Avengers #63: In which we meet Hawkeye’s brother, and Clint Barton becomes Goliath, in an issue illustrated by Gene Colan.
Lots of sibling and mommydaddy issues in the early Avengers stories. I wonder if Roy Thomas had some kind of problem with his own family? I mean, there’s Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver/Magneto; Hawkeye and his brother; Simon Williams and The Grim Reaper (and Vision)…
It never ends.
But it was the “soap opera” nature of the title that made it so crisp and distinct from other team books.
Note: This issue starts a crossover with Captain Marvel and Sub-Mariner, where Egghead, Puppet Master, and Mad Thinker have teamed up. In this issue, they kidnap Black Widow.
This is an epochal, monumental issue of “The Avengers”- when Clint Barton realizes the ol’ trick-arrows just ain’t gonna DO the trick against the cabal of Egghead, the Mad Thinker, and the Puppet Master, Clint raids good ol’ Doc Pym’s magical medicine cabinet for a fix of the ol’ giant-juice, and, next thing ya know, there’s a new Goliath in town!!! Clint’s squeeze of the time, the Black Widow, provides the motivation for this action, and, truth be told, if Natasha had on this outfit for ME that she has on in this story, ( lavender bodysuit/cape/facemask/with black fishnet understockings ) I’d fight my way through the entire Chinese Military to GET to her!!! Barehanded, with no superpowers!! That’s right!! Neither Clint’s power-hike, nor the Widow’s sexy outfit would last for long, ( naturally ) but this issue’s title is one of my favorite all-time titles for a comic-book, and that’s something Marvel CAN’T cancel: “………..And, in THIS Corner………Goliath………!…….” Indeed!
YOu gotta love Clint’s metamorphoses over time. I like Widow’s frank miller costume best, but her all-leather is definitely a better design for action.
That depends on what type of “action” we’re talking about!!