Marvel 1976.08 - Avengers #150

Avengers #150

Title: Avengers Assemble!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: George Perez

Avengers: Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Beast, Hellcat, Moondragon

Former Avengers: Hulk

Cameos: Loki, Wonder Man, Enchantress, Executioner, Baron Zemo, Rick Jones

Guests: Jarvis

This is a controversial issue. It's the 150th issue of the Avengers (the sesquicentennial issue), making it an important issue. And yet it's a DDD (Dreaded Deadline Doom) issue. Or is it? Steve Englehart claims the deadlines were kept, but the issue was held up by arguments with Gerry Conway, who insisted on changes being made. As a result, only the first six pages of Steve Englehart's story are printed in this issue. The remaining 12 pages are a reprint of Avengers #16. Supposedly the remaining (unprinted) pages of this issue are connected with a script that Steve had written for Avengers Annual #6, which was totally rejected by Gerry when he read it.

Avengers #150 is (yet another) enrolment issue. The last was Avengers #137. Maybe we should call it a disenrolment issue, because the Avengers now have ten active members, which they consider to be too many. They enrolled too many new Avengers in issue #137. They make a first step by considering Moondragon, Beast and Hellcat only to be applicants. It would be a shame to reduce the number of Avengers. Look at the beautiful cover, drawn by George Perez. He's in his element when he draws a lot of characters together.

This is the meeting of the ten Avengers at the seats "reserved for them". Notice that there are only nine seats. They never expected to have ten Avengers. Captain America and Iron Man have specially marked seats. I understand Captain America having a star, but why does Iron Man have a male symbol on his chair? Does he consider himself the group's alpha male? In my opinion, any man who needs to tell others he's an alpha male does it out of insecurity.

Thor announces that he intends to take a leave of absence. He feels like the Avengers have been holding him back, so he needs to leave them to achieve his full potential. He says that he'll return whenever he's needed. "Once an Avenger, always an Avenger". Thor makes Iron Man the new chairman, so Iron Man takes the chair-less position at the end of the table. Iron Man says he'll remain in the Avengers. He asks Captain America if he'll stay, but there's no chance for a reply, because the six new pages are finished and the reprint pages begin.

Whoever is to blame, this is a poor issue, It should never have happened.