The Avengers #43

Aug 1967 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

📊 ~47,200 copies sold its debut month

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“Color Him... the Red Guardian!”

★ 1st appearance — Colonel Ling

About this Issue

Avengers #43 marks the first appearance of Alexei Shostakov as the Red Guardian, Marvel's Cold War answer to Captain America — a Soviet super-soldier designed to embody the ideological mirror image of Steve Rogers, complete with his own hurling disc in place of a shield. The issue doubles as a pivotal chapter in Natasha Romanoff's history, dramatically revealing that the Black Widow's husband, long believed dead, had secretly been conditioned by the KGB into this communist champion — a revelation that deepened her character far beyond a supporting spy role. The two-part arc (concluding in issue #44) became the foundational text for the Red Guardian identity, which has since been inherited by multiple successors and most recently brought to a wide audience through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also contains a short-lived but notable subplot in which Quicksilver demonstrates a temporary ability to fly, a power quietly dropped by subsequent writers.

In "Color Him... the Red Guardian!", Hawkeye and Hercules track down leads on Black Widow’s disappearance, only to be caught off guard by a mysterious new foe—the Red Guardian, Colonel Ying’s most dangerous secret weapon. Meanwhile, Quicksilver stumbles upon a startling new power that could change everything. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by John Buscema with inks by George Roussos, this 1967 Marvel classic features a dynamic cover by Buscema and Roussos.

writer Roy Thomas · artist John Buscema · inker George Bell · letterer Jerry Mann · cover John Buscema, George Roussos

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $52

CGC 9.8 · 1 in census $7,464*

CGC 9.6 · 17 in census $3,137

CGC 9.4 · 41 in census $1,085

CGC 9.2 · 52 in census $530

CGC 9.0 · 70 in census $524

CGC 8.5 · 88 in census $321

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 92 in census $321

CGC 7.5 · 113 in census $196

CGC 7.0 · 136 in census $187

CGC 6.5 · 115 in census $149

CGC 6.0 · 103 in census $140

CGC 5.5 · 111 in census $101

CGC 5.0 · 89 in census $101

CGC 4.5 · 95 in census $78

CGC 4.0 · 69 in census $78

CGC 3.5 · 51 in census $61

CGC 3.0 · 31 in census $48

CGC 2.5 · 14 in census $43*

CGC 2.0 · 13 in census $33*

CGC 1.5 · 1 in census $27*

CGC 1.0 · 1 in census $22*

CGC 0.5 · 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

More listings for this title

NM $4.5 NM $5.99 VF+ $5.99 NM $24 FR $48 CGC 2.5 $54.99 CGC 3 $59 VG $60

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History

The issue was written by Roy Thomas and penciled by John Buscema, with inks by George Roussos (credited in the indicia as George Bell) and lettering by Jerry Feldman (credited in-comic as Jerry Mann). Stan Lee served as editor, with Martin Goodman as publisher. The on-sale date, per Library of Congress records, was June 8, 1967, with a cover date of August 1967. The story falls squarely in Thomas's early tenure steering the Avengers title, a run during which Buscema's dynamic figure work was already drawing praise from readers in the letters column of the very same issue.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Red Guardian (Alexei Shostakov), the Soviet Union's super-soldier counterpart to Captain America, created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler John Buscema.
The Red Guardian is revealed at the issue's climax to be Natasha Romanoff's husband, who she believed had died — a shocking character development that permanently reshaped Black Widow's backstory.
Story title: 'Color Him... the Red Guardian!' — Part 1 of a 2-part arc; the story concludes in Avengers #44.
Credits: Script by Roy Thomas; pencils by John Buscema; inks by George Roussos (as George Bell); letters by Jerry Feldman (as Jerry Mann); editor Stan Lee.
Quicksilver debuts a temporary and quickly forgotten ability to fly, achieved by vibrating his legs at high speed — a power never revisited after his departure in issue #49.
Active Avengers roster in this issue: Captain America, Goliath (Hank Pym), Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and the Wasp; Hercules and Black Widow appear as guests.
The issue has been reprinted in Marvel Triple Action #35 (May 1977), Essential Avengers Vol. 2 (1999, black and white), Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 5 (2005), True Believers: Black Widow – Red Guardian #1 (December 2020), and both editions of The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 2.
A background Easter egg on page 5 depicts a boxing poster listing 'Slammer Sauron' vs. 'Freddy Frodo,' an in-joke Lord of the Rings reference attributed to Buscema.