Book Review: Invaders Classic, Volume 2

Invaders Classic Vol. 2 by Roy Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This second volume collects Invaders stories from Invaders #10-#21 and Annual #1.

Issue 10 has a brief recap of the battle with Baron Blood that ended the previous book and left the elderly Union Jack unable to continue. However, that's only a framing story for a reprint of a golden age Captain America story from Captain America #24 which was pretty entertaining but also not what the book was about. As Roy Thomas explained, the staff was struggling with the demands of going to monthly publication with everything else already on their plate. This would be a theme throughout the rest of the book particularly towards the end.

Issue 11 has actual dealing with the consequences of the battle with Union Jack done for and his daughater Jacqueline struggling in the balance until the android Human Torch provides her a transfusion which gives her superpoweers. However, the Invaders are then attacked by a Jewish scientist who has been forced to serve the Nazis to keep his brother safe.

Issues 12 and 13 features the Invders going to Warsaw with a decent story that has a bit of a deus ex machena in it.

Issues 14 and 15 finds the Invaders encountering a new group of British heroes who displace the Invaders as their honor guard. The story was meant to be a commentary on patriotism and the danger of going overboard, but it's an okay though not great story.

The Annual is what makes the difference between this book being three and four stars. The Invaders were based on a concept introduced by Thomas in Avengers #71 where the World War 2 heroes battle modern Avengers. The Avengers issue told the tale from the Avengers perspective, but this version explained things from the Invaders perspective and it began with a golden age split up where the Big three (minus Toro and Bucky) split up to take on foes individually until they are whisked away to face the Avengers. Thomas also uses this story to explain some incongruities such as why the Avengers were in 1942 and Cap was using a 1941 shield. This is the type of fun fan bonanza that Thomas wrote so well.

Issues 16-21 are consumed with a story that begins with the kidnapping of a comic book artist who fictionalized Captain America's origin story, the birth of two Nazi Super Soldiers, and the reintoduction of the Destroyer (although it appears this Destroyer was different from the one in golden age comics), and Hitler guest-starring in several comics. This was a good story, but not great. The Invaders spend great parts of the first four issues chained up and are continually recaptured and Cap shows some uncharacteristic bad judgment as a plot contrivance. Still, this was a solid story with some good scenes

In the end, this collection of Invaders stories had its moments but the book suffered from Marvel demands on other books and a lack of focus as to where this story should be going. Still, it's an enjoyable romp through Marvel's Bronze Age Golden Age comic.



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