The Avengers #53

(June 1968)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1)

Joe Weider Course and Products / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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Letters

typeset

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First Line of Dialogue or Text

Tired of being 'skinny'?

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Ad for a weight gain product.

In Battle Joined! (Table of Contents: 2)

The Avengers / comic story / 20 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas (credited)

Pencils

John Buscema (credited)

Inks

George Tuska (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

Artie Simek (credited)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Let all who begin this epic know!

Feature Logo

The Mighty Avengers!

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Avengers: Black Panther [T'Challa] (also in flashback); Goliath [Hank Pym] (also in flashback); Hawkeye [Clint Barton] (also in flashback); Wasp [Janet Van Dyne] (also in flashback)
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Magneto [Erik Lehnsherr] (villain, apparent death); Quicksilver [Pietro Maximoff] (villain, quits the team); Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff] (villain, quits the team); Toad [Mortimer Toynbee] (villain, quits the team)
X-Men: Angel [Warren Worthington III] (also in flashback); Beast [Hank McCoy]; Cyclops [Scott Summers]; Iceman [Bobby Drake]; Marvel Girl [Jean Grey]
Seymour (flashback)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Magneto lures the Avengers to his island base to fight off the invading X-Men. Even after mind controlling the X-Men into hating the Avengers, the two teams outwit Magneto and team up to defeat him.

Reprints

• in Fantastic! (IPC, 1967 series) #88 (19 October 1968), #89 (26 October 1968)
• in Strange (Editions Lug, 1970 series) #46 (5 octobre 1973)
• in Il Mitico Thor (Editoriale Corno, 1971 series) #65 (9 Ottobre 1973)
• in Die ruhmreichen Rächer (BSV - Williams, 1974 series) #52 ([Januar 1977])
• in Marvel Triple Action (Marvel, 1972 series) #46 (February 1979) [minus two original pages]
• in Los Vengadores (Novedades, 1981 series) #53 (4 de marzo de 1982)
• in Spidey (Editions Lug, 1979 series) #62 (10 mars 1985)
• in The Avengers (Marvel, 1963 series) #350 (Early August 1992)
• in Marvel Special (Marvel Italia, 1994 series) #15 (Dicembre 1998)
• in Essential Avengers (Marvel, 1999 series) #3 (2001) [black and white]
• in Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men (Marvel, 2003 series) #5 ([August] 2005)
• in Essential Classic X-Men (Marvel, 2006 series) #2 (2006) [black and white]
• in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers (Marvel, 2003 series) #6 ([December] 2006)
• in Avengers : L'intégrale (Panini France, 2006 series) #1968 (juin 2010)
• in The X-Men Omnibus (Marvel, 2009 series) #2 (2011)
• in Marvel Gold. Los Vengadores: ¡Unidos en Combate! (Panini España, 2012 series) (Marzo 2012)
• in The Avengers Omnibus (Marvel, 2012 series) #2 (2015)
• in X-Men Epic Collection (Marvel, 2014 series) #2 - Lonely Are the Hunted (2016)
• in The Avengers Omnibus (Marvel, 2012 series) #2 [Second Edition] (2023)

Indexer Notes

Story continues from The X-Men (Marvel, 1963 series) #45.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

Don Bolander Career Institute Booklet / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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? (background only)

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typeset

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?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Shamed by your English?

Indexer Notes

Ad offering free booklet on "How to Gain a Good Command of English"
Between story pages 3 and 4.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Marvel Super-Hero T-Shirts; Merry Marvel Marching Society Membership Kit / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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?

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?

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?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Marvel super-hero T-shirts

Characters

Captain Marvel [Mar-Vell]; The Fantastic Four [The Human Torch; Mr. Fantastic; Invisible Girl; The Thing]; Iron Man; Thor; Spider-Man; The Avengers; The Hulk

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Marvel Super-Hero T-Shirts ($1.60 each), sweat shirts ($3.15 each), and the Merry Marvel Marching Society Membership Kit ($1.00 each). Between story pages 6 and 7.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

Strat-O-Matic Baseball Game / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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? (ad copy)

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?

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?

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?; typeset

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?

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Baseball fans are crazy about this true-to-life baseball game

Indexer Notes

Between story pages 6 and 7.

Missile Firing Tank (Table of Contents: 6)

Missile Firing Tank / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

? (background and lettering only)

Letters

typeset

Editing

?

Indexer Notes

Sold by Honor House Products.
Between story pages 9 and 10, on top half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

Centre Coin's Album or Catalog / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

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? (ad copy)

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?

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? (background and lettering only)

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typeset

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We’ll pay you $10,000.00 for this Lincoln penny

Indexer Notes

Ad for U.S. coin catalog.
Between story pages 9 and 10 on lower half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

Precise Publications Defense Training / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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?; ? (photography)

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?; ? (photography)

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typeset

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?

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You can now become an expert with forbidden Oriental fighting arts

Indexer Notes

Ad for martial arts book sent in plain wrapper, $3.98.
Between story pages 15 and 16.

Shop by Mail; Stamps (Table of Contents: 9)

advertisement / 2 pages (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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?; ? (photography)

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?; ? (photography)

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?

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typeset

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First Line of Dialogue or Text

Okay! Okay! Stop nagging us! Here it is — an autographed photo of... Stan (the man) Lee

Indexer Notes

A collection of classified advertising offering stamps, novelties, and comic books, between story pages 18 and 19.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 10)

Bullpen Bulletins; Mighty Marvel Checklist; Stan's Soapbox / in-house column / 1 page (report information)

Script

Stan Lee (credited as Smiley); ? (promo copy)

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?

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?

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?

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typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The second Golden Age of Marvel is here! (And you didn't even bake a cake!)

Feature Logo

Marvel Bullpen Bulletins [times three]

Characters

Hawkeye

Indexer Notes

Includes: Stan's Soapbox!; Items; The Mighty Marvel Checklist.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11)

American Circle Products / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

? (ad copy)

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?

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?

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typeset

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First Line of Dialogue or Text

Magic world of surprises & mystery

Indexer Notes

Ad for various novelty items on upper half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

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? (ad copy)

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typeset

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Boys 12 or older sell Grit in your spare time

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for selling Grit magazine from Grit Publishing Co. on lower half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

Avengers Assemble! / letters page / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Colors

? (lettering only)

Letters

typeset

Reprints

• in The Avengers Omnibus (Marvel, 2012 series) #2 (2015), #2 [Second Edition] (2023)

Indexer Notes

Letters from: Paul Sanford, Ralph Duby, Jr., Peter Levy, Thomas Miller, Blair Benham, Sharon Burke, Tony Isabella (future comics writer), and Kendall Sutton.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14)

Spectacular Spider-Man-Man / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script

? (promo copy)

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?

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?

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?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The greatest event in the history of comic magazines!

Characters

Spider-Man

Indexer Notes

House ad for the Spectacular Spider-Man (Marvel, 1968 Series) #1 (July 1968), with cover shown (pre-painted version), and advertised as "On Sale Now".

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 15)

Niresk Fishing Outfits / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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? (ad copy)

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3 complete fishing outfits

Indexer Notes

Ad for fishing equipment from Niresk Discount Sales.
Inside back cover.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16)

Roman War Soldiers / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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? (ad copy)

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First Line of Dialogue or Text

132pc. Roman soldiers set

Indexer Notes

Back cover. Ad for toy soldiers.