Avengers #118 / (1973)

"To The Death!" Avengers-Defenders crossover. Part 7 of 8. Guest-starring the Defenders. Script by Steve Englehart. Pencils by Bob Brown. Inks by Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia. Cover by Bob Brown and John Romita. One of the classic Avengers issues of the bronze age! Story continues from Defenders 10. At last the truth stands revealed! Dormammu and Loki have tricked the Avengers and Defenders into gathering the Evil Eye! And now Dormammu has the Evil Eye and is using it to merge his dark dimension with Earth's! The fourteen super-heroes have one hour to beat the powerful super-villains before chaos envelopes the universe! Once inside the dark realm, the Dread One wipes out the Defenders! And after quicksand bogs down five avengers, only three remain to make the final charge! But when the thunder god and the golden avenger fall, the final hope of the universe rests with the Scarlet Witch! In the depths of the dark realm, can Wanda deliver the coup de grâce to the Dread Dormammu? Avengers Assemble! Story continues in Defenders 11. Cameo appearances by Contessa Valentina Allegro, Dum Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, the Watcher, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Dracula, Ghost Rider, Luke Cage, Man-Thing, Ka-Zar, Zabu, Thanos, Adam Warlock, and Doctor Doom. (Notes: The Avengers-Defenders Clash was a masterpiece by Steve Englehart that set the standard for multi-issue crossovers (that have become much more common in the modern age). Crossover stories greater than 2 or 3 issues were very rare in the silver and bronze ages. The Avengers-Defenders Clash was reprinted in a trade paperback in 2002 and again in a hard cover edition in 2007. The Avengers appear in a cameo role in the final part of the story in Defenders 11. Dormammu returns in Doctor Strange (2nd series) 6. The letters page includes a letter from comics writer Ralph Macchio.) 32 pages Cover price $0.20.