Avengers #167 (January 1978)

When you have a whole bunch of characters that are supposedly set in a shared universe, it makes sense that they would eventually meet and team up. And some times, some of those characters would form teams and some of those teams will join forces. The Avengers is one of those teams. The group has had their adventures chronicled for the past 50 years, but it's only in recent years that the group has gained mainstream prominence thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Another Marvel super-team that has gained prominence thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the Guardians of the Galaxy. Like the Avengers, the Guardians have been around for decades as well, first appearing in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969). However, the Guardians that people may know of today...were not the original team in the comics. In fact, the original team was quite different in roster and concept. Yes, like the more famous modern team, they were a group of space-based heroes, but they hailed from an alternate future of the Marvel Universe.

In the 1970s, Marvel was going cosmic. Marvel's original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, was having his own adventures, and the Avengers were dealing with the long-running war between the Kree and the Skrulls. Later in the decade, the X-Men would start having adventures in the stars as well.

This story I'm going to look at here is the first part of a story that has become known as The Korvac Saga. It's, in my opinion, a very underrated story. A tale of cosmic scope. A tale of a man who wanted to become a god. And the only thing that could stop him was a titanic team-up between Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the Galaxy's Greatest Guardians. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Avengers #167!

The cover is awesome, a George Perez piece. It's intricate and detailed. You got the Beast nailing Charlie-27 right in his big Jovian chin, and the members of their respective teams preparing for a fight.

"Tomorrow Dies Today!"
Writers: Jim Shooter and Roger Stern (Stern credited as "Sterno")
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Colorist: Phil Rache
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Editor-in-Chief: Archie Goodwin

The story begins with three of the members of the Avengers at the time (Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff, Hank "Beast" McCoy, and Steve "Captain America" Rogers) leaping into action.

I wonder how many of those consoles Beast wrecked with his bouncing.

I love Beast's Avengers portrayal. It seemed among Earth's Mightiest, he was able to actually have some fun and let loose a bit, unlike the X-Men. The three Avengers arrive at the communications center, which is being manned by the Vision. Nick Fury is on the horn. It seems that SHIELD's space station has gotten itself a new neighbor.

"HOLY SHEEP! WHO GAVE THE ISS STEROIDS?!"

A very BIG new neighbor. And it literally just popped out of nowhere. Fury is worried that this big station is going to crash into SHIELD's space station, and he wants Earth's Mightiest to check it out. Luckily, the Avengers have a bit of a head start. You see, Tony Stark is on the station doing a bit of consulting. Fury evacuates him (Remember, Fury is unaware Stark is Iron Man here). We next go to a diner, where Simon "Wonder Man" Williams and Thor are having lunch.

"Trust me, Thor! The Mjolnir Mashed Potatoes are delicious!"

Yeah, they're just sitting having lunch in a diner. I don't know why, but I love it. I love it so much. Thor has a bit of an issue. You see, a strange force has been summoning the God of Thunder to help the Avengers in their recent fights with Graviton, Ultron, and Count Nefaria (In issues #159, #162, and #165), and he's confused about it. Simon is admittedly not much of a help on that subject, as temporal physics are not his specialty. The superhuman stuntman/actor figures as long as Thor is here, maybe he can ask for some advice.

You see, Simon is one of the most powerful Avengers the team has ever had at this point, but he's struggling with feelings of inadequacy. It's been a thing for Simon for decades. But it has to be tabled as they're summoned for Avenger duties. Tony Stark also arrives, finally able to suit up. With the team together, let's go investigate that space station!

"Uh...anyone know where the bathroom is on this thing?"

It's pretty clear that this station was built with some pretty advanced technology. Far more advanced than anything even SHIELD has got. The Avengers split into teams for exploration purposes: Thor and Iron Man, Cap and Wonder Man, Vision and Scarlet Witch, and Beast on his own. Beast sneaks around, and is grabbed by an orange-gloved hand.

"Boy, this is one ugly cat."

Meet Mercurian super-agile sharpshooter Nikki Gold and Jovian military powerhouse Charlie-27, two members of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, I said original Guardians of the Galaxy. As I said, the original Guardians first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969), co-created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Arnold Drake. Well technically, Nikki there is not an original member either. She first appeared in Marvel Presents #4 (April 1976), created by Steve Gerber and Mary Skerenes. They look at Beast like he's some kind of exotic creature, and naturally, the blue-furred brainiac doesn't take kindly to it. Beast and the Nikki/Charlie-27 tag team get into a brawl, but it's broken up.

"Who are you? Are you selling Space Scout Cookies?"

Meet the other members of the original Guardians: the crystalline fire-and-ice-wielding Martinex T'Naga, space archer Yondu Udonta, cosmic seer Starhawk, and time-tossed astronaut Vance Astro. Beast is still angry, but Thor is able to keep him from doing something stupid. Captain America recognizes the Guardians, having met them in Marvel Two-in-One #5 (September 1974). The Guardians are able to reassure the Avengers that the SHIELD station is in no danger from theirs. The two teams get to know each other, with Thor recalling a team-up with them against the menace of Michael Korvac in Thor Annual #6 (1977).

The events of that annual is why they're here. You see, Vance Astro was originally from the then-present, but is currently still a young boy. Korvac has gone back to the time of the Avengers to kill the younger Vance. If he succeeds, Vance won't grow up to become an astronaut, and eventually form the Guardians in the future. Which would allow him to rule the future unopposed. Basically, Korvac is the T-1000, and young Vance is John Connor.

"Why are their heads floating around me?! CURSE YOU GUARDIAAAAANS!"

At this point, it was assumed that the Guardians' future was the future of the Marvel Universe. Eventually, it would be shown that the Guardians are actually from an alternate timeline. In their timeline, the world was conquered by Martians...who killed off most of the active superheroes and villains around at the time. So let's have a little fun, huh? In Park Avenue, something way the opposite of a potential temporal crisis is going down: A fashion show! Yes, one Janet Van Dyne-Pym, aka the Winsome Wasp, is holding a fashion show! Among the attendees, besides her husband Hank of course, is one Kyle Richmond (aka Nighthawk). The rich superhero notices a quiet blond man sitting next to him, wearing a tux.

One of the models, a blonde bombshell named Carina Walters, struts down the catwalk wearing a jumpsuit. She seems to get the blond man's attention, although Kyle thinks she may not be into him. The show seems to go well, until naturally, a supervillain shows up.

Meet Alexander Gentry, aka the Porcupine! He was planning to get himself some free cash and valuables from the hotel safe, but also figured "Hey, there's a fashion show with a bunch of rich people here, that means they got jewelry! And money!" He proceeds to rob the rich people there, but runs into three problems: Yellowjacket, the Wasp, and Nighthawk. The three heroes take care of Porcupine and his goons.

Meanwhile, the mysterious blond man approaches Carina while she's helping out a woman who fainted. The two look into each other's eyes, and something happens. The two feel an instant connection. She takes his hands, and the two vanish. Meanwhile, the three heroes took care of the Porcupine and his goons. The trio are told about Carina's vanishing, but they think she'll turn up. Nighthawk compliments Jan for the exciting fashion show, and the story ends with her basically telling Nighthawk to shut his piehole.

I am a sucker for this era of Avengers. The Korvac Saga is one of my favorite Avengers storylines, and this issue is a great start for it. It sets up the eventual battle with Korvac. We have the classic cliché of Beast picking a fight with the Guardians as soon as he meets them, but this story at least tries to give him a good reason, considering their mocking his appearance and all that. The story is basically set up, but it's some enjoyable set-up. There's a ton of story packed in this issue. A little mystery, a surprise guest appearance, usage of continuity, and plenty of action. I love it!

If you've read my blog, then you know I love George Perez. I love his artwork. I could look at it all day long. And it's only appropriate that he get to be the artist of a comic that features lots of characters. There is quite a lot of well-done detail in panels, and some strong storytelling.

If you want to read this for yourself, I got it from the 2003 trade paperback Avengers Legends Vol. 2: The Korvac Saga. The saga was also released in trade in 1991. The 1991 trade included an epilogue written by Mark Gruenwald and with art by Tom Morgan. The 2003 trade does not have this epilogue. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! See you next time, when the Secret Wars rage on...