#Review: Avengers by ChineseSpyware (1965 comics)

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

deft stormBOT
#

Thread for discussing Avengers, reviewed by ChineseSpyware (1965 comics)!

vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #18 -"When The Commissar Commands!"

The Avengers #18 is a strange, uneven entry that feels more like a leftover Golden Age adventure than a step forward for Marvel’s mid-60s momentum. Swap Nazis for Red China and you more or less have the template: broad caricatures, blunt political messaging, and an exoticized setting that has aged extremely poorly.

The issue opens well enough. The early domestic moments, especially Captain America feeling isolated and oddly hung up on Nick Fury not replying to his letters, are genuinely charming and give the team a human grounding. Unfortunately, once the Avengers head overseas, the story collapses into shameless Cold War propaganda. The fictional Southeast Asian setting is reduced to stereotypes, and the conflict is resolved with laughable simplicity.

The villain reveal doesn’t help. The ultimate threat turns out to be a Wizard of Oz style robot ruse, deflated almost instantly when Scarlet Witch intervenes. Wanda’s role is crucial, but the ease with which everything wraps up makes the Avengers’ struggle feel pointless. Any tension built earlier evaporates in seconds.

There are flashes of competence, the action is serviceable, the art is strong, and the concept of the Avengers operating on an international stage could have worked, but the execution is too clumsy and the politics too blunt. Character bickering also feels forced, as if added out of obligation rather than necessity.

This isn’t unreadable, but it’s a noticeable stumble for a book that had been finding its footing.

Final Verdict: 4.66/10
@thorny wren @uneven trench

uneven trench
vapid knot
uneven trench
vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #19 - "The Coming of... The Swordsman!"

This issue works best not as a grand Avengers epic, but as a sharply focused character piece, especially for Hawkeye. The debut of Swordsman finally fills in Clint Barton’s long teased backstory, and it’s surprisingly grim by Silver Age standards: an orphan desperate for guidance, taken in by a mentor who grooms, exploits, and ultimately tries to kill him. It reframes Hawkeye’s entire arc, his early villainy, his hunger to belong, and even his later loyalty to the Avengers, as the product of deep emotional damage rather than simple recklessness.

The Swordsman himself is a fun contradiction. His design is flashy and a little silly, but his presence is effective, especially in combat. Watching him outmaneuver and defeat Captain America by exploiting Cap’s eagerness to return to the field under Nick Fury is genuinely clever. The attacker-versus-defender dynamic between Swordsman and Cap is one of the issue’s strongest elements, capped by a dramatic, suspenseful final fall.

That said, the central premise is undeniably absurd. The Swordsman’s master plan, breaking into Avengers Mansion, assaulting members, and threatening murder just to join the team, is hard to take seriously, even by Silver Age logic. It’s a motivation so flimsy it threatens to undermine the entire story if you dwell on it too long.

Fortunately, the issue moves quickly, the fights are engaging, and the character work carries it through. As an Avengers plot, it’s shaky. As a key Hawkeye story, and an introduction to a morally tangled villain. it’s effective and memorable.

Final verdict: 6.47/10.

@uneven trench @thorny wren

vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #20 -"Vengeance Is Ours!"

This follow up to the Swordsman debut is a noticeably shakier read, but not without its merits. Right away, credit where it’s due: seeing Wally Wood finally get cover recognition is genuinely nice, and the book continues the Silver Age trend of moral ambiguity within the team. The Avengers have become a strange refuge for reformed, or reforming, villains, and the presence of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver makes the idea of redemption feel thematically appropriate, even if the execution stumbles.

The plot centers on the Swordsman infiltrating the Avengers under the influence of Mandarin, only for the two villains to inevitably turn on one another. In theory, this should deepen the Swordsman’s arc, and it almost does. His regret at being expelled from the team hints at genuine character growth, reinforcing the idea that he wanted to belong, even if his loyalty was compromised.

Unfortunately, much of the story feels recycled. The infiltration and redemption arc closely mirrors earlier Avengers plots, most notably the Wonder Man storyline, making the beats feel predictable. Worse, Captain America comes off as uncharacteristically naïve, especially given his recent history with the Swordsman and full awareness of Hawkeye’s traumatic past. Letting Clint’s abuser walk straight into the team stretches credibility even by Silver Age standards.

Still, there are bright spots. The action is solid, Wanda and Pietro are used more effectively than usual, and the ending leaves the Swordsman in an intriguingly unresolved place. Messy, repetitive, but thematically pointed.

Final verdict: 6.52/10

@uneven trench @thorny wren

vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #21 - "The Bitter Taste of Defeat"

Sillier Than Wonder Man, but Smarter Than It Looks

This issue of The Avengers is built on a genuinely strong concept, even if the execution buckles under Silver Age excess. Power Man is essentially a remix of the Wonder Man playbook, right down to Enchantress pulling the strings, but the story succeeds where it counts: not by overpowering the Avengers, but by dismantling them legally, socially, and psychologically.

The most effective element here is how the team loses without really losing a fight. Through legal pressure, public opinion, and subtle manipulation, the Avengers are pushed into disrepute, culminating in the shocking decision to disband. That idea still lands, even if the storytelling is rushed and overstuffed. Too much happens too quickly, with motivations and consequences compressed into dense bursts of dialogue, but the core premise survives intact.

Character dynamics do a lot of the heavy lifting. The internal fractures that have been simmering since the new lineup formed finally boil over. Hawkeye is at his worst here, jealous, reactive, and outright cruel, particularly toward Captain America. What once felt like spirited banter devolves into uncomfortable hostility, and Wanda Maximoff is absolutely right to call Clint out for it. These fights are messy, but they’re also honest, and they underline how fragile this version of the team really is.

Visually, Don Heck elevates the material considerably. His character work, especially Wanda, is confident and expressive, helping sell the emotional tension even when the script strains credibility.

It’s a flawed issue, sometimes silly, sometimes frustrating, but undeniably important. As a Silver Age morality play about teamwork, ego, and public trust, it works more often than it fails.

Final verdict: 6.26/10.
@uneven trench @thorny wren

vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #22 -"The Road Back"

Reality Finally Hits the Avengers

This issue feels like a real turning point for early Marvel, not because the plot is flawless, but because the consequences actually stick. After being publicly disgraced last issue, the Avengers don’t just shake it off; they disband. That alone feels radical for the mid 60s, and it’s part of what makes this comic feel so forward-thinking. The public turns on the team, politicians flip flop shamelessly once the truth comes out, and the heroes are left scrambling for dignity, work, and purpose. It’s messy in a way that feels intentional.

Watching the team scatter, especially Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s absurd attempts at employment, adds some Silver Age silliness, but it also underlines how fragile their unity really was. Captain America remains the emotional core here. His decision to keep investigating even after the team clears its name, and ultimately to walk away anyway, says a lot about where he’s at: displaced, frustrated, and still searching for a place to belong. Early Cap can be abrasive, but it tracks.

Power Man and the Enchantress are fairly basic villains, and the resolution is a bit limp, but the execution carries it. The fight is solid, the bickering is sharp, and the long-term ramifications matter more than the punch-ups. It’s not revolutionary, but it feels like Marvel growing up.

Final verdict: 6.34/10.
@uneven trench @thorny wren

vapid knot
#

Avengers (1963) #23 - "Once an Avenger..."

Cap Quits (Briefly), Kang Returns (Loudly)

“Cap quits” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, considering his resignation lasts about half an issue and is immediately followed by him becoming a professional boxer and flattening everyone in sight. It’s goofy, very Silver Age, but also oddly in character: Steve clearly wants to feel useful again, and if he can’t do that as an Avenger, he’ll do it with his fists in the ring. Of course, the moment trouble hits the police scanner, he’s right back with the team.

The real draw is Kang. This is one of his stronger early appearances, adding a surprisingly human motivation to his usual bombast: love. Kang dragging the dwindling Avengers lineup into the future to prove himself worthy of Princess Ravonna gives the story higher stakes and a grander scope than the series had managed before. It’s melodramatic, sure, but intentionally so, and it works. Ravonna herself is more pompous than sympathetic, but her dynamic with Kang adds texture to an otherwise domineering villain.

The art shines, with Romita’s inks elevating Don Heck’s work, and Wanda finally gets moments that hint at the powerhouse she’ll become, even if she’s still underestimated here. The cliffhanger, Kang’s army marching on the city, is genuinely effective.

Uneven, sometimes silly, but ambitious and fun.

Final verdict: 6.61/10
@uneven trench @thorny wren

vapid knot
#

Avengers #24 - "From The Ashes of Defeat!"

War Through Time

This is easily one of the most ambitious Avengers stories of the early run, and even when it stumbles, it does so aiming high. Kang proves why he works so well as a villain: time travel lets him be endlessly reinvented without tripping over continuity, and here he’s given something even more powerful than conquest, love. As trite as that sounds on paper, it surprisingly lands. Kang’s war against the future civilization gradually becomes secondary to Ravonna, and that shift gives the story real emotional weight.

What really elevates the issue is the scale. Armies clash, cities fall, alliances shift, and for once the Avengers feel like they’re operating on a genuinely epic stage. The uneasy truce between Kang and the Avengers, heroes and villains united against a common enemy, is classic comic book grandeur, executed with confidence. Even the team itself wrestles with whether Kang can be trusted right up until the end.

The tragedy of Ravonna’s death is the final, effective gut punch. Watching both sides witness the loss reinforces the idea that no amount of power or time manipulation can guarantee victory. It humanizes Kang without excusing him, which is a tough balance to strike.

The art and colors sell the spectacle well, even if consistency varies. Overall, a big, bold conclusion that shows how far the series is willing to stretch.

Final verdict: 6.71/10

@uneven trench @thorny wren