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Invaders #38: Review

Sep 1978
Don Glut, Alan Kupperberg

Story Name:

U-Man Comes to Town!


Synopsis

Invaders #38 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

At a New York factory, Bundists (American supporters of Hitler) are trying to force a German American worker to hand over secret plans. The Invaders (Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, Whizzer) arrive and beat up the bad guys; the boss and employees are grateful but the Whizzer has taken off somewhere else without a word. On his way to his destination the speedster rescues a couple from a hold-up man then reaches the headquarters of the Liberty Legion. He informs his teammates (Patriot, Thin Man, Jack Frost, Miss America, Red Raven, Blue Diamond) that he is taking a temporary leave of absence to join the Invaders who are short a man since Union Jack had to remain in England. Miss America, who is sweet on Whiz, also decides to join the Invaders to fill in for Spitfire, also in Britain....

A mystery man, drawn from halfway around the world by a mysterious force, enters a New York shop called the House of Lotus. There he confronts Japanese warriors and, revealing himself to be Merrano, the U-Man, he clobbers them. It was a test; his host is Lady Lotus, who has drawn him there with her psychic abilities, and she explains how she wants him to kidnap Golden Girl of the Kid Commandos....

The Invaders are ordered to San Diego and Cap calls Bucky to arrange a meeting when they reach the West Coast; when Namor's flagship gets near, Cap and Torch excuse themselves to meet their sidekicks. Meanwhile, the ship carrying Lady Lotus and U-Man also nears Southern California....

A band of Japanese saboteurs arrives at Santa Monic pier and they are surprised by the Kid Commandos (Bucky, Toro, Human Top, Golden Girl) who beat the whole gang. Then, U-Man suddenly appears, knocks out the three boy heroes and seizes Golden Girl....


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
3 stars

Invaders #38 Review by (March 5, 2019)

Review: Okay, a new villainess, even though she is the stereotypical Asian bad girl, all slinky in a tight gown (and this one is so revealing it looks to be held on with glue) with the ubiquitous cigarette in long holder. But she's got psychic powers too and that sets Lady Lotus apart, I guess. It's the oddball teaming with Merrano a/k/a Nazi Subby that lends an air of creativity to the tale. Having Whiz and Miss A join the team is an okay move, not particularly exciting though Whizzer is less whiny than Union Jack. And the guest appearance by the Kid Commandos is also a cool move I guess and Kupperberg's art is better than the last issues but the whole thing is merely okay. I do like the snarly villains on the cover and the heroes all staring at one another in the crystal ball. Anyway, the best moment is the extended sequence of the hold-up as we get a feel for what civilians were going through, especially men who, for one reason or another, could not join the military. Here's Jim, still smarting that he was rejected for the service for a bad heart, nearly being goaded into attacking a crook who assumes he's a civilian out of cowardice. Fortunately, Whizzer arrives in the (ta-dahh!) nick of time but I think I'd rather have seen how it would have gone without a superhero intervening. Oh well....

Comments: Part one of two parts. First full appearance of Lady Lotus. Don Heck assisted with the pencils. There's a joke about the Invaders all being winners, as in “All-Winners,” the later name for the team.

Period Pop-Culture Details: Pearl White (silent film star from THE PERILS OF PAULINE). Heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis. Western star John Wayne, not yet making war movies (his first was FLYING TIGERS, released Oct. 8, 1942). Gangster film LITTLE CAESAR.




> Invaders comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Alan Kupperberg
Chic Stone
Carl Gafford
Alan Kupperberg (Cover Penciler)
Joe Sinnott (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes

(James Barnes)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Human Torch
Human Torch

(Jim Hammond)
Sub-Mariner
Sub-Mariner

(Namor McKenzie)
Toro
Toro

(Thomas Raymond)

Plus: Blue Diamond (Elton Morrow), Golden Girl (Betsy Ross), Jack Frost, Lady Lotus (Lotus Newmark), Liberty Legion, Patriot (Elijah Bradley), Red Raven, Thin Man, U-Man, Whizzer (Robert Frank).