The Eighth Day of Classic Comics Christmas 2022
Dec 28, 2022 14:18:01 GMT -5
Cei-U!, Icctrombone, and 4 more like this
Post by Farrar on Dec 28, 2022 14:18:01 GMT -5
5. Swordsman and Mandarin - Avengers #20 (and 1967's Avengers Special/Annual #1)
The Swordsman debuted in Avengers #19 and fought Cap's Kooky Quartet. This story continued into #20, when Iron Man nemesis the Mandarin summoned Swordsman and made him an offer he couldn't refuse: via an Iron Man hologram Mandarin would induce the Avengers to induct Swordy into their ranks, and then Swordy would be in the perfect position to set off a bomb in the Avengers' HQ.
But Swordy's not as malevolent as his partner in crime is and he has second thoughts. Plus he's sweet on the Scarlet Witch.
It's apparent that Swordsman's not all bad (he just wanted to prove himself by fighting the Avengers) and to underscore that, there's a Heck/Wally Wood makeover in #20, now he looks like Tony Stark/Errol Flynn! -- whereas in #19 below (Heck/Dick Ayers) he had a rougher, older, not very attractive look to him.
Given the Swordsman's big buildup on #19's cover, plus his turning against his partner the Mandarin in #20, Swordy was very much in the mold of similarly ambivalent former baddies Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. He was likely being groomed to follow in their footsteps to (eventually) become one of the good guys. Following his debut in #19-20, there were a lot of letters published in his favor.
But it seems like that was put aside for several years; perhaps Marvel thought he was too similar to other "weapon-dependent" types of heroes such as Cap and Hawkeye. In any case, over the next several years Swordy continued to be teamed with villains such as Power Man, Egghead, and the Lethal Legion gang. He even joined the Mandarin again (as part of the Mandarin's assemblage in Avengers Special/Annual #1, though there's no acknowledgement of their previous association in the story itself). Swordsman pops up on the right side of the law in Avengers #100, but as we know, he doesn't truly redeem himself until the Englehart Avengers when he shows up with yet another partner, Mantis.
Avengers Special/Annual #1, 1967
The Swordsman debuted in Avengers #19 and fought Cap's Kooky Quartet. This story continued into #20, when Iron Man nemesis the Mandarin summoned Swordsman and made him an offer he couldn't refuse: via an Iron Man hologram Mandarin would induce the Avengers to induct Swordy into their ranks, and then Swordy would be in the perfect position to set off a bomb in the Avengers' HQ.
But Swordy's not as malevolent as his partner in crime is and he has second thoughts. Plus he's sweet on the Scarlet Witch.
It's apparent that Swordsman's not all bad (he just wanted to prove himself by fighting the Avengers) and to underscore that, there's a Heck/Wally Wood makeover in #20, now he looks like Tony Stark/Errol Flynn! -- whereas in #19 below (Heck/Dick Ayers) he had a rougher, older, not very attractive look to him.
Given the Swordsman's big buildup on #19's cover, plus his turning against his partner the Mandarin in #20, Swordy was very much in the mold of similarly ambivalent former baddies Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. He was likely being groomed to follow in their footsteps to (eventually) become one of the good guys. Following his debut in #19-20, there were a lot of letters published in his favor.
But it seems like that was put aside for several years; perhaps Marvel thought he was too similar to other "weapon-dependent" types of heroes such as Cap and Hawkeye. In any case, over the next several years Swordy continued to be teamed with villains such as Power Man, Egghead, and the Lethal Legion gang. He even joined the Mandarin again (as part of the Mandarin's assemblage in Avengers Special/Annual #1, though there's no acknowledgement of their previous association in the story itself). Swordsman pops up on the right side of the law in Avengers #100, but as we know, he doesn't truly redeem himself until the Englehart Avengers when he shows up with yet another partner, Mantis.
Avengers Special/Annual #1, 1967
{Spoiler: Click to show}Great Buscema cover!
