A few days after teasing fandom with an Alex Ross Captain America image labeled 'Return,' Marvel has released some details about the Ross/Jim Krueger 12-issue maxi-series, currently known as Avengers/Invaders.  As might be deduced from the title Marvel is bringing Captain America back by a time-traveling visit of the 1940s super team the Invaders, which was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema and first appeared in Avengers #71 in December of 1969. 

Based on the All-Winners Squad, which was featured in two 1946 Timely comics, the Invaders as envisaged by Thomas was actually a WWII prototype for the Avengers consisting of Captain America and Bucky, the original Human Torch and his sidekick Toro, and Namor the Submariner--and the Invaders' adventures were typically set in World War II where they squared off against a number of Nazi supervillains. 

The new series, which shapes up as one of Marvel's major 'events' for 2008, will be firmly rooted in the Marvel universe of the present, which it will affect in a major way.  Marvel's plan to bring the 1940s Invaders in their fighting prime to the present is full of intriguing possibilities such as 1940s Captain America meeting up with Tony Stark or Namor of the 1940s coming upon his present day incarnation.  Alex Ross will provide the covers for the new Avengers/Invaders series, which he will be co-plotting with Jim Krueger (see 'Cap's Return?').  Steve Sadowski will provide the interior art for the Avengers/Invaders maxi-series.