The Avengers #147

History

The story was the continuation of an arc Englehart and Pérez had launched in Avengers #141, but the saga suffered a significant production disruption: a two-issue fill-in by Tony Isabella and Don Heck (issues #145–146) bumped 'Crisis on Other-Earth!' out of its originally planned slot, delaying it two months to the February 1976 on-sale date (cover-dated May 1976). According to later published accounts, both halves of the Squadron Supreme story had originally been slated for the now-cancelled Giant-Size Avengers #5, a plan derailed when Marvel phased out its line of giant-sized comics in mid-1975. The issue was edited by Marv Wolfman, with interior lettering split between Gaspar Saladino (page one) and Denise Wohl, and features a cover by Rich Buckler and Dan Adkins that — perhaps owing to the production shuffle — incorrectly labels the Squadron Supreme as the 'Squadron Sinister' in its cover copy.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Written by Steve Englehart, pencilled by George Pérez, inked by Vince Colletta; cover pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Dan Adkins; edited by Marv Wolfman.
• Story title is 'Crisis on Other-Earth!' — Part 5 of the 7-part Serpent Crown Saga (spanning Avengers #141–144 and #147–149); the saga's continuation was delayed two months by a fill-in arc in issues #145–146.
• The story takes place primarily on Earth-712 (the Squadron Supreme's home world), where an alternate-reality Nelson Rockefeller serves as president while under the corrupting influence of the Serpent Crown.
• The cover erroneously identifies the Squadron Supreme as the 'Squadron Sinister' — a production error noted by multiple sources and not corrected before publication.
• This issue features one of the most notable early showcases of the Vision's density-control powers: he reduces his mass to near-invisibility to steal the Serpent Crown from President Rockefeller, a tactic Englehart would revisit in the Vision & Scarlet Witch maxi-series.
• Hawkeye departs the Avengers in this issue, leaving the active roster on-page; his exit is tied to the conclusion of the time-travel subplot involving the Two-Gun Kid and the battle against Kang in the 19th-century American West.
• Warlord Krang, Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian), Cobra, Eel, and Princess Python appear only in recap/flashback panels recapping the Serpent Squad storyline from Captain America; none are new appearances.
• The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in the Avengers: The Serpent Crown TPB (2005), Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 15 (2015), Squadron Supreme Classic Omnibus (2016), Squadron Supreme vs. Avengers (2021), Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 8 (2022), and Avengers Omnibus Vol. 5 (2023).

Cast · 40 characters

Full credits

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