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Dave Phelps
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 4:24pm | IP Logged | 1  

I've had a great deal of affection for the group since I discovered them via the "Marvel Illustrated Books" reprint of Roger Stern and JB's Baron Blood two-parter (and the "Captain America for President" story, but I didn't like that one as much when I was a kid - too much talking :-) ).



#20-21 were the first two back issues I ever bought, and Invaders was the first series I completed solely through back-issue purchases. The Robbins art didn't do much for me initially, but it's grown on me over the years to the point where it just feels "right" to me and I'm saddened when I get to the point in the series where he drops out.

While I've enjoyed the occasional "Invaders reunion" story, in particular the aforementioned Brother Blood story and JB's in Namor #10-12, I agree they are a team that belongs in stories set in the 40s and that it doesn't seem right to have them still together regularly in the present day. (Especially with Bucky and Toro in the mix; they're supposed to be dead, dang it.)
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Ed Love
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 4:31pm | IP Logged | 2  

This series is a favorite of mine. An introduction to Marvel's golden-age heroes.

As much as I'm more of a fan of DC's golden-age stable of characters and of the JSA and Roy's All-Star Squadron, I think The Invaders is the stronger title. While it's a continuity driven book, Roy doesn't let it overwhelm the stories. There's little that readers have to be aware of going in, we're told the required information. It's a prime showing that continuity and history don't have to be confusing to new or young readers, it wasn't to me when I first discovered it. If continuity is confusing, that's more a problem of the writers' shortcomings, not the readers or history itself.

Getting the first two trades and reading them over the course of an afternoon, I was struck by how much was in there compared to similar runs of modern comics. Every issue has action and story. Every story is introducing new characters or re-introducing old characters and world-building. In a relatively short term, he adds quite a bit of mythos to the Marvel History. He doesn't tear down characters. When we meet the Patriot and the rest of the Liberty Legion, they are treated as viable, heroic characters and not second/third bananas who barely appeared a handful of times. We have super Nazis, American Japanese camps, A Nazi sympathizer Vampire, a golem and Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, a brain-in-a-jar Nazi,  some time-travel. It has almost everything I want out of a comic series. Bucky gets a lot of play, but not a hint of the super-black ops assassin that is constantly gunning the bad guys down that we are stuck with now.

I enjoyed Robbins' art here. I can see why people don't like his work, but depending on the subject, I like it and it works for me here. The issues without him, seem bland and generic by comparison. I like how he draws the Torch's flames and Captain America.
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Ed Love
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 4:49pm | IP Logged | 3  

While I've enjoyed the occasional "Invaders reunion" story, in particular the aforementioned Brother Blood story and JB's in Namor #10-12, I agree they are a team that belongs in stories set in the 40s and that it doesn't seem right to have them still together regularly in the present day. (Especially with Bucky and Toro in the mix; they're supposed to be dead, dang it.)

The problem I have with the Invaders as a modern team is in the name. It was a stretch for a 40s team, and it makes no sense today. The Liberty Legion or All-Winners Squad are better superhero team names frankly. Otherwise, with comic book superheroes, there are dozens of ways to explain their longevity or presence in the present. I think the characters are too cool to just kill off and/or replace with watered down PC legacy characters. If everyone has a legacy, it's not really that special or inspiring. My personal point of view: I don't really care why Dum Dum Dugan was still around and about the same age he was in the War and I don't need to know. But, the Marvel U. and SHIELD were cooler because of it and that's all the justification  I need. When it comes to these older heroes, they deal with magic, aliens, time travel, super-science on a daily basis, with some it's part of the make-up. So, when I see them, I accept that something comic-booky happened resulting them being still around and move on to being able to enjoy new stories with the characters.


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Brian Hague
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 6:27pm | IP Logged | 4  

"The Invaders," I believe, was a conscious continuation on Roy Thomas' part of Marvel's habit of naming their teams after 60's-era action-adventure shows.  The Avengers debuted in 1961 on British TV and the comic started up in 1963. Later, the Defenders debuted in 1971 with the same name as the 1961 show about lawyers. The Invaders may be taking its name from the 1967 television program starring Roy Thinnes.

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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 9:06pm | IP Logged | 5  

I don't know if Stan Lee was inspired by the Avengers TV series, but Brian is correct that Roy Thomas has stated that he intentionally took the names of TV series for the Defenders and the Invaders.  The Champions follows that pattern too, though I do not think Roy was involved in the development of that book.


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Greg Kirkman
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 9:41pm | IP Logged | 6  

According to Thomas' intro in the premiere GIANT-SIZE book, Stan
came up with the name when he was toying around with permanently
teaming Namor and the Hulk in TALES TO ASTONISH. This never
came to pass, then the TV series came along. A few years later,
Thomas recycled the name for his retro-WW II team.
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Doug Jones
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Posted: 19 September 2014 at 10:37pm | IP Logged | 7  

Big fan of both THE INVADERS and Frank Robbins' work on the series. It's a really fun read.
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Ed Love
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Posted: 20 September 2014 at 6:42am | IP Logged | 8  

I knew of Marvel's penchant of using tv shows for names, and almost every character Thomas has ever created uses a name from a golden-age character e.g. Spirit of '76, Spitfire, Dynamite, Captain Wings, Master Man, Baron Blood.. However, the name doesn't really work for a superHERO team. Even for the tv show, the title referred to the bad guys. This being a WWII book,the same could have easily worked.But, they give some convoluted logic and lip service to explain the name, though there aren't that many stories that actually center around that mission statement. As a modern day team, the name is even more problematic
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Brian O'Neill
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Posted: 20 September 2014 at 12:51pm | IP Logged | 9  

Since THE INVADERS was initially set prior to the US entering the war, and the heroes were going on covert missions in Axis territory, they were said to be 'invading' on behalf of the Allies(more specifically, the British, since Winston Churchill gave them their original assignments).
 Agreed, a stupid name for a group in other contexts, but that's the one where the name makes sense.
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 20 September 2014 at 5:03pm | IP Logged | 10  

I think the name works just fine.  As Brian said, their mission is to invade Axis territory, and a good many of their stories do in fact take place behind enemy lines.  I mean, if you want to get that picky, who is it that the Avengers are seeking vengeance upon?
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Robert Cosgrove
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Posted: 20 September 2014 at 5:31pm | IP Logged | 11  

I like the name "Invaders" fine.  THREAD DRIFT ALERT:  In the category of stupid names, the Marvel prize should perhaps go to the "Supreme Headquarters of the International Espionage Law Enforcement Division," if I remember it rightly.   Who ever puts "Headquarters" in the name of an agency?  I enjoyed the strip, particularly during the Kirby-Severin and Steranko periods, but the name--best to forget about what SHIELD stood for.
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Mike Norris
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Posted: 20 September 2014 at 6:22pm | IP Logged | 12  

Real (Probably the inspiration for SHIELD)
Supreme Headquarters Allied Force Europe (SHAPE)
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)

Fictional
Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization (SHADO) 
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