What If…? #9: The Avengers had Fought Evil During the 1950’s?

60 Cents @ June 1978 (Cover Page and 34 net pages)

Writer: Don Glut
Art: Alan Kupperberg & Bill Black
Colors: Carl Gafford
Lettering: Tom Orzechowski
Concept & Editing: Roy Thomas

Watcher Quote: “And now, dear reader, I must speak, from my observatory on your moon.”

Synopsis: Iron Man summoned the Avengers consisting of Thor, Captain America, Beast, and Vision to a meeting. Iron Man has been working on a dimensional transporter that brought images from another Earth. The images he saw was from the era of the 1950’s. They all watched the images in the screen. First, it was of an FBI agent names James Woo and his altercations with hoods in Chinatown. Then a costumed hero from the rooftop helped him and took out the goons. It was 3-D Man. And from the skies arrived Marvel Boy to join them. Utilizing his mental powers, Marvel Boy sensed from one of the goons that they are under the mind control of the villainous Yellow Claw. Jimmy Woo explained he was there to see these costumed heroes but first he had an errand for Marvel Boy in Africa. Jimmy Woo and 3-D Man head over to the waterfront to take care of some business. Unbeknownst to them, their activities can be seen in a crystal quartz ball by the Yellow Claw who was with his niece, Suman, who is still in love with Jimmy Woo. And they were accompanied by another villain accomplice, Herr Voltzmann. Meanwhile high above Africa, Marvel Boy in a space rocket is accompanied by another costumed superheroine in Jann of The Jungle. She found their quarry and jumped off the rocket ship to go after their target, Gorilla-Man who just happened to be surrounded by a pack of hungry lions. Marvel Boy arrived in time to fire warning blasts at the lions. He convinced Gorilla-Man, who used to be human, to go back to the United States for a job. They leave aboard the rocket ship and Jann of the Jungle waves goodbye to them. Meanwhile at the docks 3-D Man and Jimmy Woo are surprised by a blonde woman that jumps from the ocean. It is Namora the cousin of Namor. 3-D Man and Namora swim underwater where they find the Human Robot. Back in the dock, Jimmy Woo falls under the spell of the goddess, Venus who appeared. She told him came as soon as she received Jimmy’s message. Emerging from the ocean are 3-D Man and Namora carrying the Human Robot. Namora bids them goodbye as she is looking for Namor who has been missing for months. Back in Marvel Boy’s HQ, he reprograms the Human Robot. And Jimmy Woo tells them why he summoned them which is to save President Eisenhower. The group called themselves, The Avengers.

The story moved forward and is now located in Washington DC. And we see a gathering of the most powerful threats (Skull-Face, Great Video, Electro, and Cold Warrior) to the USA since the fall of the Third Reich, which was assembled by The Yellow Clas and Herr Voltzmann. They are accompanied by the Yellow Claw’s nice, Suwan. The Yellow Claw and Herr Voltzmann sent their four super goons to do their evil bidding as they watch from a crystal ball in their lair. We are then taken to President Dwight Eisenhower in the golf course. It was a normal day playing golf, and the land opens up and swallows him. His Secret Service agents are frozen and taken care off by the super villain goons. It is a presidential kidnapping. On the other side of the country, inside a warehouse the 1950’s Avengers are assembling. A late arriving 3-D Man immediately gets into a scuffle with Gorilla Man, citing he needed to open the window as it was starting to smell like a zoo in the warehouse. Gorilla Man assaulted 3-D Man and knocks down Marvel Boy in the process. 3-D Man slammed into Robot Man, and the two started going at it. But fortunately, Venus’ love power and Marvel Boys’ light jewel ray stopped all three from demolishing each other and things got under control. Just then, they received a message from Jimmy Woo telling them about the presidential abduction. The team assembled and howled a battle cry as they went to save the President, “Go, Avengers. Go!”

Meanwhile in the villains’ lair, a captive President Eisenhower is being gloated upon by the leaders of the evil group. He recognized Herr Voltzmann as a nazi war criminal, and citing the Yellow Claw as mad and deranged. We get a glimpse of Suwan’s inner mind and she is actually not a villain and that she wants to stop this madness and confirmed that her uncle is indeed mad. And as she contemplated on what to do, a hiding Jimmy Woo whispers to get her attention. The two are indeed lovers as she greeted Jimmy with a kiss immediately. He handed her a transmitter for her to use in case he doesn’t leave that lair alive. But then one of the evil goons snuck behind Jimmy Woo and zapped him to unconsciousness. Jimmy woke up and found himself a captive with President Eisenhower. Suwan pleads with her uncle not to kill her lover, and she walked away in tears as Yellow Claw dismissed her so that she wouldn’t see him torturing Jimmy Woo to death. As Suwan went outside, she used the transmitter Jimmy gave her earlier to reach The 1950’s Avengers.

Robot Man came crashing through the wall. He is immediately frozen in ice by the Cold Warrior. Gorilla Man and the rest join the melee. The battle is dead even. With neither team getting the better of the other. Meanwhile, Suwan slices off the ropes from a tied up Jimmy Woo. Back in the battle the super villains were getting the slight edge on the superheroes, until 3-D Man managed to save President Eisenhower and move him to safety. Robot Man disarmed and took out one of the stronger foes in Electro. Jimmy Woo noticed the Yellow Claw and Herr Voltzmann escaping. And the superheroes wrapped things up disposing of the rest of the supervillains. There seemed to be a romance budding between Marvel Boy and Venus, as President Eisenhower confides in 3-D Man how much he is impressed with the team. Jimmy Woo found the Yellow Claw sitting down and approached him, only to be grabbed by 3-D Man and whisked away as Robot Man placed himself between the heroes and Yellow Claw and the chair exploded, apparently a rigged booby trap left by The Yellow Claw. Robot Man heard the ticking of the time bomb, and was able to avert the death of Jimmy Woo.

The superheroes saved the day and are back in the White House, where they were congratulated by a grateful president. But bad news followed. Citing the 1950’s as suspicious times he asked the Avengers to disband. A disbelieving group could not believe what was being asked of them. But Marvel Boy acquiesced for the team and disbanded the 1950’s Avengers saying that in the future there will perhaps be an Avengers team formed to combat unearthly threat. Then we are brought back to the present with Iron Man, Captain America, Beast, and Vision in the Avengers base talking about what they just saw.

Comment: “Go, Avengers, Go!” is not as catchy as “Avengers Assemble!” But with that aside, it is an entertaining story in its own right. It had the usual team problems where a new team had to work out its kinks and come to its own. I have to admit I would have enjoyed the story more if some of the superheroes involved were recognizable. Perhaps some 1940’s superheroes from the Timely era of comic books back in the 1940’s. I suppose the disbanding at the end was something that had to be done to end the story. The excuse wouldn’t have flown on modern storylines. But then again with technology not as advanced back then, it can be considered simpler times.

The illustrations of The Watcher in this comic was something different. We don't get the usual Watcher wearing Roman togas back like Roman citizens wore in Ancient Rome. What we have here is an updated cosmic uniform akin to some police force style like a Nova Corps-like centralized uniform. That is a better depiction of the Watcher as he is indeed a being from not of this Earth. He should be depicted differently in terms of costume.

Thanks for that information. My mind kept going blank as I kept thinking that these characters as a group reminded me of a Marvel mini series that came out in the mid 2000's. They did remind me of Agents of Atlas limited series by Jeff Parker who was also writing X-Men First Class at the time I believe. 

Both series showcased Jeff Parker's humor. I kind of miss it when I first read those two limited series.

What If…? #10: Jane Foster had Found the Hammer of Thor?

60 Cents @ August 1978 (Cover Page and 33 net pages)

Writer: Don Glut
Artist: Rick Hoberg
Inker: Dave Hunt
Colorist: C. Gafford
Letterer: Carol Lay
Editor: Roy Thomas
Consulting Ed.: J. Shooter

Watcher Quote: “I am The Watcher… and often have I peered into fabled Asgard, home to the legendary Norse Gods, and observed the heroics of Thor, the hammer-wielding Thunder God! But even a Watcher can entertain thoughts of fancy! Thus, I propose the question… What if Jane Foster had found the hammer of Thor?”

“But there are infinite parallel worlds in the multiverse… countless Earths existing in the same space. But in different dimensions. Perhaps one such Earth will provide the answer. Let us penetrate the fabric of space and focus upon one of these Earths…”

“… I know, for I am… The Watcher.”

Synopsis: The story begins with Dr. Donald Blake being pursued by alien rock creatures. He entered a cave to escape them and found a cane. He tapped it on the ground and behold, he is transformed into The Asgardian Norse God of Thunder, Thor.

The Watcher then visited another Earth similar to Marvel Universe 616 Earth where there was a similar beginning but a different result. A couple were in the woods and stumbled upon spaceships landing in the forest. The alien rock creatures pursued the couple, Dr. Donald Blake and nurse Jane Foster after their discovery. As they are escaping through the cliff, Dr. Blake stumbled and lost his cane down the cliff. Jane went down the cliff to recovery it and entered a cavern. Inside she came across an empty secret chamber with the exception of a lone gnarled wooden piece of wood. She whacked it against the stone wall and after an incredibly blinding light she is transformed to a female version of Thor and the stick has been transformed into a hammer. She was bigger, taller, stronger and her hair turned to a golden blonde. She read the inscription on the hammer, “Whoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of … Thor!” She decided to call herself Thordis. Outside in the cliffs, the alien rock creatures cornered Dr. Blake and threw him off the cliff to fall to his death. But he was swept in the air and saved by Thordis. After leaving Dr. Blake in a safe distance, Thordis came back and pummeled the rock aliens and thus defeated they retreated and left the Earth. She changed back to her alter ego, nurse Jane Foster and left the scene with Dr. Blake. The arriving soldiers were dumbfounded and left thinking what could have driven the rock aliens away.

The story then changes its setting to far away Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. And at its gate stands Heimdall the the all-seeing and all-hearing sentry of Asgard who stands on The Rainbow Bridge in a forever lookout for any attack against Asgard. An imprisoned Loki set upon mischief to have a leaf fall on Heimdall’s ear in order for his to shed a tear on the tree, thus freeing Loki from his imprisonment. A newly released Loki plots his revenge against the one who is responsible for his imprisonment, Thor. Loki had a mental link to the metal uru which is what makes up Thor’s Hammer. He makes a link and tracks it down.

The story resumed on a city. And another emergency has befallen around the vicinity of where Dr. Blake and Jane Foster is currently in. She left Dr. Blake’s side to take cover and in an alley, she pulled a wooden hairbrush and whacked it against the wall and was instantly transformed to Thordis. Unbeknownst to her, the emergency was the works of Loki so he can draw out the Thunder God. Disguised as a civilian he was surprised at the form that arrived, for the costume was the same as Thor’s but the shapely form definitely is not. Loki begins the battle and draws Thordis above the sky in a maneuver to hypnotize her. Loki easily outfoxes Thordis in battle and Thordis is soon under his spell. He ordered her to yield Mjolnir to him, but some sort of powerful enchantment won’t allow her to do so. Loki decides to conjour up an image of Thor in order to draw Mjolnir from Thordis’ hand. The plan backfired as the image of her counterpart breaks the hypnotic spell, and Thordis disposes of Loki in battle and dispensing away with him by tying him to Mjolnir and sending him far away.

Mjolnir brought Loki to Asgard by the Rainbow Bridge where Asgardians are gathered. They were surprised to see the God of Mischief and tried to secure him. They brought Loki before King of the Norse Immortals, Odin, at the Palace Royal of the Eternal Realm. But Loki explained what he witnessed and told Odin about his real son, Thor. Jane Foster awoke from her sleep as if someone was summoning her. She turned to Thorsdis and journeyed the Rainbow Bridge and arrived in Asgard where the Asgardians were very much surprised to see her. An angry Odin told her that he summoned his son, and not some Valkyrie dressed as Thor. And an angry Odin continued his sermon blaming fate for this mishap that has befallen his son Thor. Meanwhile one of the Asgardians hit on Thorsdis and she took offense to it, and a battle commenced between Asgardian warriors and Thordis. Odin stopped the battle and banished Thordis from the realm to go back to Earth. The Lady Sif meanwhile was with a heavy heart as she learned that her beloved Thor is not coming back. Odin is dismayed even further and tears up. A hidden Loki vows to be at Odin’s side once Odin’s divine tears dries up.

Back on Earth, as time passed by, Thordis has adventures where she battled various super-villains. She even helped found a group of superheroes which were eventually known as The Avengers.

In Asgard, Odin keeps a watchful eye at Thordis’ superheroic exploits and is very impressed. He is dismayed even further as he is about to enter the legendary Odinsleep. And the absence of Thor’s power while he is in his slumber worries him. A plotting Loki finds out about this and plots against the kingdom knowing it is vulnerable. The Lady Sif journeyed through the Rainbow Bridge to Earth to go to where Donald Blake is located. At the beach, a Dr. Blake is troubled that he rarely sees Jane Foster and that he has never revealed to her that he loved her. His thoughts are interrupted by a sudden appearance of a drowning woman in the ocean screaming for help. And at that instant, Dr. Blake swam towards the woman in danger to help her get to safety. Upon reaching her, the woman kissed him, and his ailments are gone as he is no longer lame. At the same time, the woman is transformed to the Lady Sif. She is forbidden to reveal to Donald Blake that he is really Thor. As the two walk in the city, Loki suddenly appeared to kill Thor. But the Lady Sif defended him, but was overpowered by Loki. Donald Blake then jumped Loki from behind, but a mere mortal is no match for an Asgardian god. And he beats up Thor, but was suddenly hit by Mjolnir. Thordis arrived and joined the battle. Loki retreated. But a severely wounded Lady Sif needed medical attention. Thordis was surprised that Donald Blake was no longer lame. They rush Sif to a hospital and Blake performed surgery and Sif healed. Unbeknownst to them they are being carefully watched by the God of Mischief yet planning another plot to kill the Thunder God.

Ragnarok has arrived. It is the day of death for the Asgardian Gods, for it is written as the end of the world. Lady Sif suggests all three go to Asgard immediately. And Thordis with the power of Mjolnir whisks all three to Asgard. The beast Mangog who was to draw the Odin Sword to avenge his race against the Asgardians was causing mayhem. Loki meanwhile is sitting at Odin’s throne awaiting the result. The three joined the melee but was quickly dispatched by Mangog, as the monster made his way to the Odin Sword to draw it and let Ragnarok fall. Thordis creates a storm so monstrous and so massive it awakens the slumbering Odin. With the power scepter in hand, he freezes Mangog and prevents Ragnarok. Furthermore he freed Mangog people and sends him away.

Meanwhile Donald Blake prevented Loki from escaping by threatening him with a mystic sword. Before Loki could do anything, Odin stipped him of his power and banished him to Asgard’s furthest reaches. Ragnarok has been averted and Odin orders Thordis to relinquish Mjolnir to him, to which she acquiesced. And she reverts to the smaller mortal form of Jane Foster. A stunned Donald Blake could not believe it. Odin handed Blake the hammer, and immediately he is transformed into the Thunder God, Thor. And Odin rewarded Jane Foster for her valor by transforming her into an Asgardian goddess. However, she was saddened as Thor’s memories came back and that he is back with his love, the Lady Sif. Odin comforted a crying Asgardian goddess in Jane Foster, and told her he has been looking for a woman for ages to be by his side and proposed to her. The story ended with a wedding of Odin and his new Queen, Jane Foster.

Comment: The illustration of the Watcher has a void-like cosmic space drawn in his forehead. Looks like Rick Hoberg was trying to go for a different look and put his signature look into the character.

Of all things, the magic wood can be shaped in, it was fashioned into a wooden hair brush for Jane Foster. That is a good disguise for it. I wonder what 2010’s ultra- feminists would say about that? It is a good disguise, as she cannot be seen carrying a big deformed wood with her at all times.

One and done stories are great because we get closure in the span of a comic book. This would have been okay for me as a reader if I was a child. Satisfied. But as a reader of the modern comic books I can’t help but feel that so many things are encompassed and a lot of things are forced, especially the ending. It is a McGuffin device ending. It’s a trick used a lot back then just to finish a story. It wouldn’t fly in the modern age of reading comic books though. If this issue was made today, it would most likely have been stretched out to a 12-issue maxi series. There was so many plot points that could be worked and tweaked to add more characterization and to give the story more depth. But hey, when this was published it was a different era with different standards.

I just looked him up on Wikipedia (Here's the link to Don Glut's Wikipedia page) and it showed that he wrote for 8 different comic book publishers including Marvel and DC.

He even wrote some Archie and Vampirella stories.

I haven't read up on Thor recently. But Jane Foster being the new Thor for over a year since The Watcher's murder must have been brewing in some Marvel editor or writer's head for some time, and I just have to say that person must have read What If #10 at some point.

I've read What If #11, and that was fun. The Marvel Bullpen as the Fantastic Four is great. I loved the Jack Kirby THING. And it was great to see The King's work again. 

Definitely! Spun gold is a great description tag for this particular female Thor. 

I had to wait decades to read it, but I was always eager to read this What If? issue. It did not disappoint.