- "And now, either agree to serve me, as all mankind someday shall do... or suffer the consequences!"
- ―Kang
| "Once an Avenger..." | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The Avengers | |
| Title: | "Once an Avenger..." |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 23 |
| Cover price: | .12 |
| Cover date: | December, 1965 |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Stan Lee |
| Writers: | Stan Lee |
| Pencilers: | Don Heck |
| Inkers: | John Romita |
| Cover artists: | Jack Kirby |
| Cover inker: | John Romita |
| Cover colorist: | Stan Goldberg |
| Cover letterer: | Sam Rosen |
| Letterers: | Sherigail |
| Editors: | Stan Lee |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Avengers #22 |
| Next: | Avengers #24 |
"Once an Avenger..." is the title to the twenty-third issue of the first The Avengers ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It was written by Stan Lee with artwork by Don Heck and inks by John Romita. Lettering was by Sherigail. The story was edited by Stan Lee. This issue shipped with a December, 1965 cover date and carries a cover price of .12 cents per copy.
"Once an Avenger..."[]
Featured characters
- Captain America, Steve Rogers
- Hawkeye, Clint Barton
- Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff
- Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff
Supporting characters
- King Carelius (1st appearance)
- Princess Ravonna Renslayer (1st appearance)
Villains
Minor characters
Organizations
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
- Blast arrow
- Bow and arrow
- Captain America's shield
- Force field
- Grappling hook arrow
- Hawkeye's bow
- Molecule expander
- Ray gun
- Recreator
- Shield
- Spectrum-inverter
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Avengers were created by writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. They first appeared in The Avengers #1 in September, 1963.
- According to the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress; Periodicals, this issue shipped to retailers on October 12th, 1965.
- Letterer Morrie Kuramoto is credited as "Sherigail" in this issue.
- Hawkeye calls Captain America "Methuselah" in this issue. Methuselah is a character from the Holy Bible. He is said to have had the longest living lifespan at 969 years.
- This issue includes a house ad for Fantastic Four #46, Amazing Spider-Man #32 and Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1.
- Captain America quit the Avengers in Avengers #22.
- Wanda Maximoff inwardly expresses her romantic fondness for Captain America in this issue. Clint Barton is quick to pick up on it.
- Reference is made to Billy Graham in this issue. Billy Graham was an evangelical spiritual leader and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
- This is the first, and to date, only known appearance of Curly, who is a member of the New York training camp.
- Hawkeye has the honor of shouting "Avengers assemble!" in this issue.
- Reference is made to Tony Stark in this issue. Tony Stark is a former Avenger known as Iron Man. He is also the owner of Avengers Mansion, which was once the Stark family home.
- Captain America makes reference to "Auld Lang Syne", which began as a Scottish poem by Robert Burns in 1788, and was later adapted as a folk song.
- Wanda Maximoff hurls one hex bolt and is wiped out to the point of exhaustion. Hard to believe that this is same chick that would go on to birth fictional children and wipe out all mutants, eh?
- The Recreator, also known as a Time reversal ray, first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #105.
Reprints[]
The story from this issue has been reprinted in the following volumes:
- Avengers Omnibus 1
- Essential Avengers 1
- Marvel Masterworks 27
- Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers 3
- Marvel Triple Action 17