Way back in what is now known as the Golden Age of Comics, there was a publisher known as Timely, who had three signature characters; Captain America, Sub-Mariner and the (android, therefore not-so-human) Human Torch.
And in 1946, at the behest of publisher Martin Goodman, these and a handful of other contemporary characters (juvenile sidekicks Bucky and Toro, plus Miss America and the Whizzer) were bundled together into a team called the All-Winners Squad. (After the name of the anthology title in which they all appeared separately, "All Winners Comics").
The All-Winners Squad only made two appearances at the time, but reprints during the Silver Age maintained interest and ultimately the team was retconned into the mainstream continuity of Timely's successor, Marvel Comics.
ESSENTIAL INVADERS Vol.1
Created - or recreated - by Roy Thomas (the closest thing Stan Lee ever had to an apprentice), the team was retitled The Invaders, and the timeframe was shifted back slightly so that Namor, Cap and the Torch could fight the Axis powers side-by-side as nature intended.
After flashback appearances with the Avengers in their mag, and a solo Giant-Size, a regular series debuted in 1975 and ran for 41 issues and an annual.
So why have no Essential volumes been slated for release yet?
Truth is, I haven't a clue. And although glossy colour trade paperbacks are currently available, it's just crying out to be in glorious black and white on inferior paper.
Download here: Giant-Size Invaders # 1
