Avengers Vol 1 221

Avengers Vol 1 #221 Published July, 1982 Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter Cover Artist Ed Hannigan Brett Breeding "...New Blood!" Writer Jim Shooter David Michelinie Penciler Bob Hall Inker Brett Breeding Colorist Christie Scheele Letterer Janice Chiang Editor Jim Salicrup Lance Tooks Previous Issue Next Issue Avengers #220 Avengers #222

Hawkeye, She-Hulk, I'd like to officially welcome you both. From now on -- you're one of us. We're one of you. And we're all -- THE AVENGERS!

-- Wasp

Appearing in "...New Blood!"

Featured Characters:

• Avengers (Main story and recap)
  •  Iron Man (Tony Stark)  (Main story and recap)
  •  Captain America (Steve Rogers)  (Main story and recap)
  •  Thor (Odinson)  (Main story and recap)
  •  Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)  (Main story and recap)
  •  She-Hulk (Jen Walters)  (Joins team)
  •  Hawkeye (Clint Barton)  (Joins team)

Supporting Characters:

• Edwin Jarvis
•  Spider-Man (Peter Parker) 
•  Invisible Girl (Sue Richards) 
•  Dazzler (Alison Blaire) 
•  Spider-Woman (Jess Drew) 
•  Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) 

Antagonists:

•  Fabian Stankowicz  (Main story and flashback)

Other Characters:

• Moondragon (Heather Douglas) (Recap)
• Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas) (Recap)
• Vision (Recap)
• Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) (Recap)
• Hercules (Recap)
• Carrothers
• Sally (Wasp's secretary)
• NYPD
• Katherine Blaire (Mentioned)
• Fantastic Four (Mentioned)
• National Security Council
  • Henry Peter Gyrich
• President Ronald Reagan

Races and Species:

• Humans (Main story and recap)
• Asgardians (Main story and recap)
• Synthezoids (Recap)
• Human-Olympian Hybrids (Recap)
• Mutants

Locations:

• Milky Way (Main story and recap)
  • Solar System
    • Earth
      • United States
        • New York
          • New York City
            • Manhattan
              • Midtown
                • Fifth Avenue
                  • Avengers Mansion
            • Central Park
          • Long Island
            • Queens
              • Flushing
                • Stark Industries
                  • Tony Stark's Long Island Office
            • Cross Technological Enterprises Facility
      • New Jersey
        • Cresskill
          • Van Dyne Mansion
      • Washington, D.C.
        • White House
          • Oval Office
  • Ba (Recap)
    • Ba-Banis (Recap)

Items:

• Iron Man Armor Model 4 (Main story and recap)
• Mjolnir (Main story and recap)
• Captain America's Shield
• Captain America's Uniform (Main story and recap)
• Wasp's Suit and Bio-Synthetic Wings (Main story and recap)
• Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters
• Hawkeye's Bow and Trick Arrows
• Avengers Identicard
• Fantastic Four Uniforms
• Spider-Woman's Suit
• Black Widow's Gauntlets
• Time magazine (2 separate issues)
• Playboy magazine

Vehicles:

• Captain America's Motorcycle
• She-Hulk's pink cadillac
  
  

Synopsis for "...New Blood!"

The four active members of the Avengers decide to replenish their depleted ranks. The Wasp calls for suggestions for new members to be submitted by their next meeting.

Thor asks Jarvis’s advice on who might make for a good team member. Jarvis opines that most often, the stronger-willed, more independent heroe - those whom most would unlikely to be team players - often ended up being the best assets to the team. Based on his advice (as well as a Time magazine article he is reading) Thor seeks out Spider-Man and asks him to join. The web-spinner is flattered and promises to consider the idea, but doesn’t say yes.

Iron Man and Captain America ask Hawkeye to return to the roster, and he enthusiastically accepts.

The Wasp, wanting to add more female members to the team, hosts a luncheon for several costumed heroines. The guest list is to include the Invisible Girl (of the Fantastic Four), the Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Dazzler and She-Hulk.

Jan’s gathering is crashed by Fabian Stankowicz, the Mechano-Marauder, who is still attempting to gain notoriety by battling an Avenger. But the women defeat him easily, while all but one declines Jan's invitation to join the team.

A few days later, Hawkeye is taking a cab to Avengers Mansion, which gets cut off by a pink cadillac. Angered, Hawkeye fires an electrical impulse arrow at the car, crippling it. He’s extremely surprised however when the driver, a woman, retaliates by upending the cab and resting it vertically against a building. Even more surprising, the woman (only seen from the back) hoists her car on her shoulder and carries it away!

Finally arriving, Hawkeye remarks about his encounter with (in his words) “some Amazon.” He’s stunned to discover that the “Amazon” in question, the sensational She-Hulk, is there as well and is the other new member of the team.

Captain America and Iron-Man wonder how these two heroes will get on, but the Wasp welcomes them both to the team.

Notes

• This issue has gained some notoriety in hindsight because of its cover. It depicts pictures of several characters mooted as possible new members of the Avengers. Aside from Hawkeye and She-Hulk (both of whom actually join in this issue), the cover also depicts Luke Cage, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Spider-Man, and Wolverine - all of whom did eventually join Captain America's "New Avengers". Daredevil is depicted on the cover as well and he was involved in the initial adventure of the New Avengers, although he declined to join the team. This cover also depicts the Invisible Girl/Woman, Dr. Strange, and Ant-Man - all of whom would also join varying incarnations of the Avengers team.
• Spider-Man is depicted on the cover of a Time Magazine that Thor is reading.
• Based on Thor's invitation in this issue, Spider-Man will return and apply for membership in #336 although he will be denied membership from the NSC because he's considered a security risk.
• The cover also depicts the character Rom, who starred in a fairly popular early 80s Marvel Comics series of the same name. But Rom was a licensed character based on a Mattel action figure. When Mattel discontinued making the action figure, they also rescinded Marvel's license to the character's likeness, thus Rom vanished from Marvel Comics continuity. At the time, the series "Rom" was considered part of the Marvel universe canon. But his appearance on the cover is actually one of the very few appearances in Marvel Comics outside his own series.
• Cover art: penciled by Hannigan per letters page in Avengers #225.
• The cover art is homaged in:
  - New Avengers #42 (August 2008).
  - Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1 #6 (August 2015).
• Plot by Shooter, script by Michelinie.
• Spider-Man, Invisible Girl, Dazzler, Spider-Woman, and She-Hulk are offered membership in the Avengers. Only She-Hulk accepts.
• Hawkeye and Black Widow are offered the chance to rejoin. Only Hawkeye accepts.
• Power Man, Wolverine, Rom, Daredevil, Ant-Man, Hulk, Dr Strange, Black Bolt & Silver Surfer all appear on the cover as potential members, but do not appear in the story inside.

See Also

• 3 Image(s) from Avengers Vol 1 221
• 1 Reprints of Avengers Vol 1 221

Footnotes

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