Avengers #276 Issue Date: February 1987 Writer: Roger Stern Artist: John Buscema Finisher: Tom Palmer Letterer: Jim Novak Coloring: Julianna Ferriter Editor: Mark Gruenwald Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter Publisher: Marvel Comics Original Cover Price: $0.75
I have loved superheroes for almost as long as I can remember. While I am a long-time Spider-Man junkie, it was Avengers #276 that forever brought me into the four colour world. And it all started with a hospital visit.
While I may be off on some of the details thanks to the passing of time, my recollection is that I was about 9 years old and I was in the hospital waiting to undergo a very minor procedure (I was prone to earaches so I was having ‘tubes’ put in). Naturally, I was a little nervous and one of the things my parents brought in for me were some comic books. Within that sampling was Avengers #276. I’m not sure where my parents got the comics from but I would not be surprised if my dad picked up the Avengers issue because Thor was featured so prominently on the cover.
This issue was part 4 of a 5-part story in which the Masters of Evil have attacked and taken down the Avengers. This issue was entitled ‘Revenge’. Back then, comics did not have the re-cap pages they do now but I was brought up to speed pretty quickly through the story itself. While I did not have an in-depth knowledge of who all the players were (who the heck was Dr. Druid?), it was clear these Masters of Evil folks were not your typical super-villains and they meant business.
The Masters of Evil (the 4th incarnation of this all-villains team) have taken over Avengers Mansion and are holding several Avengers captive. They have beat Hercules into a coma and I shuddered in terror along with Captain America and the Black Knight who watched helplessly as the monstrous Mr. Hyde laughed as he beat Jarvis (the Avengers butler) half-to death.
As the Wasp and Ant-Man scrambled for help to rescue their fallen comrades, but things look bleak. The Fantastic Four are out of town. The Falcon has the flu. Vision and the Scarlet Witch are off vacationing somewhere. Just as Ant-Man is about to scour New York for any help they can get, Captain Marvel (now known as Photon) appears, having emerged from being trapped in the Darkforce Dimension, courtesy of the villainous Baron Zemo’s mind-controlled minion, Blackout. However, for me, things do not really start to look up for the Avengers until Thor arrives on the scene (with a flash of lightning no less).
While it drove me nuts and took me a few years to find the conclusion to the story in Avengers #277, I ended up chasing down the whole storyline (which began in Avengers #273). And I am glad I did. The story and art are top notch and these events had later ramifications for the Avengers. To me, it demonstrates that Marvel and other comic book companies don’t need today’s “mega-events” with a zillion variant covers, tie-ins and over-hype to tell a great, emotional and action-packed story.
While I won't spoil the issue or story for those of you who have never read it, Avengers #276 hooked me on comics, not only for the quality of the comic itself but also for the memory of how I received it and how the book eased my nervousness of being in the hospital. After all, if Captain America and Thor could face such terrible foes such as Goliath, the Wrecker and the rest of the Masters of Evil, surely I could handle such a minor procedure as having tubes put in my ears!
Even though my original copy of Avengers #276 is beat up and creased, it is still carefully stored in a plastic bag and backing board in one of my long boxes along with the rest of my treasured collection.
So, if you read comics or have a hobby, what hooked you? Thanks for reading!
