rhodes, Welcome to the West Coast Avengers.
He arrives at the new Avengers Compound, where he encounters Tigra. She assumes it's Tony under the suit, as she's unaware of Jim Rhodes taking up the mantle. And Jim is not too familiar with Tigra himself. Huh. You'd think he'd learn of her from Tony. Keep this in mind for later. Hawkeye greets the two, unaware that they're being watched by a hooded figure that managed to infiltrate the compound despite the advanced security systems. Keep this guy in your brain, folks.
The Avenging Archer gives James and Tigra a tour of the place, and they only have one question: Why are they here? Well, here's the reason. Back when Captain America led the Avengers, he basically restricted the active team membership roster to six members...except in emergencies, of course. It worked, but the team still kept having former members show up. The Vision recognized that the team does need experienced heroes. As such, he let Hawkeye set up an off-shoot team based on the West Coast.
The two teams are closely affiliated (same by-laws and stuff), but the West Coast Avengers will be the primary answer to any supervillain issues west of the Rockies. Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man, Tigra, and Wonder Man make five members, and since the active team needs six members, so that means they have a spot open. Tigra, however, states that she didn't agree to join up.
You see, she had left the Avengers' ranks after the events of Avengers #216 (February 1982) due to her own struggles with the idea that she wasn't good enough to be one of Earth's Mightiest. She points out that there are more experienced Avengers on this team, like Hawkeye himself...and Iron Man. Remember, she is not aware that's not Tony Stark in the suit. Rhodes is about to point that out when the intruder alarm goes off.
The intruder already managed to make it to the first basement level, and knock out the cameras. Hawkeye fears it's an organized group.
But it's not. It's just a man. Just one man. Yeah, I bet Hawkeye feels a massive urge to facepalm so hard right now.
A device called a "stunulator" is about to knock the man cold...until he easily wrecks it. Hawkeye locks down the house, forcing the strange man to go to the civilian areas of the compound. He'll be trapped. He orders Jim, Bobbi, and Greer to each take a corridor. It's here we get some nice character moments with our future team members. Rhodes notes that Hawkeye really likes giving orders...and Rhodes is not sure that he likes it. Greer wonders why she's getting involved with Avengers business again, considering her issues last time. Clint wonders what Cap would do, and Bobbi worries that Clint is trying too hard to play leader.
Bobbi spots the intruder as the room gets covered in smoke, and nearly nails him with one of her batons. However, he's able to dodge and ambush her.
The intruder is able to take down Bobbi with essentially a Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Clint disperses the black mist with a sonic arrow. Tigra sees the mist and instantly realizes who it is: the mysterious man known as the Shroud. Created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Super-Villain Team-Up #5 (April 1975). Englehart intended him to be a bit of a mashup of Batman and the Shadow. At this time in the comics, he was taking a page from Green Hornet and posing as a criminal mastermind to help bring down other criminals.
Shroud tries to flee upon spotting Iron Man. It's there that Shroud realizes that he's just crossed paths with the Avengers. It's at this point that Wonder Man finally arrives. He has heard of the Shroud, but has no idea that he's not a real crimelord. Thankfully, Tigra is able to stop Wonder Man from turning his face into hamburger. The Avengers, realizing their mistake, patch the Shroud up.
This panel is amusing. They're patching up his ribs while he's still wearing his costume. The Shroud explains that Jessica Drew sent him to watch over Tigra as Drew felt worried about her. Hawkeye confirmed that Shroud's on the up and up thanks to checking Captain America's files on him.
The archer offers Avengers membership to the Shroud. He's honored, and he would have accepted some years ago, but sadly...today, he has to turn it down. He's spent a lot of time creating his crimelord persona, and it's been very useful to him in his mission to clean up Los Angeles. Being an Avenger would cause problems for both him and the new team. But, he will keep in touch, and the Avengers can always reach him through the Cat's Jazz Club. And with that, he's gone. Wonder Man is left wondering what's going on, and Hawkeye is left having to take his speech about the formation of a new Avengers team from the top.
This was a rather fun first issue. We get to see the new West Coast Avengers team come together. I also liked that were setting some character-based storylines, with Hawkeye growing into a leader role, Tigra's old issues with feeling out of her league, and the rookie Jim Rhodes getting his first taste of being on an actual superhero team. I also thought the battle with the Shroud was neat, as it was an opportunity to show what each of these Avengers could do.
I also have to hand it to Bob Hall, who turn in some fine artwork for this issue. I do admit, I find it funny that he drew abs on the Iron Man suit, though. It's not like superhero spandex, it's metal armor. He's not a hoplite. But yeah, I liked Hall's art. I think he's rather underrated.
The West Coast Avengers would become rather iconic, and it's been a key title for upping the profile of certain Marvel characters, Hawkeye in particular. The 80s were a good decade for the Avenging Archer spotlight-wise. It can be argued that his prominence in this series helped him gain major roles in future adaptations of the Avengers, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As for the West Coast Avengers themselves...well, as I said earlier, after their mini-series, they got an ongoing that lasted nearly ten years. In 2018, a new series was launched that concentrated on the two Hawkeyes (Clint and his protégé Kate Bishop) leading a new team that was funded by them starring in a reality show. Sadly, this new version only lasted ten issues. But who knows, maybe the West Coast Avengers would return to comic pages one day...
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback The Avengers: West Coast Avengers Assemble. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show your friends! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay home if you can, and wash your hands often! Join me next time, as we join Wonder Woman as she undergoes the fourth of her Twelve Labors...
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