TITLE: The Avengers vol. 1, Issue #239
YEAR: January 1984
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
Writer: Roger Stern
Artist/Co-Creator: Allen Milgrom, Joe Sinnott
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Michael Carlin
I have written about Assistant Editor’s Month for Marvel Comics back in the ’80s. When the Editor’s attend the many comic conventions, the assistant editors get free reign of what they want to do for the month.
And so far, you get a few winners, such as “The Amazing Spider-Man” Issue #248, but this time around, I’m going to talk about “The Avengers” Issue #239.
And as you can see from the cover, the Avengers show up on The David Letterman Show!
The issue kicks off with the newlyweds, Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and Mockingbird (Barbara “Bobbi” Morse) arriving to the Avengers mansion and needing a place to stay temporarily.
They are welcomed back by The Vision and when the mansion is empty, The Vision tells them that everyone is out on business.
Meanwhile, Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is trying to get his entertainment career going and his agent is able to get him on “The David Letterman Show” if he brings a few members of the Avengers with him on the show. And this would be a great way to get him publicity for his entertainment career.
The Vision gives Wonder Man the OK and contacts Avenger reserve members Black Panther, Beast and Black Widow. And so the show starts promoting the Avengers appearance on “The David Letterman Show” in commercials.
Meanwhile, a shady guy named Fabian Stankowicz, who keeps getting busted by the Avengers, wants his revenge against the team and why not do it on live television via “The David Letterman Show”.
As the interview on the show begins, as Hawkeye is the only main member of the Avengers, he is the main person being interviewed. During the interview, the Beast drops a bombshell on everyone that he’s creating a new group, The Defenders and that he’s quitting the Avengers.
And during the interview, Fabian Stankowicz starts unleashing heavy contraptions towards The Avengers and chaos takes place during the recording. But who would ever figure, David Letterman would be the man to save the day?
For the most part, this was an intriguing issue, considering David Letterman lent his namesake to appear in this comic book. And of course, for Roger Stern to come up with a fun storyline , but also find a way to cut ties with the Beast and also to incorporate Hawkeye and Mockingbird and eventually creating build-up for The West Coast Avengers.
But overall, an entertaining Assistant Editor issue worth checking out!