“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Avengers #96

“Oh sure, when the Punisher does it nobody cares, but let the android try and people start yelling about Skynet.”

The Avengers #96

Marvel Comics (February, 1972)

“The Andromeda Swarm!”

WRITER: Roy Thomas

ARTIST: Neal Adams

INKERS: Neal Adams, Tom Palmer, and Alan Weiss

LETTERER: Sam Rosen

EDITOR: Stan Lee

Discreetly borrowing a spaceship from SHIELD, the Avengers head to the Skrulls to rescue their comrades. The Skrull king tries to get the Avengers to surrender by showing them his hostages, but Mar-Vell manages to trick his captors and frees the others. So they launch a ship with a mission to destroy Earth before the Kree can take it over, with Clint in pursuit. Meanwhile, Rick is taken before Rowan the Accuser, who locks him up with the Supreme Intelligence. The Intelligence tells him that he has been behind everything from Rick’s vision in the courtroom, Mar-Vell not realizing Carol wasn’t really Carol, and even his being brought here as part of its plan to, weakened that it is, to regain control of the Kree…a plan that includes sending Rick back into the Negative Zone and a waiting Annihilus!

What they got right: This is all about the action and it delivers. The captured heroes manage to free themselves, so they’re part of their own rescue. This is also in line with what I’ve heard about the Supreme Intelligence. Being essentially the Autobot Matrix Of Leadership it’s the combined minds of the Kree’s greatest intellects and it’s not above messing with its own people to get what it wants. Rowan also tells us why both worlds are so interested in Earth, since it’s a center point between the two worlds and thus strategically important in the war.

What they got wrong: Craddock’s nonsense was also supposedly part of the Intelligence’s plan. Why? How does having a Joseph McCarthy ripoff help the Avengers get involved?

What I think overall: So even the Supreme Intelligence gets to have Rick Jones for a sidekick. Next issue is the final chapter and it is nice to actually see some war in this supposed war tale.