Unca Cheeks the Toy Wonder's Silver Age Comics Web Site!
(... and Why I Love Them...)
It easily qualified as one of the all-time, flat-out oddest "romance" ever within the annals of Marvel comics history...
... and this was the company, mind you, that had one of its super-
heroines (i.e., Mantis) marry a friggin' tree, f'chrissakes.
The very best place to begin (as the Red Queen admonished a befuddled Alice) is at the beginning... and "the beginning," in this instance, was bookmarked by the appearance upon the Silver Age scene by the most endearing Marvel Comics "rogue" of them all: one ex-carnival gadabout by the name of "Clint Barton," to be precise.
You probably know him better by the name of Hawkeye, the Marksman.
A former foeman of The Invincible Iron Man, this archer nonpareil and reformed super- villain was the first costumed adventurer to answer the clarion call of Captain America for "new blood" within the august ranks of The Avengers, upon the simultaneous and abrupt resignations of the aforementioned Iron Man; Thor; Giant-Man; and the Wasp.
Hawkeye's criminal past was not a career choice made entirely of his
own free will and volition. Originally intending to stake his costumed
claim as a super-hero, he had the misfortune to fall in with (and fall
in love with) the drop-dead gorgeous Black Widow: a particularly treacherous Russian spy and saboteur.
The Curvaceous
Commie (sorry; always wanted to do that. Forgive me.) was
a past master at wrapping stray, hapless males around her little finger,
in general... and the lovestruck Hawkeye, in particular. Even
after he'd long since made a "place" for himself as a loyal Avenger-in-good-
standing, she continued in her attempts to (you should only pardon the
expression) "seduce" him into the willing employ of her foreign masters.
Ultimately, however: the star-crossed (and ideology-crossed) lovers were -- at long last -- (re)united, in a scenne which was ...
... well: maybe I'd simply best let you see this one for yourselves.
"Brainwashed By the Reds: A Tearful Super-Heroine
Tells All! Coming Up Next, On... GERALDO!"
The Hawkeye/Widow romance continued merrily, merrily along its particularly tempestuous path, in the time-honored Marvel Comics tradition of every super-hero relationship of the day. At length, however, the writers in question must have felt that the storytelling "engine," in this particular, had all but chug-chugged itself to the point where it was running along on fumes alone, and the pair underwent a painful and protracted "parting of the ways."
The Black Widow promptly took up co-habitational residence with Marvel's Daredevil... much to the manifest displeasure of one seriously cheesed-off Boy Bowman. [See cover reproduction, below]
Once the emotional dust had settled in the wake of that particularly ugly tri-cornered bust-'em-up, however (definitely not one of Hawkeye's "prettier" moments, overall)... the stalwart archer shrugged his massive shoulders in silent resignation, and re-dedicated himself anew towards becoming one of the true heroic mainstays of Marvel's flagship super-hero team. [See cover reproduction, below]
Meanwhile: the Widow was in the process of undergoing
some fairly radical changes, herself.
Traveling cross- country in the company of a dour, massive Russian expatriate (and surrogate "father figure") by the name of Ivan -- boy; that one must have taken entire seconds to come up, by golly, I betcha -- the Widow (anent her break-ups with both Hawkeye and Daredevil) took inordinate and especial care not to become too "emotionally involved" with anyone else she happened to meet along the way, living her cold and dispassionate life by the credo: "Once Bitten; Twice Shy."
... and then: she crossed the equally itinerant paths of one fun-loving Olympian demi-god; an embittered, demonically-possessed stunt motorcyclist; and two fairly directionless mutants, with a pronounced fondness for spandexed leggings...
... and -- in just that bizarre a fashion -- The
Champions were born.
THE CHAMPIONS
was a short-lived "team" title, initiated by Marvel Comics during that
brief, mid-'70's period in which the entire comics industry underwent something
of a super-team "vogue," overall.
(This same era also saw the introduction of such equally blatant attempts
at commercial "bandwagon-hopping" as DC's THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS and [God help
us all] Marvel's own LEGION OF MONSTERS... so, as you can see: everybody
was gettin' into the act. And you most assuredly don't even wanna get
me started on THE SHOGUN WARRIORS, neither. I'm just sayin', is
all.)
This title boasted of three, four hardcore fans worldwide, easily,
so long as you remember to count me twice.
The CHAMPIONS title proving to be no more long-lived, ultimately, than the
average mayfly... the Widow (having now gained a real "taste" for mass super-team
action, I suppose) turned her liquid gaze towards the same direction as once
had, long ago, the spurned Hawkeye: Avengers Mansion.
[See cover reproduction, below]
Whreas it is now an established aspect of present-
day Marvel Comics "continuity" that the Widow's all-too-brief tenure as a member
of the Avengers -- first as simply one more Professional Butt-Kicker within
a larger crowd of same; then, later, as the duly-elected leader of said
bunch -- was something of a "failure," overall (I do not pretend to follow the
argument, in this instance)... I, for one, thought the grim and glamorous
ex-KGB agent made for quite the intriguing little addition to the team gestalt.
There's something to be said, after all, for having a former Communist espionage
agent sharing a meeting table with the star-spangled likes of a Captain America;
or a thoroughgoing capitalist (and -- let's not mince words, here, shall we?
-- war profiteer) such as Iron Man.
Besides: her shapely presence at Avengers meetings always did
cause Hawkeye to break out into a serious case of The Cold Sweats.
That was always a lot of fun, as well.
The Silver Age AVENGERS
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