Comic Browser:

The Avengers #245

Jul 1984

Roger Stern, Al Milgrom

Story Name:

Bombshells

Synopsis

The Avengers #245 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

The Dire Wraith impersonating Dr. Woodrow Cather is making his escape in an experimental rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) easily catches up to it and enters; she finds the Wasp who was accidentally caught aboard when the rocket took off. Cather has spotted CM and blasts her with a ray weapon while she is in her human form. Wasp attacks Cather, her sting forcing him back into his Dire Wraith form. But the villain must steady the controls to prevent disaster, giving Wasp the opportunity to wield his ray gun against him….

In Transia, Lockjaw has tracked Bova to the home of the local doctor; Quicksilver enters and finds Bova gravely injured and she says it was Magneto’s doing. Pietro vows revenge….

The Dire Wraith explains that he and his fellow male, scientific Wraiths were sabotaging other projects at the Center, diverting equipment to build this rocket, planning to escape the sorcerous Wraith-Sisters, who are trying to exterminate them. The Wraith also explains that his ship’s drive is unstable and he must keep power levels within a certain range or the ship will explode, killing them and raining antimatter down on Earth. So they are at a stalemate as Wasp cannot shoot him without risking disaster. Captain Marvel, who changed into X-rays and avoided disintegration, is also at bay so she contacts the Avengers on the ground, filling them in on the situation….

Vision and Starfox, who is familiar with starship drives, head into space via Quinjet to intercept the rocket. At the Center, Captain America goes with General Bridges to see the captive Dire Wraiths in the isolation lab. But what he discovers is female Wraiths having taken over the lab and killed the male captives—and the General is also one of the aliens. The General holds Cap so that another Wraith can suck out his brain and take his place; Cap gives a mighty leap, causing the Wraith to accidentally kill the General with its spiked tongue….

Back in space, the stalemate between Wasp and Dr. Cather is broken when Vision comes aboard and seizes the Wraith while Starfox takes the controls of the rocket. The Wraith panics and transforms into a large fiercer version of itself and attacks Starfox. The Avenger subdues the Wraith which then blows the hatch, causing everything to be sucked out into space. CM scoops up Wasp in a helmet which Vision grabs as he makes himself too dense to move, while the Dire Wraith and Captain Marvel are sucked out. CM takes on an energy form as the alien freezes to death. After rendering the rocket harmless, the team heads back to Earth in the Quinjet….

The Dire Wraiths are wrecking the lab, searching for Captain America who manages to covertly radio Scarlet Witch and plan a rescue. Cap distracts the aliens and Wanda blows open the door and the two Avengers battle the Wraiths until both are dead….

As the Avengers are ready to leave the Kennedy Center, they are met by Nick Fury, who informs them that SHIELD will be in charge of anti-Wraith activities. Vision is disappointed as this will interfere with his long-range plans for the Avengers…

…part of which concerns Hawkeye and Mockingbird, seen in Los Angeles preparing to start the search of a headquarters for the West Coast Avengers….

Review / Commentaries

The Avengers #245 Review by T Vernon (March 11, 2023)

Comments: Cover title: The Mighty Avengers, on issues #241-255. Part two of two parts. Next appearance of the Dire Wraiths in AVENGERS is in issue #268.

Review: My but that’s a creepy cover, with the agonized face and distorted body of Captain Marvel as she is being shot with weirdo’s ray gun—in a red monochrome no less. Fortunately, the same scene inside is far less traumatizing. The story inside is very exciting, the battle in space with Wasp (and Captain Marvel) versus the Dire Wraith in an unstable ship one highlight. Another is Cap’s (and Wanda’s) fight with the female Wraiths. The situation seems to have brought out the best in Roger Stern and the art team. It is with mild disappointment that we learn on the last page that Nick Fury and SHIELD, who did not have their own series at this time, would be battling the Dire Wraiths, presumably in the pages of ROM, whence they came.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Roger Stern

Al Milgrom

Joe Sinnott

Juliana Ferriter

Al Milgrom (Cover Penciler)
Joe Sinnott (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Jim Novak.
Editor: Mark Gruenwald. Editor-in-chief: Jim Shooter.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Avengers

Captain America
(Steven Rogers)

Captain Marvel
(Monica Rambeau)

Hawkeye
(Clinton Barton)

Lockjaw

Mockingbird

Nick Fury
(Nicholas Fury)

Quicksilver
(Pietro Maximoff)

Scarlet Witch
(Wanda Maximoff)

Starfox
(Eros)

Vision

Wasp
(Janet Van Dyne)

Plus: Bova Ayrshire (Bova), Dire Wraiths.

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