To start with, it’s best to mention that this issue, by reference and the absence of Iron Man, takes place after Tales of Suspense #61, likely during the events of #62, which keeps Iron Man busy and away from the Avengers. For completionists, I recommend being caught up to at least #61 before diving into this issue—or even this review—to avoid being endurraged by spoilers!

In this issue, we have Thor, who is chairman of the week, summoning the Avengers. They discuss the apparent death of Tony Stark and Iron Man’s absence, all while being observed by Kang, who’s watching from the future. Kang sees an opportunity to defeat the Avengers by sending a robot modeled after none other than Spider-Man.

Story

The story grabs you right from the start. The Avengers are fooled by the robotic Spider-Man, and he nearly defeats them by leading them into a trap, taking them down one by one. Interestingly, the team doesn’t manage to defeat the robot themselves. Instead, in a true deus ex machina moment, the real Spider-Man swoops in at the climax to save the day.

While this plot device might feel a bit lazy, and the idea of Spider-Man traveling so far from New York is a little unnerving, the issue still has its merits.

Originality and Continuity

This issue builds nicely on what came before. It features Kang, who first appeared in Avengers #8 and references the events of the following issue. It also cleverly ties into Iron Man’s solo stories, using his absence as a plot point to drive the action here.

In fact, this issue is a foundational example of how the Marvel universe started weaving its interconnected narrative. Sure, there were examples of this before, but here, we start to see multiple threads coming together in new and exciting ways.

Characters and Development

The team’s dynamics continue to evolve as they wrestle with something we readers probably think about too—what’s the balance between acting alone (in their solo stories) versus working together as a team (in the Avengers)? There’s some uniformity in their views, at least among the more mortal members. They even briefly discuss how a new member, like Spider-Man, might join the team—though it’s kept at a high level for now.

As for Kang, he gets some much-needed development. We’ve seen him once (or more, depending on your reading experience), but here, he acts from the future to strike at the Avengers. There’s even a nod to the idea that he’s a descendant of Doctor Doom, which deepens his character and adds some intrigue.

Artwork

Don Heck’s artwork in this issue is spot-on, driving the action as the Avengers face off and mostly lose to the robotic Spider-Man. The pacing and panel layout keep the story moving forward, while the level of detail in the characters and action keeps us hooked. Heck also does an impressive job of conveying emotion, especially through Kang, even with his mask on. The artwork allows us to read deeper into the characters’ thoughts, sometimes beyond what the word bubbles tell us.