TEEN BRIGADE
Membership: Mike Armstrong, Bill Bishop, Buddy, Charlie, Rick Jones, K. C. Ritter (Sam Casey), Tom Smith, Ted, Willie, numerous other teens with ham radios
Purpose: To aid the police and other heroic figures via their cross-country radio network
Affiliations: The Avengers (Ant-Man/Giant-Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Wasp), the Hulk, Wonder Man
Enemies: Count Nefaria and the Maggia, Kang the Conqueror, the Masters of Evil (Baron Heinrich Zemo, Black Knight (Nathan Garrett), Melter, Radioactive Man), Vuk ("Meduas" D'Bari), Metal Master
Base of Operations: Various across the United States
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk I#6 (March, 1963)
History: (Incredible Hulk I#6) - After a battle between the Hulk and the alien Metal Master, the Hulk was captured by the U. S. military. The Hulk blamed Rick Jones for his capture, prompting Rick to attempt to enlist in the army. General "Thunderbolt" Ross declined to enlist him, given that he was only sixteen. Rick was soon contacted by one of his friends, who showed Rick the new ham radio that he, Charlie, and another friend had just purchased. Seeing the radio gave Rick an idea on how to help the military and police, even though they were underage. The group would contact others around the country via their radios and warn them of any trouble in their vicinity. Rick suggested the name of the Teen Brigade, which the other boys agreed was a great name.
A short time later, Rick returned to the military base that had captured the Hulk, only to find Bruce Banner in bad shape. Rick returned Bruce to his home, where Bruce explained to Rick his plan to defeat the Metal Master. Rick quickly informed the Teen Brigade (that had now added many more teens to the group) that Bruce would need the Teen Brigade to retrieve equipment necessary for the Metal Master's defeat. The eager-to-help Teen Brigade sprang into action, sending the message across the United States. The parts needed for the Metal Master's defeat soon began to arrive via mail, as many of the cross-country Teen Brigade did their part to help.
As the Metal Master continued to shrug off attacks by the military, the Teen Brigade gathered the parts in an old abadoned warehouse, where the Hulk fashioned a weapon out of the parts. Minutes later, one of the Teen Brigade members spotted the Metal Master flying, headed north-northwest and informed Charlie, who, in turn, informed the Teen Brigade members aiding the Hulk. As the Hulk leapt off to battle the Metal Master, the Teen Brigade followed him into Washington, D. C., where the Hulk defeated the Metal Master and forced him to return everything affected by his powers to normal.
After the Metal Master's defeat, the Hulk admitted that the Teen Brigade deserved most of the credit, as they were the ones who rounded up the junk that made up the weapon. When one of the members asked the Hulk what kind of metal the weapon was made of, the Hulk replied that it wasn't metal at all, just a plastic and cardboard bluff that paid off. With the military hot on his heels, the Hulk fled with Rick Jones in tow, leaving the Teen Brigade to explain to General Ross how the Hulk had defeated the Metal Master. Days later, some of the Teen Brigade members spotted Betty Ross asking around about the Hulk and they went to ask Charlie if he could contact Rick to ask about the Hulk. Charlie told them that he was just about to contact Rick himself, as big news was going down in Washington, D. C. Charlie then contacted Rick and informed him that the Hulk had been nationally pardoned for his work in defeating the Metal Master.
(Avengers I#1) - Upon reading in the newspaper how the Hulk "attacked" a train, Rick Jones became determined to discover whether or not the Hulk was innocent. He contacted members of the Teen Brigade, including Willie, and the group attempted to contact the Fantastic Four for help in proving the Hulk's innocence. Their message was transmitted to Thor by Loki and was also unknowingly overheard by Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp due to Loki's interference.
The Teen Brigade eventually were able to contact the Fantastic Four, who explained that they were wrapped up in their own troubles at the time. Mister Fantastic explained that the message was recieved by other heroes and as soon as the words left his mouth, Thor arrived at the Teen Brigade's meeting place, followed by Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. After speaking with Rick and the others about the Hulk's dilemma, the heroes left to find the Hulk and help discover his innocence or guilt. Soon after finding the Hulk and defeating Loki, the heroes decided to remain together as the Avengers.
(Avengers I#2) - When the Hulk was impersonated by an alien Space Phantom, Rick Jones contacted a member of the Teen Brigade at his home, where he used the member's radio in an attempt to call the Avengers. Overrun with awe at how Rick contacted Giant-Man, the Teen Brigade member called his parents in the room to watch Rick in action. The Avengers soon defeated the Space Phantom, but the Hulk quit the team, feeling that none of the Avengers trusted him.
(Avengers I#3) - In their search for their recent runaway member the Hulk, the Avengers contacted Rick Jones, hoping that he might have some information to help them. Rick soon found the Hulk in New Mexico and rushed to the local Teen Brigade radio room and contacted the Avengers.
(Avengers I#4) - When the D'Bari Vuk temporarily transformed the Avengers into statues, the recently returned Captain America and Rick Jones visited a dark room belonging to a member of the Teen Brigade so they could better study the news photographs of the Avengers' transformation. When Cap and Rick discovered a man at the press conference wielding some sort of gun, Cap told Rick to find that man. Rick immediately went to the radio and alerted the Teen Brigade of the man. Soon after, the Teen Brigade began to frantically search the city in hopes of finding the man, but it was Captain America who eventually found the man and discovered that he was actually an alien.
(Avengers I#5) - After the Avengers went their seperate ways until a new threat arised, Captain America did an acrobatic exhibition for Rick Jones and the other members of the Teen Brigade, where he gave them speechs about why they should eat right and get exercise. The exhibition was soon interrupted by the arrival of Thor, who was trying to get the Avengers together to battle an unseen threat. As the Teen Brigade met with Thor, a loud crack erupted from the ground, leading Cap and Thor to think that whoever had caused such a startling sound had too much power that could potentially menace mankind (see the Living Rock). Thor then decided that the Avengers definately needed to get together to discover the source of the loud sounds and Captain America bid farewell to the Teen Brigade, reminding them to continue their practice.
(Avengers I#6) - While the Teen Brigade waited for the Avengers to arrive at JFK Airport, they were startled to see the villainous Black Knight swooping throughout the city, spraying adhesive on the citizens below. As other villains attacked the city as the Masters of Evil, the Avengers found themselves stuck to the ground due to Baron Heinrich Zemo's adhesive spray. While Iron Man freed the captive Avengers, Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade infiltrated Zemo's hideout. The Teen Brigade then captured Zemo's men and replaced their adhesive drums with vats of Paste-Pot Pete's Super-Dissolver, which would free the city from Zemo's adhesives. Zemo soon discovered the Teen Brigade, however, and blasted them with his Hypno-Ray and placed them under his mental control.
Before Zemo could question why the Brigade had been near his adhesives, Captain America arrived and began battling the Baron. The Baron eventually escaped via helicopter before the rest of the Avengers could arrive. When the Avengers finally made their way to Zemo's headquarters, Zemo had fled. Iron Man was able to return the Teen Brigade to their rightful mindstates using his Whirling Palm-Signaller.
(Avengers I#8) - When Kang the Conqueror imprisoned most of the Avengers, Rick Jones called in the Teen Brigade to help him free the captive Avengers. The Teen Brigade soon confronted Kang, explaining that they had noticed that it was pointless to fight against Kang and that they wanted to join him in his crusade to conquer the 20th century. Kang allowed them to join him and levitated them into his ship, ordering them to retrieve his Energizer Tank from it. On the way back to the ground, one of Brigaders purposely dropped the Tank, damaging it as a distraction, while the other Teen Brigade members tried to find the captive Avengers.
Rick soon found a series of buttons, which he pressed, freeing Thor. The freed Thor soon freed the other Avengers and together with the Teen Brigade, the Avengers jumped into battle once more with Kang. During the fight, Kang caused his mask to emit radiation that Thor began absorbing with his hammer. Using the distraction he had caused, Kang levitated back to his ship and escaped into the timestream, leaving the Avengers and the Teen Brigade behind.
(Avengers I#9) - After the Masters of Evil planted Wonder Man into the Avengers' ranks, Wonder Man explained that he was dying of a rare disease. The Avengers did everything in their power to help find a cure for Wonder Man's plight. In order to help the Avengers, the Teen Brigade gathered medical books for the Avengers to research.
(Avengers I#10) - After the Avengers refused to allow Rick Jones to become a full Avenger in order to keep him from danger, Rick decided to take his mind off of his frustrations by hanging out with some of his Teen Brigade friends. One of the Brigaders asked Rick if he had seen the ad on the back of some of the recent comic books claiming to give people super powers. Rick replied with a no, but thought the Avengers might accept him into their ranks if he had superhuman powers so he decided to take up the offer. Rick soon arrived at the address listed in the ad, only to find the villain Immortus behind the ad. Immortus explained that he had placed the ad so that he could lure Rick into a trap that would bring the Avengers.
Not long after, the Teen Brigade phoned Avengers Mansion and explained to Captain America that Rick Jones had gone missing. Realizing that the ad on the comic book had lured Rick away, Captain America was the next to arrive at Immortus's hideout, only to be used as well to bring the other Avengers. The combined might of the Avengers, however, defeated Immortus and Rick was saved.
(Avengers I#11 - BTS) - Captain America visited the Teen Brigade.
(Avengers I#13/Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes#5 (fb)) - As Count Nefaria moved his castle to New York City and opened it as a tourist attraction, he invited the Avengers there in order to capture them. Noticing that all proceeds of the "tourist trap" went to charity, the Avengers agreed to visit Castle Nefaria, bringing the Teen Brigade along with them. Once the Avengers were inside, Count Nefaria placed them in a trance-like state and then sent holographic images of the Avengers to the Pentagon, claiming that they were taking over the United States. As the Avengers became wanted criminals due to the holographic images of Count Nefaria, the Teen Brigade began to wonder where the Avengers were and why they had been kept so long outside the Castle. The Teen Brigade soon started searching the Castle looking for the Avengers, when they were captured by Nefaria's men and thrown into a dungeon cell.
Soon after being thrown in the cell, Rick Jones rigged up a small radio and attempted to contact Iron Man, but his transmission was intercepted by Count Nefaria, who decided to throw the Brigade into Dungeon K, which contained walls covered in a substance that induced coma-like suspended animation. While the Brigade was being tortured by Nefaria, the real Avengers were set free from Nefaria's Castle, only to find that they were now wanted criminals. The Avengers rushed back to Castle Nefaria, where Captain America managed to free the Teen Brigade. During the course of freeing them, he was recaptured by Nefaria until Iron Man also arrived.
As Thor and Giant-Man rounded up Nefaria's Maggia thugs, Rick and the Teen Brigade tried to find their way out of Castle Nefaria. The Wasp interrupted their trek and yelled at Rick for not staying away like Captain America had warned. Rick informed her that they had just wanted to help and the Wasp said they could explain later. As she turned around, however, she was shot by some of the Maggia henchmen. Rick immediately radioed for Iron Man, who rushed to Rick's aid along with Giant-Man, where they found Rick hunched over the injured Wasp.
(Avengers I#14) - The Teen Brigade helped the Avengers in their search for the extraterrestrial Kallusians who might be able to help save the life of the Wasp, and constructed a special antennae to locate them, but had no luck receiving alien signals.
(Journey into Mystery I#116) - A member of the Teen Brigade caught sight of the Enchantress and Executioner loose in the streets, and sent a message to the Avengers, but they were absent. He saw Daredevil outside his window and tried to alert him, but Daredevil was too occupied. Finally, he sent a message to the Baxter Building, but the Fantastic Four were also absent.
(X-Men I#13) - Professor X sent out an urgent telepathic cry for help against the Juggernaut, and members of the Teen Brigade were among those who received it.
(Marvel: Heroes & Legends '97) - The Teen Brigade member known as Buddy told the story of how the Avengers defeated the Moloid subterraneans as it was told to him by Rick Jones. The Brigade then discussed how Rick was on a mission with Captain America and wondered whether Rick would ever become a full Avenger. They watched on television as the new lineup of Avengers was announced, and were disappointed when they saw that Rick hadn't made the cut.
(Thunderbolts I#9 - BTS) - Rick went to contact the Teen Brigade to help the Avengers locate the Hulk. When Hawkeye heard of the Teen Brigade, he wondered aloud, "What decade is this?!"
(Avengers I#21 - BTS) - The Avengers recieved an urgent call from the Teen Brigade claiming that a monster was running loose on Sutton Place.
(Tales to Astonish I#97) - Rick stayed with a Teen Brigade member and tried to find the Hulk with the Brigade's help, but had no luck.
(Captain America I#115) - When Captain America went missing, Rick turned back to the Teen Brigade, asking them for help.
(Captain Marvel I#51) - After being released from his connection to Captain Mar-Vell, Rick decided to look up the Teen Brigade, and met up with K.C. Ritter, Bill Bishop and Mike Armstrong at a bar. Their reunion was interrupted when the Kree scientist Doctor Minerva kidnapped Rick.
(Captain Marvel I#52) - The three former Teen Brigade members ran to the local police station, and Bishop used his status as a detective to enlist the National Guard in attempting to rescue Rick. When the National Guard and Bishop finally caught up to Rick, they found him unconscious in the arms of Captain Mar-Vell, and mistook him for Rick's kidnapper.
(Captain Marvel I#53) - Bill Bishop stood down when Rick explained that Mar-Vell hadn't kidnapped him. He apologized, and before leaving, told Rick how good it felt to have worked together again.
(Incredible Hulk I#260 - BTS) - Rick sent out a summons to the Teen Brigade, hoping to enlist their help in aiding the Hulk, but none of the old members responded; instead, Rick came into contact with hundreds of teenagers around the globe, and formed a new Teen Brigade with them.
(Incredible Hulk Annual#17/4) - Tom Smith, an embittered former Teen Brigade member, made two attempts on Rick's life, resenting him for being successful. Rick defeated Tom, and turned him over to the police.
(Incredible Hulk II#417) - Bill Bishop, K.C. Ritter and Mike Armstrong all attended Rick Jones' bachelor party, and spiked the punch, only to watch in surprise as Hercules declared their spiked punch to be "barely stronger than milk."
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Buddy created by James Felder, Sal Buscema and Al Milgrom; Ted created
by Stan Lee, Don Heck and Dick Ayers; willie created by Stan Lee, Jack
Kirby and Dick Ayers.
There were tons of Teen Brigade members when they first appeared in Incredible Hulk I#6. Charlie was the only one besides Rick Jones who was named and I counted at least 18 other members until I lost count due to the sheer number of them in each panel.
Clarifications:
This Teen Brigade should not be confused with:
Buddy was a member of the Teen Brigade, and was an enthusiast of Rick's adventures with the Teen Brigade. He recounted one of the Avengers' battles with the Moloids to the other Teen Brigade members, as it had been told to him by Rick.
--Marvel: Heroes and Legends '97
Charlie was an early member of the Teen Brigade, and learned of the Hulk's pardon from Rick.
--Incredible Hulk I#6
Ted was one of the Teen Brigade members who were held prisoner by Count Nefaria.
--Avengers I#13 (Avengers I#13/Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes#5
Willie was one of the Teen Brigade members who helped Rick send out a distress call to the Fantastic Four which wound up resulting in the founding of the Avengers instead.
--Avengers I#1
images:
Rick + 3 other guys- Incredible Hulk I#6, p15, pan3
Teen Brigade in action- Incredible Hulk I#6, p15, pan4
Teen Brigade contacting the FF- Avengers I#1, p6, pan5
running through Castle Nefaria- Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes#5, p6, pan2
Buddy- Marvel: Heroes & Legends '97, page 6, panel 1
Charlie- Incredible Hulk I#6, page 23, panel 3
Ted- Avengers I#13, page 14, panel 5
Willie- Avengers I#1, page 6, panel 5
Avengers I#1-6 (September, 1963-July, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer/editor),
Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (#1), Pual Reinman (#2-3, 5), George
Roussos (#4) & Chic Stone (#6) (inks)
Avengers I#8-11 (September, 1964-December, 1964) - Stan Lee
(writer/editor), Jack Kirby (#8) & Don Heck (#9-11) (pencils), Dick
Ayers & Chic Stone (#11) (inks)
Avengers I#13 (February-March, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Don Heck (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Journey into Mystery I#116 (May, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
X-Men I#13 (September, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby & Werner Roth (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Avengers I#21 (October, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Don Heck (pencils), Wally Wodd (inks)
Tales to Astonish I#97 (November, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer), Werner Roth (pencils), Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Captain America I#115 (July, 1969) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks)
Captain Marvel I#51 (July, 1977) - Scott Edelman (writer), Al
Milgrom (pencils), Terry Austin & Al Milgrom (inks), Archie Goodwin
(editor)
Captain Marvel I#52 (September, 1977) - Scott Edelman (writer), Al
Milgrom (pencils), Terry Austin, Jack Abel, Bob Wiacek & Al Milgrom
(inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Captain Marvel I#53 (November, 1977) - Scott Edelman (writer), Al
Milgrom (pencils), Terry Austin, Bob Wiacek & Al Milgrom (inks),
Archie Goodwin (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#260 (June, 1984) - Sal Buscema & Bill
Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Sal Buscema, Sal Trapani, Frank
Giacoia, Walt Simonson, Marie Severin & Bruce Patterson (inks), Al
Milgrom (editor)
Incredible Hulk Annual#17 (1991) - Peter David (writer), John Romita Sr. (pencils), Fred Fredricks (inks)
Incredible Hulk II#417 (May, 1994) - Peter David (writer), Gary Frank (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Marvel: Heroes and Legends '97 (October, 1997) - Stan Lee &
Fabian Nicieza (writer), Sal Buscema, John Buscema, John Romita Sr.,
Steve Ditko, Gene Colan, Marie Severin & Ron Frenz (pencils), Tom
Palmer, Joe Sinnott, Terry Austin, Bill Reinhold, Marie Severin &
Al Milgrom (inks)
Thunderbolts I#9 (December, 1997) - Kurt Busiek & Roger Stern
(writer), Mark Bagley & Ron Frenz (pencils), Vince Russell, Will
Blyberg & Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes#5 (March, 2005) - Joe Casey (writer), Scott Kolins (pencils/inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 11/20/2005
Last updated: 11/20/2005
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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