250's for America's 250 · Day 14: The Avengers #250

Publishing: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 · Marvel Comics · Cover date: December 1984

Cover art by Al Milgrom

See full issue details on the Grand Comics Database →

A double-sized anniversary issue that puts both coasts of the Avengers on the board — and marks a second appearance in this countdown for one very busy writer.

The issue

In "The Fist of Maelstrom!," the villain Maelstrom — reborn in a cloned body — launches his most audacious scheme yet: siphoning the kinetic energy of the Earth's rotation to seize absolute power, triggering seismic disturbances that put the Avengers on alert. The East Coast team and the newly formed West Coast Avengers join forces. When Captain Marvel locates his Cape Horn base, his minion Phobius strikes her with paralyzing fear, and a fifty-foot-tall Maelstrom traps Hercules, Starfox, and Wonder Man in a force field.

Who's in it

• Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) — leading the charge against Maelstrom despite being struck with paralyzing fear by his minion.
• Hercules, Starfox, and Wonder Man — trapped in a force field by a fifty-foot-tall Maelstrom at the climax of the fight.
• The Vision and the Wasp — core East Coast Avengers rallying alongside their West Coast counterparts.
• Maelstrom — a villain reborn in a cloned body, attempting to siphon the kinetic energy of Earth's rotation itself.

Behind the book (creators)

• Writer: Roger Stern
• Pencils: Al Milgrom · Inks: Joe Sinnott (with Ian Akin, Brian Garvey, and Roy Richardson)
• Editor: Mark Gruenwald (era)

Meet the creators

Roger Stern makes his second appearance in this countdown (after Day 13's Amazing Spider-Man #250) — and it's not his last. He also scripted Day 24's Captain America #250, making him the only writer to pen three separate milestone #250 issues in this entire series, a nice thread to follow if you're reading along day by day.

Al Milgrom wore a rare double hat in 1980s Marvel: he was both a working penciller/cover artist and, on many of the same books, the editor overseeing them. His work on The Avengers and later West Coast Avengers made him closely associated with the team's expansion-era stories, and his editorial eye helped shape how the two Avengers rosters interacted on the page.

What it's worth

A relatively low-value issue. Raw VF/NM copies are inexpensive, generally $8–$20; CGC 9.8 copies typically trade $50–$120. The appeal is the double-sized anniversary format and the early East/West Coast Avengers team-up.

Where to read it (collected edition)

Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 24 and the corresponding Avengers Epic Collection of the Stern era (verify the exact Epic volume title).

Part of "250's for America's 250" — counting 24 milestone #250 comics down to the U.S. 250th on July 4, 2026.