Cover: Jack Kirby & John Romita & Joe Sinnott

The Avengers #158

Apr 1977 · Marvel · 0.30 USD

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“When Avengers Clash!!”

★ 1st appearance — Franklin Hall★ 1st appearance — Graviton

About this Issue

Avengers #158 is the debut issue for Graviton (Franklin Hall), one of the most physically powerful recurring villains in Avengers history — a gravity-manipulating physicist who immediately hands the entire roster a humiliating defeat, establishing him as a genuine tier-one threat from his very first page. The issue simultaneously delivers the long-simmering emotional showdown between Wonder Man and the Vision, a conflict rooted in the unsettling fact that the Vision's brain patterns were derived from Simon Williams, making Wonder Man's resurrection a direct challenge to the synthezoid's identity and marriage. Together, these two narrative threads — a bombshell new villain and a character-driven team fracture — make this a defining Bronze Age Avengers issue. It also marks the beginning of Jim Shooter's tenure as the book's writer, a run that would shape the team's voice and soap-opera dynamics for years.

In "When Avengers Clash!!", the Avengers face off against the powerful Graviton in a clash of might and mind. Written by Jim Shooter and brought to life by Sal Buscema’s dynamic art, with Pablo Marcos on inks and Don Warfield’s coloring, this issue delivers a high-stakes showdown that pushes the team to their limits. The cover by Jack Kirby and John Romita, inked by Joe Sinnott, captures the intensity of the battle in bold, iconic style.

writer Jim Shooter · artist Sal Buscema · artist, inker Pablo Marcos · colorist Don Warfield · letterer Joe Rosen · cover Jack Kirby, John Romita, Joe Sinnott

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $15

CGC 9.8 · 28 in census $485

CGC 9.6 · 55 in census $157*

CGC 9.4 · 59 in census $118

CGC 9.2 · 32 in census $61

CGC 9.0 · 19 in census $55

CGC 8.5 · 20 in census $52

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CGC 8.0 · 15 in census $39

CGC 7.5 · 9 in census $37*

CGC 7.0 · 7 in census $35*

CGC 6.5 · 7 in census $35

CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $28*

CGC 5.5 · 3 in census $28*

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $28

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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VG $5.19 Newsstand $5.99 VG $6.99 GOOD $6.99 FN $7.91 VG $7.99 VF $9.99 FN $10

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History

The issue was scripted by Jim Shooter, with interior art by Sal Buscema on breakdowns and Pablo Marcos on finishes; Don Warfield colored and Joe Rosen lettered, under editor Archie Goodwin. The cover was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Dan Adkins — notably, the Grand Comics Database records that original artwork for the issue shows facial alterations on Vision and Wonder Man, possibly retouched by John Romita. The issue went on sale in January 1977 with an April 1977 cover date, and was distributed in a standard Marvel edition, a Whitman variant, and a UK edition with a 12p cover price.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance and origin of Graviton (Franklin Hall), created by writer Jim Shooter and penciler Sal Buscema — a Canadian physicist accidentally infused with graviton particles during a failed teleportation experiment who quickly turns to megalomania.
Graviton's debut power demonstration: he lifts an entire research facility in the Canadian Rockies thousands of feet into the air and defeats the full Avengers roster single-handedly, ending the issue with the team unconscious.
The issue contains the first major physical confrontation between Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and the Vision, triggered by the Vision's jealousy — rooted in the fact that his brain patterns were modeled on Wonder Man — over Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch).
Written by Jim Shooter, this issue marks the start of his scripting run on the Avengers title; interior art is by Sal Buscema (breakdowns) with Pablo Marcos (finishes); the cover is by Jack Kirby and Dan Adkins, under editor Archie Goodwin.
Story title: 'When Avengers Clash!!' — Part 1 of a 2-part story concluded in Avengers #159.
Active Avengers roster in this issue: Beast, Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man, and Yellowjacket; Wonder Man is listed as a supporting character rather than a full team member.
Black Knight (Dane Whitman) appears only as a shattered stone body — a consequence of the prior issue — and does not return to active continuity until Avengers #225.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in Essential Avengers Vol. 7 (2010), Avengers Epic Collection: The Final Threat (2013), and Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 16 (2016); a French-language edition appeared in Les Vengeurs #88/89 (Editions Héritage). Three original format variants exist: standard newsstand, Whitman, and a British edition with a 12p cover price.
Graviton later appeared in the animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) and the live-action Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where Franklin Hall was portrayed by Ian Hart and the Graviton identity was assumed by Glenn Talbot (Adrian Pasdar).