The Avengers #97

Published by Marvel Comics in March 1972, The Avengers #97 serves as the fourth installment of the Kree-Skrull War, a landmark arc in superhero storytelling. Written by Roy Thomas with pencils by John Buscema and inks by Tom Palmer, the issue was produced during a period of experimentation at Marvel where creators moved away from self-contained adventures toward dense, serialized space epics. This narrative scope was ambitious for the time, seeking to elevate the Avengers from street-level defenders to players in a massive, galaxy-spanning conflict.

The design of this era reflected a stylistic shift toward more cinematic, grand-scale layouts that could accommodate the complex geopolitical tension between the Kree and Skrull empires. The cover and interior art were received as definitive examples of the Marvel style in the early 1970s, noted for Buscema's powerful character anatomy and Palmer's refined, atmospheric ink work. By connecting the internal drama of the Avengers to the external threat of alien invasion, the creative team established a template for long-form event storytelling that became a staple of the medium.