Marvel Adventures The Avengers #37
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #37 is historically notable as an all-ages bridge between Marvel's Golden Age and modern eras, staging a rare team-up between the 1940s All-Winners Squad — Captain America, the original Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Sub-Mariner, and the Whizzer — and the contemporary Avengers roster under a Puppet Master scheme. The issue gives meaningful page time to Madeline Joyce's Miss America, a foundational but frequently overlooked figure: Marvel's first costumed superheroine, whose Miss America/Ms. America mantle would eventually pass down and inform the modern America Chavez character. Coming in the final year of a 39-issue all-ages series, the story signals Paul Tobin's editorial enthusiasm for rehabilitating Timely-era characters for younger readers who might never otherwise encounter them.
In "Doll Winners Squad," Puppet Master unleashes an alien clay that pulls the Invaders into the present, mind-controlled and ready for his scheme. Ms. America and Golden Girl join forces with the Avengers in a high-stakes race to free their allies and stop the puppeteer’s sinister plan. Written by Paul Tobin and illustrated by Dario Brizuela, with inks by Leandro Corral, colors by SotoColor, and letters by Dave Sharpe, this 2009 adventure features a cover by David Williams.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers launched in July 2006, created by writer Jeff Parker and artist Manuel Garcia as a standalone, continuity-free all-ages title under Marvel's Marvel Adventures imprint — designed from the outset to be accessible to younger readers without requiring knowledge of mainstream Marvel history. Paul Tobin, already writing multiple titles across the imprint simultaneously, took over the book's later issues and scripted #37 with pencils by Dario Brizuela and a cover by David Williams. The Marvel Adventures line published stories first in standard comic format and then collected them into manga-sized digest paperbacks; issue #37 was later gathered in the tenth and final digest collection, Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 10: Invasion, alongside issues #36–39.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title is 'Doll Winner's Squad,' a pun on the Golden Age team name 'All-Winners Squad.'
- Written by Paul Tobin; penciled by Dario Brizuela; cover by David Williams.
- The Puppet Master (Phillip Masters) serves as the central villain, using mind-controlling puppets crafted from genetic material to enslave Golden Age heroes and rewrite history to his benefit.
- The All-Winners Squad members under Puppet Master control include the Whizzer, the original Human Torch (Jim Hammond), and Sub-Mariner (Namor), alongside Steve Rogers' Captain America — all Timely Comics-era heroes.
- Miss America (Madeline Joyce), Golden Girl, and the Blonde Phantom travel from the 1940s to assist the modern Avengers, giving the issue its Golden Age crossover dimension.
- Miss America appearing in this issue is Madeline Joyce — first introduced in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 (November 1943), created by Otto Binder and Al Gabriele, and Marvel's first costumed superheroine — not America Chavez, who did not debut until Vengeance #1 (September 2011).
- Marvel Adventures: The Avengers ran 39 issues (July 2006 – October 2009) and existed in its own continuity separate from the mainstream Marvel Universe, making characters like Giant-Girl (Janet Van Dyne's counterpart) distinct variants of familiar heroes.
- Issue #37 was collected in Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 10: Invasion (digest paperback), which compiled issues #36–39 as the series' concluding volume.
Cast · 11 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Puppet Master has used an alien clay to draw the Invaders to the present time under his control and Ms. America and Golden Girl team up with the Avengers to stop his plans and free their friends.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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