West Coast Avengers #46
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWest Coast Avengers #46 is the origin point of the Great Lakes Avengers — Marvel's deliberately off-kilter, Midwestern super-team whose absurdist premise (a man who can only die, a woman who is two-dimensional, a teleporter limited to the next room) offered a gentle satirical counterpoint to the increasingly grim superhero landscape of 1989. John Byrne introduced all five founding GLA members — Mr. Immortal, Flatman, Big Bertha, Doorman, and Dinah Soar — in a single issue, and they proved durable enough to headline their own mini-series, crossover with Deadpool and Squirrel Girl, and earn repeated reinstatement into Marvel's official Avengers family. The issue also marks the final chapter published under the 'West Coast Avengers' title, as the series was rechristened 'Avengers West Coast' beginning with issue #47 — a structural shift that signalled Marvel's effort to unify its two Avengers franchises editorially. Within the larger arc of Byrne's run, the issue serves as a tonal pivot: after the dark, dismantling events of 'Vision Quest' in issues #42–45, the GLA debut provides an almost comedic exhale before Scarlet Witch's descent into darkness accelerated in subsequent issues.
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John Byrne took over West Coast Avengers as writer-artist with issue #42, launching the 'Vision Quest' storyline that saw the Vision kidnapped and stripped of his personality by a multinational government coalition. Issue #46 was originally planned as the final chapter of that arc — a house-ad in issue #41 even promoted a cover featuring the original Human Torch for #46 — but Byrne restructured his plans and expanded 'Vision Quest' beyond that issue, saving the Torch's return for issue #50 and pivoting #46 entirely to the GLA's introduction. The series carried the editorial imprimatur of Tom DeFalco as Editor-in-Chief, and the title change to 'Avengers West Coast' effective with the next issue was partly driven by fan pushback against an earlier proposed rename to 'New Avengers,' documented in the letter pages of issue #32. Byrne served as writer, penciler, and cover artist on the issue, with inks provided by Mike Machlan throughout this stretch of his run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Great Lakes Avengers (GLA) as a team, debuting all five founding members in a single issue.
- First individual appearances of Mr. Immortal (Craig Hollis), Flatman (Val Ventura), Big Bertha (Ashley Crawford), Doorman (DeMarr Davis), and Dinah Soar.
- Written, penciled, and cover-illustrated by John Byrne; the issue carries the story title 'Franchise.'
- Cover date: July 1989; publication date: approximately June 30, 1989. This is the final issue published under the 'West Coast Avengers' title — the series was renamed 'Avengers West Coast' starting with issue #47.
- The plot centers on Hawkeye and Mockingbird — estranged from the main team after USAgent was imposed on the roster — traveling to Milwaukee to investigate the unauthorized use of the Avengers name, ultimately agreeing to take the GLA under Hawkeye's wing.
- The GLA's Milwaukee-based premise established them as a recurring comedy-relief yet legitimately heroic presence; the team later headlined the four-issue 'GLA: Misassembled' mini-series (2005, written by Dan Slott), crossed over with Deadpool and Squirrel Girl, and was formally reinstated as an official Avengers affiliate.
- The issue also features supporting appearances by USAgent, Tigra, and Scarlet Witch at the West Coast Compound, setting up ongoing subplots (Tigra's feral regression, Scarlet Witch receiving a letter about Vision repairs) that run through Byrne's subsequent issues.
- Reprinted in multiple collections including the 'Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Vision Quest' (2020 and 2025 printings) and the oversize 'Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus' (2016).
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Reprints
Reprinted in El Asombroso Hombre Araña Presenta #105 (1990), Titans #135 (1990), G.L.A.: Misassembled #[nn] (2005), Avengers West Coast: Vision Quest #[nn] (2005), Avengers West Coast #[nn] (2012), Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus #[nn] (2016), Avengers West Coast Epic Collection #4 (2020), Vingadores: A Busca pelo Visão #[nn] (2021), Marvel Must-Have #[116] (2026), Die Rächer #34
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