GOLD KEY FUN WITH THE AVENGERS -- JOHN STEED AND EMMA PEEL !!!

Gold Key's Avengers -- John Steed and Emma Peel! The comic book featured two comic strip stories, reprinted in color, from the British TV Comic. 

Mrs. Peel was the second of three partners for John Steed!

Text for the inside front cover - When catastrophe threatens Merrie England, two groovy agents stand ever ready to do it in! John Steed, jaunty, debonair, the very model of a proper British gentleman and Emma Peel, hip, with-it and a very mod judo swinger.

The Avengers#1 first story, "The Roman Invasion" involved John Steed and Emma Peel having a picnic, when it's interrupted by two men wearing Roman armor in a sword fight. After one man is hurt Emma and John defeat the other and rush them both to a hospital. The uninjured man (Helmut, a foreign spy) escapes. John finds a clue in the wounded man's clothes and goes to check out where a movie with Roman soldiers is being filmed and is mistaken for an extra. Helmut recognizes him and tries to kill him during the filming of a fight scene. Emma has found out what is going on from the wounded British spy and arrives in time to save John.

A second story in The Avengers #1, "The Mirage Maker" has John and Emma sent to help protect a scientist that has created a mirage making machine. While the scientist is demonstrating the machine to his assistant it causes havok in the countryside. Because of the mirages John and Emma end up being chased by a policeman until they arrive at the scientist's home where they find foreign agents trying to steal the machine. Trying to escape from the agents, they end up going through an Army testing ground where they finally capture the agents by using the mirage machine.

Text for the inside back cover -  In a game where the stakes are high, where there's many a deal off the bottom of the deck and trump is - death!

The Avengers back cover came with and without the pin-up!

There were a couple of Avengers cameos done in the comics as well. One by Roy Thomas in The Avengers #83 super-hero comic. The other (I missed this one) was by Alex Ross in Kingdom Come, the Steed and Mrs. Peel stood behind Superman, at the bar. John Byrne brought The Avengers in Superman #13, during his run on the comic.  

Look for the bowler hat!

Another Avengers series, from the nineties, worth mentioning is a mini-series written by Grant Morrison with art from Ian Gibson. I did enjoy the whimsy Ian Gibson's artwork brought to the series. 

Book One: 'The Golden Game' part 1, written by Grant Morrison, art by Ian Gibson.
 

Book Two: 'The Golden Game' part 2, written by Grant Morrison, art by Ian Gibson &  'Deadly Rainbow' part 1, written by Anne Caulfield, art by Ian Gibson. 

Book Three: 'The Golden Game' part 3, written by Grant Morrison, art by Ian Gibson & 'Deadly Rainbow' part 2, written by Anne Caulfield, art by Ian Gibson. 

There was also a good series of The Avengers paperback novels worth reading, from notable authors such as Keith (Stainless Steel Rat) Laumer and Norman (Doc Savage) Daniels. 

I hope you've enjoyed the walk back in time as much as I have. I've always enjoyed having fun with The "other" Avengers. 

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!