tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68602186351141570272024-03-14T11:07:43.468-04:00Blueprints for DelinquencyYou like superheroes? Good, me too.Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-53027088573830325782017-06-03T11:10:00.000-04:002017-06-03T11:10:48.970-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.45 - Avengers #155-#156<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.44, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2017/03/avengerous-tales-244-avengers-annual-6.html#more">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Before we get
started today, I need to provide a quick synopsis of <i>Super-Villain Team-Up #9</i>, where the cliffhanger from last issue was
picked up. The Avengers are all fitted
with controlling collars and are compelled to attack Hydro-Base, where Doctor
Doom of all people is trying to help get the Hydro-men back to normal. (I assume this is because he was captured by
Namor’s cousin Namorita, and she’s making him do her bidding.) Meanwhile, the Beast has gone to Whizzer and
Wonder Man for back-up, and they both agree to help find and free the Avengers. Also Namor was enslaved by Doom and is dying
or something.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="text-align: justify;">We’ve got Pablo
Marcos helping George Pérez with the art today, and what a lovely job they both
do.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We begin with
Doctor Doom standing over Iron Man’s defeated form and demanding the other
Avengers surrender. Once they quit
laughing, Doom and his minions beat them up.
Realizing that the Avengers attacked Hydro-Base to find Namor (who is
out right now), Doom starts with the questioning.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Under the
influence of whatever machinery he’s hooked up to, Cap tells him they’re
working for Attuma. Namorita recognizes
the name and insists Doom stop Attuma before he destroys everything. Doom responds with a definite maybe.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We make a pit
stop in the Avengers’ quinjet long enough to learn a couple of things from
Beast, Wonder Man and Whizzer. One,
Wonder Man is just as much in the dark about his resurrection as everyone else,
and two, the Beast planted a tracker on Tyrak before advancing to the rear last
issue, and the trio is now tracing their taken teammates via that very tracer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meanwhile, back
with the captured Avengers, Vision notices that their slave collars aren’t as
strong in this particular room for some reason.
Our heroes take full advantage of that fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Aw yiss</span><br />
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This is followed
up by more badassery from Cap, who throws his shield just so and smashes it
into Vision’s collar, breaking it completely.
But instead of joining in on the awesome and freeing his teammates,
Vision takes off, escaping through the ceiling on his own. You’d think by now he’d have learned not to
run off and do his own thing without warning anybody, but no.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But let’s not
forget that Attuma is still on the loose.
Specifically, he’s gone to an underwater research base off the coast of
Maryland to steal and weaponize a cell stimulator that can exponentially
increase plankton growth. Fortunately,
Beast and company track them there before they can murder all the scientists.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love Beast in
these old comics. He makes crimefighting
look like so much fun. It’s a nice
antidote to the pointless grimdark angst of most contemporary comics.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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And then
Sub-Mariner, who learned of Attuma’s plan in <i>Super-Villain Team-Up #9</i> and Was Not Amused, flies into the fray. Unfortunately, Attuma is smarter than he
looks and speaks loudly to our heroes as if they were his allies, tricking
Namor into attacking them instead of him.
Beast and Whizzer go down immediately, leaving Wonder Man to kick
Namor’s butt before he does anyone any lasting damage.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wondy holds his
own quite well against the Prince of Atlantis, giving his allies time to
revive. Beast notices Attuma “taking a
powder” (we need to bring back that expression) and follows Attuma to his
sub. There, he overhears Fish Man asking
someone whether or not Tyrak the Treacherous is ready for his “transformation,”
and how the plankton proliferator will somehow help him take over the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back in
Maryland, Whizzer also tries to fight Namor, but he’s not as spry as he used to
be and gets knocked flat. At this point
Namor finally recognizes him (they were both on a superhero team called the Liberty
Legion once upon a time) and stops fighting, confused. Wonder Man, not wanting to take any chances,
takes this opportunity to knock the Sub-Mariner out cold.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what of the
Vision, you ask? Why did he run out on
his friends like that? As we find out
next issue, he feared that the others would be too hot-headed to go along with
the plan he had in mind, which involves a date with this dude.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not to stomp all
over the big dramatic reveal here, but I really hate the ‘I must lie to you to
protect/save you’ trope. If you can’t
trust your lover/teammates/whatever enough to not be constantly hiding
important information from them, that partnership has serious problems and must
either be fixed or terminated. Just stop
lying already.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pick right up
from this scene in the next issue, but Pérez does not, having been temporarily
replaced by Sal Buscema. Also, for our
new writer we have Jim Shooter, who has a somewhat, uh… <i>checkered</i> reputation when it comes to his Avengers comics. But we’ll get to that when we get to that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You couldn’t be
classy just once, could you, Doomie?</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vision convinces
Doctor Doom that Attuma has found a way to create more enhanced Atlanteans such
as Tyrak—enough to take over even Latveria someday. He suggests he and Doom team up to stop him,
and Doom takes the bait. But how much of
Vision’s theories are true? We’ll find
out later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back in
Maryland, Subby is waking up after the beating Wonder Man gave him, but he’s
way too angry with Attuma to be holding grudges about that. Wonder Man, Sub-Mariner and the Whizzer agree
to team up against him, and what perfect timing they have too: just as they
climb aboard the Avengers’ submarine to track Attuma down, the Beast radios
them with an update.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meanwhile, Doom
has freed the other Avengers and Vision is unnecessarily dickish to Wanda when
they reunite, prompting her to cry on Jan’s shoulder about how he’s “suddenly
so cold.” I’ll give him a free pass just
this once, since he’s obviously taking Wonder Man’s resurrection very hard, but
he better stop taking it out on his loved ones, stat.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doom figures out
how to track Attuma using the signal from the machine used to control the
Avengers’ now-useless slave collars.
Speaking of Attuma, he’s already reached home base, and one of his
lackeys had discovered Beast and knocked him out, rendering him unable to
provide the signal that Namor and the rest are so anxiously waiting for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You could have
just <i>asked</i> for a bathroom break. No need to be so dramatic about it.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Namor swims off
the confront Attuma on his own, with Wonder Man in close pursuit. Unfortunately, our resurrected hero can’t swim
fast enough to get to Namor before he’s beaten up by Tyrak, whose already
formidable strength is being enhanced by a modified version of the device
Attuma stole from Maryland. Things look pretty bleak, but don’t worry—Doctor Doom (and the Avengers) are here to save
the day!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Noyce.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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With Tyrak down,
the Avengers go in search of Attuma.
They do find him (as well as the barely-conscious Namor and Beast), but
he’s got some bad news that I’m sure will shock you: while they were all
fighting Tyrak, Doom took the opportunity to steal the cell stimulator and
am-scray. Whoopsie-doodle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Avengers
(but not Namor, who stayed behind to pound on Attuma some more) follow Doom
back to Hydro-base, and another fight scene commences. Vision sneaks away yet again, destroying the
cell stimulator by phasing his hand through it.
Bet the U.S. government loved that.
With nothing left to fight for, Doom just kinda jets off while swearing
to avenge his defeat at some unspecified later date. Maybe he has to consult with his secretary
before making such an important appointment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Scarlet
Witch tries yet again to talk to her husband, but he once again gives her the
brush-off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgteL70KW9sIeSIn0wnobCY483mE1-M_i1FOAIOLONWyB2XLuR2lbhe57h1MiEzol6rwTIAB3MEUUxdHAH6fta_2G7lLqL6Qws1-EId6j-4RPEHamqXdU3B-ZTZqRmIkOkDsmO89bau8w/s1600/45beautiful.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgteL70KW9sIeSIn0wnobCY483mE1-M_i1FOAIOLONWyB2XLuR2lbhe57h1MiEzol6rwTIAB3MEUUxdHAH6fta_2G7lLqL6Qws1-EId6j-4RPEHamqXdU3B-ZTZqRmIkOkDsmO89bau8w/s1600/45beautiful.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
I see being dead
has taught you nothing about tact.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
So that’s the
end of that plotline, but we still have lots of unanswered questions, most
notably, what is Wonder Man even doing here?
Will we finally get an answer next issue? Not even a little. Actually, we just get more questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b>The link to Avengerous Tales 2.46 will go
here!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i>Images from </i>Avengers #155<i> and </i>Avengers #156</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-7011413310256994682017-03-03T20:55:00.000-05:002017-06-03T11:11:38.088-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.44 - Avengers Annual #6-Avengers #154<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocKn73ddUwRcApkXAufgd5pcfrfXwqDOp2b7qXQUgWBdEJD8eDDy0V6xZv2f832BW0RlDxWtdtehR9fShUESqukrW5e9hUH6u_-QdbK3sX7e-Thtin2O3h6HoAplxLE_GYp_a5AFDjok/s1600/44covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocKn73ddUwRcApkXAufgd5pcfrfXwqDOp2b7qXQUgWBdEJD8eDDy0V6xZv2f832BW0RlDxWtdtehR9fShUESqukrW5e9hUH6u_-QdbK3sX7e-Thtin2O3h6HoAplxLE_GYp_a5AFDjok/s400/44covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.43, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2017/02/avengerous-tales-243-avengers-152-153.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Dangit,
Yellowjacket, watch where you’re divebombing before you crash into Nuklo.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="text-align: justify;">After escaping
Brand Corp’s Stormtroopers last issue, the Scarlet Witch teleports over to Avengers Mansion and manages to tell them that the Serpent Crown has been
stolen (but not who by) before she passes out from her injuries. The Vision flips out and barks at Jarvis to
get a doctor before leaving with Wanda in his arms.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
But they’ve got
other problems to sort out as well, like figuring out what the Whizzer was
thinking when he attacked the team last issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESTtscA_n8xu7VzRjody3mMZGKmeg89uSg_lH1nz08LL3T0k2-AvIyuhQwKhsflEfAhqtNiu4X_DOY9Q9bJ6VyFsT29mJ-ObF9HC5wqR4eM9MMWveoDP0V2DPQEfeVHQFDVZ5ruQ8-yg/s1600/44heart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESTtscA_n8xu7VzRjody3mMZGKmeg89uSg_lH1nz08LL3T0k2-AvIyuhQwKhsflEfAhqtNiu4X_DOY9Q9bJ6VyFsT29mJ-ObF9HC5wqR4eM9MMWveoDP0V2DPQEfeVHQFDVZ5ruQ8-yg/s1600/44heart.png" /></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
This was the
less fun predecessor of the Facial Hair Bros: the Dodgy Heart Bros.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The Whizzer
tells them that he thought they were some old villains of his—Isbisa, Madame
Death and Future Man—from his superhero heyday back in World War II. The Avengers decide to let the guy rest while
they try to figure out if the Scarlet Witch was telling the truth about the
Serpent Crown or if her injuries were making her babble nonsense.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Fortunately,
Iron Man secretly took some scans of the crown when they first encountered it
and detected a distinctive radioactive signature, which he now plugs into some
fancy-schmancy equipment to trace the crown to California. He and Cap immediately commandeer a quinjet
and take off without informing the others.
TEAMWORK!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, Hank,
Jan and Bob Frank (a.k.a. the Whizzer, a.k.a. the worst-named hero ever) have
sat down to dinner. Since Hank and Jan
weren’t around the last time the Avengers met up with Bob, they ask for a
synopsis of the encounter, which results in this hilarious mix-up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNTqH7-0oFh86U05maS2nUqfPSz-XcQfGyqSZy-_uskklkLE7H8QLlA784twM8OcWxTmXR8PUC5XSQ26axGm8nWy6NXDqnne9ngKGNUZz2Fb60YnGGzpKYI1seisWOHb3divo_5H_wvU/s1600/44mccoy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNTqH7-0oFh86U05maS2nUqfPSz-XcQfGyqSZy-_uskklkLE7H8QLlA784twM8OcWxTmXR8PUC5XSQ26axGm8nWy6NXDqnne9ngKGNUZz2Fb60YnGGzpKYI1seisWOHb3divo_5H_wvU/s320/44mccoy.png" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
It would appear
that the Whizzer got confused as to which Hank Jan is married to, only to
remember on the next page when he calls her “Mrs. Pym.” Either that or Hank, Jan and Hank have some
kind of understanding that we are unaware of.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
So Bob recaps <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html#more">his previous encounter</a> with the Avengers and then reveals what happened
afterwards. After he saw his son Pietro
marry the Inhuman Crystal, he got really depressed and lonely, thinking that
half his family was dead and the other half didn’t need him anymore. He follows the Tony Stark Guide* to Dealing
with Life, growing a Beard of Sorrow and wandering around New York drunk and
homeless for a while. Eventually, he
hallucinates that a nurse is his dead wife, which gives him the strength to finally
apply a razor to his face.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Once sober, the
Whizzer tries to figure out what happened to his son Nuklo and is horrified to
discover that the army is keeping him prisoner in—and here’s a
shock—California.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
But before we
get to see these plot threads converge, let’s check in with Jan’s other
husband, the Beast, who left earlier to go looking for Wonder Man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Sh5cCkw2onjQqWlm1o-17DXYueMK83PwGDxG_IY7Cz95tXWAn6FNdt4S0cVDl0DZQMSKskfrbpQVHpvYwcqz2didloVL2pXPmwUinWZEbjW9s_rKNezIf69Sj6ZoikJK5aN9D-wyAQ/s1600/44stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Sh5cCkw2onjQqWlm1o-17DXYueMK83PwGDxG_IY7Cz95tXWAn6FNdt4S0cVDl0DZQMSKskfrbpQVHpvYwcqz2didloVL2pXPmwUinWZEbjW9s_rKNezIf69Sj6ZoikJK5aN9D-wyAQ/s400/44stars.png" width="277" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Wonder Man isn’t
really happy to see him, as you may have guessed, but fortunately, Wonder Man
is no match for the Beast’s acrobatics. He
barely gets enough time to let slip that he’ll be heading out to California as
soon as the Beast is defeated, but of course he gets slammed head-first into a
wall before he can even book a flight. Beast
sticks around long enough to note some scorch marks on the ground, which would
indicate that the Living Laser really is involved, and then bounds back to HQ
with Wondy tossed over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
From California,
we receive some exclusive footage of Captain America at a Black Friday sale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAadpK5XZh7o0V7i8EG2nzZiXOmH2GvPrsA2oS8ATfZDiJRlZtzDMq2Z__dKPR-ACxBAnabe4JXxtmSRXsLKaCzvTE9fxMtFWJvT1CSj6Q9HT1RwLXxF3QnjVTRLHo5J48vhAK6yRito/s1600/44bum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAadpK5XZh7o0V7i8EG2nzZiXOmH2GvPrsA2oS8ATfZDiJRlZtzDMq2Z__dKPR-ACxBAnabe4JXxtmSRXsLKaCzvTE9fxMtFWJvT1CSj6Q9HT1RwLXxF3QnjVTRLHo5J48vhAK6yRito/s640/44bum.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
But seriously,
Cap and Iron Man traced the Serpent Crown to a hidden army base, but when they
tried to land the quinjet, the army started firing at them. The Avengers, naturally, set about defending
themselves the only way they know how: with an awesome fight scene that
involves Iron Man crushing a tank.
Sweet.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The army, headed
by a dude named General Pollock, surrenders suspiciously quickly, primarily
because the becrowned Living Laser has snuck up behind the Avengers to blast
them both into unconsciousness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The army drags
Iron Man and Captain America into the same room where they’ve trapped Nuklo,
with whose unwitting aid (plus the crown and Laser’s powers) they intend to
take over the country. Why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24EDiKdzM7pOPv7KY98wgMO_TWxfnVs1j4KAEZxTbiC_iX1SRUgt7EiVB2Tfwu63KkzTGZOAkb86RaZMhWmENgoYG63XzTvNFXSkNdUIEZ1ry7vpy-W3niTrZzvCtYfcb7OQvAiUTxAg/s1600/44rejected.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24EDiKdzM7pOPv7KY98wgMO_TWxfnVs1j4KAEZxTbiC_iX1SRUgt7EiVB2Tfwu63KkzTGZOAkb86RaZMhWmENgoYG63XzTvNFXSkNdUIEZ1ry7vpy-W3niTrZzvCtYfcb7OQvAiUTxAg/s400/44rejected.png" width="281" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Behold: the most
pathetic man alive.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The Living Laser
exposits for a while about how he learned of the Serpent Crown from a book in the
prison library (seems to me that prison should have known better than to stock
books about all-powerful objects capable of facilitating world domination, but
whatever). After he was released, he
performed experiments on himself to increase his powers and then went after the
crown.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
All this
monologuing gives the other Avengers time to catch up to our baddies. While the Vision makes off with the Serpent
Crown, the army gets their butts handed to them by Beast, Yellowjacket and Wasp
(and their ants), and of all people Wonder Man, who at some point apparently
came back to the side of the angels. Cap
and Iron Man recover enough to join the fray as well, but not quick enough to
stop Pollock from siccing Nuklo on them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
This does not go
well. For anybody.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQiYVwJPLXBxYoBkvDaJ8jxVzFWrw0i0yc6lJx8foDT4ga2nCRRV1Q8KVafbi23K1qYjhsJdOkNc5KySUkT5rqvimvfWS8_tF3K584GSGixXUS9Vv486gBDfj5j7Kdo4EtgyTK7FqOzE/s1600/44whomp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQiYVwJPLXBxYoBkvDaJ8jxVzFWrw0i0yc6lJx8foDT4ga2nCRRV1Q8KVafbi23K1qYjhsJdOkNc5KySUkT5rqvimvfWS8_tF3K584GSGixXUS9Vv486gBDfj5j7Kdo4EtgyTK7FqOzE/s1600/44whomp.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Who would have
thought that the radioactive man with the brain of a child would dislike being
locked up in a bubble and screamed at by scary military men????</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Nuklo goes wild
(well, more wild than usual), fighting everything and everyone around him. The more he fights, the more energy he absorbs and
the bigger he gets, until he becomes so powerful that he’s in danger of blowing
up and taking Los Angeles with him. He was only defeated last time by a hex sphere from
the Scarlet Witch for reasons that will soon cease to make sense. Regardless, the Scarlet Witch isn’t here
right now, so what are the Avengers to do?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
At the last
minute, the Whizzer comes, well, whizzing out of nowhere and uses his
superspeed to somehow trigger Nuklo to <i>im</i>plode
rather than<i> ex</i>plode, an action which
only knocks them both unconscious while simultaneously saving millions of
people. Which is still kinda how he was
defeated last time, since, if you’ll recall (or if you clicked on the link I so handily provided earlier), the only thing that could stop
Nuklo was “flesh of his flesh—blood of his blood.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
And that’s it. The issue ends with Cap giving orders to get
both Whizzer and son to a hospital and telling everyone to go home. Not a single schmaltzy narration box to be
had! I feel cheated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
As for what
happened to the Serpent Crown, we have to go to the next issue to find out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The Vision took
the crown to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and dropped it in, hoping to
finally be rid of it forever. As soon as
he does so, he is attacked by a mysterious submarine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1a8H4aCIapfHOA27EsL1LmDQRY6quKR6Ac2hbLV-nsvQt0wOfDMYu17DSB9-I6eq7vrT_gjgEHP4_Bcfz08Tzv81oqTpbq82I6mb95xeP0v3C_Fb6G_GQAW1SeKa0RNFXWA17KKsfgp8/s1600/44patrol.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1a8H4aCIapfHOA27EsL1LmDQRY6quKR6Ac2hbLV-nsvQt0wOfDMYu17DSB9-I6eq7vrT_gjgEHP4_Bcfz08Tzv81oqTpbq82I6mb95xeP0v3C_Fb6G_GQAW1SeKa0RNFXWA17KKsfgp8/s1600/44patrol.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
“We’ll teach him
to dump his trash in our ocean!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Actually, the
Blue Man Group cover band doesn’t know what the crown is, and they don’t care
enough to find out. All they want to do
is knock Vision out and take him to their leader, which they succeed in doing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, the
Avengers have schlepped 3000 miles from California to New York just to get
Whizzer the medical care he supposedly urgently needs. Weren’t there hospitals in California you
could have taken him to?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
And in Avengers
Mansion, the Scarlet Witch is up and about again, thinking to herself that she
still owes her dad a visit even if he did run off without a word months
ago. She doesn’t get the chance to
follow through when a mysterious aircraft lands in the mansion’s courtyard…
because apparently they have no security system to handle this sort of thing,
beyond Jarvis with a gun that Wanda won’t let him fire in case their visitor is
friendly. Which he is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXvqTwyH6kpZEw5NSMuW4pE5ev6GhMBBHI9MAolx097UUsXUGNoGkLUf79FhPKue1GjLnq9ta6KEH17dF2ci9H9TZHeM4z9nA11m-BpFiyzdGhBjdwBrcv2YD8gRbG4P9FWupTkJ-KSc/s1600/44beg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXvqTwyH6kpZEw5NSMuW4pE5ev6GhMBBHI9MAolx097UUsXUGNoGkLUf79FhPKue1GjLnq9ta6KEH17dF2ci9H9TZHeM4z9nA11m-BpFiyzdGhBjdwBrcv2YD8gRbG4P9FWupTkJ-KSc/s320/44beg.png" width="286" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
“Can’t you
tell? These are my begging shorts.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Triton tells her
that the Fantastic Four are threatening the safety of both the Inhumans and the
whole world, but he refuses to explain further until all the Avengers are
present. That may take a while, given
that the Vision is being held hostage in an Atlantean submarine with a special
power-negating collar around his neck.
And who is responsible for his present condition, you ask?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkg8xLGHmahUury2K2t0mopbFKV2Q-cBnBcUh6Y5dl-hxFyV2kGn4xPX1RMePmhD1xnkRVLefJXycYhE2TyIh41oUA8WZTD8D6FIduhqzd13BY5HV8ZSmebXY6vUmnU2vla-5Eo86aXc/s1600/44cur.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkg8xLGHmahUury2K2t0mopbFKV2Q-cBnBcUh6Y5dl-hxFyV2kGn4xPX1RMePmhD1xnkRVLefJXycYhE2TyIh41oUA8WZTD8D6FIduhqzd13BY5HV8ZSmebXY6vUmnU2vla-5Eo86aXc/s400/44cur.png" width="252" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
I’m sorry, I
can’t hear your pretentious speech over the sound of those pants. Tone down the ocean theme a little, dude.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Attuma wants to
break Vision’s spirit as an example to the surface dwellers that he plans to
soon conquer. More specifically, he will
compel Vision and the other Avengers to attack his enemy Namor and, while
everyone’s duking it out, Attuma will quietly destroy a floating island called
Hydro-Base, on which live the victims of a mad scientist who tried to turn them
into mer-people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, enough
of that. The Scarlet Witch can’t seem to
contact any of her fellow Avengers, so Triton suggests that she get her speedy
brother Quicksilver to run out and fetch them.
Scarlet Witch is confused since, as an Inhuman, Triton should darn well
know that her brother married an Inhuman and moved to Attilan ages ago, but it
doesn’t take her long to realize that “Triton” is really an Atlantean spy,
Tyrak the Treacherous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Tyrak and Wanda
fight, making enough noise to attract Jarvis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8b0zUUoVBXojS-wIKq8vsecMIO5O3UnJJkLkE1R8XN3hHrV51RnH6nuaSuTVAlijkLQ1jHqx25qaF_jBNcnQcuHVtEl3wfqh6Syzjt2Oxmvc8RkIKKzrp9uVA-NNlbGjl7gwrNU6Nns/s1600/44run.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8b0zUUoVBXojS-wIKq8vsecMIO5O3UnJJkLkE1R8XN3hHrV51RnH6nuaSuTVAlijkLQ1jHqx25qaF_jBNcnQcuHVtEl3wfqh6Syzjt2Oxmvc8RkIKKzrp9uVA-NNlbGjl7gwrNU6Nns/s1600/44run.png" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Needless to
stay, Jarvis most emphatically does NOT stop that brigand, allowing Tyrak to
spray knockout gas in Scarlet Witch’s face.
Fortunately, some actually capable fighters come to her aide in the form
of her teammates (sans Vision and Wonder Man).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Not that they
fare much better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg3TT5h5xXdW1aULRuMAZQLAJpyIGJMo0F7v6TkbmFKUZUxbsKkSlu9cPlNqYmrdCCAspmpFUsppjCGvYUTL_d-oCnmTQTXvcIoy23GV2h-TGFbLm6lb7N50D9cqC-hj0KywxxuiQFpo/s1600/44sea.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg3TT5h5xXdW1aULRuMAZQLAJpyIGJMo0F7v6TkbmFKUZUxbsKkSlu9cPlNqYmrdCCAspmpFUsppjCGvYUTL_d-oCnmTQTXvcIoy23GV2h-TGFbLm6lb7N50D9cqC-hj0KywxxuiQFpo/s1600/44sea.png" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
I don’t know
whether to applaud or throw tomatoes.
Also, am I the only one who thought Hawkeye was climbing in through a
window to save the day before realizing that was just a portrait?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Only the Beast
escapes Tyrak’s wrath, retreating with all due speed as some of Tyrak’s men
show up to help take our insensible heroes to Attuma. It’s important to note here that Tyrak seems
to be under the impression that he and Attuma will be ruling the world side by
side. I get the feeling that Attuma is
going to disappoint him to the point where Tyrak will definitely be living up
to the “Treacherous” part of his name.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.45, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2017/06/avengerous-tales-245-avengers-155-156.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i>Images from </i>Avengers Annual #6 <i>and </i>Avengers #154</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
*Now that I
think about it, Tony won’t fall into alcoholism for a couple years yet, so I
guess I got this joke backwards: Bob Frank wrote the guide and Tony carries
around a worn dog-eared copy like that annoying lady trying to be Amy Santiago
on <i>Powerless</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-8967091193991895182017-02-11T22:37:00.000-05:002017-03-03T20:56:30.231-05:00Avengerous Tales 2.43 - Avengers #152-#153<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKVih5oWR0Rn23DRJ_CYadnz-wfF-C67CRj1Gfn8v4g4jIeWtAVdSCMB39sDoy_TZCnp8-sD3i6oe4_rolNdxClo8szj05JsMpV9G7QNBxuhiSgK3pTNYPJnQ4brjyzXIH4PWi2X9_0Y/s1600/43covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKVih5oWR0Rn23DRJ_CYadnz-wfF-C67CRj1Gfn8v4g4jIeWtAVdSCMB39sDoy_TZCnp8-sD3i6oe4_rolNdxClo8szj05JsMpV9G7QNBxuhiSgK3pTNYPJnQ4brjyzXIH4PWi2X9_0Y/s400/43covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.42, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/08/avengerous-tales-242-avengers-150-151.html#more">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1293452.html?#cutid1">CHICKEN HEAD! BWAHH!</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="text-align: justify;">New creative
team today! Steve Englehart is
“plotting,” Gerry Conway is writing and John Buscema and Joe Sinnott are our
artists. It’s a regular Throwback
Thursday in here.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
In the few
minutes since Wonder Man punched his way out of that crate, he hasn’t had much
to say—he just keeps pointing at Vision and accusing him of stealing his brain. Which isn’t technically accurate. A quick recap in case you haven’t been
following these reviews for long: after Wonder Man died in <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/01/avengerous-tales-15-avengers-9-10.html">Issue Nine</a>, the
Avengers <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-131-avengers-57-58.html#more">preserved his brain waves</a> on tape, which were then stolen by Ultron
and used as the basis for Vision’s own mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Wonder Man
finally passes out and the Avengers take him inside.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W-OE27kNisGnGSHjzKOiSbZOVgkSxDGTyMcp2v2UKWY4QcHSdnSE04iJjqVbrzgvM_xAd6vB9UDO-PHjfzoCZaObeqSwwnfuwivZDkx8i8p3-BLbKhhFJUsBJ7jHmzkMSTYy7oUqA9g/s1600/43examination.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W-OE27kNisGnGSHjzKOiSbZOVgkSxDGTyMcp2v2UKWY4QcHSdnSE04iJjqVbrzgvM_xAd6vB9UDO-PHjfzoCZaObeqSwwnfuwivZDkx8i8p3-BLbKhhFJUsBJ7jHmzkMSTYy7oUqA9g/s400/43examination.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
He might be a
little less sick if you supported his head better...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
So Yellowjacket
does a medical examination and determines that, yes, this is actually Wonder
Man and, yes, he is actually alive, but his brain has been wiped completely
clean except for that one sentence he kept repeating… and one more sentence
too.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONlvU8ut5iSn4bD7w4tRWZZsbZwE8RjDunAEeaXIaYwUyh1v3tFvsdcgWOOhhb_aGcuMrpvbqUge9Ges6JGLU4sk4ayzL9CUcqcf84u53xKaO-M47DHDsfb3ZvRoEq-jH3yLPB-XBBUI/s1600/43silver.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONlvU8ut5iSn4bD7w4tRWZZsbZwE8RjDunAEeaXIaYwUyh1v3tFvsdcgWOOhhb_aGcuMrpvbqUge9Ges6JGLU4sk4ayzL9CUcqcf84u53xKaO-M47DHDsfb3ZvRoEq-jH3yLPB-XBBUI/s400/43silver.png" width="280" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The Vision feels
guilty since he does technically have Wonder Man’s mind, even if he never asked
for it. The Scarlet Witch, not wanting
her husband to be sad anymore, rushes outside to examine the crate he arrived
in, thinking there might be a clue as to the sender’s whereabouts. Sure enough, she finds dirt on the inside of
the crate and, through her spiffy magic earth powers, determines that the dirt
is from New Orleans and that Wonder Man’s been turned into a zuvembie, a.k.a.
the word Marvel switched to after “zombie” was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuvembie">banned by the Comics Code Authority</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
On the flight to
New Orleans, Wasp says—and I quote—“I’m sorry if I forced [Hank] to rejoin the
Avengers,” but that she only did it because he’s been looking “grim”
lately. And I’m sure being pushed into
something he didn’t want will make him a lot less miserable. <i>Sure,
Jan</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEgU15uAijeXLRKa68DezWPRlvItDK1ZtR5YRaPrKsXC3SGGDgm23kJSbmn7Jh57KW_FxEckrHxfttrC8RtXfO6Xzno3qBxOfT6jWtvvWAR_t9s0NuisYmMwtqdvcLyIWMs5454x6uWM/s1600/43please.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEgU15uAijeXLRKa68DezWPRlvItDK1ZtR5YRaPrKsXC3SGGDgm23kJSbmn7Jh57KW_FxEckrHxfttrC8RtXfO6Xzno3qBxOfT6jWtvvWAR_t9s0NuisYmMwtqdvcLyIWMs5454x6uWM/s400/43please.png" width="271" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
“Talking about
feelings and insecurities is for losers.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Almost the
moment they arrive in New Orleans, the Scarlet Witch senses that one of the men
involved in the zuvembie ritual is nearby.
That sounds more like something Mantis would do rather than the Scarlet
Witch, but what do I know?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The guy runs
off, but Yellowjacket (at ant-size… or is that yellowjacket-size now?)
literally ties his shoelaces together to bring him down. Very creative, it must be said! And it works, allowing the Avengers to
interrogate him until he tells them to go to the appropriately named Le Mort
Bayou. Not long after they arrive,
Wonder Man—who Beast was carrying over his shoulder—starts to move and walk on
his own. The Avengers follow and end up
accidentally stumbling into the <i>Thriller</i>
music video.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2B3yHxsJSKYezJE47oYJX0XHXcGnvVtyr_MGJZcbV-FOAb9LaN17f0yM2eOLh63V7ObSfXcmtHOonOMJZV_OLKMK-3hT7MsgJz0gU9gKGNPJeBRaEF4WFK55o-9LMzx4YXK9OhYY5Os/s1600/42ground.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2B3yHxsJSKYezJE47oYJX0XHXcGnvVtyr_MGJZcbV-FOAb9LaN17f0yM2eOLh63V7ObSfXcmtHOonOMJZV_OLKMK-3hT7MsgJz0gU9gKGNPJeBRaEF4WFK55o-9LMzx4YXK9OhYY5Os/s400/42ground.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The man in
charge of all this weirdness, the chicken man from the cover, is shocked to see
Wonder Man since he’s supposed to be out murdering Avengers right now. Said Avengers come charging out of the swamp
as soon as chicken man (a.k.a. Black Talon… but let’s face it, he’s a chicken
man) threatens to destroy Wonder Man for his failure.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Black Talon realizes
it’ll take more than some zuvembiefied lackeys to stop our heroes and calls
upon an evil god named Damballa to help him crush his enemies, even though a
two-second trip to Wikipedia shows that Damballa <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damballa">really, really is not evil</a> so, um, congratulations on stomping all over a religion you know nothing about,
I guess?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
With
Not!Damballa’s help, Black Talon accomplishes absolutely nothing—Scarlet Witch
defeats the “god” with fire and Black Talon with logs thrown at his head. All of Black Talon’s zuvembies flee in what
has got to be the most bizarrely (probably unintentionally?) racist panel I’ve
ever seen. For context, here’s a panel
from earlier in the issue, when the zuvembies were still raring to fight the Avengers:<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNaWcTn2DUFMWw95RMedVdK5mEmpI3JBp1GoPo-TC0wFbJ2zPJnqEsABhZLQqEM33IdDg5BPuXJH60JbsEDW1Hg9jYG5xKRiiX2twR8ELQYtYZqEIQVyspB_LibLqaW05TsY_Z0I5QhU/s1600/43good.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNaWcTn2DUFMWw95RMedVdK5mEmpI3JBp1GoPo-TC0wFbJ2zPJnqEsABhZLQqEM33IdDg5BPuXJH60JbsEDW1Hg9jYG5xKRiiX2twR8ELQYtYZqEIQVyspB_LibLqaW05TsY_Z0I5QhU/s1600/43good.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Now see what
happens the instant they start to run away in terror.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKvN-r6ysygPeLqChQQf0uV7kpWDO0AqtRtGpxQlDZSOocYwh_6BdrFgYILon-MspHBEB0u5dDeF5rE2QW_gC1Bs-lwCJRi0kvIiZ_TR5PWAbk4VT3o3Juc94y4nVD-GmXnn3uq1eiyY/s1600/43over.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKvN-r6ysygPeLqChQQf0uV7kpWDO0AqtRtGpxQlDZSOocYwh_6BdrFgYILon-MspHBEB0u5dDeF5rE2QW_gC1Bs-lwCJRi0kvIiZ_TR5PWAbk4VT3o3Juc94y4nVD-GmXnn3uq1eiyY/s400/43over.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
????????????</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
So anyway, the
bad guys are defeated, but it turns out Black Talon was himself a lackey for
someone else and doesn’t know how Wonder Man was resurrected either. The Avengers prepare to find this mystery
boss—except for the Scarlet Witch, who’s upset about how close she came to
defeat at Black Talon’s talons (even though she did 50% better than anyone
else) and decides to go solo for a while to wallow in her failure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
So Black Talon
is probably one of the most ineffectual bad guys we’ve had in a while, but what
do you expect when he’s dressed like that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The next issue
begins with Wanda’s epic quest of epicness, which takes her to the ruins of
Brand Corp. Turns out she’s there to
retrieve the Serpent Crown, which the Avengers just kind of left there <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/08/avengerous-tales-241-avengers-148-149.html#more">a few issues ago</a>. Because that’s what
respectable superheroes do, right?
Completely lose track of an insanely powerful ancient artifact that
takes control of its wearer and connects said wearer to everyone else who has
worn the crown in multiple universes?! And
why would Wanda even think it was a good idea to retrieve the crown on her own
after it nearly took over her mind the last time they encountered this thing?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Now to be fair, Wanda
does say later in the issue that the Serpent Crown has lost its power, but I
don’t remember that happening in the issues themselves and I didn’t mention it
at all in my review of that storyline, so this could be a copout. Then again, I’ve been on hiatus for a while,
so maybe I’m just misremembering.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, big
surprise, Scarlet Witch is not the only one who wants the crown.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqsu01KCEFCRf5i5Enme5q8pt3EDSCDjnOHRNGYttr3hMf_BUD37-VUmaDHz5_rJk_FmRIiEB05XcVhxMKqeWXsgaebEtlSETS_dukDGeY-F2bttpPka_RzaWPphhbun2biDIWmUdSs/s1600/43dear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqsu01KCEFCRf5i5Enme5q8pt3EDSCDjnOHRNGYttr3hMf_BUD37-VUmaDHz5_rJk_FmRIiEB05XcVhxMKqeWXsgaebEtlSETS_dukDGeY-F2bttpPka_RzaWPphhbun2biDIWmUdSs/s1600/43dear.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
And yes, this is
the mystery guy from Issue 151 who was swearing vengeance against the Wasp. If you remember his <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/03/avengerous-tales-117-avengers-33-34.html#more">first appearance</a> in <i>The Avengers</i>, you probably aren’t
all that surprised. The villains never
do learn their lesson, after all.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Despite Brand
Corp’s security army bursting in, the Living Laser escapes with the crown, and
the comic decides to flash back an hour to fill us in on what’s been happening
around the city in the meantime. Back at
Avengers Mansion, our heroes have just returned from New Orleans with Wonder
Man in tow. Vision notes that Wondy’s
heartbeat has been slowly strengthening over the past few hours, but no one can
figure out what that means. Before they can try to find out, they receive a
visit from the other mystery figure from Issue 151.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs7ULqF2m-f-Itm22MB4uqBVhltvM7pHenHpfUC3Qewy-UxQjhSMXGo4yVcJO37QPv6lSFwYkO8ugTM8JvQ2eoGZQVDDwGfg55NW02gNs3oxaFI3ahCzPPVg5Wg-3_C30GSpX-oq_ado/s1600/43frank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs7ULqF2m-f-Itm22MB4uqBVhltvM7pHenHpfUC3Qewy-UxQjhSMXGo4yVcJO37QPv6lSFwYkO8ugTM8JvQ2eoGZQVDDwGfg55NW02gNs3oxaFI3ahCzPPVg5Wg-3_C30GSpX-oq_ado/s400/43frank.png" width="366" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Frank asks about
Wanda, but right in the middle of his perfectly civil conversation with the
Vision, he flips out, attacks everyone’s favorite android and zips off,
trying to find an escape from the mansion.
He runs into Captain America, Iron Man and Beast first, who have no
choice but to fight. During the brawl,
the Whizzer refers to them as “Isbisa.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kRE75ChV9K0peF2DDI0lpw6N286hyphenhyphen4FV9FMyWgmKqnVERk4j9IkhVXWU7Yq0oON5KSzIhuqxT7qCTrBz20Wu2KSzFR6HXiODiIO52r8-cKTnmEzkdKGnEAD2C4TfcCattaBAeHiFVQQ/s1600/43impressed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kRE75ChV9K0peF2DDI0lpw6N286hyphenhyphen4FV9FMyWgmKqnVERk4j9IkhVXWU7Yq0oON5KSzIhuqxT7qCTrBz20Wu2KSzFR6HXiODiIO52r8-cKTnmEzkdKGnEAD2C4TfcCattaBAeHiFVQQ/s1600/43impressed.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
I
can’t even tell if he just broke the fourth wall or not.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
Believing
he is saving the world, the Whizzer makes short work of the Avengers—to say
nothing of their house—at which point he starts to go a little fuzzy. He seems to be realizing that the Avengers
are not his enemies after all and that “Isbisa” hasn’t been a threat in decades,
but then a terrible pain in his head makes him fall unconscious.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5AZ8OjvFbn96Mw0DOAViAVHYtVoCuag-VrynkNiTSdEKEHnG4c6DGbzDIQyrWCTd-v8ZuKvJ2kSWryjYbZVj1j6fpiQBy8b3bxtajUECeP2QAPf3d4GqVkl-Q2XPtVS37bgJXg-Dho4/s1600/43hand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5AZ8OjvFbn96Mw0DOAViAVHYtVoCuag-VrynkNiTSdEKEHnG4c6DGbzDIQyrWCTd-v8ZuKvJ2kSWryjYbZVj1j6fpiQBy8b3bxtajUECeP2QAPf3d4GqVkl-Q2XPtVS37bgJXg-Dho4/s1600/43hand.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
Well,
at least they’re better at it than Jean Loring.
Otherwise this would have been a WHOLE other story.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
The
Avengers try to bring Whizzer to the lab to examine him, only to find the lab
in a shambles and Wonder Man missing. Just
where has our Christmas-colored ex-Avenger gone to? Apparently he just wandered off at some point
while Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were distracted and is now walking down the
street. Maybe he just needed to stretch his legs? Can't imagine being dead is great for your fitness levels.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
Some
civilians recognize Wonder Man and, like any group of crazed fanboys, descend
on him in the hopes of getting a souvenir.
Wonder Man, still not in his right mind, attacks them before running
away down an alley. As he wanders, he
discovers a bright light shining from the mouth of an alleyway. He walks towards it, not realizing that it’s
actually the Living Laser in the Serpent Crown, or that LL can apparently mind control
people now (hence the Whizzer’s odd behavior).
I guess lasers can be used for hypnosis???<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
While
this is going on, the Scarlet Witch has made short work of most of the Brand
Corp army, except for one dude who manages to shoot her in the arm. The Scarlet Witch retreats, determined to get
to Avengers Mansion and warn her teammates about the theft of the crown before
she passes out from blood loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
And
as for the Living Laser…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx11EMqcKE0dCgB39kUI9SoLx5xX7SVzFgxzxfAmSkEg1jWPJbJrxrPAJthUGJaQJoIKNehv30qpgOT4XJ35uwnR0UDDu3zZtjMBbpH5kDKt9Ry6W1XH6N1Ihyphenhyphen9UXOLHrZnmuJtYZXAo8/s1600/43power.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx11EMqcKE0dCgB39kUI9SoLx5xX7SVzFgxzxfAmSkEg1jWPJbJrxrPAJthUGJaQJoIKNehv30qpgOT4XJ35uwnR0UDDu3zZtjMBbpH5kDKt9Ry6W1XH6N1Ihyphenhyphen9UXOLHrZnmuJtYZXAo8/s1600/43power.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
“The
power to make me a sandwich!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 309.05pt; text-align: justify;">
Of
course not. The issue ends with the
Living Laser making Wonder Man vow to destroy the Avengers. Personally, I think a comic about a
supervillain innocently trying to get some decent street food while constantly
being interrupted by superheroes who think he’s up to mischief would be more
original, but I guess that’s why no one lets me write comics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.44, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2017/03/avengerous-tales-244-avengers-annual-6.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i>Images from </i>Avengers #152<i> and </i>Avengers #153</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-45791313076799415442016-08-14T09:25:00.003-04:002016-08-14T09:25:55.344-04:00On Hiatus (ish)So I've been planning on taking a break from this blog for a while, since my interest in superhero comics has been sorely tested lately, and if you read this blog you can probably guess why. (It's Civil War.) Now it looks like that break is going to happen a bit sooner than I planned--Marvel isn't letting me log into their website, so I can't finish the next Avengerous Tale I was working on, which really stinks. It was gonna be awesome.<br />
<br />
Once I do manage to get back in, I'll probably post sporadically, i.e. when I feel like it and not every weekend like I've been doing. My interest in this blog will probably peak again someday--it's waxed and waned in the past--but for now I think I need to take a step back. In the meantime, I hope you continue to enjoy what I've already posted and thanks so much for reading!Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-89883983392706494082016-08-13T10:00:00.000-04:002017-02-11T22:38:42.150-05:00Avengerous Tales 2.42 - Avengers #150-#151<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pQu0HtF8tylsh-1XjOnywnWw9Bu-irrjSwOnAcZRbGbhTxG8w0DTIfiGSn8fkNOYontnoWXiHiYTFLVZtYbq1wpdm71LVOsjjaAcwVUAvlkL5eMk9QXGONAAJrpXgERoeyjjrVnUynk/s1600/42covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pQu0HtF8tylsh-1XjOnywnWw9Bu-irrjSwOnAcZRbGbhTxG8w0DTIfiGSn8fkNOYontnoWXiHiYTFLVZtYbq1wpdm71LVOsjjaAcwVUAvlkL5eMk9QXGONAAJrpXgERoeyjjrVnUynk/s400/42covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.41, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/08/avengerous-tales-241-avengers-148-149.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Let’s just hope
that the 150<sup>th</sup> issue is more exciting than the 100<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it certainly can’t be worse than the
200<sup>th</sup>!<o:p> </o:p></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So we begin as
Wasp and Yellowjacket finally leave the hospital and return the Mansion, where
a herd of reporters and civilians stands outside, breathlessly awaiting the
Avengers’ decision as to who they will welcome into their ranks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis saves them from the people flood and leads
them to the meeting room.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7oFs0wFfUHT3Snzpm652mibmjulXL71tkDbE0PfuK9aiH68FAcVCOqRq04yK9CyAONVVe7EWFDeQEgFzVR2PHRo21z0d3slfg_uKiaIMS-TJyATe38wh8Zo3pW4sF0zsSNA1Ppb4Tac/s1600/42stiff.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7oFs0wFfUHT3Snzpm652mibmjulXL71tkDbE0PfuK9aiH68FAcVCOqRq04yK9CyAONVVe7EWFDeQEgFzVR2PHRo21z0d3slfg_uKiaIMS-TJyATe38wh8Zo3pW4sF0zsSNA1Ppb4Tac/s1600/42stiff.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
You mean Jan is
still a selfish a-hole who only thinks about what she wants instead of what’s
best for her husband?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why yes, yes it is
like old times.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The other
Avengers greet them warmly, and then the meeting is underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor even remarks that they had to delay the
meeting for “personal matters,” which apparently translates to Iron Man wanting
to make himself a decent mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glory,
glory hallelujah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This issue is shaping
up to be better than the Issue 100 already!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No more Iron Nose!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But there’ll be
no more Thor either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9i_R3FdsVt_UbfNbFrTNA6j5TzUkzlpevYDpXZDLG1SieMS6FAuc7_GfI0gMR2rshkp14uNiitgrYpbITfzzSkv9ZfXOvIGNulxRXHN92ZjPwFBG_DjipphlHm8jXZE2UVJ8Y1sdIqA/s1600/42obvious.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9i_R3FdsVt_UbfNbFrTNA6j5TzUkzlpevYDpXZDLG1SieMS6FAuc7_GfI0gMR2rshkp14uNiitgrYpbITfzzSkv9ZfXOvIGNulxRXHN92ZjPwFBG_DjipphlHm8jXZE2UVJ8Y1sdIqA/s1600/42obvious.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Long story
short, Thor feels like he’s stuck with the Avengers this long only because they
made him feel manly, but they don’t actually need him so now he’s cutting
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moondragon says nothing, but the
others, while sad about Thor leaving, respect his decision as Thor appoints
Iron Man interim chairman.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And that’s about
it for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that seems short, it’s
because it was—most of the issue wasn’t really an issue but rather reprints
(framed as flashbacks) to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2014/11/avengerous-tales-11-avengers-1-2.html">Avengers #1</a></i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/02/avengerous-tales-18-avengers-15-16.html">Avengers #16</a></i>, which I’ve already
reviewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy 150<sup>th</sup>,
everybody!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Okay, so
obviously the story picks up next issue, but this seems like rather poor
planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given the momentous stuff
that’s about to go down, I think Issue 152 should have been Issue 150.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess the interlude issues (<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-239-avengers-144-145.html">145</a>-<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-240-avengers-146-147.html">146</a>) threw everyone off their schedule.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Whatever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about the rest of the Avengers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You sticking around?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQT5KqokRawdl9_fbwu7AWiFoXe0eQFFY6_1mqxh7as-sipHPDGuia9KhS9n_a9Ogo-2LWJMeEOPgNvBq29yFP8Zol3S3jGH03UVELRu001sGVmbikAr51xfjCKcJNQDJ-kjnLlGJoZ_E/s1600/42buddy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQT5KqokRawdl9_fbwu7AWiFoXe0eQFFY6_1mqxh7as-sipHPDGuia9KhS9n_a9Ogo-2LWJMeEOPgNvBq29yFP8Zol3S3jGH03UVELRu001sGVmbikAr51xfjCKcJNQDJ-kjnLlGJoZ_E/s1600/42buddy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
D’awww.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Scarlet
Witch demands to know whatever happened to baby Clint, who she refers to as “my
‘old buddy’” in an obvious callback to Iron Man’s line two panels ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not real sure why she considers Hawkeye a
friend, considering <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/10/avengerous-tales-26-avengers-82-83.html">how horrible</a> he’s been to her over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently she’s very forgiving.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While this is
happening, we cut to a mystery man’s apartment elsewhere in New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s really upset about something—something
about his son—when he hears the news report about how Scarlet Witch may or may
not be leaving the Avengers shortly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This makes him even more upset for reasons we’ll get to eventually.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But for now,
back to the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor explains that
Hawkeye is out brokebacking it up with the Two-Gun Kid—and you’d think the
presence of a 19<sup>th</sup> century cowboy in 20<sup>th</sup> century America
would warrant a bigger reaction, but I guess they’ve seen weirder things—and
Vision and the Scarlet Witch both agree to stay with the team.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Wasp, as we’ve
seen, is eager to rejoin and does so even before they directly ask her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they speak, some guy on the news is talking
about Wasp’s history with the Avengers, and this report is seen by yet another
mystery man who is still angry about being spurned by her ages ago.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Given what I recall of the Avengers' history, I have a pretty good guess as to who this light-themed villains is, but I haven't read that far ahead yet so we'll just have to wait and see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, we still haven’t heard whether or not Yellowjacket is
rejoining the team, and the answer to that is no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says he just wants to be a scientist from
now on and leaves the meeting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We then get
another interlude for the news reporter, who tells us about the sundry other
Avengers who’ve come and gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of
them, Black Widow and Hercules, are now on a team of Los Angeles-based heroes
called the Champions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like everyone else
in the world, they too are captivated by the coverage of what the new Avengers
line-up will be.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM4aYb9QACFKEBrU2eGq-bXBqWdDUZAsBNScrhFUvNSX7YGLrhjOSeKArnt2Eo9qHffbfhLfNNnVyZFpxjxfgXSJRB_ufrnDpsXBmDtJjzOZXujqS9AkdIvvnISAEuoL2rMUj1gBX6r4/s1600/42agree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM4aYb9QACFKEBrU2eGq-bXBqWdDUZAsBNScrhFUvNSX7YGLrhjOSeKArnt2Eo9qHffbfhLfNNnVyZFpxjxfgXSJRB_ufrnDpsXBmDtJjzOZXujqS9AkdIvvnISAEuoL2rMUj1gBX6r4/s1600/42agree.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Whose bright
idea was it to put Iceman on a team with Ghost Rider, a.k.a. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the guy with flames for a head?</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One wrong move in battle and Iceman’s a puddle
in the street.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Avengers, Jan is her usual loving and understanding self.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzchYLBsfgud1C_lC-y8flBhEfY2DKVWZlGzPuno6FIvnrXf1cwLpbwIHZpIYz4co3ba-bqu2RBCQLWhA_FUpvGrBMy92BPoN9egmhX_Kpp8gAQ-cTOrRaxzhujQFv6PIbuY2em_T9YkE/s1600/42no.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzchYLBsfgud1C_lC-y8flBhEfY2DKVWZlGzPuno6FIvnrXf1cwLpbwIHZpIYz4co3ba-bqu2RBCQLWhA_FUpvGrBMy92BPoN9egmhX_Kpp8gAQ-cTOrRaxzhujQFv6PIbuY2em_T9YkE/s1600/42no.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
And I thought
Moondragon was insufferable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of
Moondragon, she too declines membership, thank goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beast, on the other hand, is more than willing
to join, and Hellcat would have too if Moondragon hadn’t insisted—and I do mean
INSISTED—that she needs more training first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moondragon of course benevolently offers to train her, but given her
mental powers, I’m really wondering if Moondragon didn’t force Hellcat into
coming with her.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now granted, I
do agree that Hellcat is still a newbie and still needs a lot of training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Avengers were more than happy to let
Rick Jones tag along, and he’d only been given a little physical training by Captain
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure the Avengers could
have taken her under their wing in a similar way, but thanks to Moondragon
being a pushy controlling douchecanoe, we’ll never know.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But never fear,
there’s still one more Avenger to be inducted...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBa_ERdV3FSMya_OjopeVqGEdOxQnZKZVZZfaJUmKNniTpYdUf4GkvrCuFcEvL_S_6Smp0UpINt7eWDId8ekK5Aq6OdPMKEVm2pxFTYITmMEZ7RERttxBuIu5LyRkHJOKRZEUAyX8Eo8/s1600/42ready.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBa_ERdV3FSMya_OjopeVqGEdOxQnZKZVZZfaJUmKNniTpYdUf4GkvrCuFcEvL_S_6Smp0UpINt7eWDId8ekK5Aq6OdPMKEVm2pxFTYITmMEZ7RERttxBuIu5LyRkHJOKRZEUAyX8Eo8/s1600/42ready.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
While we’re on
the subject of pushy controlling douchecanoes...<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I really want to
believe Hank came to this decision on his own and is rejoining the team because
he “can’t get avenging out of [his] blood” like he said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But given how nasty Jan has been about this
whole thing, I can’t help wondering how much of his change of heart came about
because he genuinely wants to be an Avenger, and how much was because he was
afraid of what Jan would do or say to him if he didn’t give her what she
wanted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So that’s our
official roster: Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Beast and
Vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellowjacket and all the others
are put on a special reserve status, meaning they’re only called up in times of
true need.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now you’d think
that’d be the end of the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man
goes out to the crowd and announces the new roster, they all yell “Avengers
Assemble!” and everyone avenges happily ever after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what’s this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large mysterious crate has been delivered
to Avengers Mansion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could possibly
be inside???<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzC8jUU5kE5P0auGlD060tkl4NW9NZxcff1BsluwzC7DfV84hk3D5EyMxC65QA8ZPh6XuzstjQyD5JxcIZlu1Z-ndjQUj2oTUOGrPt4DEmubSpykUAh4vhdZoDj1Y-mrrqZjGS65skD0/s1600/42wonder.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzC8jUU5kE5P0auGlD060tkl4NW9NZxcff1BsluwzC7DfV84hk3D5EyMxC65QA8ZPh6XuzstjQyD5JxcIZlu1Z-ndjQUj2oTUOGrPt4DEmubSpykUAh4vhdZoDj1Y-mrrqZjGS65skD0/s400/42wonder.png" width="203" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Not a
dream!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a hoax!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not an imaginary story!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tune in to our next Avengerous Tale to see
what the blazes is going on here!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
As anniversary
issues go, this one was... okay?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean,
important stuff was happening, but like I said, this all felt too red-tapey and
bureaucratic to be a real anniversary special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At least <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/02/avengerous-tales-215-avengers-100-101.html">Issue 100</a> eventually got around to having a big battle
royale, even if it took them way too long to build up to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, all we got is flashbacks and yapping.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b>To read Avengerous Tales 2.43, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2017/02/avengerous-tales-243-avengers-152-153.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #150 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #151</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-37372990255043531032016-08-06T10:00:00.000-04:002016-08-13T10:08:16.315-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.41 - Avengers #148-#149<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAUXQ7MIaq6ib0agOe71ocpEyK93nZ5ySQFLVLiUGhRat91Mpovjic1T7A7k-VUrg2PVVf2QZ2uTe32SxLzHHVWn6Q79KdSxwZ1ptijHXvTwYRkvsaRVRw-nO2YgpbmFH_eW2T_Puqtg/s1600/41covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAUXQ7MIaq6ib0agOe71ocpEyK93nZ5ySQFLVLiUGhRat91Mpovjic1T7A7k-VUrg2PVVf2QZ2uTe32SxLzHHVWn6Q79KdSxwZ1ptijHXvTwYRkvsaRVRw-nO2YgpbmFH_eW2T_Puqtg/s400/41covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.40, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-240-avengers-146-147.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cover by Jack
Kirby!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>COVER BY JACK KIRBY!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">COVER BY JACK KIRBY!!!</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Also, bless both
these cover artists for not putting the nose on Iron Man’s mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if they forgot it or just
straight-up refused to do it, but either way, I’m sure we’re all grateful.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
We start with
Lady Lark, Hyperion and Golden Archer reporting back to the Squadron’s
satellite HQ (hmmm, could this be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gentle</i>
poke at DC’s Justice League’s headquarters, I wonder?) to say that they still
haven’t gotten the Serpent Crown back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that’s okay—Captain Hawk, like all good birds of prey, is keeping an
eye on them.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile,
President Rockefeller holds a meeting with all the others whom the crown once possessed.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu0hDnoV0C_iouzOR9Xu-mJXebyp-o9kcWDzc5QibajYSI55xX92tnN0gBxvUlK15ewSAS3oq8D51zH5L3JuhMTawNabHRAshQepNxtEQS97WXxFWJiMXzPe_SWOIbqXEzoWDrLCw8Zg/s1600/41involve.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu0hDnoV0C_iouzOR9Xu-mJXebyp-o9kcWDzc5QibajYSI55xX92tnN0gBxvUlK15ewSAS3oq8D51zH5L3JuhMTawNabHRAshQepNxtEQS97WXxFWJiMXzPe_SWOIbqXEzoWDrLCw8Zg/s1600/41involve.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
A world that’s
run by unscrupulous old white men?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
shocked, shocked I tell you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though what
does shock me is the fact that Jimmy Olsen is among them...<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Avengers
still don’t know where Vision and Scarlet Witch have got to, so they decide to
split up—Iron Man and Cap in one direction, Beast and Hellcat in the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost immediately, the latter two bump into
Tom Thumb, Captain Hawk, and this charmer named Amphibian.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCToiEUaKX_4IfbuZUZt4i99FU9KB9SE3knlxLff9j51_AwIoz2JYAkRI2eIe2T1NdFHMqNMPRUwJ_3RZR4ysihyFPoMSaAdJcu1P5YeCY61y0naIUBv6CMz_NAXAr3yBe9jleqFx-r8/s1600/41surrender.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCToiEUaKX_4IfbuZUZt4i99FU9KB9SE3knlxLff9j51_AwIoz2JYAkRI2eIe2T1NdFHMqNMPRUwJ_3RZR4ysihyFPoMSaAdJcu1P5YeCY61y0naIUBv6CMz_NAXAr3yBe9jleqFx-r8/s1600/41surrender.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
It’s the little
tooth sparkle that sells it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also the
fact that Hellcat kicks his butt two panels later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, then Tom Thumb pastes her to the
street, requiring Beast to defeat both him and Captain Hawk.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But let’s not
forget about Thor and Moondragon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
they are flying back to Avengers Mansion, she asks him why he’s an
Avenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor is confused by the
question and even moreso by her motive for asking it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnh1HptGOjt3ld5pw2G2T_QlUrov79P73bEA1yLa6V7CGZqp-ALOIST7vJikRYdc7jgBIAkvRfm4ZKdpu9H2U0ryPYbx4z0A_5SP-tWXIJUip0jQbWLRvbAEFCFhA330Gt841KMobv4k/s1600/41slumming.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnh1HptGOjt3ld5pw2G2T_QlUrov79P73bEA1yLa6V7CGZqp-ALOIST7vJikRYdc7jgBIAkvRfm4ZKdpu9H2U0ryPYbx4z0A_5SP-tWXIJUip0jQbWLRvbAEFCFhA330Gt841KMobv4k/s1600/41slumming.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Thor tells her
to shut it, but for Moondragon’s response, we have to wait until next
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, we check in on Captain
America and Iron Man.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mAM7FR1tkLLGqBLjdzeC1QX0zuKeQ7Dx-xFrBvmcpeh0_DiEdahgdHEFRniUn_LpCn1x-89nOPqhGR8gMlc-QD3NVkUXJ0ZU5-rJlsPPsZWdU7u6nngKBXefS3K_eNsNqY683fQbyk0/s1600/41guns.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mAM7FR1tkLLGqBLjdzeC1QX0zuKeQ7Dx-xFrBvmcpeh0_DiEdahgdHEFRniUn_LpCn1x-89nOPqhGR8gMlc-QD3NVkUXJ0ZU5-rJlsPPsZWdU7u6nngKBXefS3K_eNsNqY683fQbyk0/s1600/41guns.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Stop fanboying
and pay attention, you dork.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So while Dr.
Spectrum beats up Iron Man, Whizzer runs literal circles around Cap and even
tries to give him a big speech about how the Squadron is just as patriotic as
Captain America is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That, uh, doesn’t go
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody out-patriots Captain
America, dangit!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And, with
Spectrum distracted by Whizzer’s sudden and very painful defeat, Iron Man turns
the tables and knocks Spectrum out too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as they finish up this so-called “battle of the century” (no,
that’s really what the comic labels it as), the rest of the Avengers—including
Vision and the Scarlet Witch, and the Serpent Crown of course—arrive to regroup
and come up with a plan to save this alternate Earth from the crown’s power.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, back
on the Avengers’ Earth, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne have just been released
from the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They discuss what
they want to do with their lives now, and by discuss I mean Janet wants to
rejoin the Avengers and yells at Hank for not being sure he wants the same.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnQYX-EGHkndlHezJwjqdUHtdCOr_DGpOL2v8dyokkacyt9ktliUoi4tJa4QEp8mjk8KsxQHhO0jnYfaOkB43U2qrSDH34J4DDt380Dy4ZOq3Ke_huBUHN-txDlLkItqhn_d7Aj5yFHQ/s1600/41alone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnQYX-EGHkndlHezJwjqdUHtdCOr_DGpOL2v8dyokkacyt9ktliUoi4tJa4QEp8mjk8KsxQHhO0jnYfaOkB43U2qrSDH34J4DDt380Dy4ZOq3Ke_huBUHN-txDlLkItqhn_d7Aj5yFHQ/s1600/41alone.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“HOW DARE YOU
NOT HAVE THE EXACT SAME INTERESTS AS ME!”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Why is she
saying that she’ll go superheroing alone like that’s a threat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re married, not joined at the hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re allowed to have separate pursuits and
interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can understand Jan being
disappointed or a little upset at the prospect of not being able to fight crime
with the man she (supposedly) loves, especially since they’ve been doing it for
so long, but she should know better than anyone how rough Hank’s had it
throughout his superhero career—the constant size-changing difficulties, the
struggles with mental illness, creating Ultron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who can blame the guy for wanting to leave that behind and live the
quiet life of a scientist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Jan
being such a jerk about it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, more on
that next time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Squadron Supreme
heads to the White House to assure President Rockefeller that they’ll continue
to work on getting his crown back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rockefeller, however, starts spewing nonsense about how big businessmen
and politicians are horrible and corrupt and are willing to lie through their
teeth to get the power they crave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clearly the only way a politician would admit that is if he’s not really a
politician but rather an imposter who tied up the real politician and left him
in a closet.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbG7eFNYw3L6jVanEYBlaK_r-GolLxCY5UVQLoG35QMJEGYaCunIB52io0_yrHWAGQanG_CTemT9IpLSMqx2wD9GpbY_EF16Y2zlX5vjNQotgkHsV7wfEhJn69NfFcPYT24a24P6cX2Y/s1600/41mob.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbG7eFNYw3L6jVanEYBlaK_r-GolLxCY5UVQLoG35QMJEGYaCunIB52io0_yrHWAGQanG_CTemT9IpLSMqx2wD9GpbY_EF16Y2zlX5vjNQotgkHsV7wfEhJn69NfFcPYT24a24P6cX2Y/s1600/41mob.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Wouldya look at
that?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Wanda
holds off the Squadron, the others activate the counterpart to their own (or
rather, Doom’s) time machine, which was hidden in the White House (how
convenient).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They escape, and the
Squadron Supreme very nearly gives chase, but most of the Squadron has come to
their senses and realize Rockefeller’s/Beast’s spiel was 100% accurate, and
they elect to let the Avengers go in favor of rethinking their own life
choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No word on whether they untie
Rockefeller or not.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well it wasn’t
quite the battle of the century, but there was plenty of action and banter,
even if the Squadron realized the error of their ways pretty fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they already suspected they were in the wrong and were just looking for an excuse to
turn against the government.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the next
issue, Thor and Moondragon return to the Mansion first and encounter a worried
Jarvis, who hasn’t heard from the others in ages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Kinda hard to leave a voicemail from another
universe.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Thor is still pissed
at Moondragon’s claim that she and he are better than the other Avengers, he
lets her accompany him to Long Island, the missing Avengers’ last known
location.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And just what
has become of the other Avengers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re
hosting a garden party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you
think they’re doing?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO8o68f_SQ8iptaDDN1YOouGqF0HrEs0cXBkWqBMi7UJNzFTZFctQFmfA9HsKAeAERfMzQ71VlN2tknBA9cye6Ujs3MCnANJjbywglKGtXDSDyudRg_k9TLvk1vsAY9_xbT-B4k8iab8/s1600/41wrong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO8o68f_SQ8iptaDDN1YOouGqF0HrEs0cXBkWqBMi7UJNzFTZFctQFmfA9HsKAeAERfMzQ71VlN2tknBA9cye6Ujs3MCnANJjbywglKGtXDSDyudRg_k9TLvk1vsAY9_xbT-B4k8iab8/s320/41wrong.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
After the events of last issue, they arrived
back at Brand Corp. and startled Hugh Jones’s army, which is now failing to
contain them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jones and his head lackey, Buzz
Baxter, expected the Squadron Supreme to defeat the Avengers and are not happy
about this latest development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jones
leaves the room to mentally contact President Rockefeller again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rockefeller’s got his own problems.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWmPNDVGOkNYtP08yuYHLrJYLW4mHSvR6Emtfi35yUxkmvb_LtyZLqNUOqxMeq2tHd0eREaF0dcgK7tFfHZKmMbNblFkuKCwnGsuud8CFTlQiXSu1S_mfO8EGBdKHKXex3p6N3CVWpTo/s1600/41denounced.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWmPNDVGOkNYtP08yuYHLrJYLW4mHSvR6Emtfi35yUxkmvb_LtyZLqNUOqxMeq2tHd0eREaF0dcgK7tFfHZKmMbNblFkuKCwnGsuud8CFTlQiXSu1S_mfO8EGBdKHKXex3p6N3CVWpTo/s1600/41denounced.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
With no help
forthcoming from that quarter, Jones falls back to his final secret weapon, to
be used in extreme emergencies only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Said weapon is kept off-panel for now, but it knocks all of the Avengers
flat in one blow.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Jones is about
to have them all murdered horribly when Thor and Moondragon arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jones decides to have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">them</i> murdered horribly as well and sends his secret weapon, who
turns out to be “Orka, the Human Killer Whale,” after the last heroes
standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which might be intimidating
except, a, his name is Orka the Human Killer Whale, and b, he looks like this.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuonugup2NqKVYmK6mN2RYl1vakfzwLU-C8W0EZ4UzFQC8FTc059yLbVZDpZ-C6Hwg6goP7ZqT2KvCXfDo5DD0ZnQwd9DiGEY5nesM6ScYkIFf1rPdZS9imKPcTfOZBZ4F4fT0x2XrI_8/s1600/41fury.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuonugup2NqKVYmK6mN2RYl1vakfzwLU-C8W0EZ4UzFQC8FTc059yLbVZDpZ-C6Hwg6goP7ZqT2KvCXfDo5DD0ZnQwd9DiGEY5nesM6ScYkIFf1rPdZS9imKPcTfOZBZ4F4fT0x2XrI_8/s400/41fury.png" width="176" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Is that a worm
trying to eat his face?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Despite the
doofy name and costume, Orka has really thick blubbery skin, which largely
protects him from Mjolnir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moondragon
fairs better with her mental blast... for about ten seconds, and then it’s up
to Thor once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, Jones
and Baxter have the others chained up to a Roxxon invention called the electro-incinerogram,
which is designed to fry people so hard they don’t even leave ashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeez, just call it the Deathtron 5000 or
something why don’t you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much
shorter and gets the point across much better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Instead of
killing everyone right away, however, Jones decides to wait until Orka has
killed Thor and Moondragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
clearly that’s an inevitability with no chance of not coming to pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first, here, have an out-of-context
panel!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfrGuVAjGDAQ6OAAi33SgNHbcaFnCQfMUM5KSYokw0zGP1XAqF-jvJ0bt6ogAZubiAgqC-Z4oeeYGYnWvnuSQIVM5c9hVYzfPZpU9KWfDtitmRrF1PakS8H91aP_FQU3TmI8obutduso/s1600/41come.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfrGuVAjGDAQ6OAAi33SgNHbcaFnCQfMUM5KSYokw0zGP1XAqF-jvJ0bt6ogAZubiAgqC-Z4oeeYGYnWvnuSQIVM5c9hVYzfPZpU9KWfDtitmRrF1PakS8H91aP_FQU3TmI8obutduso/s1600/41come.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Look at how
fabulous he is!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You go, Orka!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may be an insane murderous supervillain,
but... no, actually, that’s it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Supervillains are supervillains, regardless of whether they’ve come out
or not.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Thor defeats
Orka in a big showy display of rainstorms and lightning strikes with zero help
from Moondragon, who was actually awake for most of the time but pretended not
to be so Thor could discover that he really is better than everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She seems sensible, risking everyone’s lives
like that just to prove some dumbass point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CLEARLY she is the superior one here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are you beginning to see why I really don’t like Moondragon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you’re thinking this all leads to some
character development with her realizing she shouldn’t be such a snob...
no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No it does not.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While this is
going on, Hellcat breaks loose of the Deathtron 5000 and beats up her
ex-husband Buzz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I personally have
little emotional connection to these characters, I’m kind of wondering how fans
of the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patsy Walker</i> comic
felt about all this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, Patsy started
out as more of an Archie-esque character who starred in her own teen humor
comic, so turning Buzz into a bad guy seems like the equivalent of making Betty Cooper
a sniper for some enemy government (though given the recent trend in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archie</i>, they’ll probably be doing that
within a year or two).</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Hellcat
threatens Buzz until he releases all the Avengers, and we get a brief epilogue
where Thor explains why it took so long for him to cream Orka...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ARS8LZDjHPkcSUnJi3tSH9vvjBnSKhH5svKceO0qmf0vbigCaDNBtPTCDxY0aC0n2luwq_0yanRznYMYYyH-eIlLhNbBs426o9ALbxUzrcnJAjhlTD8NWn1fKSUlfybJUehD6UiIuuY/s1600/41thunder.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ARS8LZDjHPkcSUnJi3tSH9vvjBnSKhH5svKceO0qmf0vbigCaDNBtPTCDxY0aC0n2luwq_0yanRznYMYYyH-eIlLhNbBs426o9ALbxUzrcnJAjhlTD8NWn1fKSUlfybJUehD6UiIuuY/s1600/41thunder.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
...and then they
all go back to the Tower to decide who they will select to officially join the
Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who will it be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hellcat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yellowjacket?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wasp?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moondragon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beast?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Or maybe someone
else...?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.42, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/08/avengerous-tales-242-avengers-150-151.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #148 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #149</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-42524320182428147922016-07-30T10:00:00.000-04:002016-08-06T10:48:31.366-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.40 - Avengers #146-#147<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EDf6Rujmop9xQe43IKjg-E5CcLIn7WsFSFA4prpj6O9kZKvVHrcHSFIjqBVrfDEaT2OZWMQ_Gv6sWg8I-ytWpYUvdhVzf2IXkI_uHfG6EgsOhU5P9fJsDIm2_5DpO2Pwv51X4sqU_cA/s1600/40covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EDf6Rujmop9xQe43IKjg-E5CcLIn7WsFSFA4prpj6O9kZKvVHrcHSFIjqBVrfDEaT2OZWMQ_Gv6sWg8I-ytWpYUvdhVzf2IXkI_uHfG6EgsOhU5P9fJsDIm2_5DpO2Pwv51X4sqU_cA/s400/40covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.39, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-239-avengers-144-145.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Just a
reminder—the previous issue was created by Tony Isabella, Scott Edelman and Don
Heck rather than the usual creative team of Steve Englehart and George
Pérez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In this first</span> issue, we also get an art
assist from Keith Pollard before returning to our regular folks.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So we start with
the Avengers (and Cap’s partner the Falcon—but don’t get excited, he does
absolutely nothing) waiting for news of their friend’s condition.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rXpuLnzo6IXOwjm3-OgUztMPnTd0CUfauA8Zumtslkjmv7mMuQ2uZYHHLzhW5CfEavoVCiff2lnNnMQmBbjI53dbDRSBwg8qkbZeQsOjpR2kSRYiKvzLF7ylGs8JNWtvCCgclPBS2Ps/s1600/40better.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rXpuLnzo6IXOwjm3-OgUztMPnTd0CUfauA8Zumtslkjmv7mMuQ2uZYHHLzhW5CfEavoVCiff2lnNnMQmBbjI53dbDRSBwg8qkbZeQsOjpR2kSRYiKvzLF7ylGs8JNWtvCCgclPBS2Ps/s1600/40better.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
P.S. They
haven’t found Cap’s attacker because the Assassin assassinated him too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So determined is the Assassin to leave no
trace that he murders all of his henchmen once they’ve finished their jobs—or
once they’ve screwed up, like the guys at the hospital did by letting Hawkeye
see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d think word of this would
have gotten around by now and people would stop wanting to work for this guy.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Speaking of the
Assassin, he’s got a hit squad squatting on a rooftop across the street from
the Avengers, just waiting for the signal to attack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back at the
hospital, Dr. Donald Blake (a.k.a. Thor) is performing an operation on the good
captain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently Mr. Fantastic came
up with a theory that the gun Cap was shot with infused him with radiation
that’s slowly killing him, so now Blake has to put some “counter-radiation
capsules” inside Cap to stop their effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As much as I don’t particularly like Reed Richards, the man knows his
radiation, so I’m willing to bet he’s right on the money here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And outside the
operating theater...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZiLZCpTotILmEOzc68DYnkJR-_u9BDiwPpVM6jaQZIwxmj7TlcQVVsd-jmqCWINLX85QEEhx3eBuShJJR_ymw9mnFpYtdvmCrZPUcIU95EDAIizVZ52coWfJNltDi0ilMS6O4YDlXiM/s1600/40real.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZiLZCpTotILmEOzc68DYnkJR-_u9BDiwPpVM6jaQZIwxmj7TlcQVVsd-jmqCWINLX85QEEhx3eBuShJJR_ymw9mnFpYtdvmCrZPUcIU95EDAIizVZ52coWfJNltDi0ilMS6O4YDlXiM/s1600/40real.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I can’t decide
if I want to comment on how Iron Man looks like he’s about to kiss the LMD or
on how Iron Man seriously needs to stop making copies of Thor <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2014/06/civil-war-3-4.html">you have a problem, man, get help</a></i>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
A friendly nurse
brings Iron Man and Hawkeye some coffee... which of course is drugged, leaving
them vulnerable when a bunch of the Assassin’s lackeys come charging down the
hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe the hospital’s coffee
really is that bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision—who,
while capable of drinking, didn’t feel like coffee at the time and is therefore
not drugged—valiantly defends his teammates from the assault, but there are
simply too many baddies for one synthezoid and two half-asleep humans to
handle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, two
other flunkies have taken aim at “Thor” with unexpected results.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7IehvLjH7G6xIlcUsCFr3oCMzxE2wL5jI7VtcOcTho3v2zlipVm3bc5gKATfM-nsr7u30jPGoxuuMUjA3uMM8eeT3t9KZMZJqSwfc7DHxA2hhItLRRj7vVk3Ap9xt41hlo2tOFfjj5o/s1600/40possible.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7IehvLjH7G6xIlcUsCFr3oCMzxE2wL5jI7VtcOcTho3v2zlipVm3bc5gKATfM-nsr7u30jPGoxuuMUjA3uMM8eeT3t9KZMZJqSwfc7DHxA2hhItLRRj7vVk3Ap9xt41hlo2tOFfjj5o/s1600/40possible.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Now all that
needs to happen is for Iron Man to pop out and say “Smile!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Candid
Camera!</i>”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Assassin
finally shows up himself and examines Thor’s body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently he’s the only non-idiot here
because he can actually tell the difference between a robot and a person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s also figured out that Don Blake and Thor
are the same person—not like that’s hard—and opens the door to the operating
room just enough to aim his gun at Blake’s back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing that stops him from shooting
is... an arrow?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52y3Qd9WB7OPaFu-wxKGzf_KJjHHaPci71oistdhNtWDdcNz5Ni4NQ4x8OQ3y5oGqgjAXN_L1_nJu4zqu7pNtii4wlxJnOfd0e_pK8jeZFVGgLQLkNg8a65yi7hnlsmiFWWTVv6_1Jbc/s1600/40chuckles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52y3Qd9WB7OPaFu-wxKGzf_KJjHHaPci71oistdhNtWDdcNz5Ni4NQ4x8OQ3y5oGqgjAXN_L1_nJu4zqu7pNtii4wlxJnOfd0e_pK8jeZFVGgLQLkNg8a65yi7hnlsmiFWWTVv6_1Jbc/s1600/40chuckles.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Basically, the
hospital coffee was so nasty that Hawkeye threw it up before it could do any
real harm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man pretends the same
thing happened to him, but in reality, the poison was supposed to kill him by
destroying his heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, waaaaay
back in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/06/avengerous-tales-136-avengers-68.html">Avengers #69</a></i>, Tony’s
faulty real heart was replaced by a stronger synthetic one, so he just felt
dizzy for a while but is now fine.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Infuriated, the
Assassin takes aim at Hawkeye, only to be hilariously defeated when Don Blake opens
the door of the operating theater and sends him sprawling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even worse (for the Assassin), Captain
America will make a full recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
tries to retrieve his weapon, but the Avengers knock it away and Iron Man
helpfully destroys half his costume to make sure he’s got no more hidden
weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this a new Avengers battle
tactic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strip the bad guys?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzGcVMKsy07vnlVfWsboeexoW896w3s5_zyEEg6ZzpATUt4B-MuhHV0omcaNIDc3PX0TpOPopZOmXeT7SLyfkOEoHTScGcUS42_LtsCACCQWTBjRTQWXo_UMvfuFuWFC_di9JKWoGuQE/s1600/40destroy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzGcVMKsy07vnlVfWsboeexoW896w3s5_zyEEg6ZzpATUt4B-MuhHV0omcaNIDc3PX0TpOPopZOmXeT7SLyfkOEoHTScGcUS42_LtsCACCQWTBjRTQWXo_UMvfuFuWFC_di9JKWoGuQE/s1600/40destroy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The crazy mass
murderer has a point.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Also, Iron Man’s
plan to ensure the Assassin had no more weapons didn’t even work, because she
pulls a smoke bomb from out of nowhere and escapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She runs outside and tells her remaining
lackeys to get ready to fire, but they don’t recognize the Assassin without the
hood (even though she’s still got the rest of the outfit on) and shoot her
instead.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Assassin—turns
out her name is Maria—is dead, fourteen of her henchmen die of poisoning before
Pym and Blake discover an antidote for the poison she infected them with, and
the man who hired the Assassin on behalf of all those unnamed villains in the
first place is actually her father, who also shoots his (understandably pissed
off) son Angelo before taking his own life.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well that sure
happened!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Assassin was
a pretty underwhelming villain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess
she amassed an impressive number of henchmen, but we never get to see her do
much, except get smacked in the fanny by a door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the real problem here is the fact
that these were replacement issues rather than a fully thought-out storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is just so much crammed in here—this
story really needed more room in order to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Props to Isabella and Edelman for giving it their all, but maybe they
should have given it a little less than that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Okay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re finally going back to the main plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quick recap: Roxxon and its subsidiary Brand
Corp. hired former heroes the Squadron Supreme to take on the Avengers, Patsy
Walker became Hellcat just in time for Roxxon CEO Hugh Jones to zap everyone to the Squadron's home universe, and the Two-Gun Kid wants to go back to the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGadRhdbiPRP60_GoxWLl-KRh_EF1WMCMYIwBte-tVjV4QivRVZX4hkM-OQ4vRKxdAvSsC0FimByhKyoult4ZBwOdD3Vnh7b2N9EP17PvmptB73yciKlyrjnG_kQp9PYnsKkSD5yjFfc/s1600/40chicken.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGadRhdbiPRP60_GoxWLl-KRh_EF1WMCMYIwBte-tVjV4QivRVZX4hkM-OQ4vRKxdAvSsC0FimByhKyoult4ZBwOdD3Vnh7b2N9EP17PvmptB73yciKlyrjnG_kQp9PYnsKkSD5yjFfc/s1600/40chicken.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Good thing, too,
or else you’d be dead.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers and
the Squadron go at it for a while, but then the army shows up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Hyperion helpfully points out, things have
changed on the Squadron’s planet since the Avengers last visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Squadron actually works with the army
now, keeping things all lawful and orderly (for given definitions of the words).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And look who’s their commander in chief!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5fYHPjpB7wcVqNbDYw8Ey21V4SNDaGI9EWBSfQjyG-GHjh1RrH5luQqujY3RYYsfJ9VvMRjik090GIKGd5rAPpmaULDR9ssfz255uX9Jmhr8AQ8bDBBvhWPubAtKhuE5peILfYAjAIc/s1600/40surrender.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5fYHPjpB7wcVqNbDYw8Ey21V4SNDaGI9EWBSfQjyG-GHjh1RrH5luQqujY3RYYsfJ9VvMRjik090GIKGd5rAPpmaULDR9ssfz255uX9Jmhr8AQ8bDBBvhWPubAtKhuE5peILfYAjAIc/s1600/40surrender.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Future
presidents of this world include Michael Dukakis, Al Gore and Ted Cruz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, nice hat, pal.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Actually,
there’s a story behind that hat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
the Serpent Crown, an ancient evil relic from the lost civilization of Lemuria (populated
entirely by lemurs, I assume) that takes over the mind of anyone who puts it
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a similar relic on the
Avengers’ Earth, so Cap recognizes it as bad news the second he lays eyes on
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision turns
intangible and snatches the crown off Rockefeller’s head, throwing it to the
Scarlet Witch for safekeeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rockefeller orders everyone to stand down lest they destroy the crown,
and the Avengers walk away.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But the crown is
a bit more powerful than they thought: as with the crystal skulls in that one
Indiana Jones movie we never talk about, all the crowns are connected and in
communication with each other, as are all the people who have ever worn
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, Rockefeller gets in touch
with our Earth’s Hugh Jones, who was once kidnapped by the Serpent Society and
forced to wear the crown way back in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
America #181</i>.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Jones had
managed to get rid of the police by convincing them some missile tests just
went awry, and now he’s free to mentally chat with Rockefeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, Wanda tries to figure out more
about the crown without actually putting it on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She learns that just about everyone of importance on this world has worn
the crown at some point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2t-l3QPhyphenhyphenV8-usNAcNzqPWKp2lQZ7AHshu29TNdxGsoMq85OQWEKE9_opXahazsgtk4dp-sNne8KozHfeIiaUaCESsELuHJe7ce_ScN8EpUeweQdtaQxNCC-3ltBpPTJEoj-JWYJbrU/s1600/40home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2t-l3QPhyphenhyphenV8-usNAcNzqPWKp2lQZ7AHshu29TNdxGsoMq85OQWEKE9_opXahazsgtk4dp-sNne8KozHfeIiaUaCESsELuHJe7ce_ScN8EpUeweQdtaQxNCC-3ltBpPTJEoj-JWYJbrU/s1600/40home.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Uh, guys?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But let’s not
forget about Thor, Moondragon, Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid, who have just
returned from 19<sup>th</sup> century Arizona to 20<sup>th</sup> century
Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye decides to stay out
there with Two-Gun and show him how to live in the present/future.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AzAQRnWSXHOFZNFBhXzxfMoV-ylnYtU5yoeHKTtu8J95MQOz0bh4BnCDC624uHY4UIMkAStkhzeN7083FnsqkdxJyDI3RAZSbmtnd1PbipJrFvHynOpZi-JIESDM3oCt2hhEfJkFtVY/s1600/40pard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AzAQRnWSXHOFZNFBhXzxfMoV-ylnYtU5yoeHKTtu8J95MQOz0bh4BnCDC624uHY4UIMkAStkhzeN7083FnsqkdxJyDI3RAZSbmtnd1PbipJrFvHynOpZi-JIESDM3oCt2hhEfJkFtVY/s1600/40pard.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Wow, Hawkeye,
thanks for reminding me one last time why I will not miss you at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rule #1 for the Future, Two-Gun: don’t be a
racist jerkweed.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
others, Vision notices Scarlet Witch lagging and tries to take the crown before
she completely loses it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too little too
late, though—Wanda calls him an “unfeeling computer” and runs away to take the
crown back to President Rockefeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
runs right into Hyperion, Lady Lark and the Golden Archer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ticks off the Vision, who, while Wanda
tries to fight off the crown’s power, goes toe-to-toe with the three
Squaddies.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision mostly
holds his own, but three against one is a little much, even for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, he’s not alone—Wanda KO’s Lady
Lark before she can take him down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFt6SCwYygTL_F89SgTul_gXgyv0bubJ7WqV9yszqIwLqVJoAMpXlPseGEbNz_qnfCe9bQ05wPUQMWB17Kgzew1IoggYP2flyIGslArKtewRgY_GJ18H_Eo24R-g2uXw_QmFTrTUPh_s/s1600/40perhaps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFt6SCwYygTL_F89SgTul_gXgyv0bubJ7WqV9yszqIwLqVJoAMpXlPseGEbNz_qnfCe9bQ05wPUQMWB17Kgzew1IoggYP2flyIGslArKtewRgY_GJ18H_Eo24R-g2uXw_QmFTrTUPh_s/s1600/40perhaps.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
You get zero
dollars if you guessed it was the power of love that saved them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sappy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But kind of nice too that
Wanda’s love for the Vision helped her overcome the Serpent Crown’s control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, when the Vision says he will carry
it for her, she lets him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>N’awwww.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also: phew!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.41, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/08/avengerous-tales-241-avengers-148-149.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #146 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #147</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-44481130598164989882016-07-23T10:00:00.000-04:002016-07-30T10:14:29.093-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.39 - Avengers #144-#145<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_eIyxBtx6QGovXiDGCHloJBG7rtB7J83l5unS1IjvBbEpZ6EknEEIBqVD_VrUaYISjr5ZsF9H54TxiRWF2LknLsXwGN1V7EDAVP3_xjm8U__Rc0P7vWvkVF3xCGLU2KgCDwhvVBkCEg/s1600/39covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_eIyxBtx6QGovXiDGCHloJBG7rtB7J83l5unS1IjvBbEpZ6EknEEIBqVD_VrUaYISjr5ZsF9H54TxiRWF2LknLsXwGN1V7EDAVP3_xjm8U__Rc0P7vWvkVF3xCGLU2KgCDwhvVBkCEg/s400/39covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.38, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-238-avengers-142-143.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
One, I know this
is supposed to be Hellcat’s big badass debut, but it just looks like she’s
falling on her butt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two, I was really
surprised to find out Hellcat was a ‘70s invention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The name just sounds so ‘90s xxxtreme.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
After Vision
fills us in on the events of the past couple of issues/scolds Patsy Walker for
being a dimbulb, the Avengers wander around Brand Corp. for a while in search
of their attackers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, as you may have
guessed by now, our heroes are being watched via a security camera, and Jones
(CEO of Roxxon, which owns Brand) sends them a friendly hello by way of some guided
missiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure setting off rockets
inside a building won’t have any negative consequences whatsoever.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlW_2F8YUOzQzgxQOOTtlcHOwVsHtPe9AbD0S0j0I9n-ELUzOw9UwOUGMrI3HPM7UKvntHbBZayPcTEqdgQs79UTbC2SCYOAMKz6Y2j49pEfe8COm3p8yIDso0E_SEme_7b8PfR9qups/s1600/39crimson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlW_2F8YUOzQzgxQOOTtlcHOwVsHtPe9AbD0S0j0I9n-ELUzOw9UwOUGMrI3HPM7UKvntHbBZayPcTEqdgQs79UTbC2SCYOAMKz6Y2j49pEfe8COm3p8yIDso0E_SEme_7b8PfR9qups/s1600/39crimson.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
If I were her
I’d have turned them into a bowl of petunias and a very surprised-looking
whale, but she just makes the floor buckle low enough that the missile flies
over them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not very well-guided, this
guided missile, is it?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But that only took
care of one missile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about the
other?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jalNjyt0vjMg-j4pbQTjqShD4Cjie9DifcOoO7vwezq09HUYIv0YauGFflA6wZ4ZzKR5v9b6zVuoIiwg3VtWARn99i8ossgX3aiGXF5yHzZD9VoJxY2B1DycjW56m8C0OXk0BjmBMuc/s1600/39missile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jalNjyt0vjMg-j4pbQTjqShD4Cjie9DifcOoO7vwezq09HUYIv0YauGFflA6wZ4ZzKR5v9b6zVuoIiwg3VtWARn99i8ossgX3aiGXF5yHzZD9VoJxY2B1DycjW56m8C0OXk0BjmBMuc/s1600/39missile.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
That is so
cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone oughta put a scene like this in a movie.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Iron Man
destroys the missile’s guidance system, but immediately after he’s thrown from
the rocket and crashes through the platform the Avengers have been standing on
this whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers are all
sent flying, but fortunately enough of them actually CAN fly that no one goes
kersplat.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap, Iron Man
and Patsy all make a break for it, taking refuge in a nearby storage room where
they find an old superhero costume (sans a superhero) that used to belong to a
heroine known as the Cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man
elucidates:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfuhZFBkkVrANYYz8COq5ZMxikQniZ5WTYRiXsoUk2hSXHhlCZrMMzR08ps4vu9Nai35lvfkMGpj6HAJp5MlpQ7UTlMtwLzWLfpi0kZoVXe1SJAf_JqmTLEBmbnJRsqytKaMOw_M1Cx8/s1600/39illegal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfuhZFBkkVrANYYz8COq5ZMxikQniZ5WTYRiXsoUk2hSXHhlCZrMMzR08ps4vu9Nai35lvfkMGpj6HAJp5MlpQ7UTlMtwLzWLfpi0kZoVXe1SJAf_JqmTLEBmbnJRsqytKaMOw_M1Cx8/s1600/39illegal.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
After a mere
handful of adventures, the Cat dropped off the radar and was never heard from
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one knows what happened to
her, though editor Marv Wolfman helpfully informs us she was transformed into
the identity that she would come to be better known as—Tigra the Were-woman.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Looking at the
abandoned costume, Iron Man and Cap simultaneously get the idea for Patsy to
put on the costume... only for Cap to change his mind three seconds later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patsy’s not about to put up with that,
though, and puts on the costume anyway.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9T23RU_75qGS-3aKv1X6GzP9ptuvfMuJurJkmwzsRZ4rr6WE6mHSN7ed-yFrmE3Fvo9hGrf6zbU1RHe0nKFQJ2OO6__5VRPeXh7oNXZbzpDQYcItQxzCSVQcs0heWGjG-L6cm4Q9F3Q/s1600/39minute.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9T23RU_75qGS-3aKv1X6GzP9ptuvfMuJurJkmwzsRZ4rr6WE6mHSN7ed-yFrmE3Fvo9hGrf6zbU1RHe0nKFQJ2OO6__5VRPeXh7oNXZbzpDQYcItQxzCSVQcs0heWGjG-L6cm4Q9F3Q/s1600/39minute.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Now, now, no
arguing in front of the kids.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
One minor
alteration to the name that the costume goes with and we have the debut of
Hellcat, our newest would-be Avenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m sure the new codename and skintight cat suit will magically make her
100% more competent than she was before. (Spoiler alert: this was intended to be sarcasm but it’s actually true.)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But enough of
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In case you forgot, we still have
a few Avengers stuck in 1873 Tombstone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not STUCK stuck—you’d think they would be, since Immortus was their ride
home and he just went poof, but he conveniently left a time sphere behind, so
everything’s cool on that front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, there might be more passengers aboard than you thought.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaf_mGeko23s5dCgKgHA3S8I-6gD4zHjeIZsbyT861mayPQspZDi_52n7ITHCO6xFXXXfNugFkndX1sC_RS2Mc2aXsBkubo_kAMadFlxYZp-9_Tdjg46DNfpdD-TtxpnYpoIEyMBXfDg/s1600/39future.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaf_mGeko23s5dCgKgHA3S8I-6gD4zHjeIZsbyT861mayPQspZDi_52n7ITHCO6xFXXXfNugFkndX1sC_RS2Mc2aXsBkubo_kAMadFlxYZp-9_Tdjg46DNfpdD-TtxpnYpoIEyMBXfDg/s1600/39future.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
His horse
doesn’t look very amused by this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
a “can you believe this guy?” face if ever I saw one.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And the
surprises don’t end there—Hawkeye announces that as soon as they get back to
1975, he’ll be quitting the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back at Brand
Corp., Jones gets some bad news: the police are banging on his door (you can’t
launch rockets without attracting some undue attention, after all), and rather
than risk the cops discovering what’s going on, he somehow zaps the Avengers
and the Squadron Supreme to the Squadron’s world to continue their battle
there.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And unfortunately
I’m going to have to leave you on that cliffhanger for a couple of issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember when I mentioned how Marvel used to
deal with missed deadlines by printing completely <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-235-avengers-136-137.html">unrelated stories</a> to give
their creators more time to finish their work? Well, Issues 145 and 146
are just such issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
They don’t even
have the same creative team—instead of Englehart writing we have Tony Isabella
and Scott Edelman, and instead of George Pérez on art we have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> veteran Don Heck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Hi, Don!). Furthermore, this story is set some time before the current ongoing storylines. In other words, Thor and Hawkeye are still around instead of in the past, and Moondragon and Hellcat are nowhere to be found (or if they are somewhere to be found, it is not in this book).</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Issue 145 begins
with a mysterious hooded figure watching video of the Avengers beating up
various baddies and trying to figure out how he’ll defeat them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers, that is, not the baddies.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QPIre8gihqqksunnuQ65Pdeji_1ISQQjV9XZ4vM_1iEM0a80Ye6BWUgAK-JiOxq5FBD37jpUfT2eqqry2uxuWZudW_JPJlfDgOmnLlSROAnE2W12qoxyXgUAelnWKIdEImZjBh86jHU/s1600/39demoralize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QPIre8gihqqksunnuQ65Pdeji_1ISQQjV9XZ4vM_1iEM0a80Ye6BWUgAK-JiOxq5FBD37jpUfT2eqqry2uxuWZudW_JPJlfDgOmnLlSROAnE2W12qoxyXgUAelnWKIdEImZjBh86jHU/s1600/39demoralize.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Do you have a
death wish or something?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve watched
enough <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Assemble</i> to know that
going after Cap is basically handing Iron Man an engraved invitation to kick
your butt from here to Jupiter.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So apparently an
unspecified group of the Avengers’ enemies have pooled their money and offered
it to the hooded man, named the Assassin, if he will just get rid of those
meddling superheroes once and for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Assassin accepts the offer, but he’ll need a year to prep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cut to one year
later, when Captain America is fighting a bunch of thieves all wearing Captain
America masks.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWWPkKrgzrLgDz9tW4ezbhb8bzRGPBcIbEq9wt68Cqd4Mhufd7O-jca-wHbsBFo-zrgmVvxJjJnZ-gx3fDM67nllaRG876QQXB2L1ZVP6TGVHdZeAVjJ_XhVhB-3EHlQt2RYh7QVCMv4/s1600/39systems.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWWPkKrgzrLgDz9tW4ezbhb8bzRGPBcIbEq9wt68Cqd4Mhufd7O-jca-wHbsBFo-zrgmVvxJjJnZ-gx3fDM67nllaRG876QQXB2L1ZVP6TGVHdZeAVjJ_XhVhB-3EHlQt2RYh7QVCMv4/s1600/39systems.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Aim for the
legs, you morons!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, er, I mean... go
Cap!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
One of the
robbers takes off and, since all the others are unconscious, Captain America
decides he can spare a moment to give chase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately for him...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcLmGzxsQHry6dKDH2-Ahmg789MTZHkxNsIDDx4OLO3F724h9OVYbtedsYTUkoZ9vThmDY9B861VFf2W1XkbDebces_Jy6S4lPAt-YXHRraO7AYHnghadSMhTMrTlCuJzn1nSPMkLpr8/s1600/39plan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcLmGzxsQHry6dKDH2-Ahmg789MTZHkxNsIDDx4OLO3F724h9OVYbtedsYTUkoZ9vThmDY9B861VFf2W1XkbDebces_Jy6S4lPAt-YXHRraO7AYHnghadSMhTMrTlCuJzn1nSPMkLpr8/s1600/39plan.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Yup, this whole
thing was a set-up, and Cappy is walking right into it!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Assassin
shoots Cap with some fancy gun (because of course he has to overcomplicate
things and not just kill his targets right away), and an old woman witnesses
the crime and reports it to the police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She’s not being a nice person though—she’s been struggling financially
and was offered $1000 by the Assassin to make this particular call at this
particular time.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
If you’re
fearing for the old lady’s safety, you should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her payment is covered in poison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I sure hope she doesn’t spend any of that money or else a whole lot of
other people are going to get poisoned too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m sure a spate of mysterious poisonings isn’t going to attract undue
attention at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good plan, Ass-assin.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Cap is, of
course, taken to the hospital, where the doctors give him little chance of
survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye races to the hospital
to visit his fellow Avenger only to run afoul of some weird-looking dudes in
the hallway.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc2ujWOqsw-OWLei2Sh725EzUQ9syc65VOWETlYqHoAwScap7YPqAMbjk6aCohCx9m29n_fELtBSjn7AFVzSGzYvdCx_RAPo-G45NC8ZGybN8Gv1qwchDKXgHTLIIyf776p_M3Qmsod4/s1600/39bad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc2ujWOqsw-OWLei2Sh725EzUQ9syc65VOWETlYqHoAwScap7YPqAMbjk6aCohCx9m29n_fELtBSjn7AFVzSGzYvdCx_RAPo-G45NC8ZGybN8Gv1qwchDKXgHTLIIyf776p_M3Qmsod4/s1600/39bad.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
And that’s
“definately” some bad spelling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What,
was the editor behind on his deadline too?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The baddies
ultimately flee, and Hawkeye meets Vision, Scarlet Witch and Beast outside Cap’s
room (Thor and Iron Man are off plotting plotty things).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tells Wanda and Hank to go get some sleep
and tries to reassure them that everything will be okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye then spends half a page reminiscing
about how awesome Captain America is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YKXFGagJNjUA1Q5m-6FZL2JR7BcLyHOpYwT8gc4Oo8okiYyKpE0wLuTVR7GsLW3PoTpYGv5gbuR8UecGk1iGLbuOy4dvP7QHOZZ2wq2vpR8F-USfdzODRS3k5i8aSzhjHb-cYFVbSAQ/s1600/39used.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YKXFGagJNjUA1Q5m-6FZL2JR7BcLyHOpYwT8gc4Oo8okiYyKpE0wLuTVR7GsLW3PoTpYGv5gbuR8UecGk1iGLbuOy4dvP7QHOZZ2wq2vpR8F-USfdzODRS3k5i8aSzhjHb-cYFVbSAQ/s1600/39used.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I feel like
there should be a sappy musical number here or something.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, the
issue ends with the Assassin spying on the Vision and thinking about how he’s
going to murder them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t
actually a bad issue (though it does feel kind of rushed—who is the
Assassin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who’s hired him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do they have so much faith in this
apparently legendary assassin when we’ve never heard of him and are not
provided with any examples of his past successes?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just out of place in the current storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, we’ll be able to both wrap up
the Assassin’s plans and get back to our regularly scheduled avenging in the
next Avengerous Tale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.40, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-240-avengers-146-147.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #144 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #145</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-77453939819260983672016-07-16T10:00:00.000-04:002016-07-23T10:01:30.653-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.38 - Avengers #142-#143<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_EYlTwfimBV0l3xvNFSfjnmXafG_ujooONlmEWG6DSMeQ3hyphenhyphenSnE_intUNXQawCsxtUkVniN_BAYxYAZaOoI1eT6YOshHsgaiITLESm8X2F83TLgmFG-T8onCpK6fqfwflroVYJkIH3Q/s1600/38covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_EYlTwfimBV0l3xvNFSfjnmXafG_ujooONlmEWG6DSMeQ3hyphenhyphenSnE_intUNXQawCsxtUkVniN_BAYxYAZaOoI1eT6YOshHsgaiITLESm8X2F83TLgmFG-T8onCpK6fqfwflroVYJkIH3Q/s400/38covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.37, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-237-avengers-140-141.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Was this cover
artist incapable of showing dangerous scenes without a damsel in distress?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scarlet Witch is hardly in this issue,
and she’s certainly never in more peril than anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is this nonsense?</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So when we left
off, Moondragon, Thor and Immortus had landed themselves in 1873 and promptly
met with the business end of several pistols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If anyone here is familiar with Marvel’s Western comics (or the
spectacularly ill-advised <a href="https://tytempletonart.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/the-seven-most-misguided-attempts-at-gay-characters-in-comics/">reimagining of the Rawhide Kid</a>)
you’ll probably already know the owners of those pistols.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k5PPwn9CXwJuq69TzsEKCP0hHuI65J8bILV_2fABBQaKUrc-qTtJczBxlvryS_T8sDhO-yS_vAwAhMCQcHrK1Eesxdg38LwCQcmu2HJDn6id8DCkpwfdpAaG6wUBVZARdzwI3TRxU28/s1600/38behind.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k5PPwn9CXwJuq69TzsEKCP0hHuI65J8bILV_2fABBQaKUrc-qTtJczBxlvryS_T8sDhO-yS_vAwAhMCQcHrK1Eesxdg38LwCQcmu2HJDn6id8DCkpwfdpAaG6wUBVZARdzwI3TRxU28/s1600/38behind.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“—and to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rear</i></b>,
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ringo
Kid!</i></b>”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Lol poor Ringo
Kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s really no reason for him to
be squished in the back like that—they’re on an open plain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They could all be four abreast if they
wanted, but for some reason he’s stuck lurking behind everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe the Two-Gun Kid was embarrassed that
they showed up in the same vest.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the ensuing
conversation, Rawhide Kid lets slip a mention of Hawkeye, and our heroes demand
that they take them directly to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
Western crossover buddies obey immediately (hey, wouldn’t you?) and take them
to the seemingly abandoned town of Tombstone, where Hawkeye has been hanging
around shirtless because of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Reasons,” in this case, means Kang, who intercepted him on his way to
the 12<sup>th</sup> century.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mQYdQ56NV8bzdEN47hj8VVMuohlNo5LAQKtd4qHXFNHF7-Xcr7oxrQINiMfNJfU8bYnRJ2A2fNH5OF6ft17v_bXmVNHpwrD901Q2dlvmt6lAlvshR93oPx9mefSP8ondwl9Gu_5PoBw/s1600/38kilter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mQYdQ56NV8bzdEN47hj8VVMuohlNo5LAQKtd4qHXFNHF7-Xcr7oxrQINiMfNJfU8bYnRJ2A2fNH5OF6ft17v_bXmVNHpwrD901Q2dlvmt6lAlvshR93oPx9mefSP8ondwl9Gu_5PoBw/s1600/38kilter.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU">YOU SPIN ME RIGHT
ROUND BABY<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU">
RIGHT ROUND<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU">
LIKE A RECORD
BABY<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU">RIGHT ROUND ROUND ROUND</a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Obviously
Hawkeye landed in Tombstone, but something’s weird about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A giant futuristic building has been
constructed beside the town, and the locals are terrified of “the man from Mars.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds like Kang has beat Hawkeye to
Tombstone, so our avenging archer decides to investigate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Shedding his
mask and shirt to be inconspicuous—because apparently shirtless men in blue
tights are normal in the Marvel universe—Hawkeye remembers reading about
Matthew J. Hawk, a Tombstone lawyer who is also Two-Gun Kid, and he goes to him
for help in stopping Kang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two-Gun
rounds up his friends to aid the cause, and that about brings us up to speed.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Immortus
conveniently informs us all that Kang’s latest plan to take over the 20<sup>th</sup>
century is to take over the 19<sup>th</sup> century first somehow, thereby
wiping the Avengers out of existence before they even get a chance to form (or
even be born, for most of them).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Speaking of the
Avengers, let’s check in with Cap, Iron Man and the rest back in 1975!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjo59UuAZrL9ZEWcwA_ZLpgCiEIQKexQCk_itwOQmNh5WsXCktyzX4u_IjhQndpbj8yomJXwTcis2H2okSU8Sea404sP8npjrDjdzClURi1aKIMQAuiJledc4lRrT6I6bfksseFfzttE/s1600/38love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjo59UuAZrL9ZEWcwA_ZLpgCiEIQKexQCk_itwOQmNh5WsXCktyzX4u_IjhQndpbj8yomJXwTcis2H2okSU8Sea404sP8npjrDjdzClURi1aKIMQAuiJledc4lRrT6I6bfksseFfzttE/s1600/38love.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
You need help,
lady.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jones, Baxter and the Squadron Supreme have
trapped our heroes (and Patsy) in this totally impenetrable cage whipped up by
Dr. Spectrum, which also conveniently nullifies Vision’s various powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, check back with me in two issues and
see if they’re still in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we
can call it impenetrable, Doc.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So back in
Tombstone, Hawkeye decides that Kang will be after a shipment of uranium coming
in on the night train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While our
resident cowboys, Hawkeye and Immortus keep watch on horseback from a distance,
Thor and Moondragon have donned old Western disguises to blend in on the train...
mostly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiocUDcUotKe-oMpzM1ZYyeYodXbqWZlcyLe1mbiCPt_TiXW3s__B6gahgszRzoh687IJ5_QxrNr2R4Xp-eUrJ-oV2v9S-SDAJlR8Z-F_rZuHckAWqdTG0wKFSt7mpsdQE07h6dlxJfo/s1600/38typical.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiocUDcUotKe-oMpzM1ZYyeYodXbqWZlcyLe1mbiCPt_TiXW3s__B6gahgszRzoh687IJ5_QxrNr2R4Xp-eUrJ-oV2v9S-SDAJlR8Z-F_rZuHckAWqdTG0wKFSt7mpsdQE07h6dlxJfo/s1600/38typical.png" /></a></div>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
I can’t tell if
that guy is staring because he thinks they’re weird or hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, rude.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before long, a
gang of men on horseback attack the train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It ends very, very badly for the desperadoes.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeO6Z1MVWXTiTIFCd7gRxATigFjGJZOdsfAgC7wa9hvahCPznw0qJtvrHpeCtDdgkkOstBp64v5AiHA_FOLHtY9itVHOWjs7RJbh23Eo486oJBOLv01z_xrgzO_1xSgbAsvh8BVlFkT4/s1600/38di.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeO6Z1MVWXTiTIFCd7gRxATigFjGJZOdsfAgC7wa9hvahCPznw0qJtvrHpeCtDdgkkOstBp64v5AiHA_FOLHtY9itVHOWjs7RJbh23Eo486oJBOLv01z_xrgzO_1xSgbAsvh8BVlFkT4/s1600/38di.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Aw, c’mon man,
what’d <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Chavo_del_Ocho">El Chavo</a> ever do you to?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Except for speak terrible Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(It’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">madre DE dios</i>, not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">madre DI dios</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Di’ isn’t even a Spanish word that I know
of.)<br />
<br />
(On a side note when I was grabbing the above wiki link I also found <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Chavo_Kart">this</a> and I need to go buy an Xbox now holy cow I can't even ahhhhhhh)<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the whole
gang is rounded up, and the issue ends with Hawkeye preparing to make them
spill the beans about Kang’s master plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well, nerds and
nerdlings, we are now exactly halfway through the 1970s—the cover date of the
upcoming issue is January 1976.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve
sure come a long way, haven’t we?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
By the start of
the next issue, it’s Kid Colt who’s a bit gun-happy, shooting the baddies’ hats
and pants even after their boss agreed to talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thor tells him to take a chill pill, which doesn’t really go down well.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLADM6b1HxlDAgU9r8u5sC_RwqnGVo6b5urLTYFa0Bc15nyrYDmoTMIQycmMbTkJ3Jg_mXio4bEFU4x9kYiuofo7CQ8SEoonrw78NYN4YX3E8GFZmtcwDuuFQ-3WB5EF3MiUr62kvT4M8/s1600/38dragon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLADM6b1HxlDAgU9r8u5sC_RwqnGVo6b5urLTYFa0Bc15nyrYDmoTMIQycmMbTkJ3Jg_mXio4bEFU4x9kYiuofo7CQ8SEoonrw78NYN4YX3E8GFZmtcwDuuFQ-3WB5EF3MiUr62kvT4M8/s1600/38dragon.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
So I guess this
means Hawkeye approves of psychologically torturing bad guys???<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
A mere page
later, Hawkeye is telling his cowboy companions that they should stay behind as
they raid Kang’s hideout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So apparently,
if the Avengers hadn’t shown up, Hawkeye’s Brilliant Plan was to fight the
time-traveling man with the deadly future tech by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that his new friends will let him—the
Kids (and Night Rider) all insist on coming along for the ride.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
When they arrive
at Kang’s headquarters, the doors mysteriously open to welcome them
inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well that’s not suspicious or
anything.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv-NVvEzrSLzmmX3wQjzUgxdpotRVGsVz_Q4DoMGDGy9x0zpi6K6OLhgQ8dp7xXcy36eq6KZpGbQFY5wHWfU16sT-pKTy1PcI8Q_z6DJuXvJBP_ybQLQmwP2uUrc17Bce2jaUK96wtgs/s1600/38sweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv-NVvEzrSLzmmX3wQjzUgxdpotRVGsVz_Q4DoMGDGy9x0zpi6K6OLhgQ8dp7xXcy36eq6KZpGbQFY5wHWfU16sT-pKTy1PcI8Q_z6DJuXvJBP_ybQLQmwP2uUrc17Bce2jaUK96wtgs/s1600/38sweet.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Turns out Kang
is still reeeeaaalllly bitter about the Avengers taking the <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengers-234-avengers-135-giant-size.html">Celestial Madonna</a>
away from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dude, I know Disney has
ruined this phrase forever, but seriously, LET IT GO.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, in
the 20<sup>th</sup> century, the other Avengers are still stuck in Dr.
Spectrum’s cage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing that can
move through the beams of the cage is Cap’s shield, which gives Mr. Apple Pie
an idea—hold the shield up to the bars, let Vision pass through it, and then
Vision can use his solar power to destroy the cage from the outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does that go?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FZxn5Kq2Pj0yJVRDd9D1ejUl8RznFcB9a3E0KIncmJ4Xgjl4K3NFGsjkbmbUqmSLtLFVZDBFBSgm0hpTYEZylHww5v088VdgqQaTpflVBmcJAjZ2rpoEwh1lL2OVlS_aG0RDtF3PpQk/s1600/38incredible.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FZxn5Kq2Pj0yJVRDd9D1ejUl8RznFcB9a3E0KIncmJ4Xgjl4K3NFGsjkbmbUqmSLtLFVZDBFBSgm0hpTYEZylHww5v088VdgqQaTpflVBmcJAjZ2rpoEwh1lL2OVlS_aG0RDtF3PpQk/s1600/38incredible.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Well aside from
the fact that the Vision is apparently just floating there while Captain
America falls to his death, pretty well.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So while the
Avengers run off to find the Squadron and give them a taste of their own
medicine, our time-travelers are confronting what Kang refers to as a "mix of
41<sup>st</sup> century science and a coyote."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just take a second to imagine what you think that would look like, and
then immediately forget it, because I can guarantee that whatever mental image
you just came up with is so, so wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkzleyBnHH42_llBV35RACD34_yV_qjEwCGNGvCSpU8JV-cnodxw1QbyvuAfnmLnVtyAUDBDlJW5rxVSqBRsSvNVZfjYy0O_-4Mlu7Q9rXGowUx5qEuRFhkF3gs8DUAPv34bcTX-PLZ8/s1600/38bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkzleyBnHH42_llBV35RACD34_yV_qjEwCGNGvCSpU8JV-cnodxw1QbyvuAfnmLnVtyAUDBDlJW5rxVSqBRsSvNVZfjYy0O_-4Mlu7Q9rXGowUx5qEuRFhkF3gs8DUAPv34bcTX-PLZ8/s400/38bam.png" width="192" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
????<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Fortunately Thor
turned himself into Don Blake to sneak up on Kang and then turned back into
Thor to literally kick Kang out of his own house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Thor whales on Mr. the Conquerer,
Moondragon saves the Two-Gun Kid from that not-a-coyote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t react real well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, he’s been a bit annoyed at
Moondragon since the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder
what’s going on with him...</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, Thor
manages to withstand everything Kang throws at him, which freaks Kang out so
bad that he overloads his own suit and blows himself (and his HQ) to pieces trying
to stop him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNbiXDkilrxOq1doqd9VPG7bPIwc898fsHLiYJrT18nBvH_r91VtoJUMQpcTVraHp_fb0ooOdtHhYD3IGAjvip8SgjFaIMysPdebEg39Soc-sYXIbTrKlSPLTCip4FiAWj2NWxZtYa2g/s1600/38kang.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNbiXDkilrxOq1doqd9VPG7bPIwc898fsHLiYJrT18nBvH_r91VtoJUMQpcTVraHp_fb0ooOdtHhYD3IGAjvip8SgjFaIMysPdebEg39Soc-sYXIbTrKlSPLTCip4FiAWj2NWxZtYa2g/s1600/38kang.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Eh, he’ll be
fine.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I mean, they try
to treat it like it’s a big deal—since Kang’s atoms are “spread throughout <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all
time</i></b>, never again to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rejoined</i></b>,” Immortus (a.k.a. Future
Kang) will never exist either, and he winks out of existence not long after
Kang’s demise as Moondragon cries for the death of a god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, y’know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a shame that death
is such a revolving door in comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
really sucks the gravitas out of moments like this.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I wish I could
show you more of Pérez’s panel layouts here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s hard to tell since I’m only showing a few panels per issue, but the
layouts have become increasingly fun and dynamic since Pérez took over the
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only recommend that you go
read the issues for yourselves so you can see how amazing he is... though maybe
you should wait until a less unfortunate inker comes onboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you seen his work with Al Rey in the ’98
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> series, or with various
inkers in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Teen Titans</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mind-blowing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.39, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-239-avengers-144-145.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #142 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #143</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-83302093031793546852016-07-09T10:00:00.000-04:002016-07-16T22:09:00.657-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.37 - Avengers #140-#141<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69V58IFA4FpVvqX9-5GaRIXYGgQO8WJ7ExPG2HytWgWSxEDFUykgaoFFY4CLnqKg9_vnaQmy-9PQ5zddeVVa-grrQL0xCgZxz82SCx7d1tzJ6uyXlxNnAZOfBlot5hay9f7Ua70cllD8/s1600/37covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69V58IFA4FpVvqX9-5GaRIXYGgQO8WJ7ExPG2HytWgWSxEDFUykgaoFFY4CLnqKg9_vnaQmy-9PQ5zddeVVa-grrQL0xCgZxz82SCx7d1tzJ6uyXlxNnAZOfBlot5hay9f7Ua70cllD8/s400/37covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.36, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-236-avengers-138-139.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p>I’m sure you won’t be the least bit surprised to learn that one of these covers has a big fat lie on it. Comics, amirite?</o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<a name='more'></a>True to the
promise at the end of the last issue, Yellowjacket collapses mere minutes after
his fight with Whirlwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and it
gets worse!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVz4EYgvopreIucfY-8pXbzJZBrnA76ibsYh_IkuARAYQN-DFzIS2z8jPBWx3SWrh0tJs8VX8zRLoUHzA4mAJ-lp3S6_FJxAGY88J_0SREg5vyHmHyKw7Kn-hoSWHODUfiooP-F4Yvl8/s1600/37growing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVz4EYgvopreIucfY-8pXbzJZBrnA76ibsYh_IkuARAYQN-DFzIS2z8jPBWx3SWrh0tJs8VX8zRLoUHzA4mAJ-lp3S6_FJxAGY88J_0SREg5vyHmHyKw7Kn-hoSWHODUfiooP-F4Yvl8/s1600/37growing.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
When Puberty Strikes<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well I guess the
Marvel universe needed someone to dump on now that the Swordsman finally bit it,
and Hank Pym’s been elected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Beast
fetches a doctor (they ARE right outside a hospital, after all), but his best
suggestion is to bring Yellowjacket inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though, y’know, he’s 20 feet tall and still growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, the Beast is a little brighter
and takes off for Brand Corp.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-235-avengers-136-137.html">If you recall</a>, Hank McCoy works for Brand Corp., trying to find a cure for mutation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we last saw him there, however, he was
fired for taking too much time off, AND he found out that his contract with
Brand Corporation effectively read “all your work are belong to us lol.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why you always read a contract
thoroughly before signing, kids.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
(Except the
iTunes contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure that’s not
important.)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Beast is now
reduced to breaking into his own former workplace in search of the cure that
might just be Hank Pym’s only hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fhg9oabRX8j13Y3aoqfDvecUc1zZ_ir3BBr8UhrglPhY8kkrzu_lpDe8Ra9ZkM8PtuV07BDJJ984TQNK3BnMSRYYCbcOXtyJgiLjd2y2ipRY0sZRaOPdECVLbCtdCqEgz8E9amgvzIE/s1600/37deadly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fhg9oabRX8j13Y3aoqfDvecUc1zZ_ir3BBr8UhrglPhY8kkrzu_lpDe8Ra9ZkM8PtuV07BDJJ984TQNK3BnMSRYYCbcOXtyJgiLjd2y2ipRY0sZRaOPdECVLbCtdCqEgz8E9amgvzIE/s1600/37deadly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Hey, Beast,
would you mind reminding Marvel that fantasy should be fun?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe then they’ll finally stop trying to
cram Civil War remixes down our throats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No I’m not bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do you ask?<br />
<br />
(I’m pretty sure I made this same joke a couple years ago. Kinda sad how it’s more relevant than ever.)<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Beast
grabs the serum and makes a break for it, the Vision and Wanda are flying home
after their truncated honeymoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they
fly by, they see Hank’s giant body in the street and land at once to find out what
the heck kind of trouble the Avengers have gotten into in their absence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda uses her magic to slow down the rate of
Yellowjacket’s growth, but they’ll still need the Beast’s formula to stop it
for good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Beast wants to
test the serum out on a sample of Jan’s blood first (since she still has traces
of the microbe in her as well—though I’m guessing it’s inactive), but the
doctor in charge won’t let him near her until Don Blake shows up to vouch for
the Beast.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluEVY2WNyFA7yqva1wvIXR7pu9epFw4JPvyXXPlQs9-o_9v-KzY0Z7xBHVr_J12QPXTHQAfZn0RJB15DwpP0i37wYQjIeUL2CBbzlbbJ2GEUF64vlbQcGMoEVo80yDy_M4An6mugycvM/s1600/37surrender.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluEVY2WNyFA7yqva1wvIXR7pu9epFw4JPvyXXPlQs9-o_9v-KzY0Z7xBHVr_J12QPXTHQAfZn0RJB15DwpP0i37wYQjIeUL2CBbzlbbJ2GEUF64vlbQcGMoEVo80yDy_M4An6mugycvM/s1600/37surrender.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
You know, MOST
scientists wear coats and gloves to keep things sanitary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How sanitary do you think it is in there now
that the Beast’s been running around in his underpants shedding blue fur
everywhere?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t
turn Hank into a blueberry at this rate.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with Iron
Man and Moondragon...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZgyXWjZkmMy6fCqVr-Xz4I6JFXPAU6dAgjXcdcwJhy5mgaqgH6qgeKeOXd5CikAWWRXTUfpDlErW0bq89QLkwysoPtsSxlEE7cjo0Bq54mdQf1At5GCHYx6-hgVkel_lJc0C0u5-RNQ/s1600/37blood.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZgyXWjZkmMy6fCqVr-Xz4I6JFXPAU6dAgjXcdcwJhy5mgaqgH6qgeKeOXd5CikAWWRXTUfpDlErW0bq89QLkwysoPtsSxlEE7cjo0Bq54mdQf1At5GCHYx6-hgVkel_lJc0C0u5-RNQ/s1600/37blood.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Looks more like
oil to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we sure the thing hasn’t
just sprung a leak?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is pretty old,
and somehow I doubt Hawkeye bothered to check if it was still in tip-top
condition before running off to the 12th century.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
After several
hours of work, the Beast completes his miracle cure and hands it off to the
Vision who, mirroring the actions Hank himself took to save Vision in the
hilarious <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/11/avengerous-tales-211-avengers-92-93.html">Avengers #93</a></i>,
renders himself intangible and enters Hank’s body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No not like that.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXXPhUZt0GejKTy1yvc4CeFXbECKj5kHTKwFUpNqcKYav7sEUEBP6hMJFzNbQEPsMEzi2Y-o4z5VEVPaF3ymNsHu2BnbIdOf3-6O9aK0e1dRWVIsWGs6I06ROnTD8VghbCW5POOJlVc4/s1600/37heart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXXPhUZt0GejKTy1yvc4CeFXbECKj5kHTKwFUpNqcKYav7sEUEBP6hMJFzNbQEPsMEzi2Y-o4z5VEVPaF3ymNsHu2BnbIdOf3-6O9aK0e1dRWVIsWGs6I06ROnTD8VghbCW5POOJlVc4/s1600/37heart.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“--And it is
absolutely disgusting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad I’m made
of plastic now.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
After some
extremely questionable science, the Vision successfully delivers Beast’s cure,
and Hank shrinks back to normal size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And wouldn’t you know it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as
Hank gets better, Jan does too, and the two share a kiss while Thor... does
whatever the heck this is supposed to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP3zSP4Pn0oiY-Ym_jrSfwZ45iKits86lMcS5ttvgpBFKrkUXiksfeIiv1ctKR4mNvVndsVowA3KwDNSkJ81VRCp2S-6dWs4XbCe1cd-sXFIW2d-PKZhx1BnU41MUK6-N0TdX4EgPqp8/s1600/37woo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP3zSP4Pn0oiY-Ym_jrSfwZ45iKits86lMcS5ttvgpBFKrkUXiksfeIiv1ctKR4mNvVndsVowA3KwDNSkJ81VRCp2S-6dWs4XbCe1cd-sXFIW2d-PKZhx1BnU41MUK6-N0TdX4EgPqp8/s1600/37woo.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Something’s
telling me that the hospital is about to discover a sizeable portion of its
drug supply has gone missing.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And now, a
moment I’ve been waiting for since I started doing these reviews: the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> comic drawn by George Pérez,
who much (much) later will become the regular artist on a future <em>Avengers</em> series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus he’s my favorite
comic book artist of all time, and I can’t wait to show you his work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve ever seen it before, you know you’re
in for a treat... even if the inking is kinda subpar.</div>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErhbsfJASEi9kdVbLvZtkVRh_wp0l_Bq0eziaO0h5yrIc0eFhJ9L90ZRbwJbNn6vBFRhAlPFm9YjwFIeQOknKLl1X9M20n96C9H0NJoZ0tV5bL2E1ftOwd1ups72AC1DxiNWwPVlvqGg/s1600/37hand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErhbsfJASEi9kdVbLvZtkVRh_wp0l_Bq0eziaO0h5yrIc0eFhJ9L90ZRbwJbNn6vBFRhAlPFm9YjwFIeQOknKLl1X9M20n96C9H0NJoZ0tV5bL2E1ftOwd1ups72AC1DxiNWwPVlvqGg/s400/37hand.png" width="170" /></a></div>
<br />
Yay, Cap’s back
at last!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And just in time to help Beast
fend off some goons trying to murder him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Isn’t that a coincidence?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap’s been tracking this particular goon
squad for a while, since they work for the evil Roxxon Corporation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really, is there any such thing as a
coincidence in fiction?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Cap and Beast
rush to the hospital where Hank and Jan are still recovering from their
respective injuries, and the other Avengers are all gathered ‘round for a
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap asks to see them all on
Avengers business, and so the bedridden Pyms are left to their own devices...
for about fifteen seconds.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DT-Pdhmhx2AckKNbWfN66akTq16zviBDkgjxQKLAQqTnCruiL3MmvFq-_SyjLl8UFE2r2AKxAwfVj3JjHdz8f5EGNMp_RXvDttAZVaZcIRW8QDpewpTQcSzj7C89njZOh6eCGNRmDVM/s1600/37goofy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DT-Pdhmhx2AckKNbWfN66akTq16zviBDkgjxQKLAQqTnCruiL3MmvFq-_SyjLl8UFE2r2AKxAwfVj3JjHdz8f5EGNMp_RXvDttAZVaZcIRW8QDpewpTQcSzj7C89njZOh6eCGNRmDVM/s1600/37goofy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
So who is this
person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s been making cameo appearances in the
past couple of issues, badgering Jarvis and now the Pyms to find out where the Beast
is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll find out who she is in a
second, but first, business.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap takes the
Avengers out for a stroll and tells them his suspicions about how Roxxon and
Brand Corporation are somehow connected, which would explain why those thugs
from earlier attacked Beast, who recently stole research from Brand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their chat is cut short by the return of Iron
Man and Moondragon, who report that Hawkeye is missing and that they suspect
Kang the Conqueror is responsible because of reasons. (To be fair, they don’t exactly have a whole plethora of enemies who can travel through time.)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor and
Moondragon head out to see what they can do about Kang, while Mystery Lady
finally catches up with the Beast.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I know very
little about this character and had to look her up in Marvel’s wiki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my fellow ignoramuses, Patsy Walker is a
former model who knew Hank McCoy during his days at Brand Corp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She even stumbled upon his secret identity
and essentially blackmailed him: she would keep his secret if he promised to
train her in the art of superheroing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She is now here to collect on that promise, but since Beast has already
told the Avengers his (formerly) secret identity, her blackmailing days are
effectively over.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Still, the Beast
is an honorable soul, and he decides to honor his promise anyway, asking
Captain America if it would be okay to bring Patsy along on their latest
mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap objects on the grounds that
it might be dangerous, but he has no choice but to relent when Beast reminds
him of all the teenage boys he’s let tag along with him over the years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So now the fun begins:
the Avengers split up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moondragon and
Thor, still eager to find Hawkeye (for some reason), use Moondragon’s mental
powers to summon Immortus to help them time-travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because he’s real reliable, isn’t he?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immortus guides them into the... timestream,
I guess?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks a lot like
color-changing spaghetti with sprinkles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And wouldn’t you know it, before they can find Hawkeye...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The Avengers
fight back, forcing Kang to flee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immortus,
Thor and Moondragon follow him to the American Old West—1873, to be
specific—but we don’t get to see what happens to them until next issue.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, the
rest of the team (and Patsy) break into Brand Corp. headquarters, not realizing
that they’re being remotely watched by Brand CEO Mr. Jones and Roxxon employee
Colonel Buzz Baxter... who just so happens to be Patsy’s ex-husband.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Not that he
cares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, he cares so little that
he immediately dispatches the Squadron Supreme to deal with the intruders.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Wait a
minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Squadron “Supreme?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weren’t they alternate universe—and decidedly
HEROIC—versions of the Squadron Sinister?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What happened since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/11/avengerous-tales-28-avengers-86-87.html">Avengers #86</a></i>?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejfILYoky2aCudvl72u0RupoBgovLoVs2oCJNsBnfhBEoKgC02SPVHe6vUclLbP2ier8wMGiwLQ7i1Nfq5zvQamOlKcnk1DHqB1TBQ-E6AXhwx10pXP5aHok9zTTRQNuetm_OQ_0HFQA/s1600/37sold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejfILYoky2aCudvl72u0RupoBgovLoVs2oCJNsBnfhBEoKgC02SPVHe6vUclLbP2ier8wMGiwLQ7i1Nfq5zvQamOlKcnk1DHqB1TBQ-E6AXhwx10pXP5aHok9zTTRQNuetm_OQ_0HFQA/s1600/37sold.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Hard to argue
with that kind of bluntness.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers
manage to hold their own for the most part until Patsy, like a moron, decides
she wants to punch someone too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
distracts Scarlet Witch, who is then knocked unconscious by Lady Lark, and that
distracts the Vision, and before you know it everyone’s taking an unscheduled
nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cue evil gloating from Jones and
Baxter.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Gotta admit, I’m
super curious to see how this all plays out, especially with Pérez on
board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe there’s hope for this new
direction after all!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.38, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-238-avengers-142-143.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #140 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #141</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-11621054463076101892016-07-02T10:00:00.000-04:002016-07-09T10:53:46.779-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.36 - Avengers #138-#139<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.35, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-235-avengers-136-137.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
Prescription: Death doesn't tell me very much. How often am I supposed to take death? How many deaths can I safely take at one time? What are the potential side effects of death? Does death have any contraindications?<br />
<br />
I don't think Whirlwind has ever even seen a medical school...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
We begin with
the Avengers—the old guard and the as-yet-unofficial new members Beast and
Moondragon—leaving the hospital, where the Wasp is in critical condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellowjacket is, understandably, hella
pissed, and he leads them all back to Avengers Mansion to begin the hunt for
the Stranger.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetTdtwL6oeV8QbpmZZIqAy7KJLndW8rrTQT8-hi2f3qsVIhmkTtFkAmg5fp8pH6X4AFl0o1OTWQBxdavrz_YFGuYkgRYRQcAI7yd3dTTeeJM4dpLxijZyX-F37AqpauEbxUf27oswBLw/s1600/36back.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetTdtwL6oeV8QbpmZZIqAy7KJLndW8rrTQT8-hi2f3qsVIhmkTtFkAmg5fp8pH6X4AFl0o1OTWQBxdavrz_YFGuYkgRYRQcAI7yd3dTTeeJM4dpLxijZyX-F37AqpauEbxUf27oswBLw/s1600/36back.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Oh no we’ll have
go another issue without Hawkeye what a shame<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before anyone
can think of mounting a rescue mission, the Mansion is rocked by another, much
stronger mental blast from the Stranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The purpose of this one is to probe everyone’s minds for the Scarlet
Witch’s location—which, fortunately for her, none of the Avengers know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more fortunately, Yellowjacket already
has a plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimuCtLMLUrNjCM9vk2tBVCmYzc5wVO5dykh9efMUUKjReftHRI0OWaj84mBRFLFA20Yy-9mdveU4FMs6_QbdvHknLHNFTWbFMOUM7FkcP7tqGtSAQsm7rBi19tZhaNMIvnr9SK08vndA/s1600/36decoy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimuCtLMLUrNjCM9vk2tBVCmYzc5wVO5dykh9efMUUKjReftHRI0OWaj84mBRFLFA20Yy-9mdveU4FMs6_QbdvHknLHNFTWbFMOUM7FkcP7tqGtSAQsm7rBi19tZhaNMIvnr9SK08vndA/s1600/36decoy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
But what if the
Stranger mind-blasts them again from a distant location instead of actually
following?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple enough: Iron Man,
Beast and Yellowjacket will remain behind and rig something up to track the
mind-blast to its source, while Thor and Moondragon head on out to not-warn
Vision and Wanda.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Thor and
Moondragon head out to an abandoned island in the Florida Keys to await the
Stranger’s arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Stranger shows
up right on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, at least he’s a
polite kidnapper.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxWWHRwDZbHEQP0cszktAMs_Mp40opDl2zZQeJVsL2zUh0Le534R_NLkUoR5aRq53qkl8fs381dZykjaMEPFfXSyWrgNZS5-SunNtZEeb1z9jWadTe5YTEfkh9KcvXWD3mwNENjx-6wA/s1600/36hitch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxWWHRwDZbHEQP0cszktAMs_Mp40opDl2zZQeJVsL2zUh0Le534R_NLkUoR5aRq53qkl8fs381dZykjaMEPFfXSyWrgNZS5-SunNtZEeb1z9jWadTe5YTEfkh9KcvXWD3mwNENjx-6wA/s1600/36hitch.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
That
depends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anyone happen to have an
electronic thumb handy?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor and
Moondragon kick the Stranger’s barely-clad behind, only to discover that he’s
just an illusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you may have guessed
earlier, Yellowjacket was right: the Stranger was attacking them remotely, specifically,
from a spaceship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man, YJ and Beast
snag a quinjet and infiltrate Stranger’s ship, only to be attacked by the
Stranger himself—the real one this time.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Beast gets
separated from the others, which gives him the chance to shine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is his debut as an Avenger, after
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gotta let him show us what he can
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what he can do is make like
Edward G. Robinson again, startling the Stranger into dropping his disguise...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_2yW-n1DsqM3SYuXl0Dgzo9M6fC_5lv6H9h6ApOHTO6b1MP0RWdRHE6EnsaocVE02cOm0nm3Z8Wy7jXiKL9yc2w9WdOKLF-yzq6iwRLz7WQdh3835zqYJQ38rJFWXzq0wgPRSFRUwHA/s1600/36romeoro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_2yW-n1DsqM3SYuXl0Dgzo9M6fC_5lv6H9h6ApOHTO6b1MP0RWdRHE6EnsaocVE02cOm0nm3Z8Wy7jXiKL9yc2w9WdOKLF-yzq6iwRLz7WQdh3835zqYJQ38rJFWXzq0wgPRSFRUwHA/s320/36romeoro.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Hey look, it’s
that guy the Avengers abandoned in <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/10/avengerous-tales-27-avengers-annual-4.html">a prison in another dimension</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if he holds a grudge against them or
anything.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We'll get to that later. Right now,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toad’s only stated
motivation was that he didn’t want to play second banana to anybody anymore, so
he stole some machines to make himself more powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellowjacket overhears all this and tries to
beat up Toad, only for Toad to use his machines to make Hank think he’s
fighting a giant octopus thing until Iron Man shuts the machine down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
At least, Iron
Man assumes the machine was responsible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yellowjacket doesn’t seem real sure, and considering his history of
ambiguously defined mental health issues, to say nothing of this line on the
last page of the issue...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkXxrevd2Z1LTnR0-kpYlGHP0LjtFW5w671-YKqfEWKF-531iJ5fOWhENNlX4BUPZU0BExY_ALj9ry_nFj_xBzcAAmJ3EQdk2OGaDzZP8eBcpb2NvBeCYqL0mJVqr06yNGVdRB3YvarY/s1600/36hold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkXxrevd2Z1LTnR0-kpYlGHP0LjtFW5w671-YKqfEWKF-531iJ5fOWhENNlX4BUPZU0BExY_ALj9ry_nFj_xBzcAAmJ3EQdk2OGaDzZP8eBcpb2NvBeCYqL0mJVqr06yNGVdRB3YvarY/s1600/36hold.png" /></a></div>
<br />
...there might
be something else going on here.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, most of
the rest of the comic is taken up by Toad explaining his plan in more
detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, the Avengers did NOT
abandon him on Arkon’s world, but rather, Toad requested to be left behind so
he could use the resources there to build a spaceship and pilot his way back to
the planet where the Stranger had imprisoned Magneto and Toad <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/04/avengerous-tales-125-avengers-47-48.html">ages ago</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice save, Englehart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little convoluted (they didn’t have the
equipment to build spaceships on Earth?), but nice save.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
That planet was
the Stranger’s main base, and he had all sorts of fancy equipment there that
Toad taught himself how to use, loaded onto his ship and brought back to Earth
with the intention of impressing the Scarlet Witch into marrying him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he found out she was already married, he
changed plans and attacked the Avengers instead.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Dang, Toadie
sure is a lot smarter and stronger than we all gave him credit for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Building a functioning spaceship by himself,
hauling giant machines onto it by himself... but Iron Man isn’t impressed and
tells him to shut up while he gets them all back to Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the next
issue begins with Yellowjacket threatening to murder Toad unless he cures his
wife, as one does, but Toad is a villain not a doctor dammit and the actual
doctors are so annoyed about all the shouty superheroes that they kick everyone
out of Jan’s sick room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s the
least of Yellowjacket’s problems...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LBIkPkTmuycLxSt3yF2a53f9k1FX-aLIImSMhSfS5Rhs4JcUefyoeMPFrBNSBTzM3OjiupNL7kiMi5nn3ly4zWe3nxVQx2PjIusykCPJ5-4hiDIHTWmJJYhJ7hNXyx9KFZd2G6Ri6ow/s1600/36socks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LBIkPkTmuycLxSt3yF2a53f9k1FX-aLIImSMhSfS5Rhs4JcUefyoeMPFrBNSBTzM3OjiupNL7kiMi5nn3ly4zWe3nxVQx2PjIusykCPJ5-4hiDIHTWmJJYhJ7hNXyx9KFZd2G6Ri6ow/s1600/36socks.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
It’s called a
door, Moondragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you’ve heard of
it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Whirlwind—an old
enemy of Hank and Jan’s, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/04/avengerous-tales-124-avengers-45-46.html">if you’ll recall</a>—twirls his way past all the
Avengers and grabs the comatose Jan, only to be stopped short by Moondragon’s
mind blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a moment too soon
either: as soon as he leaves, Hank experiences another burst of pain as a
result of the virus still in his system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Avengers try to help but he tells them to mind their own beeswax and
leaves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx773994GeY6u4j2Sl4OYSXzBmV_dw1-Q12eP8dnqgxyVoucmDL8EdF1wcOKa8LGlrSX5s7gugx8Z4tn9R_QwQNTuEsRpW5pYAXvbAeSUrh0jarbTXYJc0YnJl4QBbNCnTg0oLE8Rskkk/s1600/36think.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx773994GeY6u4j2Sl4OYSXzBmV_dw1-Q12eP8dnqgxyVoucmDL8EdF1wcOKa8LGlrSX5s7gugx8Z4tn9R_QwQNTuEsRpW5pYAXvbAeSUrh0jarbTXYJc0YnJl4QBbNCnTg0oLE8Rskkk/s1600/36think.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Yes how dare the
mentally ill man who’s just been pushed into superheroing against his will by
his emotionally abusive wife only for said wife to be attacked not once but
twice lose his temper. WHAT NERVE.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
(To be fair,
Iron Man admits as much in the next panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, kinda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re still not
acknowledging that Hank has schizophrenia or that Jan’s an amoral brat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because they’re stupid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s still a pretty nasty comment from Iron
Man, though.)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So while Iron
Man and Moondragon head out to go find Hawkeye,
Yellowjacket storms out of the hospital and encounters Charles, Jan’s former
chauffeur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may remember that
“Charles” is really the Whirlwind in disguise (especially if you clicked the
link above), but Yellowjacket doesn’t know that, even though Charles was
apparently fired for trying to steal from Jan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hank tells him to buzz off, which Charles does—right back to Jan’s
hospital room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for him,
Beast and Thor are still with her, so his dreams of murder will have to wait
for another day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, on a
quinjet...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
“He told me you
like crossdressing.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“Oh good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you won’t mind if I ask to borrow your
eyeshadow?”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Iron Man then
hits on her but is very firmly rebuffed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unlike <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/03/avengerous-tales-220-avengers-110-111.html">creepy stalker Hawkeye</a>, he does know how to take a hint.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
When they arrive
in Latveria, Moondragon and Iron Man search Doctor Doom’s old castle for any
sign of the time machine that Hawkeye was supposed to have used to visit the
Black Knight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no matter how hard
they search, there is no time machine to be found, meaning Hawkeye’s lost in
time somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe he decided that
while he was mucking about in the past he might as well take a shot at killing
Hitler.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Whirlwind tries
to attack Yellowjacket at his house, only to flee at the sight of one of Hank’s
weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very new weapon, though,
so Whirlwind’s utter terror at the sight of it makes no sense... unless, of
course, he already knew what it was.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Hank, not being
stupid, puts two and two together and puts a plan together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first, an interlude with our happy
honeymooners, Vision and Scarlet Witch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nVqOIk-RCZqqRfc7VSHNS3NhhK82RzgHlRlCXl94ylXStXnNtL2FVgC1MTuc60ZB7kTfVd8J8QqwhvdJsRdpiixpRhuRcwSzhHrYjQSAtR35aBOFWcPDNpf5_jOERrZQgEK5KgKzKB8/s1600/36people.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nVqOIk-RCZqqRfc7VSHNS3NhhK82RzgHlRlCXl94ylXStXnNtL2FVgC1MTuc60ZB7kTfVd8J8QqwhvdJsRdpiixpRhuRcwSzhHrYjQSAtR35aBOFWcPDNpf5_jOERrZQgEK5KgKzKB8/s1600/36people.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Wanda is
understandably nervous about announcing their marriage to the world, given the
amount of anti-mutant and anti-synthezoid sentiment out there, but of course
they can’t hide away on Rurutu forever.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back in New
York, Yellowjacket confronts Charles/Whirlwind, growing and shrinking
carelessly as he does everything in his power to bring the man down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The constant size-changing strains him so
badly that the pain returns worse than ever, sending him sprawling to the
floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hank is about to meet the nasty
end of Whirlwind’s boot when the boisterous Beast bounds to his rescue.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBA0xr6LZfT3OdatxC0D9iQ7qDPDe6cgwazn4gB649O5dWtfntxag4frgkZOWByIbZIR30Fzkbp98syQJGvXMnlXH0mh6Ej3s9Dz4V_hvBKkkL1EsVOJURdRQWwBSqTMTz1w-P96CF38/s1600/36shelter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBA0xr6LZfT3OdatxC0D9iQ7qDPDe6cgwazn4gB649O5dWtfntxag4frgkZOWByIbZIR30Fzkbp98syQJGvXMnlXH0mh6Ej3s9Dz4V_hvBKkkL1EsVOJURdRQWwBSqTMTz1w-P96CF38/s1600/36shelter.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Protip: Always
hide your pain, whether physical or emotional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This will never, ever backfire, especially if you’re a superhero.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Iron Man came off as a royal prick this issue, but I’m still more concerned by the fact
that the Avengers are falling back into their old pattern of needing to rescue
Wasp every ten minutes and squabbling over who leads the team. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Iron Man and Thor had a brief tiff just
before the flight to Latveria, mainly because both Thor and Tony were crushing
on Moondragon and each wanted to keep her for himself.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Nostalgia’s all
well and good, fellas, but we made progress for a reason—that reason being that
it’s annoying for the (formerly only) female superhero to constantly need
saving, and that it’s boring to watch the Avengers fight over the same old
stuff all the time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.37, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-237-avengers-140-141.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #138 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #139</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-12620640320118781822016-06-25T09:21:00.001-04:002016-07-02T10:19:47.781-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.35 - Avengers #136-#137<br />
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<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.34, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengers-234-avengers-135-giant-size.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before we dive
in, I should explain something about Issue 136—it’s a reprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, during the 1970s, Marvel’s creators
seemed to have trouble meeting their deadlines from time to time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When that happened, rather than delaying the
book, Marvel would usually print a replacement story that had absolutely
nothing to do with whatever ongoing storyline was happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, however, they’re reprinting a
story from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amazing Adventures #12</i>,
originally published in 1972, rather than giving us a new story.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Either way, it
was kind of jarring and irritating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still, since it’s in an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i>
comic and features both an Avenger and a future Avenger, I’m going to review it
anyway.<br />
</div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white;"></span>So we open with
our old X-buddy the Beast, a.k.a. Hank McCoy, who has apparently been doing
research into mutation and ended up accidentally turning himself into, well,
the Beast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Wcc5ABBJwXaoAKrCjVrckuvWGaGr0iPUIFdLKHKKRhVYmQngxkguTRKEZgrR11CJJtOst8naGBaK3hSLpZOdR97vlGRlisNGgo1WmN47ZrPUI-d02dNQSTVJKoirrtImUQOFVGK5qI/s1600/35suit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Wcc5ABBJwXaoAKrCjVrckuvWGaGr0iPUIFdLKHKKRhVYmQngxkguTRKEZgrR11CJJtOst8naGBaK3hSLpZOdR97vlGRlisNGgo1WmN47ZrPUI-d02dNQSTVJKoirrtImUQOFVGK5qI/s1600/35suit.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
He creates a
disguise for himself so he can get back into his lab at Brand Corporation and
try to figure out a cure for his sudden extreme hair growth and/or the fact that his hands are melting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day, wearing his new human suit, he
arrives at the lab bright and early to begin work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But of course things can’t be that simple: Hank
is almost immediately interrupted when his boss, Mr. Grant, insists that he
meet with some visitors.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51YxorEC7ZZJFNrq7woW1c-u4w2OLbI9N-Ix5Y_Tt36iV9mb0AwqXJecYtlz-UcUIr1HhhBAJWgLrEb5yvXkbAollazubupOCTivwv9ILaASI-y8847m8RiCIgCm53G7Di5coQ9QEaUw/s1600/35genius.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51YxorEC7ZZJFNrq7woW1c-u4w2OLbI9N-Ix5Y_Tt36iV9mb0AwqXJecYtlz-UcUIr1HhhBAJWgLrEb5yvXkbAollazubupOCTivwv9ILaASI-y8847m8RiCIgCm53G7Di5coQ9QEaUw/s1600/35genius.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<s>If you
wanted any more proof that Tony has a thing for blonds named Ro(d)gers, here it
is.</s><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Tony’s here
because he’s looking for new directions in which to take Stark Industries, and
he’s considering genetic research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marianne
is here because... reasons, I guess?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plot reasons, anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a
form of ESP that allows her to get a sense of a person’s true nature, among
other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Linda Donaldson,
Hank’s assistant and girlfriend, shows up, Marianne gets a very bad feeling indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given that Linda is a member of the Secret
Empire—discussed briefly <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html">here</a>—this feeling is 100% justified.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Hank, however, doesn’t
want to hear anything bad about his lady friend and abandons Tony and Marianne
to go out on a lunch date with Linda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later, that night, Hank finally gives into the urge to take off his
disguise and run around as himself, only to run into Iron Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Correctly assuming that Shellhead is here to
investigate Linda, Beast doesn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0nR89DFR7NL_bPWqr9fEejYJjmMUSluwff8q8Pf9r3ho9grLgtNoo2c-JMCgOpw2H_6Z7yVKFodRGSkiZ0jU0RDdQtR-U8D0gNDHPXa7h0qERWqTv6n_guMIngenm3hwIzCwGf83lgc/s1600/35awat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0nR89DFR7NL_bPWqr9fEejYJjmMUSluwff8q8Pf9r3ho9grLgtNoo2c-JMCgOpw2H_6Z7yVKFodRGSkiZ0jU0RDdQtR-U8D0gNDHPXa7h0qERWqTv6n_guMIngenm3hwIzCwGf83lgc/s1600/35awat.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
One good thing
about this understudy issue: we get a break from Iron Nose.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
As you might
imagine, fisticuffs ensue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man kicks
Beast’s behind until security—and Linda Donaldson—show up to find out what jerk
is destroying their lab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This moment of
distraction allows Beast time to recover, but the moment he tries to resume the
fight, the security guards fire at him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This makes Beast very angry... and you won’t like him when he’s angry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSwTZgp10ocrzg5rn_bL533_wMj_ohbV5vUsj_eJ3VzEJ_e1a9xFnNkTU9GWoWzUeC_DcGVNLXOalfwHKNBmMb-48_S8rgZ34rnCM6gxQzKHYxz72EeOj-klUIShMtLzyuenQYdzT3ck/s1600/35animal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSwTZgp10ocrzg5rn_bL533_wMj_ohbV5vUsj_eJ3VzEJ_e1a9xFnNkTU9GWoWzUeC_DcGVNLXOalfwHKNBmMb-48_S8rgZ34rnCM6gxQzKHYxz72EeOj-klUIShMtLzyuenQYdzT3ck/s1600/35animal.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The pounding is
enough to make even Iron Man beg for mercy, but the Beast doesn’t stop until he
can no longer hear Iron Man’s heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Horrified at his actions, the Beast runs away into a convenient nearby
forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But fortunately for our Golden
Avenger, not all is as it seems...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZS95Pk1jfCFk1xnrIJgVbOVJ8D910g8ClEJ5yVfP8zGiPfzyMQi-Zdxvt-LkckXKJHOoXEK7v9T9xIV4ZmxBA0iXIIr0OOJCofydkNpbGJjvQW4kSE9j5Rh8BGMkL3rB7cxedByi_Cg/s1600/35screaming.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZS95Pk1jfCFk1xnrIJgVbOVJ8D910g8ClEJ5yVfP8zGiPfzyMQi-Zdxvt-LkckXKJHOoXEK7v9T9xIV4ZmxBA0iXIIr0OOJCofydkNpbGJjvQW4kSE9j5Rh8BGMkL3rB7cxedByi_Cg/s1600/35screaming.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
That’s about the
end of this issue, so to find out what really happened, Marvel has helpfully
provided us with a footnote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the
Beast was completely losing his marbles, a mutant mind controller named
Mastermind caused him to hallucinate that he’d murdered Iron Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was all part of a plan to manipulate the
Beast into joining the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which Beast ultimately
declined to do.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Also, if you
were wondering why Marianne Rodgers never made the transition from Tony Stark’s
fiancée to Tony Stark’s wife, it’s because her powers made her go insane and
last time I checked she was still in a mental hospital someplace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, come on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was Tony Stark’s girlfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She couldn’t have painted a bigger target on
her back if she put on a blue dress and dated a Cartwright.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
This issue was
good enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It kept me entertained,
which is the most important thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
in a roundabout way, it does kinda-sorta connect to the next actual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> issue, as you may have noticed
from the cover.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
George Tuska is
back on arting duties this issue, and just in time for Thor to issue a
televised public service announcement that “WE DO SEEK OUT NEW AVENGERS!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do they do seek, do you ask?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
FOR THE LOVE
OF—have we not had enough of Hawkeye’s posturing and trying to asshole his way
to the top?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought he actually
LEARNED something in the past ten years, but NO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s still the same twerp who argued with
Quicksilver and Captain America over who should get to wear the leader
hat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just—GAH.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Iron Man
nominates Moondragon for membership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
accepts immediately, which Thor will have reason to regret, but anyway, the
Avengers then decide to call up all their former members to see if anyone’s
interested in rejoining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First up: Black
Panther.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT8spVbQXh20gTbIDyVhaKRFkpj6U_Y7l2LyCoXbZgmNnW2VDpcpp6JMGpyI5V2J5EkvDB2OhffzMOeLriUeYlyZP38RNFa0jhUWdQqRXdgCcSgPkL81xn92Z2U_apVuYqFkkL0CXR0U/s1600/35widen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT8spVbQXh20gTbIDyVhaKRFkpj6U_Y7l2LyCoXbZgmNnW2VDpcpp6JMGpyI5V2J5EkvDB2OhffzMOeLriUeYlyZP38RNFa0jhUWdQqRXdgCcSgPkL81xn92Z2U_apVuYqFkkL0CXR0U/s1600/35widen.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I can’t stop
laughing at this panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When did the
Black Panther turn into a pretentious thesaurus-owning dork?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is Wakanda one of those countries where it’s
considered impolite to just straight-out refuse something, so they have these
fancy roundabout ways of saying no?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually,
I like that headcanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going with
it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Quicksilver, Captain
America (and yes, he is Captain America again by now), Black Widow, and
Hercules also turn down the offer (some more politely than others, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PIETRO</i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Hulk doesn’t get an invite, probably because Thor has had enough of
being yelled at, so that just leaves Yellowjacket and the Wasp.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It’s Janet who
answers Thor’s call, and she says that both she and Hank will be more than
happy to rejoin the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how does
she know that Hank will agree with her if he’s not even there right now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Ours is a happy marriage,” she says, “and
Hank wants to keep it that way!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I’d like to say
she’s kidding about that, but... well, just wait a few issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you remember anything about <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-132-avengers-59-60.html">their wedding</a>, you will be very unpleasantly unsurprised.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We then cut briefly
to <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-223-avengers-116-117.html#more">Rurutu</a>, where Wanda and Vision are happily honeymooning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I’d mention this bit only in
passing, but if features the Vision in bathing shorts and that is not a sight I
am cruel enough to deny my readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
got you guys covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is more than
those trunks are doing for Vision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Back at the
Mansion, Janet and Hank arrive with some exposition about what they’ve been up
to since taking a hiatus from the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were both infected with a bug of sorts that kept them both trapped
at ant-size for two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Janet
appears to be completely cured, Hank is still partially infected, so he stays
at normal-person size unless strictly necessary.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Dang, this issue
really seems to be hitting the reset button on the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except for Moondragon, their line-up is
almost identical to what it was several years ago, and their personal problems
(Hawkeye being a ladder-climbing moron, Hank’s size-change issues) all sound
awfully familiar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Oh, and
Yellowjacket and Hawkeye beat each other up for no reason for about a
page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahhh, just like the old days!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So while Hawkeye
stomps out to use <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-130-avengers-annual-2.html">Doctor Doom’s old time machine</a> to go
ask the Black Knight if he’d like to rejoin the team (he’s chosen to hang out in
the 12<sup>th</sup> century for a while, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengers-224-avengers-118-119.html#more">if you recall</a>), the Avengers break
into Yankee Stadium to use it as a training ground for any potential recruits
they attract as a result of Thor’s TV announcement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Their first
applicant is the Beast, who decides to come dressed as Edward G. Robinson for
no reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe he’s trying to show off
his disguise skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admittedly, that
could come in handy as a crime-fighter, especially when you’re blue and furry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their second applicant: Mysterious Voice From
the Shadows Who Wants Them All Dead!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
...Is Yankee
Stadium a football field in the Marvel universe?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
According to
Thor, their attacker is the Stranger, a real piece of work who likes
kidnapping beings from various planets and studying them, all while wearing no
pants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He now wants to play a little
game with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (that never bodes well).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One-fifth of the hover mines is packed with
explosives, and the Avengers have just two minutes to weave their way around
all of them to get to a kill switch before the Stranger just kills everyone.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor dives in
headfirst and ends up knocking himself out right away, and his actions take
Iron Man down as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wasp is the
next to try to reach the switch, but she gets knocked out too (because of
course she friggin does), and when Yellowjacket tries to go after her,
Moondragon knocks him out to keep him safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That leaves it up to the Beast, with his superhuman eyesight and
acrobatic abilities, to dodge the mines and deactivate them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Juuuuust like the good old days </i>*flips
table*<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Stranger
finally shows his pantsless self and briefly does mind-battle with Moondragon
before getting bored and flying away, swearing revenge.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I am glad to see
some new blood injected into the book but, like I intimated before, this is a
little TOO much like the good old days for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t mind the return of old familiar characters, but I really wish
Englehart had left the old familiar unsavory character traits in the past
where they belonged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next thing you know
Rick Jones will be back whining about wanting Avengers membership.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.36, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/07/avengerous-tales-236-avengers-138-139.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #136 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #137<o:p></o:p></div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-62254359890044215802016-06-18T10:00:00.000-04:002016-06-25T09:21:57.953-04:00Avengers 2.34 - Avengers #135-Giant-Size Avengers #4<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaNpH6CKMoVwehBnFHaBh-lM2kPatjRpaoOKPMemS56ZkOdvN3BK9aIsxva9xoZhxmlGQzZ0rZFOpZc0GSsjP1xWTZtYpICySiQ32uDXT7ZOErxd3WmysLPyjoNAf4wFU-MC4BlYkQS4/s1600/34covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaNpH6CKMoVwehBnFHaBh-lM2kPatjRpaoOKPMemS56ZkOdvN3BK9aIsxva9xoZhxmlGQzZ0rZFOpZc0GSsjP1xWTZtYpICySiQ32uDXT7ZOErxd3WmysLPyjoNAf4wFU-MC4BlYkQS4/s400/34covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.33, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengers-233-avengers-133-134.html">go here</a>!</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Dang, we’ve been
having a lot of giant-size specials lately, haven’t we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, instead of Sal Buscema and Joe Staton
on artwork, we have our old friend George Tuska instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hi, George!</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So if you
remember from last time, the Vision was still floating around space-time with
Immortus’s talking stick to guide him through the original Human Torch’s—and
his own—origin story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1966, Torchie
was killed and his body callously abandoned by the Fantastic Four, who are
pricks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gives Ultron-5 the chance
to come busting through the wall to take the dead android for his own
purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, though, he has to
contend with the Mad Thinker’s abandoned assistant...<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij42Y9ZggxHEzdpU_PoBiGJGejx0GrPjwRykB_9zNWig_eWMaZ-Vcu61aqMtU2MWNi2su5Wpuqc2euzWR4yfgDLEgTl2AtLREV2zRhaNE77Xy25OELB1R7a3sle-uyerY7pKznwnhnAsw/s1600/34living.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij42Y9ZggxHEzdpU_PoBiGJGejx0GrPjwRykB_9zNWig_eWMaZ-Vcu61aqMtU2MWNi2su5Wpuqc2euzWR4yfgDLEgTl2AtLREV2zRhaNE77Xy25OELB1R7a3sle-uyerY7pKznwnhnAsw/s1600/34living.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Ultron decides
now is a good time to regale us with his origin story, which we already covered
in the halcyon days of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-131-avengers-57-58.html">Avengers #57</a>,</i>
if you feel like reviewing them for yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After he becomes sentient and kicks Hank Pym out of his house, Ultron
visits the Mad Thinker, who is apparently a renowned android expert now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultron demands that the Mad Thinker give him
an android of his own to play with, and MT tells him to go take the Human
Torch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And again, I would like to remind
you that this plan wouldn’t have worked if Reed Richards was not a tool.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So anyway, Quasimodo
begs Ultron to take him instead, but Ultron just hypnotizes him into forgetting
the whole incident and runs off with the Human Torch’s body.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back in Vietnam,
Mantis demands that Libra tell her what the eff is going on here, but he
doesn’t get the chance before Moondragon shows up and oh great, more origin
stories.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5QgWBeTuGJZBvjw0ykavnwWg_oJ-hwijDCQ7_FoI7Bu251iTdu2S_IZ5AuTS1ZDPUGxiLWOeoniyEAkrbB5cjOq4fxtpWZl5fSx5GVxUe1VWQQ2hwARKmD2Y4kuEDnSxJY-UC_TNbLk/s1600/34starry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5QgWBeTuGJZBvjw0ykavnwWg_oJ-hwijDCQ7_FoI7Bu251iTdu2S_IZ5AuTS1ZDPUGxiLWOeoniyEAkrbB5cjOq4fxtpWZl5fSx5GVxUe1VWQQ2hwARKmD2Y4kuEDnSxJY-UC_TNbLk/s1600/34starry.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Heather survives
the crash and is taken to safety by Mentor, Thanos’s dad and ruler of
Titan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Titan, Moondragon’s fate seems
to closely mirror Mantis’s—she is raised in a temple and taught martial
arts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moondragon, however, also becomes
a priestess and a geneticist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s a
bit of an overachiever.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, in
1968...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3ckLzDscsOCj0bj00DTXIUwAnrcs-8_i2hf04NyAS4Bj81k2Lo8mU4lu0eDgYGk6xcVxluLNc0VMgJlw0JBXjgd4vDJYrVqke0zSGKfb0wDXyFGm0arr8QzthS2N_6huzpjp87QRPe8/s1600/34neutrons.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3ckLzDscsOCj0bj00DTXIUwAnrcs-8_i2hf04NyAS4Bj81k2Lo8mU4lu0eDgYGk6xcVxluLNc0VMgJlw0JBXjgd4vDJYrVqke0zSGKfb0wDXyFGm0arr8QzthS2N_6huzpjp87QRPe8/s1600/34neutrons.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Neutrons is my
new favorite fictional swear word, right behind “nut bunnies” and “Belgium.” Also, Ultron sure did build himself an unnecessarily shapely behind there, didn’t he?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Ultron decides
that the only way he’ll be able to fix the Human Torch for his purposes is to
kidnap Torchie’s inventor, Phineas T. Horton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(I assume that the T stands for Tim.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Horton’s career tanked after the Human Torch’s escape, and he’s been
sitting around repairing TVs and drinking ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s not real thrilled about coming face to
face with his greatest failure again after so many years, but Ultron doesn’t
care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After months of work, their Vision
is realized (ahar).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We sojourn
briefly to Vietnam, where Immortus shows up with a mysterious shiny box, and
then to Avengers Mansion, where Jarvis hears evil male laughter coming from
Wanda’s room and tries to break in, only to find the room empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now back to your regularly scheduled origin
story, where the newly revamped Human Torch is waking up.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq55JBA8SfNjGajzvRPsGiAjnqJEiQ0X06_WM1dhiTMIm0iW8QhCO1BFdJCleHnuI01Fl-7KzMEZLhULT1qz7Z2to0nEa-tGf_yiwWkcblHhMbEpMaW6jrsym2hkTw3EJ3wZgSb2FvfkA/s1600/34body.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq55JBA8SfNjGajzvRPsGiAjnqJEiQ0X06_WM1dhiTMIm0iW8QhCO1BFdJCleHnuI01Fl-7KzMEZLhULT1qz7Z2to0nEa-tGf_yiwWkcblHhMbEpMaW6jrsym2hkTw3EJ3wZgSb2FvfkA/s1600/34body.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Horton pays for
his deceit with his life, as you might expect, and while the Human Torch
doesn’t exactly have warm fuzzy feelings for his creator, he’s not happy that
he’s dead, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Torchie and Ultron
duke it out, but it’s a short-lived battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ultron knocks out Human Torch and, while he’s unconscious, replaces his
brain patterns with those of the deceased Wonder Man (if you want the details
on that, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-131-avengers-57-58.html#more">go here</a>).<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well that about
wraps it up for the Vision’s origins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can we go home now?</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJFJObh6zS8GUlKd37YNXfZQEW6gYBU1KdVgIv1Oe5BsiSFvApscT3PJAsIO_kDAtbGW2NDWDB-StETO5LUZeXFbXcvbUz1rCUCYbreoaEZNYLc35_N5aAwceprgGuL07ELUQiy15rNI/s1600/34drifting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJFJObh6zS8GUlKd37YNXfZQEW6gYBU1KdVgIv1Oe5BsiSFvApscT3PJAsIO_kDAtbGW2NDWDB-StETO5LUZeXFbXcvbUz1rCUCYbreoaEZNYLc35_N5aAwceprgGuL07ELUQiy15rNI/s1600/34drifting.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
...Guess not.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Our story picks
up in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #4</i>, but
first, I gotta say, I have a thousand questions about this cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Hawkeye the only one who looks happy
about this wedding?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Immortus
officiating?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because he’s the ruler
of limbo doesn’t give him the power to marry people on Earth, does it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would they even WANT him to officiate
when he’s tried to murder them, both <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/01/avengerous-tales-15-avengers-9-10.html">actively</a> and <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-232-avengers-132-giant.html">inactively</a>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How is Mantis marrying a ghost?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that legal in the Marvel universe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how comes nobody notices Dormammu
sneaking up on them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is he breaking that
mountain really, really quietly?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Also, our artist
du jour is Don Heck, which normally I’d be cool with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the inker, John Tartag, kind of makes
everything look weird at times.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslF3CqsU9evPyf8nNH4ukN2goLhyphenhypheniBdL3NkDV7kTVG9KtIzwiqxdXk1BaTtX9ZBMzheWPDy4s6POvxJu4KvN4k8hWFfKu2aiHYl4B-P0g1tbSGdkJhpG6Rdbh5M2_0A0DtiGDitQWjcQ/s1600/34homage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslF3CqsU9evPyf8nNH4ukN2goLhyphenhypheniBdL3NkDV7kTVG9KtIzwiqxdXk1BaTtX9ZBMzheWPDy4s6POvxJu4KvN4k8hWFfKu2aiHYl4B-P0g1tbSGdkJhpG6Rdbh5M2_0A0DtiGDitQWjcQ/s1600/34homage.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
So yeah, Vision
has stumbled upon Dormammu’s domain, and apparently so did the Scarlet Witch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision announces his intention to fight
for Wanda’s life, and Dormammu laughs in his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rude.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Returning to
Vietnam, the Swordsman’s swordy-sense is tingling, which prompts Immortus to
leave and figure out where the heck the Vision got to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he is gone, the Swordsman finally—FINALLY!!—tells
us how Mantis came to be the Celestial Madonna.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4EUzPNbmZpvbzb7K5vOWMDA2S4CGCw-rf-a0kprNoJ4mSOSgCLrHYCzm1uPncTYOLvKQUmCuK2C3xMLnq2iLcVCbWaoIp_3GKWWgi-E8vlR2H-ju4aglxeuWTYjeCgxmua9MHoTxbkA/s1600/34perfect.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4EUzPNbmZpvbzb7K5vOWMDA2S4CGCw-rf-a0kprNoJ4mSOSgCLrHYCzm1uPncTYOLvKQUmCuK2C3xMLnq2iLcVCbWaoIp_3GKWWgi-E8vlR2H-ju4aglxeuWTYjeCgxmua9MHoTxbkA/s1600/34perfect.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
They must have
some weird kind of definition of perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or are we expected to forget that Mantis dumped Swordsman in the
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-229-avengers-127-128.html">cruelest way possible</a> and repeatedly pursued the Vision despite knowing
that a) he was not interested in her that way, and b) he was seeing someone
else?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, according to the next panel
which compares Mantis and Heather Douglas, it looks like Mantis’s real name IS
ACTUALLY Mantis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it’s less bizarre
than some Hollywood baby names I could think of...<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The priests that
raised Moondragon, like the Priests of Pama, were descended from the pacifist
Kree that fled Hala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they got done
training Moondragon and Mantis to be as awesome as they could be, they got all
creepy and erased their memories of said training because of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By that time, the priests had decided that
Mantis was a more perfect human than Moondragon—which makes sense since Mantis
was actually raised ON EARTH (seriously, how did you think that would turn
out?)—so Mantis gets to be the Celestial Madonna.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Hawkeye gets
bored with all the exposition and wanders off, only to stumble upon the
battered bodies of Radioactive Man, the Crimson Dynamo, and Titanium Man, who
we last saw in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-231-avengers-130-131.html">Avengers #130</a></i>
when they politely invited the Avengers to leave Vietnam immediately and to not
come back ever again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who could possibly
beat up the Titanic Three so badly?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_78rIGXjzsKbDvlPCjViTAt37OFD7zSpPtSWJTx104qaIc9tLN8T2up1e3vEIOu04aBnAXsCubRanKbHNuO-S58vyKS1giruUubOMM1hD3i2VxWeX3YZ-0ANwjjSd5FXEdU4aR2yaFQ/s1600/34kang.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_78rIGXjzsKbDvlPCjViTAt37OFD7zSpPtSWJTx104qaIc9tLN8T2up1e3vEIOu04aBnAXsCubRanKbHNuO-S58vyKS1giruUubOMM1hD3i2VxWeX3YZ-0ANwjjSd5FXEdU4aR2yaFQ/s1600/34kang.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Clearly that
lesson Immortus tried to teach him a couple issues ago really sunk in.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Vision, he defeats Dormammu’s monster lackeys only to have to face the Scarlet
Witch, who in case you hadn’t guessed has been under Dormammu’s control for the
past two issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d think Agatha
Harkness would have freaking noticed that, or was she under his control too?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, where IS Agatha Harkness, anyway?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman continues
his story, telling how the Priests of Pama dumped Mantis in Saigon with false
memories when she turned 18 because they’re a bunch of creepy a-holes, at which
point she was immediately snatched up by Monsieur Khruul, who put her to work <s>as
a sex worker</s> in a bar frequented by American GIs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was there she met the Swordsman, and we’ve
already seen <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">this story</a> before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next scene!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Hawkeye, Iron
Man and Thor split up to find Kang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor
finds him and, still mightily annoyed about the whole ‘you tried to kill us’
thing, knocks him unconscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But who’s
this Hawkeye has just encountered?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaTmw8N2TbwrHFBvYPp1V5LG7nz0PuACPObEPAHrQxCcIZTvwe9GW_pOx8KJAxvflJYC7NBCw1gig2jKvoOJP2kSf8trPQ0Jn-MvUjNiB3HEX9Ehglbh11COEiMGd0Hc6SvGfmOZMVU4/s1600/34curse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaTmw8N2TbwrHFBvYPp1V5LG7nz0PuACPObEPAHrQxCcIZTvwe9GW_pOx8KJAxvflJYC7NBCw1gig2jKvoOJP2kSf8trPQ0Jn-MvUjNiB3HEX9Ehglbh11COEiMGd0Hc6SvGfmOZMVU4/s1600/34curse.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Didn’t we do
this plot twist already with <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html">Nuklo</a>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man,
don’t tell me Nuklo is yet another iteration of Kang...<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, thanks
to Harkness’s training, Scarlet Witch can now do a lot more than just shoot hex
spheres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has learned how to control
all of nature, basically, which really sucks for the Vision since he’s powered
by the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda zaps all the solar
power from the jewel in his forehead, and it’s only when the Vision is begging
her to remember who she is while falling over (complete with hilarious “SLUMP!”
sound effect) that the Scarlet Witch snaps out of it.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
She is
displeased, as you may imagine, and distracts Dormammu by removing the source
of his own power—a lava pit—while restoring both the Vision’s powers and
freeing Agatha Harkness from Dormammu’s... clutches?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Control?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yeah, apparently Dormammu’s had Harkness around this whole time and just
wasn’t doing anything with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given how
powerful she is, you’d think he’d have made her do his bidding just like he did
with Wanda, but no...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Dormammu
cries uncle and lets our heroes return home, pinky-promising that
he’ll leave the Earth alone from now own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The comic makes it a point to tell us that he breaks his word in the
next issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Strange</i>, though
I’m pretty sure we all could have guessed that even without the helpful
footnote.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
For now, though,
the trio is transported back to Avengers Mansion, where Miss Harkness announces
that she has nothing left to teach the Scarlet Witch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Avengers, Hawkeye and Thor and Iron Man finally realize they’d somehow been
duped by the three Kangs, and Mantis gets some surprising news from the
Swordsman.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGQZrdhz0_JFD2LPzTQQg99ithZduGnASlOrxjiEXiA3vNkXmz2wzBs-tq7GInb__CcS-Twli4sH9EhW9EnuRy6SpBI63Jtdq64LAR7qPWT0BT9g2WwuOmU7srGQ72TnXI4dqH4G2Z14/s1600/34marry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGQZrdhz0_JFD2LPzTQQg99ithZduGnASlOrxjiEXiA3vNkXmz2wzBs-tq7GInb__CcS-Twli4sH9EhW9EnuRy6SpBI63Jtdq64LAR7qPWT0BT9g2WwuOmU7srGQ72TnXI4dqH4G2Z14/s1600/34marry.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Why do I get the
feeling that this is one of those situations where context isn’t going to help?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well, let’s take
a look at the context anyway: Mr. Tree wants to marry Mantis for some
unexplained reason and so he reanimated the Swordsman’s corpse as a wedding
present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That wasn’t the Swordsman’s ghost walking
around—that was his dead body being controlled by a damn alien tree who decided
to get Mantis the world’s ickiest wedding present BEFORE asking her to marry
him.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Mantis, who is
suspiciously not creeped out by this, communes with the tree’s spirit or
something and agrees to the marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t even WANT to know how she becomes the Celestial Madonna as a result of
this arrangement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
There’s a much
sweeter scene at Avengers Mansion where the Vision tells Wanda all about how
they’ve both grown as people recently and how he finally realizes that he
doesn’t ever want to live without her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s really very nice to see these two people, who have both gone
through so much development and learning to get where they are, finally be
happy together.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But of course we
can’t focus on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to focus on
this weirdness with Mantis and the creepy-ass Cotati... and Kang, of course.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWiv5OAyxmKUxmvyex0TXgCvYSe-Vvqw-W9ngvqf-qsSJQtCuieGe7sXHzkATuTcrcEy7rRR6ByEmcmAdNFKQOPvcp7ipV6Muj-rbBJ3X5MvsFw1wbZxscjuSeh4uq5mCdVGsm3bm0h0/s1600/34time.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWiv5OAyxmKUxmvyex0TXgCvYSe-Vvqw-W9ngvqf-qsSJQtCuieGe7sXHzkATuTcrcEy7rRR6ByEmcmAdNFKQOPvcp7ipV6Muj-rbBJ3X5MvsFw1wbZxscjuSeh4uq5mCdVGsm3bm0h0/s1600/34time.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
FINALLY
someone’s making some real good use of the fact that Kang is a time
traveler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d give the writer points for
this, but that Cotati is still freaking me out.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang kidnaps
Mantis and Thor makes to go after them, but Immortus stops him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, you all remember the Space Phantom, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2014/11/avengerous-tales-11-avengers-1-2.html">shown up</a> a <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/02/avengerous-tales-218-avengers-106-107.html">couple of times</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out he’s basically Immortus’s lackey (which makes no sense given the context of his first appearance, but whatever),
and Immortus made him swap places with Mantis as soon as Kang had kidnapped
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mantis is safely in the temple,
while Kang just got a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some Like It Hot</i>-style
surprise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But of course
Kang doesn’t use his time travel powers to try to fix this situation, and we
more or less get to see the scene on the cover with Immortus officiating at two weddings (he
conveniently teleported Vision and Scarlet Witch over to Vietnam for no reason
a couple pages back).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers elect
to make Mantis a true-blue Avenger at last, which she is very happy
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Then Mantis, her
new husband (?) and the dead body being controlled by her new husband’s mental
powers become beings of pure energy and shoot off into the cosmos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that’s where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i> got that idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star
Trek</i> points, though: they at least eliminated the creepy tree man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I really don’t
know what to tell you, folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
this giant-size issue made much better use of the extra space than previous
ones, what with the multiple plotlines going on, and I did honestly enjoy
seeing the Vision and Wanda finally find some happiness together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And this is a
big but.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Tree Man is scary
and I want my mommy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is no one going to
object to this final indignity against the Swordsman???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roy Thomas, I love you, but seriously what
the hell.</div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.35, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-235-avengers-136-137.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #135 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Giant-Size Avengers #4</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-54294101555017956442016-06-11T10:00:00.000-04:002016-06-18T10:27:10.061-04:00Avengers 2.33 - Avengers #133-#134<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvnpIsc_g0M5GMrWo19D7HccLFYrcDqYmwixML0IjN_1F3A5PIFMEJQNLsUGjwkBX_dq8l1yMvgah-egBX5Ubt8VQUlH5klyWp4Ig5G99ExtTNpXowpS2C7FIE1mXProu8XKPzJEWuXA/s1600/33covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvnpIsc_g0M5GMrWo19D7HccLFYrcDqYmwixML0IjN_1F3A5PIFMEJQNLsUGjwkBX_dq8l1yMvgah-egBX5Ubt8VQUlH5klyWp4Ig5G99ExtTNpXowpS2C7FIE1mXProu8XKPzJEWuXA/s400/33covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.32, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-232-avengers-132-giant.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b> </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Okay guys, chill out already. The Secret of the Hooded One really isn't all that exciting.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So if you were
wondering what the Scarlet Witch got up to during all of this, she was once
again locked in Agatha Harkness’ room at Avengers Mansion, trying to expand her
hex powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems to be going pretty
well, especially if she plans on moving house anytime soon.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzF-yBMaEX918Ft9HR3Aun6-ttQmZo8VRRce6ZQHmAK1ZZhGx-8VPtGHwRQzFHv3U3zFzvJ8WVgP4BpXVxA0v8vluK5pYLhAjkW4hQ-z-VD6vg8wnNq5ZzU2NRUKeVu5Q1cuTDnKp0zI/s1600/33man.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzF-yBMaEX918Ft9HR3Aun6-ttQmZo8VRRce6ZQHmAK1ZZhGx-8VPtGHwRQzFHv3U3zFzvJ8WVgP4BpXVxA0v8vluK5pYLhAjkW4hQ-z-VD6vg8wnNq5ZzU2NRUKeVu5Q1cuTDnKp0zI/s1600/33man.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYZBVbifh8">WALK LIKE A MAN<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYZBVbifh8">
FAST AS I CAN<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYZBVbifh8">WALK LIKE A MAN FROM YOU-OU-OU-OU</a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And you don’t
even have to pay him in pizza and beer!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Miss Harkness
congratulates Wanda on her success and, oh by the way, the Avengers aren’t on
Earth anymore did I forget to mention that lol</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back in limbo, I’m
pretty sure there was a miscommunication between the writer of the previous
issue (Roy Thomas) and the writer of the current issue (Steve Englehart).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you remember from last time, Immortus did
not return the Human Torch to his own timeline, letting him stay to find out
how his body became the Vision’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here,
however, the Human Torch is nowhere to be seen and isn’t given so much as a
name drop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoopsie-doodle.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Immortus decides
to reward the team for the inconvenience he just put them through by sending
Vision and Mantis (separately) back in time so they can finally learn the
truths of their respective origins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Vision is sent off in one direction while Mantis and the rest go off in
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First stop for our synthezoid-in-residence:
November 1939.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2gUlaCeXBsCi_fQmRvAeqoKK4G6F9vvPdnBxml1_F2hfgX1FBINmEOnDUnI3B6pcj_0FogxPmbv7YAC-5d0JC2ddzAIIgwvKnErVvCWEdcNC4sBb0MY8dRTSWtk20N9c09iFFtKuJ8w/s1600/33surpass.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2gUlaCeXBsCi_fQmRvAeqoKK4G6F9vvPdnBxml1_F2hfgX1FBINmEOnDUnI3B6pcj_0FogxPmbv7YAC-5d0JC2ddzAIIgwvKnErVvCWEdcNC4sBb0MY8dRTSWtk20N9c09iFFtKuJ8w/s1600/33surpass.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“Hear that,
Einstein?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kiss my [CENSORED BY COMICS
CODE AUTHORITY]!”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In case you
couldn’t guess, Horton is a self-absorbed prick, and when the rest of the world
tells him to destroy his synthetic man because it lights itself on fire at the
slightest contact with oxygen, he refuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, he sticks it in an airtight tube and buries it in concrete in the
hopes that someday he’ll figure out a way to tone down the flaming bit and make
a fortune off him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The tube,
however, isn’t as airtight as he thought, and air slowly leaks in until the
Human Torch (as he will later be known, of course), explodes his way free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His fire-covered body wreaks havoc in Generic
City, and to save the populace, he douses himself in the nearest swimming
pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said pool just happens to belong
to a gangster, who traps the Human Torch in the pool beneath the winter glass
cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suppressed memories of this
event explain the fact that the Vision kept freezing up both around <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">swimming pools</a> and in <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengers-224-avengers-118-119.html">tight, claustrophobic spaces</a>.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
That about wraps
it up for the Vision for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We move onto
a quick interlude in Saigon, where the Swordsman’s spirit converses with the
mysterious cloaked man who’s been popping in and out for the past few
issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He now reveals himself to be
Libra, Mantis’s dad... who was taken into custody in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #125</i> and only escaped in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #3</i>... and the cloaked man’s first appearance
was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #130</i>... when Libra was
still in jail... I’m assuming there’s an explanation for this, but it ain’t
here.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Avengers (minus Vision), who are currently taking a grand tour of life, the
universe and everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Specifically,
Immortus’s magic tour guide stick has taken them to the very first year of
recorded Kree history.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitT-0_jTPuy6sXc3-9M5uLlBQcVOlejL4XorHAPuAj6Sa0pbjo-6mlJjKIqdlT7H5a385X28AAaoC846SVVsQDTO_QuG0yTXSf8UFYD9kRJzzP8NCA8-tXRzpLrfIktY9GhYbAXsl6pvs/s1600/33tightly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitT-0_jTPuy6sXc3-9M5uLlBQcVOlejL4XorHAPuAj6Sa0pbjo-6mlJjKIqdlT7H5a385X28AAaoC846SVVsQDTO_QuG0yTXSf8UFYD9kRJzzP8NCA8-tXRzpLrfIktY9GhYbAXsl6pvs/s1600/33tightly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
*spit take*<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So this planet,
Hala, is currently occupied by not just the warlike, carnivorous Kree but also
a race of telepathic plant people called the Cotati.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kree and the Cotati don’t really like
each other, but they are content to ignore each other until, one day, a Skrull
spaceship arrives with a giant exposition dump about how awesome Skrulls are...
and an interesting proposition.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Skrulls want
to take advantage of Hala’s resources and are will to pay the inhabitants in
technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, since two races
live on Hala, they must first have a competition to see which is the dominant
species and therefore which deserves to make the decision about the Skrulls’
offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The competition involves taking
seventeen members from each race and dumping them on a barren moon for a
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once that year is over, whichever
species has accomplished the most will be declared the winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assume the whole thing aired as a reality
show in Skrullian TV.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Cotati
get left on one moon and the Kree get left on Earth’s moon of all places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each race works their tails off for the
designated year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The results?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtzmFVzbuPFWwQtCVckcYBbRvTTZ6IacV51NnEO51c4hzNsaC0lH0PbBBFJWMOEEIRBLxMbe5GEG9L4cDTMHN_R0CU5KNxjThWsGhNt5K0lwdVZoXph1qZQNSZ2NipDuEdKnlALO_-8s/s1600/33city.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtzmFVzbuPFWwQtCVckcYBbRvTTZ6IacV51NnEO51c4hzNsaC0lH0PbBBFJWMOEEIRBLxMbe5GEG9L4cDTMHN_R0CU5KNxjThWsGhNt5K0lwdVZoXph1qZQNSZ2NipDuEdKnlALO_-8s/s1600/33city.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
As impressive as
it is that seventeen Kree built an entire city in just one year (or is a Kree
year longer than an Earth year?), the Skrulls are much more taken with the forest
the Cotati have cultivated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously,
the Kree are Not Amused and go on a genocidal rampage, murdering every single
Cotati they can find.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The next day,
when the Skrulls find out about the rampage, they are even more Not Amused and
declare that they will have no more dealings with Hala ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kree, having learned about Skrull tech
from their year on Earth’s moon, now attack the Skrulls, killing them too.</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSKM74MdY37091CzEj7hlmSCmlJ96xka45umgsQ53ah8qtJke-tiX2n6Jt9FC7vYBwJVnYqNuTKu0HNT9WpnSuTMh91Z811f2diFM02EgM3q9fk-z3C7-OJHIhyphenhyphen2uNzGwH5Nc4L10R8U/s1600/33crazy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSKM74MdY37091CzEj7hlmSCmlJ96xka45umgsQ53ah8qtJke-tiX2n6Jt9FC7vYBwJVnYqNuTKu0HNT9WpnSuTMh91Z811f2diFM02EgM3q9fk-z3C7-OJHIhyphenhyphen2uNzGwH5Nc4L10R8U/s1600/33crazy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
This is a fair
point.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Not content with
the bloodshed they’ve already indulged in, the Kree learn how to operate the
dead Skrulls’ spaceship and use it to go out and find more Skrulls to murder,
thus beginning the eternal Kree-Skrull War that we’ve already seen bits and
pieces of.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
By now, you
might be wondering what the heck this has to do with Mantis’s origins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mantis is wondering the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To you both, the magical mystery tour stick
says to shut up and keep listening.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The next issue
picks up in the Kree year 476.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">As you may recall</a>, not all the Kree are as power-hunger as their fellows, and the
pacifist Kree were driven to the city’s fringes, where they taught themselves
defensive martial arts and mental abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One day, decades later, they hear a telepathic voice telling them to go
into an abandoned building...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BFiHr3t5RkKhxdW1SGlRY3vZ0ctcOsOnFcgT1HdGypyNr3UEb87GDDIcakXwVXN43AxzKLcPeaS8a9_iKQ15xLMjWOyAeSdihHVKQWBjCYo7Nk-CFANsxPnDiE9J6FIejpd0jP_Q7Qk/s1600/33cotati.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BFiHr3t5RkKhxdW1SGlRY3vZ0ctcOsOnFcgT1HdGypyNr3UEb87GDDIcakXwVXN43AxzKLcPeaS8a9_iKQ15xLMjWOyAeSdihHVKQWBjCYo7Nk-CFANsxPnDiE9J6FIejpd0jP_Q7Qk/s1600/33cotati.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Yes, but can
they dance to the Jackson 5?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Being plants and
all, the murdered Cotati possessed seed pods which fell into the ground when
they were killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After many years, a
new generation of Cotati arose, but they have been concentrating so much on
developing their mental abilities that they can no longer get up and walk
around like their ancestors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
therefore need the pacifist Kree to take care of them, and in return, they will
help these Kree develop their own mental abilities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But we’ve spent
enough time in outer space for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s head back to Earth and see what the Vision’s up to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His own stick has taken him to 1949, when the
Human Torch was supposedly killed in battle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeSBpxm-b6lfCHOjZcBVgNvwYwpuQ-WAKSQjYxztMOD-L9xPTLnGxYWYB8VJllXUx0KBSg_zkQOr_raYOcyzvHoQO2h5VgINryP2eJO3GeNHzT0TmmEDTmtcnkvh1THhBV1k3uLwufD8/s1600/33bomber.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeSBpxm-b6lfCHOjZcBVgNvwYwpuQ-WAKSQjYxztMOD-L9xPTLnGxYWYB8VJllXUx0KBSg_zkQOr_raYOcyzvHoQO2h5VgINryP2eJO3GeNHzT0TmmEDTmtcnkvh1THhBV1k3uLwufD8/s1600/33bomber.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
The Human Torch
is revived by the power of radiation which, unlike what usually happens in
comic books, soon causes health problems for our second-favorite android.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mere two years after his return, he
realizes he is losing control of his flame, so he returns to the desert to go
supernova without hurting anybody except some cacti, which had probably been
horribly mutated by the atomic blast anyway.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back on Hala,
another century has gone by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
pacifists have built up a temple around the Cotati.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the Kree don’t know about the
Cotati, but they don’t need an excuse to harass those dang sissy pacifists and
invade the temple.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Fighting ensues,
and ultimately, as you already know, the priests are expelled from Hala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I thought they had to leave the
Cotati behind, but later events show them all together, so I guess they were
allowed to bring their “trees” along and the other Kree just didn’t realize the
trees were sentient?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, the
pacifists are still not happy about being exiled to a lifeless planet.</div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Wow, what a
clever dig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t you just imagine some
generic bully from a 90s kids movie saying that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So. Clever.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But the Cotati
aren’t about to let their buddies rot on some empty hellscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the power of telepathy they encourage
the Star-Stalker—you all remember Tiny Smaug from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-227-avengers-124-125.html">Avengers #124</a></i>, dontcha true believer?—to attack the priests,
forcibly providing them with a new mission in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s some tough love right there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back at the old
homestead, a.k.a. Avengers Mansion, the Titan known as Moondragon has shown up
in response to the Avengers’ radio signal meant for Captain Marvel, who is too
busy to answer himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I absolutely
loathe Moondragon for reasons we’ll get to in future issues, but for now, she decides
to head out to Vietnam to find the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She invites the Scarlet Witch to come along, but...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay8AY0N2yXSrN6y-GgK71iOrlHor_8A7p1Ld6LPN68FHuskraP0GPyGRQqTXymHXKd5eMrImiCGEfRt9yoxWYkVXRfCs-Qow69n7SMvIO4VqrsaOkYFjaO6GE2Ba-FWYZbsE104ZoGLo/s1600/33wrong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay8AY0N2yXSrN6y-GgK71iOrlHor_8A7p1Ld6LPN68FHuskraP0GPyGRQqTXymHXKd5eMrImiCGEfRt9yoxWYkVXRfCs-Qow69n7SMvIO4VqrsaOkYFjaO6GE2Ba-FWYZbsE104ZoGLo/s1600/33wrong.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Even Moondragon
knows this is out of character for our good mutant, but when she tries to use
her telepathy to find out what’s going on, Scarlet Witch kicks her butt and
goes back upstairs with the increasingly creepy Agatha Harkness.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision,
meanwhile, is in 1966, when <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/03/avengerous-tales-120-avengers-39-40.html">our old buddy</a> the Mad Thinker finds the
Human Torch’s body and brings him back to life as his slave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor Torchie eventually dies AGAIN (and yet
Jean Grey is the one with the reputation) after a battle with Johnny Storm
(don’t worry, Johnny didn’t kill him).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Fantastic Four mourn his loss... to an extent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Tonight, on
Episode 850 of Reed Richards Being An Insensitive Asshole...<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the FF just
freaking leave his corpse there, which of course leaves the door wide open for
Ultron-5 to come steal it later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Kree pacifists, we already know part of that story: they get the Intelligence
Supreme’s permission to go off and protect other worlds from the threat of the
Star-Stalker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They each bring a few
Cotati with them, so now both Cotati and pacifists are forever free from the
oppression of the Kree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pair of
pacifists who come to protect Earth—named Terress and Son-Dar—decide to settle
in what will eventually become Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They plant their Cotati friends in a very nice garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say... didn’t the Avengers bury the Swordsman
in the priests’ old garden?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before they can
get any farther, the Avengers are mysteriously zapped back to 1975,
specifically, the crucial garden itself, where the ghost of the Swordsman and Libra
are waiting for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens
next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll just have to wait and see.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I notice that,
despite claiming they would tell us two issues ago, “Mantis’s” origin story
seems to have more to do with the Priests of Pama and partially explaining how
the Swordsman’s ghost is still floating around than it does with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Honestly, I’m really ready to move on from all this and start on a new
plotline already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we’ve focused
on Vietnam and Mantis for long enough, don’t you?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.34, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengers-234-avengers-135-giant-size.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #133<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and </i>Avengers #134</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-47828697469352822712016-06-04T10:00:00.000-04:002016-06-11T10:22:14.488-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.32 - Avengers #132-Giant-Size Avengers #3<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafMETBreFnhM8wpAjuQ1AvZM8xOLvaRkQpkUxPxJff23flpN1JDLWy-6GoMGeeCwiO3n2Ut_lfzIV3vnQ6vNIkoIuZXjYfUwp0Pu5yH_cjfa7SLf1N-VqQF12ptdRHK0nffaPRZcXjWg/s1600/32covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafMETBreFnhM8wpAjuQ1AvZM8xOLvaRkQpkUxPxJff23flpN1JDLWy-6GoMGeeCwiO3n2Ut_lfzIV3vnQ6vNIkoIuZXjYfUwp0Pu5yH_cjfa7SLf1N-VqQF12ptdRHK0nffaPRZcXjWg/s400/32covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.31, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-231-avengers-130-131.html">go here</a>!</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I guess Steve
Englehart got a hand cramp halfway through working on these next two issues,
because while the plot is credited to him, our current editor and former writer
Roy Thomas has once against picked up the pen and provided us with pleasure and
punches aplenty.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Two pages in and
Kang’s plan has already sprung a leak.</div>
<br />
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<br />
In other words, Frankenstein is not and never has been under Kang’s total control. OOPS.<br />
<br />
So while
Frankie’s off following his own destiny, Thor tries and fails to hammer his way
out of the maze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason he decides
that becoming Donald Blake might serve him better and transforms into his alter
ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This backfires almost immediately
as Frankenstein comes round the corner and Blake freaks out, swinging his cane
at the monster, who in turn attacks and prompts him to turn back into
Thor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well that sure was pointless.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor decides not
to beat up Frankenstein, instead letting him go and following him to see if
Frankie will lead him to Kang.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But let’s return
to Vietnam for a minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that
hooded guy who appeared for one panel back in Issue 130?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well he’s back now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, he never truly left.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
His Sherlocking
is interrupted by the cops, whom he punches while fleeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hides out in an alley, where we discover
that it was he who summoned the Swordsman’s spirit from the grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does it again, and they have a brief chat
about how Mantis will be back soon because destiny fate etc.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with
Kang...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Despite being
shocked at the appearance of Wonder Man and the original Human Torch, the
Vision fends off his attackers and phases through a wall to (relative) safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Unliving Legion then go after the other
Avengers, tracking down Iron Man and Hawkeye (who stumbled into each other) as
well as Mantis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does it go?<br />
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p>Things could be
better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfxg31R5vJlB6SbtuuMh3u2tT17hhYJkOQaVGT9iiNOO7mtZnVYWjAEop1Q_LtcPASRtQSGchC3nKI4cR8OzJTtEI-wTIHQyL0tSeIh5oGtdY02qe4IBnVaD2rIXFfwk6qwZxvjitTSo/s1600/32dying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfxg31R5vJlB6SbtuuMh3u2tT17hhYJkOQaVGT9iiNOO7mtZnVYWjAEop1Q_LtcPASRtQSGchC3nKI4cR8OzJTtEI-wTIHQyL0tSeIh5oGtdY02qe4IBnVaD2rIXFfwk6qwZxvjitTSo/s1600/32dying.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
This keeps up
and they’ll be able to get a group discount rate at the funeral home.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So not a whole
lot going on this issue, really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a
lot of fighting and a wee bit of set-up for next time. The story
concludes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #3</i>
which, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #2</i>,
is not available online (that I know of) and so I’m scanning from my inferior
physical copy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The dying Vision
tells Mantis that the Ghost pulled Vision’s own trick of jamming a hand into an
enemy’s chest and allowing it to solidify there, which somehow caused the Ghost
to disintegrate but also was super mega effective at hurting Vision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCuZNvHZBxomwydn-vu3rTGGvU93cwdvvNR5qhyphenhyphen6I6WYYC6B7LkIYFtUfc_g1vX3QO5X1cLVCDKe883OhMTurer5-d_Z8butE07zL70Fs7XFvuUnYWgzhr8NOT-FPjAnYWh38K9kQCsw/s1600/wanda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCuZNvHZBxomwydn-vu3rTGGvU93cwdvvNR5qhyphenhyphen6I6WYYC6B7LkIYFtUfc_g1vX3QO5X1cLVCDKe883OhMTurer5-d_Z8butE07zL70Fs7XFvuUnYWgzhr8NOT-FPjAnYWh38K9kQCsw/s400/wanda.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Fortunately we
all know that Marvel would never permanently kill off the Vision, because
otherwise this would be too sad. T_T<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
All of a sudden
Midnight reappears to challenge Mantis to a battle to the death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is yet another crinkle in Kang’s grand
scheme: he had ordered his minions to bring Mantis to him alive, since he still
thinks she’s the Celestial Madonna and his best shot at becoming ruler of
Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Midnight has been away from
Kang’s side for too long and his mind control has worn off, so now all Midnight
cares about is proving himself the best kung-fuer around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Fortunately for
Mantis, Midnight ain’t exactly Midnighter and she teaches him a thing of
three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time she knocks him out,
though, the Vision has mysteriously disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While she was busy schooling Midnight,
Frankenstein’s monster reappeared in our story, instantaneously bonded with
Vision over the fact that they both push the boundaries of humanity in
different ways, and carted him off like he’s King Kong and he just found his
Fay Wray.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Moving from Kong
to Kang, we see that our would-be conqueror has once again sent Wonder Man and
the Human Torch after the Vision, and Baron Zemo is tired of playing the lackey
and tries to convince Kang to give him a promotion.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtedG-wSFBZ6fEgrrv7dB4oPWJ-lrVd1kltvxD5M5hx__QxEEsETPWkRuSXwsd_c9-_EKDJbtwqxnRlXg0Q7NsDX5_WX3CSJBm9PJY39Nk6Utc5B1bPtRYud2jWdHJF5qjUzlwJGBBY8/s1600/slave+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtedG-wSFBZ6fEgrrv7dB4oPWJ-lrVd1kltvxD5M5hx__QxEEsETPWkRuSXwsd_c9-_EKDJbtwqxnRlXg0Q7NsDX5_WX3CSJBm9PJY39Nk6Utc5B1bPtRYud2jWdHJF5qjUzlwJGBBY8/s400/slave+001.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
I can’t believe
I’m saying this but... go, Kang!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And if that
wasn’t enough for you, a brief trip back to Earth informs us that Libra has
broken out of prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given his previous
track record, he’s probably worried about Mantis and has gone to find her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis, however, doesn’t know that, and tries
to tell the Scarlet Witch (the only Avenger to remain behind when the others
went to Vietnam) about the incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
refuses to leave her room, yelling at him in a frightening, not quite human
voice to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just what are she and
Agatha Harkness doing in there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly,
we don’t find out this issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to
limbo!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Human Torch
and Wonder Man find Frankenstein with the Vision, who is just barely
alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankie puts the smackdown on
Wonder Man for trying to kill Vision, but he does let the Human Torch examine
our unconscious android.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we already
know, the Vision was constructed from the Human Torch’s old body, but it comes
as a big shock to old Torchie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, Thor
has found Iron Man’s body and sworn to, well, avenge his comrade’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he stumbles upon Kang, he goes a bit
hammer-crazy, only to be intercepted by the recently revived Wonder Man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJdKZmhVEy18X_k0skSDvDUeiUuI_GYjWSTncm9CU_8myzslCbOlBFs4UvakhufiD4vpyXgSpL1fmOQKAXRXLY0YL9xBy8Pgub2UPcW3LFOcIz1x4g2G_3ICoE20n3soiCUEIHHnd2gc/s1600/wonder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJdKZmhVEy18X_k0skSDvDUeiUuI_GYjWSTncm9CU_8myzslCbOlBFs4UvakhufiD4vpyXgSpL1fmOQKAXRXLY0YL9xBy8Pgub2UPcW3LFOcIz1x4g2G_3ICoE20n3soiCUEIHHnd2gc/s400/wonder.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
“DO YOU NEED ME
TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BECAUSE I’D BE
MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
“WE WERE ON THE
SAME TEAM, DUDE, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Wonder Man
causes a cave-in, enabling his and Kang’s escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that a few puny tons of rock is enough to
stop Thor, but anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another part
of the maze, Hawkeye has made himself useful for once and located Immortus’s
throne room, where Immortus and Rama Tut are still trapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye tries to release them, but of course
things can’t be that simple—Baron Zemo and his Adhesive X gun arrive to stop
him.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Hawkeye is
pasted to the floor (and it’s a good look on him, I must say), Immortus offers
to send Zemo back in time so he can prevent that purple sock being glued to his
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t yet know what Immortus’s
motive is for making this offer—you’d think he’d have learned his lesson after
his attempts at helping Kang and Rama Tut went SO WELL—but he does distract
Zemo enough for Hawkeye to use his legs and teeth to line up a shot at the
button that will free Immortus and Rama Tut from their prisons.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Okay, even I
have to admit that’s pretty badass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean Hawkeye’s still a dipstick, but he’s a badass dipstick.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Once Immortus
and Rama Tut are free, Zemo demands that Immortus keep up his end of the
bargain and send him back to the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Immortus... does this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm-6U7vOt1dE9D7eTGYjsTWtOABnCS2XnSH_ORpNnxFhwj3CV3Fug8Usjr_4-vbNKVlFC0GchtQNPq_JERJlhDJaZkLsQ9SLT4fDcZaWa2NPTstkD6yKvdfvUKcQw0g4AiYklpq26xO4/s1600/protoplasm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm-6U7vOt1dE9D7eTGYjsTWtOABnCS2XnSH_ORpNnxFhwj3CV3Fug8Usjr_4-vbNKVlFC0GchtQNPq_JERJlhDJaZkLsQ9SLT4fDcZaWa2NPTstkD6yKvdfvUKcQw0g4AiYklpq26xO4/s400/protoplasm.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
O_O Well that
took a dark turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, he’s a
Nazi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He deserved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for a comic that previously killed off
Zemo in <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/02/avengerous-tales-18-avengers-15-16.html">an accidental landslide</a> rather than with Captain America’s righteous
fury, this is surprisingly harsh.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with Thor,
who’s as tenacious about avenging Iron Man as Batman is about making himself miserable, he catches up with Kang and Wonder
Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kang thinks he has the edge, since
Frankenstein and the Human Torch also turn up, but unfortunately for him,
Torchie has also broken free of his mind control and...<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEGn6-Nuu9q6hiInYDI_rh39Pbpqxfc4LO_AKS-DIN5fUsEMZPMqYuFkrBasCvBefXCsCTjiX5wJEg1Zuy5rB0SIZRV5PUna23XVWF0TwFY4L0s4rnIWfrrYiCmffvbs-2mG8sal2-Fo/s1600/alive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEGn6-Nuu9q6hiInYDI_rh39Pbpqxfc4LO_AKS-DIN5fUsEMZPMqYuFkrBasCvBefXCsCTjiX5wJEg1Zuy5rB0SIZRV5PUna23XVWF0TwFY4L0s4rnIWfrrYiCmffvbs-2mG8sal2-Fo/s400/alive.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
So has ANY part
of Kang’s plan gone right so far?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because this whole comic has been one disaster after another.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, the
Vision only has use of one arm, but he uses the other to help Thor trounce
Wonder Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his minions fall and/or
bail, Kang suddenly remember he’s a time traveler and poofs himself out of
there, which begs the question: if Kang can time-travel, then Rama Tut (his
future self) should be able to time-travel as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why doesn’t he use that power to escape the
plastic tube and do something about the current situation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same goes for Immortus, who later confesses
that he’s an even future-er version of Kang and Rama Tut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do the plastic tubes nullify their powers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are they just sitting there being
useless for???<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Not long after,
everyone—both good guys and bad guys—get poofed into Immortus’s chambers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the deceased Iron Man and Ghost are
here... and they’re not as dead as we thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMVLm4e5uyDFuCmZkGfj3NnL-C1cGWsOa3squhHbVY1UyYXJh2pIMePkQ2gzQxqOQecqPvvf2oJCD4AZrutS_HjyZa3s8daBgaf3cRAG2zeT-fWqo5WboijIzz9Bcehq_JkNFHccsY6s/s1600/explain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMVLm4e5uyDFuCmZkGfj3NnL-C1cGWsOa3squhHbVY1UyYXJh2pIMePkQ2gzQxqOQecqPvvf2oJCD4AZrutS_HjyZa3s8daBgaf3cRAG2zeT-fWqo5WboijIzz9Bcehq_JkNFHccsY6s/s640/explain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
(Whoops that came out blurry. Thor is saying "The sensation with pass, Iron Man. Thou art alive again--and unharmed!" Dang scanner.)<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Long story
short, Iron Man wasn’t actually dead, it’s just that limbo is dang weird and so
for some reason he was moving at such a glacially slow pace compared to the
others that they couldn’t hear his heartbeat or feel him breathe, leading them
to believe he was dead.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Immortus then
generously sends everyone back to where they belong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Zemo is restored to non-protoplasm form,
supposedly because Immortus wants to see him suffer some more but really
because the writer has no backbone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only one not sent back to his time is the Human Torch, whom Immortus has
allowed to stay so that he can figure out how he went from being himself to
being the Vision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I understand why
Immortus would want to save his past selves in order to preserve the timeline
that allowed them to develop into Immortus himself, but why the whole charade
about pretending to want to help Kang destroy the Avengers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was this whole thing arranged just for the
Human Torch’s benefit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That seems a
little extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, he’s the king of
limbo with a machine that allows him to pluck whoever he wants from the
timestream at his leisure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely he
could have figured out a plan that wasn’t “kidnap and try to murder a bunch of
heroes.”*<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And actually,
while we’re on the subject, if Immortus is a future version of good guy Rama
Tut, what made him turn evil again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah,
so many questions...</div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.33, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengers-233-avengers-133-134.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #132<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and </i>Giant-Size Avengers #3</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
*In the next
issue he gives us some BS about how he wanted to teach Kang a lesson about how
fate always wins, but from what I can tell, Kang didn’t learn diddlysquat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just ran off still determined to be evil
forever and never become like goody-two-shoes Rama Tut.</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-21390488175819177152016-05-28T10:00:00.000-04:002016-06-25T09:23:56.868-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.31 - Avengers #130-#131<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgv_G8HtmwEnyhjflFOHHz_22qudEOJQzvIlBJObmoUU6XXA3s3sUypOq3RYupWq_haSpM66hf7wkh6PF4OhZDdGRO4e-nqbacM3SLfl8RtoNXLjNYZBbeIw-ujnaDvsv6hyobqUpVmU/s1600/31covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgv_G8HtmwEnyhjflFOHHz_22qudEOJQzvIlBJObmoUU6XXA3s3sUypOq3RYupWq_haSpM66hf7wkh6PF4OhZDdGRO4e-nqbacM3SLfl8RtoNXLjNYZBbeIw-ujnaDvsv6hyobqUpVmU/s400/31covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.30, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-230-avengers-129-giant.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
1. What is going
on with Vision’s anatomy here?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
2. There’s a
villain called the Slasher?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice to have another shipper on deck.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So if you didn’t
read the previous Avengerous Tale, you should know that the Swordsman
sacrificed himself to save Mantis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Two days later,
the surviving Avengers have returned to Avengers Mansion just in time for even
more upheaval to affect their ranks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye
decides to rejoin the Avengers (yay), while Mantis—never officially an Avenger
anyway—asks permission to take the Swordsman’s body for burial in Vietnam,
where she will stay and try to suss out her past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision also wants to leave, since he’s frozen
up in battle several times already and feels that he’s no longer an asset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers
agree to Mantis’s request, but they insist the Vision stick around so they can
figure out what’s going on with him together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
the Scarlet Witch stays behind to continue her training with Agatha Harkness,
everyone else jets off to Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
beat them there, shall we?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8hqeBrSrUVPyjr7bScR_GkWJLn91DNij_pzJ6XmQBspw9gekXDsBGjtdUXuYA-bPqg2aEjans57kcPo0TQ3tYWkEBMm5G3I91zbLHrE9rBdq2NjFpeqblXkgH7F-i_sTMM4xsdpqliI/s1600/31goodies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8hqeBrSrUVPyjr7bScR_GkWJLn91DNij_pzJ6XmQBspw9gekXDsBGjtdUXuYA-bPqg2aEjans57kcPo0TQ3tYWkEBMm5G3I91zbLHrE9rBdq2NjFpeqblXkgH7F-i_sTMM4xsdpqliI/s1600/31goodies.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“Hand over your
lemons, your wingfics and your coffee shop AUs right now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Canon’s been sucking lately and I’m
desperate!”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Slasher
makes off with a bagful of diamonds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Avengers, still ignorant of this crime, go to the garden outside the <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">Temple of the Priests of Pama</a> to pay their final respects and bury their fallen comrade.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvJwGGm80-J12403uixHHrv33a7kNnX-MYUAGKEfpPL9W8zcQSdt1Ur_xTgXhK5-6SxsBn1JE02kmNDbI4lW1-eGaLTE7QOzNl7gH34dRCZTYo0mJClKCbDzAQSe8bJZysM6tn5g_AZQ/s1600/31love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvJwGGm80-J12403uixHHrv33a7kNnX-MYUAGKEfpPL9W8zcQSdt1Ur_xTgXhK5-6SxsBn1JE02kmNDbI4lW1-eGaLTE7QOzNl7gH34dRCZTYo0mJClKCbDzAQSe8bJZysM6tn5g_AZQ/s1600/31love.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
*sniff*
Farewell, Avenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May flights of
swashbucklers sing thee to thy rest.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But the poor
Swordsman can’t even get a decent funeral, as our old communist buddies the
Radioactive Man, Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo—calling themselves the Titanic
Three—come storming out of the jungle in pursuit of a terrified Vietnamese
man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if he’s scared because
of the armored villains on his tail or because he just realized he’s the same
color as Donald Trump, but anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
This is the
1970s, and things are a bit more complicated than they were in the previous
decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This comic’s cover date is
December 1974, so it came out around March 1975, just one month before the
official end of the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In April of
that year, America officially withdrew all troops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The creators of his comic would have known
darn well we were going to lose, and within the context of this comic, that
means the Avengers have no authority in Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Titanic
Three, now allied with the Viet Cong, tell the Avengers to quit stinking up
their country and leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man’s
response is,er, less than optimal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjIlAZxy-doe-itAq-toessVdfMkPtTFGvUaVUN3TYIjh_JPVwwAcOPagpNFxEMlXE7O_8QwvaNaNE2k7j0a_x7jCjfHtXupzf7dhqdWXhfGyxIWS7qf39t154TwYJARP7ltvUxuG-Zg/s1600/31depart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjIlAZxy-doe-itAq-toessVdfMkPtTFGvUaVUN3TYIjh_JPVwwAcOPagpNFxEMlXE7O_8QwvaNaNE2k7j0a_x7jCjfHtXupzf7dhqdWXhfGyxIWS7qf39t154TwYJARP7ltvUxuG-Zg/s1600/31depart.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Iron Man and
Thor come to blows, but Mjolnir quickly brings Iron Man to his senses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They leave the temple, knowing that they
probably won’t ever be allowed to come back, not even to visit the Swordsman’s
grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, he REALLY can’t catch a
break, can he?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in death nothing
goes right for him!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In Saigon, the
Avengers get to work trying to figure out Mantis’s real origins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She thinks she recognizes a house, but the
owners tell her it wasn’t built until after she claims to have lived there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At every other place they visit it’s the same
story: Mantis’s memories don’t match up with reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She begins to truly believe Kang’s claims
that she is the Celestial Madonna, but she doesn’t get the chance to think on
it further before the Titanic Three (and the Slasher) show up once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In case you
haven’t noticed, the Avengers have not left the country as they were supposed
to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The commies don’t like that and
attack our heroes... who have a surprise ally.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LChB5e4cCQOPMoT3FCISrzAquURKwhUFbVrxWHKBYSJmq1kA-DAlpc8ocgcocFM5y-48OZ2Muky5YM9RRd08rSUyj8g-i75MkwmPM-sqevaKjCHOmHkDNppLwoQeExZQBMANJkGTT3Q/s1600/31swings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LChB5e4cCQOPMoT3FCISrzAquURKwhUFbVrxWHKBYSJmq1kA-DAlpc8ocgcocFM5y-48OZ2Muky5YM9RRd08rSUyj8g-i75MkwmPM-sqevaKjCHOmHkDNppLwoQeExZQBMANJkGTT3Q/s1600/31swings.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
This is the only
panel we see this guy in for this issue, and the Avengers don’t see him at all,
but he does manage to turn the tide in the Avengers’ favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision knocks the Slasher off his feet,
sending him scrambling after the diamonds he stole earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only problem is that Slasher told the
Titanic Three that the Avengers had falsely accused him of the theft and gone
to them for protection.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzVq634yTZQ0oxqkdkYaVBUeafkfWSOV23iJ6-PjstrhwwOKUG-vNCTfMFz6zr4Ha5pmx5NzBcJEhIeviQ3PjqVHfKQcA3rbHCSOXmWm5weuqKOGFYXbi7WFsZsxc6QeOZWxNq_rOLwQ/s1600/31commie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzVq634yTZQ0oxqkdkYaVBUeafkfWSOV23iJ6-PjstrhwwOKUG-vNCTfMFz6zr4Ha5pmx5NzBcJEhIeviQ3PjqVHfKQcA3rbHCSOXmWm5weuqKOGFYXbi7WFsZsxc6QeOZWxNq_rOLwQ/s1600/31commie.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
That’s right, go
on and insult the people you want to save you from the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s always a good plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the Titanic Three can’t be real bright
if they thought he was innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
did they think he was carrying around in that bag? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pile of fanart?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Titanic
Three leave the Slasher to his fate and the Vision ends the issue with some
unsubtle antiwar commentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
issue wastes no time in revealing the identity of the mysterious shadowy figure
who saved the Avengers last time.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGib4EHS4-nHyamISxuxwfq5zd-nEpumzDt6FR4Zz0TAqx_0pTN-Q2vsuCETZNbhuMLHZLb4fJaidWajT5CoqMovtRJoRA7AvlRMXQ8wZWIRk01nOWK4eYh9R88YRhv7M0sY1dmF_J4cg/s1600/31great.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGib4EHS4-nHyamISxuxwfq5zd-nEpumzDt6FR4Zz0TAqx_0pTN-Q2vsuCETZNbhuMLHZLb4fJaidWajT5CoqMovtRJoRA7AvlRMXQ8wZWIRk01nOWK4eYh9R88YRhv7M0sY1dmF_J4cg/s1600/31great.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Don’t recognize
him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try picturing him in a
red-white-and-blue costume with a matching shield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yup, it’s Steve Rogers back in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re wondering about the costume, the
explanation is simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember from a
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html">few tales ago</a> how I explained how Captain America had become
disillusioned with this corrupt country of ours and hung up his cowl?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not long after, with a little nudge from
Hawkeye, he decided to take up crimefighting under a new name: Nomad, the Man
without a Country.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Obviously that
didn’t last long, so enjoy Steve’s mile-long cleavage while you can.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Nomad was in the
Pacific (close enough, right?) because—as told in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America #181</i> (and the fact that they didn’t even bother to
change the title of the comic should have given you a clue about how Steve’s jaunt as
Nomad would end)—the Serpent Squad was doing something naughty with an oilrig
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viper and Cobra escaped Nomad’s
clutches, and he decides to go hang with his buddies while waiting for them to
turn up again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, cut to
the space between spaces, where Kang the Conqueror and Rama-Tut are locked in
eternal struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except it’s not all
that eternal after all, because they are pulled out of the timestream by our
old pal Immortus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhahocwIYngJwJewtA9cgHj40VT7czcLUSKOqJHLLG0F7C8vU4I_zMBv5Zwg1_iKEwrbDLP3a8a-sVGPxV97gTJfCLGrDqs5pFtH9hTcVdgYc83q7YQeX1tcUYn2Bwh75s2D8R8p_Ym_w/s1600/31foe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhahocwIYngJwJewtA9cgHj40VT7czcLUSKOqJHLLG0F7C8vU4I_zMBv5Zwg1_iKEwrbDLP3a8a-sVGPxV97gTJfCLGrDqs5pFtH9hTcVdgYc83q7YQeX1tcUYn2Bwh75s2D8R8p_Ym_w/s1600/31foe.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Immortus
helpfully locks Rama-Tut in a trusty giant glass tube, and Kang vows to forever
eschew the softer emotions to prevent his becoming like Rama-Tut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immortus, meanwhile, thinks how he might be
able use Kang for his own plans.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before we find
out what Immortus’s plans are, we return briefly to Saigon, where Mantis
apologizes to the Vision for hitting on him and Nomad promises to rejoin the
Avengers as soon as he defeats the Serpent Squad. (Spoiler alert: <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-235-avengers-136-137.html">he’s lying.</a>)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But enough of
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immortus wants to attack the
Avengers with Kang’s assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rama-Tut
tries to talk them out of it, but Kang obviously tells him to shut it and runs
off to plot evil plots with his new biffle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Said plot involves using Immortus’s magic time machine to summon anyone
from any era to fight and defeat the Avengers on his behalf.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
You may
recognize this as the same scheme Immortus used last time he fought Earth’s
Mightiest Heroes, but Kang insists that his version is better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtnCQ2ARHYnv5ujyleDZgVEXVzkwiu2m7VpP-gbZGQXldQsPkr9us5gK7CazApXK_cc4EwBz7RfWbpxqzRbVIBPHHH4TzIGO9mNA05ZczpV9-pSYucr7vVEAKgtscuSnBVGcYMy01_vg/s1600/31forth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtnCQ2ARHYnv5ujyleDZgVEXVzkwiu2m7VpP-gbZGQXldQsPkr9us5gK7CazApXK_cc4EwBz7RfWbpxqzRbVIBPHHH4TzIGO9mNA05ZczpV9-pSYucr7vVEAKgtscuSnBVGcYMy01_vg/s1600/31forth.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Apparently
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/01/avengerous-tales-15-avengers-9-10.html">Merlin the magician and Hercules the Greco-Roman demigod</a> don’t count as superpowered
now.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang summons the
Frankenstein Monster, Wonder Man, the original Human Torch, a kung-fu master
named Midnight, a former Silver Surfer baddie called the Ghost, and Baron
Zemo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although his earlier justification
about “non-super-powered champions” is still garbage, it is actually quite
clever of Kang to select Wonder Man, the Human Torch and Baron Zemo because a) they
are well-known to the Avengers and their presence will surely freak them out,
and b) the Vision was constructed from a combo of Wonder Man’s brainwaves and
the Human Torch’s android body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Existential
crisis ahoy!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back in Vietnam
again, Vision asks Iron Man for some relationship advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves Wanda, but he’s also very worried
about Mantis—does that mean he loves her too?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ5xfqCK9VRqVn3TWOYSsnFV0C0JlEyfRHTap-ge4Knc5M-kupBknrtq5EYNZUWkOyJ2Y6dsYUtu4lfWPdX2DkYRansHa6I_2OdPEQj_YgQtHDq03FDBoARiIVQuxNqDMO1rPHuAN_7w/s1600/31broach.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ5xfqCK9VRqVn3TWOYSsnFV0C0JlEyfRHTap-ge4Knc5M-kupBknrtq5EYNZUWkOyJ2Y6dsYUtu4lfWPdX2DkYRansHa6I_2OdPEQj_YgQtHDq03FDBoARiIVQuxNqDMO1rPHuAN_7w/s1600/31broach.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dangit Ultron you created him so why aren’t
you answering these awkward questions???</i>”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Speaking of love
and Mantis, she’s just down the road being visited by what appears to be the
ghost of the Swordsman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He disappears
when she gets too close without ever having said a word.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, back
in limbo, Immortus decides that they should bring the Avengers to the intricate
maze of tunnels in his basement, where they will wander hopelessly forever
(theoretically).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kang likes Immortus’s
plan but he does not like Immortus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEDsYS1G1UfZ3uHJG1h-3hpEyyinHr3xmnAK_c48sFeNdIAUUR_k3vlzSw1MOcdSdSCWSEbtvsvgqVCAOYMdCiXjy5o9M5m_-ebn8P0VsoBXYPW0yFLRdQGTtyZXOIENv4o5Xd5RqMO4/s1600/31blindly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEDsYS1G1UfZ3uHJG1h-3hpEyyinHr3xmnAK_c48sFeNdIAUUR_k3vlzSw1MOcdSdSCWSEbtvsvgqVCAOYMdCiXjy5o9M5m_-ebn8P0VsoBXYPW0yFLRdQGTtyZXOIENv4o5Xd5RqMO4/s1600/31blindly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p>And into another
plastic tube goes Immortus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gee, it’s
almost like teaming up with a megalomaniac bent on conquering the universe was
a BAD idea or something.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
Avengers, Jarvis calls up to say the Serpent Squad was spotted in California,
so Nomad dumps the Avengers faster than PayPal dumped North Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It was topical when I wrote this okay)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second he goes, Kang uses Immortus’s
instruments to zap them all to different places within the Labyrinth of Limbo.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQEfGVpdA7W9l3ZK6zqFZ4ev6UewNdFosFOmtNmHugkQUIaIjqhMv9zECoXuUkfSTUd3bfj9HtNtmi_qU0ZYIGs-gie07iiOzYLDOwJdMv9PBw4lDXCoTUh8NygiVL9OIqslJObzTvho/s1600/31games.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQEfGVpdA7W9l3ZK6zqFZ4ev6UewNdFosFOmtNmHugkQUIaIjqhMv9zECoXuUkfSTUd3bfj9HtNtmi_qU0ZYIGs-gie07iiOzYLDOwJdMv9PBw4lDXCoTUh8NygiVL9OIqslJObzTvho/s1600/31games.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“We added dump
tackling to Monopoly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really keeps the
newbies on their toes!”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The issue ends
with Kang leading his cadre of creeps into the maze to fight the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does Kang have a map of the labyrinth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, won’t he be just as lost as his
enemies?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So apparently
the next two issues are the last ones in the current storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will Mantis finally discover her true
destiny? Ehhh... kinda.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.32, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/06/avengerous-tales-232-avengers-132-giant.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #130 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #131</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-84091395721470226232016-05-21T10:44:00.000-04:002016-05-28T11:25:31.779-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.30 - Avengers #129-Giant-Size Avengers #2<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-B2qyPEqmJmn5NIQ6EtbFObPa83saLQcc0GK68KWFXqpmh8p-UqXlCjFsXaISWA1Hc4Ulmpf3omBXugX6-3Tg9ps8xbpvQsBlt3BE6nT2NHN1SNI6aRIlvKpeTlLdgRmQmNYGfaej6U/s1600/30covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-B2qyPEqmJmn5NIQ6EtbFObPa83saLQcc0GK68KWFXqpmh8p-UqXlCjFsXaISWA1Hc4Ulmpf3omBXugX6-3Tg9ps8xbpvQsBlt3BE6nT2NHN1SNI6aRIlvKpeTlLdgRmQmNYGfaej6U/s400/30covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.29, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-229-avengers-127-128.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So, uh, remember
at the end of my last review when I wanted Marvel to stop picking on the
Swordsman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I think they took that
request rather differently than I was hoping…<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a>We start with
Kang reiterating his plans to conquer the Earth, which our heroes obviously are
not a fan of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that Kang cares.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgO_uZ2hoCchV9DMWvy_T3eS4KI6Ik0YJQMH99k2ixVciU4bdWCWdPGOWiFjpsvL-R_0CAlyAPUtO4U_gIVi00LzBPIPN5kNs9txs7toTjJt2q4ADzfTyANYqGAHhzRyajLEbY8aFVxU/s1600/30conquest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgO_uZ2hoCchV9DMWvy_T3eS4KI6Ik0YJQMH99k2ixVciU4bdWCWdPGOWiFjpsvL-R_0CAlyAPUtO4U_gIVi00LzBPIPN5kNs9txs7toTjJt2q4ADzfTyANYqGAHhzRyajLEbY8aFVxU/s1600/30conquest.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
So all anyone
has to do to defeat Kang is to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>
fight him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy, the Avengers sure have
been wasting their time trying to defeat this loser when apparently they could
have just gone to the beach.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Actually, when I
wrote that, I thought it was a joke but I’m actually not that far off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kang has brought a bunch of 41<sup>st</sup>
century robots to fight the Avengers, and these robots gain strength every time
someone expends energy to try and defeat them, so the Avengers really WOULD
have been better off taking a Me day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Having soundly
defeated the Avengers (and even Jarvis), Kang the Conqueror does what any
self-respecting villain does after a victory: he monologues at their
unconscious bodies about his evil scheme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this case, he says that the history books claim the star that
appeared over Avengers Mansion signals “the completeness of the celestial
Madonna,” a.k.a. the woman who will give birth to the future ruler of Earth.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3SkeuJS8R9ojctETVW0I_xha7Ganq-5ernec51tYC9iY3uNvNtN0g3fDCOKlzu948xlxjCf8aOofaqOBg3QgqOH4bqz0O6pyPYE6sns3rNxT-fJrdQ5GUdemYQGwIFxjTt9_hq4BKUc/s1600/30mate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3SkeuJS8R9ojctETVW0I_xha7Ganq-5ernec51tYC9iY3uNvNtN0g3fDCOKlzu948xlxjCf8aOofaqOBg3QgqOH4bqz0O6pyPYE6sns3rNxT-fJrdQ5GUdemYQGwIFxjTt9_hq4BKUc/s1600/30mate.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Well that’s
kinda creepy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by kinda I mean
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the creepies.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
With only three
women in the mansion, obviously the celestial Madonna can only be Mantis,
Scarlet Witch, or Agatha Harkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kang
also kidnaps the rest of the Avengers because He Has Plans… except for the
Swordsman, who he deems useless and leaves behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this from a guy who just got through
bragging about how he’d learned not to underestimate his enemies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang’s
carelessness backfires almost instantaneously as Harkness uses her magic to
mentally contact the Swordsman and tell him that Kang is keeping them prisoner
in the pyramid of Rama-Tut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Rama-Tut,
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-130-avengers-annual-2.html">you may recall</a>, is an old alias of Kang’s.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman, determined to prove his worth
once and for all, hops in a quinjet and takes off for Egypt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Inside the
pyramid, Kang finds out what Harkness did and zaps her for it, but he doesn’t
really care that the Swordsman is on his tail because what can that loser do
anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he monologues about his
secret origins, which I already linked to in the last paragraph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, he got bored of the peaceful
future he’d been born into and went back to ancient Egypt to be worshipped as a
god.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIAGRc4S3chI3i1T8spFFkyb1E8ZVkppdMoBeR12zyuYMQrHGV42Pp-14UkB_L-mOIGv1hLFiQ5P02sQzREe2HG97bjkIZkYM6Ws6yQQaZbVOobHBRlIk6jmdAdWX9L0ty1bK8uTCtrg/s1600/30appearance.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIAGRc4S3chI3i1T8spFFkyb1E8ZVkppdMoBeR12zyuYMQrHGV42Pp-14UkB_L-mOIGv1hLFiQ5P02sQzREe2HG97bjkIZkYM6Ws6yQQaZbVOobHBRlIk6jmdAdWX9L0ty1bK8uTCtrg/s1600/30appearance.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Yeah no kidding
your appearance is inexplicable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why are
you white?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is EVERYONE white???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> NO ONE IN ANCIENT EGYPT WAS WHITE. </span>If Kang ever makes it into the MCU, I hope
they make him black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’d solve this
problem AND offend a bunch of racist fanboys, and that’s always fun to watch.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Long story
short, the Fantastic Four kicked his butt and Kang’s been getting his fanny
handed to him by the Avengers ever since.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman,
meanwhile, has been keeping busy, breaking into the pyramid and accidentally
feeding some Egyptian soldiers to a demon vampire before falling through a trap
door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s being unlucky and then there’s being
the Swordsman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This poor, poor SOB.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang, unaware of
the Swordsman’s escape, watches with glee as the soldiers all die and the demon
vampire wanders outside into the sunlight, accidentally killing himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I thought the Swordsman was incompetent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyySCWWMhm3t3ghw_t8DeAvF226vkoIQad7b6bVHLz5BydBSTwV4xaYD9euPY_4nu78-uJXLtobcFHpV0Gro24rHIKe1L8YqrUu2NelESaMmr_Si4r6v89LiABX9taaikqTZ6Y6ZcpFyE/s1600/30sufficient.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyySCWWMhm3t3ghw_t8DeAvF226vkoIQad7b6bVHLz5BydBSTwV4xaYD9euPY_4nu78-uJXLtobcFHpV0Gro24rHIKe1L8YqrUu2NelESaMmr_Si4r6v89LiABX9taaikqTZ6Y6ZcpFyE/s1600/30sufficient.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Ceiling
Swordsman is watching you.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But Swordsman is
too late to stop Kang’s plans for Thor, Iron Man, and the Vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are those plans?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure they’re all completely paralyzed
thanks to a paralyray and then put them inside his macrobots to serve as power
sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these nigh-unstoppable
robots at his command, Kang will, well, conquer.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman
prepares to stop Kang by using his enhanced sword to strike a killing
blow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But just as he takes aim, he is
stopped by…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW6FaFCeTdOw933gC44ZmsKwr2p6n7CKvaNZqtQpflA7EJkbReFaRVfL3WfkLReaE5XnSsO02GaInqQ9ObKnXZydLGEa2K-HPEsKv384y7tyganAzx51AAjuohoJ0sBF3Cf6_KzHI03s/s1600/30rama-tut.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW6FaFCeTdOw933gC44ZmsKwr2p6n7CKvaNZqtQpflA7EJkbReFaRVfL3WfkLReaE5XnSsO02GaInqQ9ObKnXZydLGEa2K-HPEsKv384y7tyganAzx51AAjuohoJ0sBF3Cf6_KzHI03s/s1600/30rama-tut.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I guess we
shouldn’t be surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given how often
Kang bounces around the time stream, it was probably inevitable that he’d paradox
himself into oblivion.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Okay, so the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size</i> special takes us back to New
York, where Hawkeye of all people is taking down a couple of crooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the police come to arrest them (the
crooks, not Hawkeye), an officer mentions to Hawkeye about how all the Avengers
were just kidnapped by Kang the Conqueror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hawkeye immediately rushes to the mansion to see what he can do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU1bVmDbjtSpUOKXYpDxEFExzBUAi3pOyY5ELm_qJall1wtIazGpY74n6NxfrTexPB-zooJo8UwarMQXnhWsH5Tk1jpfIOejso7APhcUcXaTwG4DKZqh5a_HyBumrjQnvZAy3TnsB264/s1600/prodigal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU1bVmDbjtSpUOKXYpDxEFExzBUAi3pOyY5ELm_qJall1wtIazGpY74n6NxfrTexPB-zooJo8UwarMQXnhWsH5Tk1jpfIOejso7APhcUcXaTwG4DKZqh5a_HyBumrjQnvZAy3TnsB264/s400/prodigal.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
You were
LITERALLY JUST TOLD the Avengers were kidnapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who do you think is going to answer you
exactly???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And don’t say Jarvis, because
Jarvis actually comes to say hi and Hawkeye is clearly surprised to see him.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
(BTW you’ll have
to excuse the quality of these pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Normally I take screencaps from the digital versions of the comics I
review, but this issue isn’t available online so I had to scan pictures from my
own, less-than-mint physical copy.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Jarvis explains
the situation to our bubble-brained bowman, and then the Swordsman enters with
Rama-Tut in tow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawkeye is
understandably freaked out, since he knows Rama-Tut and Kang are the same
person (though apparently Swordsman doesn’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Jarvis previously told Hawkeye about the Swordsman’s recent spate of
bad luck, so Hawkeye decides to play nice for a while and even praises Swordy
on a job well done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d be excited about
Hawkeye having some character development, but I’ve been burned before, so.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Rama-Tut puts
on Generic Disguise Number #7—trenchcoat and hat (but somehow no pants)—and uses
his powers of vagueness to whisk the avenging duo to the United Nations, where
Kang has set the Vision-powered macrobot loose to kill the U.S. Secretary of
State as the first step in his grand plan to take over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Swordsman and Hawkeye get clobbered, he
reminisces about how he got here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5Ri-7CeNUslyPMni1oCGhzz6Yxyt_cQv34GODxo6mXGyqwavGQi36GqvmhkqipBo_JTjgWPZvqYYeOEHtvjDVtT14GxlAC-uzoMT052-eiOVaruVcyfUv9GZGjD4oX-fQBKoA9EehN0/s1600/sixty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5Ri-7CeNUslyPMni1oCGhzz6Yxyt_cQv34GODxo6mXGyqwavGQi36GqvmhkqipBo_JTjgWPZvqYYeOEHtvjDVtT14GxlAC-uzoMT052-eiOVaruVcyfUv9GZGjD4oX-fQBKoA9EehN0/s400/sixty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
By “later in life” he means he is 60 years old here. Holy crap,
dude’s SIXTY?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll have what he’s
having.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Unlike most old
white men who long for the simplicity and wholesomeness of “the good old days,”
Kang actually has the power to go back in time and relive his happy youth as
the Pharaoh Rama-Tut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time,
Rama-Tut decides to be nice instead of being a dictator and his people love
him, but Rama-Tut wants more than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He uses his future tech and ancient Egyptian magic to put himself in
suspended animation until the 20<sup>th</sup> century so that he can try to
stop his past/future self from his “fruitless” attempt to take over the world
via Celestial Madonna spawn.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Wow, guess we all
know how this comic ends now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TAG YOUR
SPOILERS, JERKWEED.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the present,
Rama-Tut tells our heroes that the macrobot they’re fighting is powered by the
Vision, who in turn is powered by the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All Hawkeye has to do is shoot a… tar arrow, I guess?… and cover the
macrobot’s eye holes, preventing sunlight from getting in, until the macrobot
collapses and Vision’s paralysis wears off.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang, obviously
annoyed by this, changes up his plan a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He had been planning to attack Moscow next, but at the last minute he
sends Iron Man to Peking instead in the hopes that this will throw the Avengers
off his trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxAdkCONvMJKQkQJPOXHm7-qQytRppltPAoeK5qIVND6IxdcOoIzzp9DkloC1dzbT49QHXYqKjbaXbnu4tufVkMBIn9KmrJ1BN_7CjsUB4_RhFUhXCxoCtJbXlhZxUUQIcjv_4ZQnlDE/s1600/strategy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxAdkCONvMJKQkQJPOXHm7-qQytRppltPAoeK5qIVND6IxdcOoIzzp9DkloC1dzbT49QHXYqKjbaXbnu4tufVkMBIn9KmrJ1BN_7CjsUB4_RhFUhXCxoCtJbXlhZxUUQIcjv_4ZQnlDE/s400/strategy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
He’s going to
strip him into submission?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
No, this ain’t fanfiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision
stuffs his intangible cloak into the Macrobot armor and then makes it tangible
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since two tangible objects can’t
exist in the same space, the Macrobot explodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because science.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Iron Man is
free and Kang is more annoyed than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He abandons his plans to unleash the Thor Macrobot on Moscow and, after
making the brilliant move of rendering his time sphere visible for everyone to
see, sends him to beat up the Avengers instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All goes well until Thor tries to electrocute Iron Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who saw <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i> (i.e. everyone) knows exactly how that will end.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqguIR-vgpBMmPOFbl8wWc1jYzdv_gNuXMl9_RJeHM6n5nI_nAmQObJiuMPczkRyyoVMjqaztW2bk0sXah7d6jeFqK0Ru3OIgjYGQ6MY248nXxiuVwpATEr6S0q0yk6wCBXPL5eGl7dvg/s1600/power.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqguIR-vgpBMmPOFbl8wWc1jYzdv_gNuXMl9_RJeHM6n5nI_nAmQObJiuMPczkRyyoVMjqaztW2bk0sXah7d6jeFqK0Ru3OIgjYGQ6MY248nXxiuVwpATEr6S0q0yk6wCBXPL5eGl7dvg/s400/power.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
IIIII HAAAAVE
THE POWEEERRRRRR<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Iron Man
pounds on Thor, the Vision takes the opportunity to free the ladies from Kang’s
prison capsules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Agatha Harkness is
still unconscious, so it’s up to the Avengers to stop Thor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scarlet Witch unleashes her pent-up rage by redirecting a meteor at the Thor macrobot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let this be a warning to anyone careless enough
to leave the toilet seat up in Avengers Mansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda will WRECK YOU.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
With Thor freed,
Rama-Tut turns his attention to Kang, and them fighting themselves is so potent
that it opens a bunch of rifts in the space-time continuum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Images of the past, present and future swirl
around them, inadvertently providing Kang with what he wanted all along:
knowledge of who the Celestial Madonna is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It’s Mantis, if
you were curious, but it doesn’t matter now: Rama-Tut is from the future, and
he can assure Kang that his search for the Celestial Madonna will end/has ended
in failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kang is so enraged by this
news that he tries to shoot Mantis, and Rama-Tut is one second too slow to stop
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately—for Mantis, anyway—the
Swordsman is quicker...<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSO8jyrn3GQt_5uO6mN7yT2tfBXFRcnwphEnsPG6H1VFUzDyOAY8_5_ZppkGWd9lOKpAJUDpZ0KKJWQ53HBKKBs0yCfl45HfoLgKf6YfW2m1uS4AOyQ8A8oKhmX9BJuoBPaKoYaMNG1o/s1600/dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSO8jyrn3GQt_5uO6mN7yT2tfBXFRcnwphEnsPG6H1VFUzDyOAY8_5_ZppkGWd9lOKpAJUDpZ0KKJWQ53HBKKBs0yCfl45HfoLgKf6YfW2m1uS4AOyQ8A8oKhmX9BJuoBPaKoYaMNG1o/s320/dead.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I bet Iron Man’s
regretting adding that nose to his armor now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Barbecued European can’t smell very good.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Kang and
Rama-Tut wrestle some more, accidentally hitting the “go” button on the time
sphere and disappearing, for now, from our century once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman has just enough life left in
him to once more lament his status as perpetual failure while Mantis apologizes
for her recent behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue ends as
he dies in her arms.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Actually, I should say the STORY ends with him dying in her arms. The ISSUE continues with a reprint of an early <em>Fantastic Four</em> issue in which Kang made his first appearance, but since that is not an <em>Avengers</em> comic, we won’t be looking at that here.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well the formula
for extra-long issues has remained intact: just like almost every other time,
the Avengers had to split up to fight three related baddies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not bad, just kind of predictable.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I’m also really
not fond of the portrayal of Mantis and the Scarlet Witch here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I glossed over these bits, but practically
every time we stop by Kang’s time sphere, it’s to find them bickering over who
the Vision “belongs” to or thinking nasty thoughts about each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is this wildly inappropriate, since
they should be thinking of ways to escape and help their teammates instead of
their love lives, it’s also incredibly annoying that the only two women
currently on the team (ish—Mantis still isn’t technically a member) went from
potential friends to bitter rivals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So yeah, while
this was largely pretty average as far as the special comics go, I did like
seeing current Kang vs. future Kang and speculating what could have happened to
make Kang change so much. And who doesn’t like seeing Wanda throw space rocks at people?</div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.31, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-231-avengers-130-131.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #129 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Giant-Size Avengers #2</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-49796967201474029912016-05-14T10:00:00.000-04:002016-05-21T10:44:36.923-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.29 - Avengers #127-#128<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz6CtulowgiSf14ErROLswbl6fsEp5gyFBiOYRZX2koXeD90G7_U4tNWgQuUF-cbb9MyJWAyNX9FvU1S2lBAI9SewIboWZNgr4WT_OMCk-py59Cu6f6dLWz3aCBNoxvi47trNcP1TlW0/s1600/29covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz6CtulowgiSf14ErROLswbl6fsEp5gyFBiOYRZX2koXeD90G7_U4tNWgQuUF-cbb9MyJWAyNX9FvU1S2lBAI9SewIboWZNgr4WT_OMCk-py59Cu6f6dLWz3aCBNoxvi47trNcP1TlW0/s400/29covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.28, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Between the last
issue and this one, Captain America made good on his vow to give up that
particular secret identity, so we won’t be seeing him in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i> for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can check out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America
#176</i> if you want the details (and/or Cap’s origin story), but the rest of
us have tuxes to rent and flowers to sneeze over—there’s a wedding in the
offing!</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
(Today’s issues feature art by Sal Buscema and Joe Staton.)</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The Avengers are just sitting down to a nice dinner (how does Iron Man
expect to eat, exactly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through his
nose?) when Gorgon and Lockjaw, two of the Inhumans, materialize at the dinner
table.<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It’s been a
while since we’ve seen the Inhumans, mainly because Scarlet Witch’s brother
Quicksilver vowed to <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/03/avengerous-tales-220-avengers-110-111.html">never speak to her again</a> so long as she was dating the
Vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gorgon is here now to
make sure everyone’s ready to go to the wedding of Quicksilver and the Inhuman
Crystal… which of course, none of them knew about, because Pietro didn’t invite
them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqSPk2mwU2gKqg5c81nqzftid6043TwCdYxJE_Nkp3NCxa3VdOr38a-S1TZtNgW2xSLFwRfmoKVRz_bZBBPuYul5tNtn1wLYpvKiS_ALXPvHsCIuSyQJ575KtehLSAktiH2g-CiH5Wjk/s1600/29notify.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqSPk2mwU2gKqg5c81nqzftid6043TwCdYxJE_Nkp3NCxa3VdOr38a-S1TZtNgW2xSLFwRfmoKVRz_bZBBPuYul5tNtn1wLYpvKiS_ALXPvHsCIuSyQJ575KtehLSAktiH2g-CiH5Wjk/s1600/29notify.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
AND he lied to
his future in-laws about who he’d be inviting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a nice guy!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Despite her
shock and unhappiness at discovering the depths of her sibling’s douchebaggery,
Wanda announces that they’ll go to the wedding anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
After a brief
scene in which Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus the Mad, is attacked by an unknown
assailant, we see the Avengers arrive in the Inhumans’ Great Refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There they are greeted by the Inhumans royal
family and, surprisingly, the Fantastic Four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess the Human Torch got over losing Crystal to Pietro enough to
score an invite.</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkWhyIcjObVGfraeg2B6_c9_oBvO7HjI5y85UOY77hAK8G6RsmolOP1IA6w5fbY27O4JdMghUze798IPzt29Xt6xyAgPxYQ0N3OyCIZn0secGbCNkA3IZaJVuh8XnBcsSQCrTYQ-9MpQ/s1600/29spot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkWhyIcjObVGfraeg2B6_c9_oBvO7HjI5y85UOY77hAK8G6RsmolOP1IA6w5fbY27O4JdMghUze798IPzt29Xt6xyAgPxYQ0N3OyCIZn0secGbCNkA3IZaJVuh8XnBcsSQCrTYQ-9MpQ/s1600/29spot.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Not half as
sinister as the Vision’s discolored face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yikes.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, the
statue isn’t really a statue: it’s one of Maximus’s inventions called
Omega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Omega harnessed the Inhumans’
guilt over their long-term enslavement of another race of mutants called Alpha
Primitives, and led the Alphas in a rebellion against the Inhumans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Inhumans defeated it by overcoming their
prejudices and instituting reforms, and now everything’s hunky-dory…
mostly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unbeknownst to our heroes, a few
renegade Alphas still lurk in the shadows, led by the person who downed Maximus
scant pages ago…</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
At dinner (which
Pietro does not attend because, again, nice guy), Iron Man and the Inhuman
Medusa are mind-controlled into attacking some Alphas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They pass out soon enough, but one of the
Alphas, RN-62, accuses Black Bolt of wanting all Alphas dead in spite of his reforms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Black Bolt
holds a meeting with the other heroes to figure out what to do, Wanda finally
meets with her jerkweed of a brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
goes super well.</div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Pietro’s problem
seems to boil down to this: one, he’s prejudiced against synthezoids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two, in the Balkan country where they grew up
(Transia), sisters always listened to their brothers without question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So not only is Pietro a bigot, he’s also a
controlling misogynist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good to know. Also I feel really sorry for Crystal now. If this is Pietro’s attitude towards a woman’s right to use her own brain and think for herself, I can’t imagine their marriage is going to be a very harmonious one.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Pietro and
Wanda “talk,” Crystal is kidnapped by Omega, who is definitely not a statue
anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman and Mantis
witness her kidnapping and rush to tell everyone else—“everyone else,” as
you’ll recall, being dozens upon dozens of folks with superpowers willing to
fight for Crystal’s safe return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First
step: the Avengers (and Quicksilver) go to question the Alpha Primitives, and
everyone else goes to see Maximus the Mad, who they feel sure is behind all
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They quickly discover that Maximus
has been on enforced naptime since the start.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, with
the Avengers, RN-62 says that all the Alphas feel the way he does: that the
Inhumans continue to oppress them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quicksilver gets upset and attacks, only for Mantis to take him down… a
little too hard.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWrE7mJZoz9oqR7igEy0q1Ap2WGLk2eKSrJJ4CLpV_Mp-zJfxK-XUmPiEfyqFcdj6hw-byUXY4V1VHG0t4WE8NEp5hCk7yuGoZLklWXiIqEpetf850SO0-dkvNlrP6mvu5O8xlAd8aIg/s1600/29awaken.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWrE7mJZoz9oqR7igEy0q1Ap2WGLk2eKSrJJ4CLpV_Mp-zJfxK-XUmPiEfyqFcdj6hw-byUXY4V1VHG0t4WE8NEp5hCk7yuGoZLklWXiIqEpetf850SO0-dkvNlrP6mvu5O8xlAd8aIg/s1600/29awaken.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Mantis passes out
just as the Alphas attack and then all heck breaks loose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One by one our heroes succumb to the strange
unconsciousness that grips Medusa, Iron Man and Mantis, and with the renewed
hatred of the Alpha Primitives comes a strengthened Omega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His very presence seems to cause the
remaining heroes to freeze in place, able only to watch as Omega pulls away his
disguise…<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
He’s baaaaack… <br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
…But if you want
to see the culmination of his evil scheme, ya gotta go read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four #150</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a synopsis for you: after his defeat
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/06/avengerous-tales-136-avengers-68.html">Avengers #68</a></i>, Ultron’s head
was retrieved and revived by Maximus the Mad, who stuck it on Omega’s body in
the hopes that Ultron’s power would help him conquer the Inhumans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultron obviously didn’t like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, he revives/un-paralyzes the heroes so he
can have the pleasure of destroying them, but he didn’t realize that Reed and
Sue Richards’ son Franklin had latent mental powers that far outstrip his
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said powers now reveal themselves
to fry Ultron’s circuits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue ends
with Quicksilver and Crystal finally getting married in a quiet, uneventful
ceremony.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I’m not sure if
I was able to review Issue 127 in a cohesive manner, since it moved very
quickly and they really threw a lot of stuff at us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The build-up was exciting, but the pay-off
didn’t do it for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’d be
better if I was following <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four</i>
and had been worried about Franklin’s health all that time, but since I didn’t,
it came off as kind of anticlimactic and deus ex machina-ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like the comic got bored of itself and wanted
to skip ahead to the wedding already.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The next issue
begins with the first appearance of the famous Avengers introductory text,
which later got reused in the theme song to the second season of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers:
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know
the one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say it with me!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZ-cz-3zqo">ASSEMBLED WE ARE
STRONG<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZ-cz-3zqo">FOREVER FIGHT AS ONE</a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Avengers and
the Fantastic Four return to New York after the wedding, only to be immediately
attacked by a lightning storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor,
being the god of thunder after all, tries to stop the strange storm with no
success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately it is Agatha
Harkness, the Richards’ nanny and magician extraordinaire, who puts an end to
it, much to the Avengers’ surprise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Miss Harkness
then lays three bombshells on our heroes in quick succession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One, the lightning storm was a mystical
attack against herself, not the heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two, now that Franklin Richards is okay, she won’t be his nanny any
longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And three, she’s got a new job
lined up for herself: training the Scarlet Witch!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
“I know of a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">desire</i>
</b>in you,” Harkness says to a flabbergasted Wanda, “a desire to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i></b>
than you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have been</i></b>—”</div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Uh, did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkkMHieqcI">Poor Unfortunate Souls</a></i> just pop into
anyone else’s head, or is that just me?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Scarlet
Witch accepts Harkness’s offer, unaware that the cause of the magic lightning
storm, a menacing red-eyed figure in a cloak, lurks in the street below,
swearing that he will possess the souls of both Agatha Harkness and Wanda
Maximoff before the night is through.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So the Fantastic
Four, minus Harkness, head for home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While the Scarlet Witch shows Harkness—and her cat Ebony, who appears
right the heck out of nowhere—to the guest room, the Vision asks if he might
have a chat with his girlfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Harkness rebuffs him, saying it is absolutely vital that Wanda remain
with her until sunrise, and a confused Wanda agrees to stay.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The minute a
dejected Vision leaves, Agatha Harkness casts a spell over the room so that, no
matter what happens inside it, the Avengers won’t see or hear a thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda is justifiably freaked out by now, but
things are just getting started: the creepy man from earlier, named Necrodamus,
magics himself into the enchanted room and demands Harkness’s soul so that he
can be pretty again.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjFt3RD-OPzEB0i3llX-LQf0gGJuYYcPPRyRyH7oRd7-X5ELopfrsqo8F2UZa6JbWvtJP9GMGfBR1hfTrvtWPtWeD7vW5BRUnsIyD8uW-C6oZIgUQgHFjC0BJzj1rtK1smJmVPZsSuWA/s1600/29avoid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjFt3RD-OPzEB0i3llX-LQf0gGJuYYcPPRyRyH7oRd7-X5ELopfrsqo8F2UZa6JbWvtJP9GMGfBR1hfTrvtWPtWeD7vW5BRUnsIyD8uW-C6oZIgUQgHFjC0BJzj1rtK1smJmVPZsSuWA/s1600/29avoid.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
How can she
avoid the conflict when you’re the genius who locked her in there???<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Necrodamus
shapeshifts into a giant half-naked muscular guy, so Harkness transforms her
cat into a panther to fight him on their behalf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, so that’s why she enchanted the room: so
the Avengers wouldn’t call the ASPCA on her.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Necrodamus
easily defeats Ebony and then Agatha Harkness, leaving Wanda to defend them
all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Out in the rest
of Avengers Mansion, a very different kind of conflict is brewing…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiKP0iqUpvGh_WijuQES0Up_5vUFrxuF9e57wWDe7JvWeYvXtUUpN2NqNT1B2J7clesL00jLhipWv1oLKQPIio-43-2WMeaRwkUtcJaIq77wWrUSdO6Y2NT9-TYeJXJtaWebDpQJyews/s1600/29stronger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiKP0iqUpvGh_WijuQES0Up_5vUFrxuF9e57wWDe7JvWeYvXtUUpN2NqNT1B2J7clesL00jLhipWv1oLKQPIio-43-2WMeaRwkUtcJaIq77wWrUSdO6Y2NT9-TYeJXJtaWebDpQJyews/s1600/29stronger.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Damn that’s
cold.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the poor
Swordsman vents his heartbreak to Thor and Iron Man, Mantis goes to see the
Vision, and they bond over their shared experience of being a pawn in someone
else’s game with no will or voice of their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, the Vision is just trying to be helpful while Mantis is
clearly angling for a pathway into his heart.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile the
Scarlet Witch throws everything she’s got at Necrodamus but is still
overcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Necrodamus prepares to suck
out her soul when Ebony, uh, does this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlX_G0MFKW51Qf41nYEFUjG5Bih2melrc8Sz1Egl-KKT4XBa7j4aMb_Q1ueFQMATUBPzWjWTADTeXFPi_7ykCuAoA9Pdofnwy6ncWQ7a1MWeN47AoVthiYqLNuYHnJSBrSl8MDLif1T4/s1600/29avidly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlX_G0MFKW51Qf41nYEFUjG5Bih2melrc8Sz1Egl-KKT4XBa7j4aMb_Q1ueFQMATUBPzWjWTADTeXFPi_7ykCuAoA9Pdofnwy6ncWQ7a1MWeN47AoVthiYqLNuYHnJSBrSl8MDLif1T4/s1600/29avidly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Somehow being
the subject of a Judgmental Cat Stare gives Wanda the strength to cast one last
hex, and this one cracks open the box Necrodamus was going to stash her soul
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the other souls in the box come
screaming out into the open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They carry
Necrodamus away, but Ebony holds Wanda in place until they disappear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for Agatha Harkness, she’s totally
fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, she planned this whole
encounter to prove to Wanda that she has untapped reserves of magic within her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I know Harkness is a good guy, but I
get the feeling that’s only because she hasn’t gotten anyone killed yet.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back outside the
room, Mantis tries to convince Vision that they’d be really cute together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision tells her no, and we don’t get a
chance to see her response before a blinding light appears outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers all rush out to find a star now
shines above Avengers Mansion and that it has already attracted an unsavory
pilgrim: Kang the Conqueror, who believes the star is a sign that Earth is ripe
for the taking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I smell another
plotline coming on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But maybe this time,
can we refrain from stomping all over the Swordsman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE’S TRYING SO HARD AND IT’S MAKING ME SAD.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.30, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-230-avengers-129-giant.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #127 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #128</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-74786125110287961692016-05-07T10:00:00.000-04:002017-08-04T21:52:39.637-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.28 - Avengers #126-Giant-Size Avengers #1<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cWhw2FVbz2Cks7YYT_3hMcXpDncdgAD_qV5ahnOJMNaM0GmOBRMZQtf9TMJ5FJC7jnEXdK0H8bCQC3SDuebW9xY_7zd38m4V2p7xbvKwjdYF5db7GW492a5CATYkbngFbqXHa-I8Q54/s1600/28covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cWhw2FVbz2Cks7YYT_3hMcXpDncdgAD_qV5ahnOJMNaM0GmOBRMZQtf9TMJ5FJC7jnEXdK0H8bCQC3SDuebW9xY_7zd38m4V2p7xbvKwjdYF5db7GW492a5CATYkbngFbqXHa-I8Q54/s400/28covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.27, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-227-avengers-124-125.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p>It's secret origins time! Yippee!</o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a name='more'></a>Today’s tale
begins with the Swordsman showing off for Mantis in the training room.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ph8m7giA2C16MKmiMTYdYze-ZH8lEdc8W9VkCQ9wlYAj4i-kD2QCEii7NJfudHH9i8wu4jchWr4UU1Zzj3iSxQ7pwNM3EwWaehvzYCaQ9CTxYqy_flU1MWq4DoE1BeUE2RGHMDJHa4o/s1600/28indifferent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ph8m7giA2C16MKmiMTYdYze-ZH8lEdc8W9VkCQ9wlYAj4i-kD2QCEii7NJfudHH9i8wu4jchWr4UU1Zzj3iSxQ7pwNM3EwWaehvzYCaQ9CTxYqy_flU1MWq4DoE1BeUE2RGHMDJHa4o/s1600/28indifferent.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Yep, that’s the
Vision she’s looking at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh dear.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the Vision
feels nothing but platonic admiration for Mantis, the Scarlet Witch can only
remember their recent spats over her opinions about humans, and how both Mantis
and the Vision seem to share an “above-it-all” attitude that would make them
perfect partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of moping,
however, she vows to fight for the man she loves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though she’s in absolutely no danger of
losing him, he told her so last issue, and I’m sure he would happily tell her
so again if she just discussed it with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yay, forced conflicts!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, Captain
America’s got his own problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzKksQ4FhWR4F59EdxPPQpvyRrAf5Smobenne5DmDLbJZ_1yfXOr732w_sctxnit2qEHk1H2d_1hJMIDZ_oOgqYnQYsMOe8PIOa7EyaaTZdoWPLNlQMF6ufiKfXAcXm511s8HHpcNA28/s1600/28worries.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzKksQ4FhWR4F59EdxPPQpvyRrAf5Smobenne5DmDLbJZ_1yfXOr732w_sctxnit2qEHk1H2d_1hJMIDZ_oOgqYnQYsMOe8PIOa7EyaaTZdoWPLNlQMF6ufiKfXAcXm511s8HHpcNA28/s320/28worries.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Clearly I need
to explain some things.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
First: Iron Man,
what the hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some utterly bizarre
reason, back in the mid-70s, SOMEONE at Marvel (in the letters page of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man #72</i>, writer Mike Friedrich
pinned the blame on Stan Lee) thought it would be a swell idea to slap a nose
on the Iron Man armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it was
utterly vital that we know Iron Man can smell, I guess?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t last long, thank Rao, and we fans have
done our darnedest to forget it ever happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Second: it’s finally
time to educate you on one of the weirdest <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
America </i>stories of the seventies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There be spoilers ahead, but I don’t think it’ll affect your enjoyment
of the story if you decide to read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If anything, knowing the ending ahead of time might prevent you from
reeling at the WTF ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you REALLY
don’t want to know, skip down to the paragraph that starts “For now, we have to
go check…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Like I said in
an earlier review, Cap was framed for the murder of the Tumbler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guys doing the framing were a
super-secret society called the Secret Empire, who did so as part of a scheme
to take unilateral control of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America #175</i>, Cap
unmasks Number One, the leader of the Secret Empire, who is heavily implied to
be President Richard Nixon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, THE
ACTUAL Richard Nixon, not an expy or an alien in a Nixon suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actual Richard Nixon was running around
in a black Klan outfit landing flying saucers on the White House lawn, and the
actual Richard Nixon committed suicide in the Oval Office when Cap busted
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s wild.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMgx7Lt1CIHlO73nUjMQ7VDYED-uuFaFnTloBdiEHU9xiANgTAHaO62DP7fN-m7bXNPhLa3aWxGZ-hY0TY-sUvSnOLv4cRCjxygFYvbKfn0sTxl9ZnyyJlskYTcTkJd7nhB6o0Eb_kX8/s1600/28you.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMgx7Lt1CIHlO73nUjMQ7VDYED-uuFaFnTloBdiEHU9xiANgTAHaO62DP7fN-m7bXNPhLa3aWxGZ-hY0TY-sUvSnOLv4cRCjxygFYvbKfn0sTxl9ZnyyJlskYTcTkJd7nhB6o0Eb_kX8/s1600/28you.png" /></a></div>
<br />
The actual
Richard Nixon was also hilariously casual about offing himself.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
If you noticed
the year in which this story was published (1974) and know a bit of U.S.
history, you’ll realize this reveal occurs around the same time as the
Watergate scandal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap’s discovery
(which he kept secret for obvious reasons) led him to react much the same way
everyone did in real life: with anger, disappointment, disillusionment, and the
need to do some heavy thinking about a lot of heavy topics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s uniquely bad for Cap since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he is supposed to represent and serve
America</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can he do that when the
president is a crook?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll find out in
an issue or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
For now, we have
to go check on Black Panther, who is once again torn between remaining an
Avenger and returning to his home country to rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His considerations are interrupted by an
unexpected visitor: Ronald Pershing, the ambassador from <s>South Africa</s> Rudyarda,
an African nation that once imprisoned T’Challa for <s>being black</s> not
having the right ID card while tracking down an invention of his that somebody
stole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This happened a while ago, back
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four #119 </i>(1972), but
T’Challa is still understandably annoyed when Pershing comes waltzing into
Avengers Mansion like they owe him their services.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAuKsXUyNcqN5gEe9craa9BTOW7KIvSsoTiWQm2TWrS14aakYYNH-dql1jQD-QbA8SIMS48vZHvucqRQj3BdOCcI-dv1GgU-9NBnPwZ_717jKn8KPkwaN_UBHczTgm2twxoZnMhv6KG0/s1600/28gardener.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAuKsXUyNcqN5gEe9craa9BTOW7KIvSsoTiWQm2TWrS14aakYYNH-dql1jQD-QbA8SIMS48vZHvucqRQj3BdOCcI-dv1GgU-9NBnPwZ_717jKn8KPkwaN_UBHczTgm2twxoZnMhv6KG0/s1600/28gardener.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
“Yes, we’ll
investigate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We won’t necessarily STOP
them, but we’ll definitely investigate!”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
All the Avengers
except Cap, Thor, and Iron Man (who are still “in conference”) follow Pershing
outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seconds later, a loud “ZZAAPP”
captures the attention of our three veteran Avengers, who rush outside to find
all of their teammates (and Pershing) trapped in a bubble of pure sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said bubble is the product of the Klaw, Black
Panther’s old nemesis, and Klaw’s new ally Solarr, who can fry people to death
with his sun-based powers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So what do these
jerks want?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, remember how I
mentioned that in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four #119</i>
T’Challa went to Rudyarda to recover a stolen invention?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Klaw was the thief, and he was brutally
ill-treated by the Rudyardan police after his arrest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Klaw wants revenge on Rudyarda, but he
doesn’t want to get punished for that too, so he demands that T’Challa make him
ruler of Wakanda so he’ll have diplomatic immunity.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And Solarr… I
don’t know why he’s here and neither does Marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They actually held a contest to see which
reader would come up with the best explanation for their team-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the letters page four issues later, one
epistle suggested that Klaw read about Solarr in an American newspaper while he
was imprisoned in Rudyarda. (Because they let him have an American paper in between beating the crud out of him, I guess?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deciding
that Solarr would make a great ally to help him get revenge, he calls up an
outside contact and arranges for Solarr to be released from jail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solarr is so grateful that he agrees to team
up with the Klaw.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Sure, why not?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, Solarr
zaps Ambassador Pershing and says he’ll start killing the Avengers too if Black
Panther doesn’t do what Klaw’s giant sound-based hologram tells them to within
the hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the Scarlet Witch
revives Pershing with her hex powers, the three Avengers outside try and fail
to free their fellows.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI8VTaY4ymW5k2rkSF7OdHTHi-ZE7OXl7R8TvCvZ82AsqZkrpjvXwN1IWh1VG-JfcpkHvzfki8MF0PawSl8WbFDgopVOnDpTWWm5O9ON7QWydNfJnkbu5nWJdG7rJyaOHM3P0jLO2gmw/s1600/28radius.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI8VTaY4ymW5k2rkSF7OdHTHi-ZE7OXl7R8TvCvZ82AsqZkrpjvXwN1IWh1VG-JfcpkHvzfki8MF0PawSl8WbFDgopVOnDpTWWm5O9ON7QWydNfJnkbu5nWJdG7rJyaOHM3P0jLO2gmw/s1600/28radius.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Thanks to Tony’s
audio-analects, the trio tracks down Klaw’s signal to an abandoned building
near the U.N.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They only find a
trap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They quickly and easily dismantle
said trap, of course, but Klaw is long gone and there’s only eighteen minutes
left to save their friends.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back at the
bubble, things are getting tense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pershing keeps pressuring Black Panther to capitulate to Klaw’s demands,
while the Scarlet Witch accuses the Vision of loving Mantis despite his
numerous protestations to the contrary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Isn’t it nice when couples can trust each other implicitly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a healthy relationship they have!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Iron Man, Cap
and Thor return with the bad news about their failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Black Panther is aghast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely he couldn’t have been wrong about the
Klaw!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely he has to be SOMEWHERE
within a twenty-block radius, and there’s just one place they haven’t looked…</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbfl6H79uJnUPrlYi4sEQHJjguhUaxPC4gGTnzPa24t4JmfqIRmZxQvH9l0Mbx-6RkWXCCrF6amaD_mPlNdcJRqzHZpb2_E1PTwf9ZcwI8elzo9bUNGMcDynvuZD5Sx-C4gZ2qpv8ofI/s1600/28hand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbfl6H79uJnUPrlYi4sEQHJjguhUaxPC4gGTnzPa24t4JmfqIRmZxQvH9l0Mbx-6RkWXCCrF6amaD_mPlNdcJRqzHZpb2_E1PTwf9ZcwI8elzo9bUNGMcDynvuZD5Sx-C4gZ2qpv8ofI/s1600/28hand.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Dun-dun-DUNNN!!!!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Black Panther
crushes the Klaw’s suitcase, which was his power source, and the bubble
immediately disappears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Panther easily
beats up both Klaw and Solarr… which proves to yet again be his “last” act as
an Avenger, for this incident only served to remind him of the struggles Wakanda
is going through and how much they need their king to be present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s not the only Avenger they are
losing—though Cap doesn’t say so here, he plans to not just give up his place
on the team, but his identity as Captain America as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
There is a bit
of a continuity hiccup in this issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four #119</i>, we saw Klaw’s
sonic prosthetic hand/claw get crushed by the Thing, yet in the flashback
sequences in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #126</i>, the claw
is perfectly fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between that and the
whole ‘write your own team-up origin’ thing, this issue felt like a
particularly lazy way to write Black Panther out of the book for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disappointing indeed: T’Challa deserves
better than that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The next issue
I’m going to review is a special with a cover date of August 1974—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #1</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size</i>
specials differ from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annual</i>
specials in that they are called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size</i>
instead of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annual</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s really pretty much it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size</i> issue was written by our old pal and current editor Roy
Thomas (hi, Roy!), and drawn by Rich Buckler.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We begin with
Iron Man carrying an invisible box.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bx1KLEtAr1vB8wb-6RXv9Cmjznu1fa6rxFuRV8KkuHUOc8fGstSRQQhLwscAUJozsqzAwh3f2Qb3dypzYOlAuLkBiv1jN64aF7JTM3rS-x07O-2u13Gns8J4KLcVDIPGu-U7DYhq_cU/s1600/28invisible.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bx1KLEtAr1vB8wb-6RXv9Cmjznu1fa6rxFuRV8KkuHUOc8fGstSRQQhLwscAUJozsqzAwh3f2Qb3dypzYOlAuLkBiv1jN64aF7JTM3rS-x07O-2u13Gns8J4KLcVDIPGu-U7DYhq_cU/s1600/28invisible.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Don’t drop
it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll break the invisible Christmas
ornaments!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Actually, there’s
a mysterious intruder in Avengers Mansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Said intruder wants the Avengers’ time capsule—I didn’t even know they
had one—and, while he initially doesn’t want to hurt the Avengers, he quickly
comes to the (erroneous) conclusion that Captain America isn’t really Captain
America and attacks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
As he does so,
his Mysterious Intruder Cloak<sup>TM </sup>falls away revealing the costume of
the Whizzer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last time we met
someone with that name, <s>it was just as stupid as it is now</s> he was a
member of the alternate universe superhero team called the <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/11/avengerous-tales-28-avengers-86-87.html">Squadron Supreme</a>.
This (the Avengers’) universe’s version of the Whizzer, as we saw in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/06/avengerous-tales-137-avengers-70-71.html">Avengers #70</a></i>, is a villain who
named himself after what I thought was a fictional hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
According to
Cap, however, this heroic Whizzer, a.k.a. Bob Frank, was very real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a member of a late-1940s superhero
team with the incredibly pompous name of the All-Winners Squad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a Captain America on the team, but
since Steve Rogers was on ice by this point, the All-Winners’ Cap was actually
William Nasland and Jeff Mace—both government-sanctioned replacements for the
deceased original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government covered
up the deaths of Rogers and then Nasland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hence the Whizzer’s earlier insistence that the Avengers’ Captain
America is a fake, though some of Cap’s comments after the fight soon set him
straight about who was the replacement for whom.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But enough
yapping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see how the Avengers
defeat their racing rival.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWi80jZkLNlLNuShHpokup5n3AWx1sVdS39zuw86GcDNZ1nB5Jv4iTl721ikZsNKHnWUTPd0OeOQt78_Ri7Nai-vkRG0zsZ5VxSkEKxH21bemThn5EaopS0qIoASd02mWYgBXwo2-0og/s1600/28diamond.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWi80jZkLNlLNuShHpokup5n3AWx1sVdS39zuw86GcDNZ1nB5Jv4iTl721ikZsNKHnWUTPd0OeOQt78_Ri7Nai-vkRG0zsZ5VxSkEKxH21bemThn5EaopS0qIoASd02mWYgBXwo2-0og/s1600/28diamond.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Thus beaten, the
Whizzer whizzes through the All-Winners Squad “brief but proud history.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emphasis on the brief: they only had three
adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After their last outing, Whizzer
married his teammate Madeline Joyce, a.k.a. Miss America, and together they
worked as bodyguards for the government until they tried to stop a nuclear
explosion in 1949.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers try
to get the Whizzer to relax, since his pulse is still very fast and he’s
sweating a lot, but Whizzer just skips ahead to something that happened last
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A building came down and the
Avengers rushed the rescue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There,
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes uncovered the time capsule the Whizzer claims is his.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Before the
Avengers can decide if they believe the Whizzer, a glowing yellow figure bursts
free of the capsule like a radioactive baby velociraptor.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf7p43j04cDL_GefsxoBp_FdYdtndDML6-cUmwfi-l4NsAeHRIH1ly1iu_uIjRkxfInw0QDUJEdMWBCdtX7sJrRbwiMZUOVOuB0NPWte7316qLRUiLrQHoB_-cVJOp6obPvyD4DW8hug/s1600/28son.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf7p43j04cDL_GefsxoBp_FdYdtndDML6-cUmwfi-l4NsAeHRIH1ly1iu_uIjRkxfInw0QDUJEdMWBCdtX7sJrRbwiMZUOVOuB0NPWte7316qLRUiLrQHoB_-cVJOp6obPvyD4DW8hug/s400/28son.png" width="268" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
And then he has
a heart attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s got nice nail
polish, though.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the Scarlet
Witch sends Jarvis for a doctor, the Avengers get knocked flat by Glowy Yellow
Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time they wake up, he’s
gone.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Through
incredibly vague acts of science, the Avengers detect three areas in New York
that are highly radioactive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They split
up into teams—Cap and Iron Man, Thor and Mantis, Vision by himself—to
investigate each of these hotspots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Vision is the first to find their “nuclear nemesis,” or as our baddie himself
puts it…</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1Us_YYTsfQZHzxJSKUP2LCdsY1HyK8ceYCbCFP-NxodfmNBu4PIcS31RbLd5wH_XnUDZVfhtPLFuSQheXhWGLQ7UXBxtEtmbwOeKAHZ-sUZigcHqv5jCWq-6XDnIQaXUyW6FqCEVJns/s1600/28baby.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1Us_YYTsfQZHzxJSKUP2LCdsY1HyK8ceYCbCFP-NxodfmNBu4PIcS31RbLd5wH_XnUDZVfhtPLFuSQheXhWGLQ7UXBxtEtmbwOeKAHZ-sUZigcHqv5jCWq-6XDnIQaXUyW6FqCEVJns/s1600/28baby.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Aww, it’s like a
bizarro version of Frosty the Snowman saying “happy birthday.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now we check in
with Bob Frank, who has recovered enough to tell us a little more of his story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time he and Madeline tried to stop
that nuclear disaster, Madeline was pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All that radiation did nothing good for the fetus, and mere minutes
after the boy’s birth, the doctors said he would soon begin to give off deadly
radiation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a 50% chance that the
radiation would cease in twenty-five years, so for everyone’s safety, the
government put the kid in suspended animation and locked him in the
radiation-proof time capsule for the next quarter century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously that wasn’t quite long enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back where the
action is, the Vision is fighting the newly-named Nuklo… at the same time as
Thor and Mantis encounter Nuklo tearing up some elevated railway tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They appear to be connected somehow, as this
Nuklo keep repeating “nu-klo nem-siss” just as the first one did.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Oh, and by the
way, train.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
While Thor and
Mantis continue the fight, the Scarlet Witch continues to talk with the
Whizzer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After their son was locked
away, Bob knocked up Madeline again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
went to Europe and found a magical place called Wundagore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember if I’ve had the opportunity
to discuss Wundagore before but, in brief, it’s a place run by the High
Evolutionary, whose experiments resulted in a society of intelligent, bipedal
animals called New-Men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a
midwife there who’s a cow, and she helps Madeline through labor.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
This time, she
gives birth to twins.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukjb2xfhq5nzGPGsm0ylxc5xIDs-Z75oxZgX153gUUh7MoxCvuFXLd5fFSKC0X0ZCf2_K5XgT8kxwdhGERO4xWwXKbTbjcw7nYcnJeTTO8OYsH0VAr261Wft9No2QrbdXWgsz67N_oLQ/s1600/28father.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukjb2xfhq5nzGPGsm0ylxc5xIDs-Z75oxZgX153gUUh7MoxCvuFXLd5fFSKC0X0ZCf2_K5XgT8kxwdhGERO4xWwXKbTbjcw7nYcnJeTTO8OYsH0VAr261Wft9No2QrbdXWgsz67N_oLQ/s1600/28father.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
“But wait!”
modern Marvelites may moan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I thought
Magneto was Pietro and Wanda’s father!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And to you I say: you don’t know much about Marvel family trees, do you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the most perversely complicated
things in the history of fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seriously, try to plot one out sometime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’ll run off to get drunk within the hour.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In other words,
yes, Magneto is (or will eventually be) Pietro and Wanda’s father, regardless of what the MCU is trying to tell us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But w</span>e’ll get to that
later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, enjoy your look back at
a simpler time in Marvel history when it didn’t take you ten minutes to explain
the origins of any given character.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cue fight scene
between Nuklo and Cap and Iron Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blah
blah blah, fight fight fight, back with Wanda and Bob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Madeline died in childbirth, and Bob was
apparently so distraught that he just wandered off and didn’t come back for
years, by which point Wanda and Pietro had run away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well HE sure won’t be winning Father of the
Year Award any time soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda relates
her and Pietro’s origin story, which convinces the Whizzer that they are indeed
his lost children.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But what of his
first child, Nuklo?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of the Avengers
try to steer him back towards Avengers Mansion, which ends hilariously badly
when the Nuklos re-merge into one super-powerful Nuklo that scatters them all
just by clapping his hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s so
noisy about it that Bob Frank immediately springs from his bed, claiming that
he knows the only way to stop Nuklo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
it’s not the power of love, it’s a hex sphere.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD4pRRJ4Saqba2ouAgggjN9GZ-u2NyCGIhut7mO1mTpmRvqkZ5-pHucFpiR3i2ovhENKUf4xzdnkXAIcAXnoAvJ_aMb60zdnW2QMfq1KW_dDSlfzbN9ySUdNoRj1G5SWHtV8a96uSCwU/s1600/28blood.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD4pRRJ4Saqba2ouAgggjN9GZ-u2NyCGIhut7mO1mTpmRvqkZ5-pHucFpiR3i2ovhENKUf4xzdnkXAIcAXnoAvJ_aMb60zdnW2QMfq1KW_dDSlfzbN9ySUdNoRj1G5SWHtV8a96uSCwU/s1600/28blood.png" /></a></div>
<br />
I look forward
to when Wanda’s origin is retconned in less than five years and this
explanation no longer makes any sense.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor volunteers
Tony Stark to build an even stronger capsule to bury Nuklo for another
twenty-five years in the hopes that maybe by then they’ll be able to cure him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bob Frank will be okay too, thanks to an
operation that Dr. Don Blake did on him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
This review is
already running long, so I’ll try to keep my final thoughts short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what the writer thought
“suspended animation” meant, because I assumed it should have kept “Nuklo” as a
baby all that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet here he appears
as an adult, albeit it with the mind of a small child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he born as a full grown man or what?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Aside from that,
I thought it was a pretty auspicious beginning for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers</i> title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It had action, nostalgia, mind-boggling reveals, and decently
Kirby-esque artwork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And don’t worry:
we’ll be seeing more of Bob Frank and Wundagore in future issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.29, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-229-avengers-127-128.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #126, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America #175 </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giant-Size Avengers #1</i></div>
</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-21380802874432973352016-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:002016-05-07T11:31:18.306-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.27 - Avengers #124-#125<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb3BRhgCRQVSZCuWJoBReAf-buIS0_W-8wW4mXXlSk0G9kf7yNZ0enlxm-cR6vcH6ec6YUVF5HxL34OvkSd-KIW_ESHUTFo6HxzDE9Q0gnE3pmHc93bwmB7YH3bUuo_91n81X2pYixIU/s1600/27covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb3BRhgCRQVSZCuWJoBReAf-buIS0_W-8wW4mXXlSk0G9kf7yNZ0enlxm-cR6vcH6ec6YUVF5HxL34OvkSd-KIW_ESHUTFo6HxzDE9Q0gnE3pmHc93bwmB7YH3bUuo_91n81X2pYixIU/s400/27covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.26, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We got ourselves
some guest artists for today’s issues—John Buscema and Dave Cockrum.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Okay, so
Monsieur Khruul (who is no longer orange) has suffered a horrible but
well-deserved off-panel death at the hands of the mysterious Star-Stalker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers search the temple, trying to
figure out what the heck a Star-Stalker is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They find out pretty quick.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtugkGo0IIB1ZpVnewslRGy7ovjGzSYl6jz2xpH_KZu-t0snWI0VyxDin3WKwrlqI2vJVKQscofT0i1h94SditBf69H8a8HqqdlBcXqLU0W6yx4ApVj0rcyCxCf_aQGKqhYyW7wjtdnzE/s1600/27marvel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtugkGo0IIB1ZpVnewslRGy7ovjGzSYl6jz2xpH_KZu-t0snWI0VyxDin3WKwrlqI2vJVKQscofT0i1h94SditBf69H8a8HqqdlBcXqLU0W6yx4ApVj0rcyCxCf_aQGKqhYyW7wjtdnzE/s400/27marvel.png" width="248" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I don’t think
our heroes are in the mood to appreciate your puns, Mr. Narrator Sir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, Star-Stalker is a bit unwieldy as a
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just gonna call him Smaug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looks like a tiny Smaug.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
Despite his dragon-like appearance, Smaug speaks very good English and uses
that skill to rail against humanity in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And to tell us his origin story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh boy, HERE we go…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXvyScIDp-X98YIz19MphHCQKHchuMJe01rt1Z6p-vMaGXZIZaiSFk4sE2aS1NzKKtyMTEiAPhYA8PcaaFEIq0okGmyGWhUVLSNJ9upYCPwGf9w0rV-hx9UJCZLovnjGgE0uUk47-Ijg/s1600/27conquer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXvyScIDp-X98YIz19MphHCQKHchuMJe01rt1Z6p-vMaGXZIZaiSFk4sE2aS1NzKKtyMTEiAPhYA8PcaaFEIq0okGmyGWhUVLSNJ9upYCPwGf9w0rV-hx9UJCZLovnjGgE0uUk47-Ijg/s1600/27conquer.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
A small group of
pacifistic Kree is exiled to a barren planet as punishment for their stupid
ideas about being nice to people and so forth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Smaug here showed up to conquer them and
feed off the planet’s ionic energies, but the pacifists find a method to defeat
him (though he’s smart enough not to tell the Avengers what that method is).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The pacifists
then get on the phone with the Intelligence Supreme, the leader of the rest of
the Kree, to warn them about the threat Smaug presents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kree don’t listen, but when the pacifists
decide to split up into teams of two and spread throughout the galaxy to guard
as many inhabited worlds as they can against Smaug, the Kree are more than
happy to help get rid of them forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxQMDUCXaEv1DR8YdJy-8PNGKrHv0XxqLOH52n7d3iZN6VUz4XTzWuf_uN-G8uPOrcrs6vvSkdj8e9exB_RMFAHI-lGZZgOscrBS5_dX2EORHsRADc1rOaZWsn7m9_T2gWDsEisrA3EI/s1600/27small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxQMDUCXaEv1DR8YdJy-8PNGKrHv0XxqLOH52n7d3iZN6VUz4XTzWuf_uN-G8uPOrcrs6vvSkdj8e9exB_RMFAHI-lGZZgOscrBS5_dX2EORHsRADc1rOaZWsn7m9_T2gWDsEisrA3EI/s1600/27small.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
So long as the
pacifistic Kree/Priests of Pama were around, Smaug couldn’t get his revenge,
since they knew how to defeat him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
second Monsieur Khruul killed them all, however, Earth was opened to attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All he has to do is spin a cocoon, take a nap
inside it for a while, and emerge as a being capable of sucking all the ionic
energies he needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Science!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While Smaug
disappears into his magic death cocoon, Libra urges Mantis to remember the
priests’ teachings, figuring that the key to defeating Smaug was among
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mantis only remembers “her happy
childhood in Saigon,” which had nothing to do with mercenary fathers or orange
ninja priests.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Black Panther
gets the idea to radio the NYPD and asks to speak to the imprisoned Cornelius
Van Lunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Panther wants to learn how to
use Zodiac’s Star Blaster weapon—after all, what better way to defeat a star
stalker than with a star blaster, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Van Lunt is surprisingly easy to convince.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80cgOy7vAFynawwkrQhIozefDg38AunCWauO0QwoiaVt2Jr7qfddMHglG8cKXQuZa5moCw804XPOBWS_86gtwlMVdJl5WUdiebRQdDpKBs6QvdMRqkNxva3NAic6clX4DwKm1DIjjvQw/s1600/27difference.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80cgOy7vAFynawwkrQhIozefDg38AunCWauO0QwoiaVt2Jr7qfddMHglG8cKXQuZa5moCw804XPOBWS_86gtwlMVdJl5WUdiebRQdDpKBs6QvdMRqkNxva3NAic6clX4DwKm1DIjjvQw/s1600/27difference.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Cool vase.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman
has a bit of a breakdown, berating himself for being such a loser and failing
to live up to the heroic ideal Mantis so admires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we don’t have time for that right now—we’ve
got a dragon to fry!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Vision and
Mantis talk about how Libra’s story clashes with her own memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently Mantis knows nothing about the
Priests of Pama and instead believes she was an orphan who learned martial arts
from her fellow street kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure
why she’d refer to such an upbringing as “her happy childhood in Saigon,” but
okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, Vision (and, earlier,
Libra) hypothesizes that the priests brainwashed her into forgetting them, which
just makes them even creepier, but it seems plausible as Mantis knows her way
around the temple suspiciously well for someone who’s never been there.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
SHIELD soon
arrives with the Star Blaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
Iron Man and Black Panther make some quick repairs (the Avengers damaged it in
their earlier <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-225-avengers-120-121.html">fight with Zodiac</a>), Smaug emerges from his cocoon, and
he’s hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers shoot him with
the Star Blaster, but it barely seems to faze him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He plucks Thor and Iron Man right out of the
air and saps their strength.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_fdZlY8NSAXNNaxrwjCYyqUZvOruH5PdTfj3G5htjuxig6voHfwvxeWgwqVpb1iRIpBffU0YKYR7kJml9dj-E2BbkodDiut0MCje0AcFCxl29HF-gtd7_5Ei1n0n4efOU-K2bayWIAQ/s1600/27smash.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_fdZlY8NSAXNNaxrwjCYyqUZvOruH5PdTfj3G5htjuxig6voHfwvxeWgwqVpb1iRIpBffU0YKYR7kJml9dj-E2BbkodDiut0MCje0AcFCxl29HF-gtd7_5Ei1n0n4efOU-K2bayWIAQ/s320/27smash.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“NOW KISS!!!”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The others go
down just as swiftly, all except Mantis, who realizes that only she can touch
(and kick) Smaug without getting zapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She continues beating on him until she figures out his secret weakness:
intense heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why he only
attacked a sunless prison planet and waited until nightfall to come out from
the temple, and why he dies when Vision hits him with a dose of solar energy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
…</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
THE STAR-STALKER
IS ALLERGIC TO STARS????<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WHY IS HE
CALLED THE STAR-STALKER THEN??????<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
glad I renamed him Smaug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Star-Stalker
gets stupider the more we learn about him.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
This whole
incident has led Mantis to realize that, while she still doesn’t remember
anything Libra told her about her past, she is clearly more than a random
street kid who knows how to throw a punch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is she, then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer
lies in the next issue.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I wish they’d
brought up Mantis’s memories earlier (or reminded us of them at the start of
this arc, if they mentioned it earlier and I just forgot).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have given greater context to her
hostile reaction to Libra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I
thought it was just because she objected to having a mercenary for a father,
which wouldn’t make much sense since she was so kind toward the mercenary
Swordsman.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Next issue
begins with the heroes’ return to the states, where Libra is taken away for his
part in Zodiac’s recent crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and
Mantis part on good terms, though she’s still not quite convinced he’s her dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Libra is taken away, Captain America
returns, having cleared his name in the death of the Tumbler.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJElm3Qfl8RnHps2PjoE0phNPLo3cUDbp5znmPRMfvxHQKpgvpmOwVE6PPCBv-8hKZcvHXk30ij7sDF-V5u-ykTlQEFPyni5sw9vXv7NfoaYY5-i4r6bwVVpIO4A9l0KhJDzAFjKH0p4/s1600/27mood.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJElm3Qfl8RnHps2PjoE0phNPLo3cUDbp5znmPRMfvxHQKpgvpmOwVE6PPCBv-8hKZcvHXk30ij7sDF-V5u-ykTlQEFPyni5sw9vXv7NfoaYY5-i4r6bwVVpIO4A9l0KhJDzAFjKH0p4/s1600/27mood.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Why is Cap sad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll cover that in a future review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, we have a mystery to confront: a
young woman named Lou-Ann tries to get into Avengers Mansion using Rick Jones’
access card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She faints in Cap’s arms,
but not before she can warn them that Rick is heading into a trap and also
something about somebody named Thanos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think most readers nowadays know who Thanos is—and Iron Man certainly does, as
Thanos made his debut in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man #55</i>—but
Captain America has never heard of him.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And here I need
to take a break and explain some stuff that happened in another book so you
don’t end up completely confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Specifically, we need to recap <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
Marvel #25-#32</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Since we last
saw Rick Jones and Captain Marvel in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/01/avengerous-tales-213-avengers-96-97.html">Avengers #97</a></i>, things haven’t improved for them much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They still share a body, and only one can be
on Earth at a time, while the other gets stuck in the Negative Zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of that, they’ve been dealing with
Thanos, tyrant of the moon Titan, who has teamed up with a couple of Skrulls
and a mind-controlling baddie named, well, the Controller in a bid to take over
the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
One of the
people Controller controlled was Rick’s girlfriend Lou-Ann, who lured Rick into
a trap that enabled Thanos to teleport him (and Captain Marvel) to Titan, where
Thanos scoured Rick’s unconscious mind for the location of the Cosmic Cube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The last time the Avengers confronted the
Cube’s power was <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/03/avengerous-tales-120-avengers-39-40.html">here</a>.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rick
acquired this knowledge from the Intelligence Supreme, who put it there as a
cautionary measure because of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>THAT SURE WORKED OUT, DIDN’T IT?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It’s at this
point that Lou-Ann fights off the mind control enough to go to Avengers Mansion
in the scene we saw earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moments
later, Captain Marvel arrives, and he and the Avengers spend the next few
issues of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> getting
their butts kicked by Thanos’s goons and whatever the heck this thing is
supposed to be.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzu0BjRAjboHa9fZFBIF_AFnhQrr52skezK2XJpAh_Nxl4V25x5BwfJQ7IRZwcnVdlAEG9xQV4DWSxiU-_QtLNuul2dTsagSXXS3rDO6yrBivTLjDQwlr1d_LnujzM5VGFYXoVt6PqMY/s1600/27eon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzu0BjRAjboHa9fZFBIF_AFnhQrr52skezK2XJpAh_Nxl4V25x5BwfJQ7IRZwcnVdlAEG9xQV4DWSxiU-_QtLNuul2dTsagSXXS3rDO6yrBivTLjDQwlr1d_LnujzM5VGFYXoVt6PqMY/s1600/27eon.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
The longer I look at this, the stupider it gets.<br />
<br />
Eon, He of the
Silly Haircuts, says that the only way Mar-Vell can defeat Thanos is by
accepting his offer to <s>dye his hair blond</s> expand his powers and become “cosmically
aware,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> which </span>seems to be like if he went
into the Total Perspective Vortex and came out with the Prize from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Highlander</i> instead of a permanent case
of the crazies, if that’s any help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anyway, even with his spiffy new powers, Captain Marvel can’t prevent
Thanos from getting the Cosmic Cube, kidnapping those he considers his greatest
enemies (his father Mentor, his brother Eros, Drax the Destroyer, Captain
Marvel, Marvel’s friend Moon Dragon, and Iron Man), and turning himself into
god of the universe.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
They’re pretty entertaining
issues, if you want to read them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
be prepared to wade through Rick Jones’s unbearable speech patterns.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxp3JmSvO934ZT66-OevTXXFXTCkA6Qyd6PknSxdanud601fkgGRrm4j-rh2ESg1KyB9MeEFuYxRtdurmdObEJiIyee3w8ZYPW4kAmY3PzfGjEjNlx4IWWQISr4pnOrb3LB7RzXhg7iQ/s1600/27mama.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxp3JmSvO934ZT66-OevTXXFXTCkA6Qyd6PknSxdanud601fkgGRrm4j-rh2ESg1KyB9MeEFuYxRtdurmdObEJiIyee3w8ZYPW4kAmY3PzfGjEjNlx4IWWQISr4pnOrb3LB7RzXhg7iQ/s1600/27mama.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
I find it
difficult to take the impending apocalypse seriously when you phrase it like
that.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So now we
finally return to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #125</i>, two
days after Lou-Ann’s visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers
learn that Thanos has sent a massive fleet of intergalactic criminals to attack
the Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the quinjet and Zodiac’s
old star cruiser, our heroes rush into space to fight them and put on such a
good show of it that one of the attackers calls up Thanos to complain.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhzYbkQ-3P7Du_86yL4Sryw9TqReCj1Ma-6KC-q8Zo-My207Bjw5HdY0uz6HKT49PzOWEm2ucEhCKXgQXjzIOEsfI5PwEJOya-LQ2sMZb0PzwbcO0vTeIPj3ixmKj-Bk-BNfEbOYVIgA/s1600/27panic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhzYbkQ-3P7Du_86yL4Sryw9TqReCj1Ma-6KC-q8Zo-My207Bjw5HdY0uz6HKT49PzOWEm2ucEhCKXgQXjzIOEsfI5PwEJOya-LQ2sMZb0PzwbcO0vTeIPj3ixmKj-Bk-BNfEbOYVIgA/s1600/27panic.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
He sure knows
how to rally the troops, don’t he?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
with this inspiring speech in mind, the fleet charges on to victory!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk084Le08ucQuyic-QCsQ65h0DwCZ3oUvrvK80fWIyKQh8jnVb8xgTEcVdo32xu1kbZBT2Qf8I-6Vge29m9xkAmPDc-loQivLh3_0eeU1z0EG6bethC77k0tH9F02vL3h4N2xgWBFFF4/s1600/27falling.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk084Le08ucQuyic-QCsQ65h0DwCZ3oUvrvK80fWIyKQh8jnVb8xgTEcVdo32xu1kbZBT2Qf8I-6Vge29m9xkAmPDc-loQivLh3_0eeU1z0EG6bethC77k0tH9F02vL3h4N2xgWBFFF4/s400/27falling.png" width="132" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Kind of.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Wait a minute,
is that movie theater playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deep Throat</i>??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Throat_(film)">the porno</a>?????<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I guess it’d be more likely to be the
sequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deep Throat Part II</i>, which
came out the same year as this comic, but WOW, that is some A+ censorship flouting
there.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The battle takes
a strange turn when they come across a giant force field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vision wants to take Mantis, the Scarlet
Witch, and the Swordsman out to investigate, but the Swordsman snaps at him and
accuses him of trying to steal Mantis away from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because this is totally the moment to be
doing that.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision tells
him to shut it, but Scarlet Witch is clearly shaken by the accusation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, she pulls herself together enough to
hex their way through the force field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Behind it is a massive ship, larger than anything that’s been hurled at
Earth so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immediately upon sneaking
their way inside, the quartet is attacked by a bunch of aliens.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9qSiNGqnWJdQQwzO94UFF1UYHVTslUc16cR_06ZVoaFxSuhqwghBM5Ur59iXiQDHmoAxi8yGVQaWKG5rbebGCH8_ltckUL3ZplXfsxtTwKJxXB6YZ5N-CLzJYJ_dkgwoWYhBYg3SciA/s1600/27english.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9qSiNGqnWJdQQwzO94UFF1UYHVTslUc16cR_06ZVoaFxSuhqwghBM5Ur59iXiQDHmoAxi8yGVQaWKG5rbebGCH8_ltckUL3ZplXfsxtTwKJxXB6YZ5N-CLzJYJ_dkgwoWYhBYg3SciA/s1600/27english.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Is this the
first time you’ve noticed that problem?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought you were smarter than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though this time, we do actually get an explanation: there’s a machine
onboard called a Universal Language Equalizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This allows Vision to find a lever labeled “force field,” and he uses it
to turn it off.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Victory comes
swiftly for the Avengers after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the force field is down, the Avengers destroy the large ship
within, as well as its all-important language equalizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without it, none of Thanos’s lackeys can
understand each other and they end up blowing themselves up instead of Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we’re done here, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not quite…</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyAkO_ddanRGA9-JsYQSmFtvYd3NQ9ewcSh3xhXPMIAWWpA7uY6N9Ey56SWvKI9GoMvywaV8T28-AaAmsPvzl6PkhF0KkMkU4dBMCk_gd-o-zxgXPvOEMPoRvX9AyO0dKMO879h3f74E/s1600/27won.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyAkO_ddanRGA9-JsYQSmFtvYd3NQ9ewcSh3xhXPMIAWWpA7uY6N9Ey56SWvKI9GoMvywaV8T28-AaAmsPvzl6PkhF0KkMkU4dBMCk_gd-o-zxgXPvOEMPoRvX9AyO0dKMO879h3f74E/s1600/27won.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Well, this was
primarily Captain Marvel’s storyline, so it seems only fair we finish it in his
own book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel #33</i>, we learn that the whole attack-on-Earth thing
was a distraction to get the Avengers off-world long enough for Thanos to move
the planet into a slightly different place in the space/time continuum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a bit vague, but the end effect is that
soon after the Avengers return, they disappear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fortunately, Mantis is with them.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsBERsYpQQAjxHnbvylW9A4qgsQh7MxQPgT1oNt788RaGArTisWai36Efn09NDkoRLNbnzQKJnaB6Trli5R4wE37Y2WbCzIR-GYbm6jI8v05bwVbbJUPizQZ0_eqOJJHGnyNOoEbFo-Y/s1600/27here.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsBERsYpQQAjxHnbvylW9A4qgsQh7MxQPgT1oNt788RaGArTisWai36Efn09NDkoRLNbnzQKJnaB6Trli5R4wE37Y2WbCzIR-GYbm6jI8v05bwVbbJUPizQZ0_eqOJJHGnyNOoEbFo-Y/s1600/27here.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
I don’t think
taking off your clothes to fight Thanos is a good idea, but hey, I’m not “at
one with the universe” like some people, so what do I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long story short, Captain Marvel destroys the
Cosmic Cube and Thanos with it, returning the universe to normal.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I can’t really
comment on the storyline as a whole, since this is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengerous</i> Tales and most of it took place in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as
the Avengers are concerned, I’m not sure I like where they’re taking Mantis and
Scarlet Witch’s relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
started off on such a positive note, and now they seem set to become romantic
rivals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.28, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/05/avengerous-tales-228-avengers-126-giant.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #124,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Avengers #125, Captain Marvel #29,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Captain Marvel #28 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Captain Marvel #33</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-5309766382601601512016-04-23T10:35:00.000-04:002016-04-30T10:04:35.462-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.26 - Avengers #122-#123<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrBSU-AG4Lv75FDtRuzMaucqLelLlFx5bQCnmLuufy3vdSdYGFQTKjdODxG4_ROD18fw75zhji1V6ptbJiZB2Roq78qSA-7WMJMs3sryw7h6FHv6KF4NfvT82J-Bi-8uFTRi3tHPrOzc/s1600/26covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrBSU-AG4Lv75FDtRuzMaucqLelLlFx5bQCnmLuufy3vdSdYGFQTKjdODxG4_ROD18fw75zhji1V6ptbJiZB2Roq78qSA-7WMJMs3sryw7h6FHv6KF4NfvT82J-Bi-8uFTRi3tHPrOzc/s400/26covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.25, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-225-avengers-120-121.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I really want a
Zodiac story where we see them auditioning someone for Ophiucus but he’s such a
loser that they kick him out, and Ophiucus is really mad and wants revenge but
he’s still a loser so he doesn’t even try until he gets bit by a radioactive
snake charmer and gains the power to control reptiles or something and then he
goes on a rampage.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Marvel, you are
not allowed to steal this idea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
want it, you have to pay me, and by ‘pay me’ I mean ‘gimme an Avengers movie
where they don’t spend 50+% of the time hating each other.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(What, me bitter?)<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a>So the team is
hurtling into orbit inside a warehouse-cum-rocket ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the plan, Stan?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well, Iron Man’s
first idea is to break out through the giant picture window in the side of the
building, which is a terrible idea because a) they are in space, b) there is no
air in space, c) breaking the window would expose everyone to the hostile
vacuum of space, thereby d) murdering everyone who wasn’t Iron Man or Thor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, the window turns out to be an
unbreakable force field rather than glass.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oDIqe4P0ITyAm-hlVnWlG8W3Kv5DoI5BZt_ukEFGPf4j9Lz1r7na3W61mtUgUqkYMR3OXmL0oY6xgUpAdku2BYubEhixThG3-AJCRNymtcmn6DT-wznfqV4j2s5zvF7-97o-dceWLB8/s1600/26sinister.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oDIqe4P0ITyAm-hlVnWlG8W3Kv5DoI5BZt_ukEFGPf4j9Lz1r7na3W61mtUgUqkYMR3OXmL0oY6xgUpAdku2BYubEhixThG3-AJCRNymtcmn6DT-wznfqV4j2s5zvF7-97o-dceWLB8/s1600/26sinister.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
WILL YOU MORONS
STOP TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Again the
Avengers luck out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor’s hammer does
break through the force field, but the force field immediately closes up behind
it and, by the time the hammer returns to the spot where it was thrown, the
warehouse has drifted away, leaving Thor Mjolnir-less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been a while since we’ve seen Thor lose
his hammer, so for those who don’t remember, Thor can only be without it for
sixty seconds before he reverts to Dr. Donald Blake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor manages to hide behind some crates
before anyone can see him transform.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
‘Anyone,’ of
course, includes half of Zodiac, who see the desperate dive and conclude
something is wrong with the God of Thunder, which would make this the perfect
time to pummel him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers, even
those who don’t know Thor’s secret, aren’t about to let that happen, and
everyone fights until the Vision yells at them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkAyk_JYvvU02-urKzYledQOkNsj7ozPA1pNzlnhJCiW23T4Nrgrpjtnj0oA0ubv1h9HhwqtFuVAzAlHHChGwfyKKfigIkFRU3jtleGJF6mcK3VVohe_dSbKZVbBZ-V6IMocQuAXCBv0/s1600/26graves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkAyk_JYvvU02-urKzYledQOkNsj7ozPA1pNzlnhJCiW23T4Nrgrpjtnj0oA0ubv1h9HhwqtFuVAzAlHHChGwfyKKfigIkFRU3jtleGJF6mcK3VVohe_dSbKZVbBZ-V6IMocQuAXCBv0/s1600/26graves.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p>How will they
have graves if everything to make them is back on Earth?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
jerk who started this mess, Cornelius Van Lunt/Taurus is telling the remnants
of Zodiac about their teammates’ demise and how he’ll kill them all if they try
something similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libra confesses that
he knew of Aries’ plot but refused to go along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather confusingly, this just makes Taurus madder, and he scolds them
all for not having the guts to fight him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kinda sending mixed messages there, guy—you don’t quash future
rebellions by encouraging future rebellions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
As soon as
Gemini and Libra leave Taurus’s office (I guess all the others used another
door), Libra attacks Gemini, ties him up, and hurries off to rescue Gemini’s
twin brother Damian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then asks
Damian to keep Taurus busy for a while.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueGiwFQ5u8IFevWvRQIr9qVjUyMyMHN4PFilMAcIEA7JCmanRynJQys4KG5GcJRFfmWqEZAEfWehF7kJ2PwyAGH3nXM9Zar8g_imkJZx-F-2dPymblcDD255oTWitqG58WfkhLxLomdw/s1600/26motion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueGiwFQ5u8IFevWvRQIr9qVjUyMyMHN4PFilMAcIEA7JCmanRynJQys4KG5GcJRFfmWqEZAEfWehF7kJ2PwyAGH3nXM9Zar8g_imkJZx-F-2dPymblcDD255oTWitqG58WfkhLxLomdw/s1600/26motion.png" /></a></div>
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Well, well,
well, ain’t this an interesting development?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back in space,
Zodiac agrees to stop being a pain in the Avengers’ collective behind, allowing
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to focus on rescuing everybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scarlet Witch opens a hex sphere in the
middle of the force field, giving Iron Man just enough time to rush out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he powers up the jet boots and pushes
the weightless warehouse back towards Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He even grabs Thor’s hammer along the way, commenting how he’s lucky
it’s weightless too or else he wouldn’t be able to carry it.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
You may have
noticed some problems with this scene.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
First of all,
Thor can breathe and survive unprotected in space, meaning that Asgardians and
Asgardian objects do not obey Earth rules when it comes to space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t see why Odin would make the hammer
any more liftable in space than on Earth, given the number of space menaces
there are in the Marvel universe.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Second, it
shouldn’t be a hammer at all at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After sixty seconds away from Thor, it should have transformed back into
Don Blake’s walking stick, which any old schmo can lift and so Iron Man
shouldn’t have had to worry about this anyway.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But then we
couldn’t get this exciting scene.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgRh2q-AAvAZK_tm0gw8X8ZinGJT2Ly_ikrF_ob4TV0mBwf8f4bds5hxzI2-zli2ywkAIbTdenEzGr0zOTW20HPbAXiB3OjzQ8DMNkR7hMXz_b_dcWMp_M34xH5AZ4B6QvkTGVtiKu1A/s1600/26wrist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgRh2q-AAvAZK_tm0gw8X8ZinGJT2Ly_ikrF_ob4TV0mBwf8f4bds5hxzI2-zli2ywkAIbTdenEzGr0zOTW20HPbAXiB3OjzQ8DMNkR7hMXz_b_dcWMp_M34xH5AZ4B6QvkTGVtiKu1A/s1600/26wrist.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Stuck to the
warehouse, Iron Man can’t slow their descent enough to prevent them all from
burning up on reentry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d complain that
this also makes no sense, given that it’s a spaceship and should be equipped to
handle the stress of reentry, but maybe Van Lunt didn’t bother to equip it with
such things since he probably didn’t want anybody he’d see fit to launch into
space to begin with to come back down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anyway, the flaming warehouse is rescued by a force field bubble from
the star cruiser that Libra stole.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We get a brief
scene at Avengers Mansion, where the Swordsman is getting paranoid that Mantis
likes the Vision better than him because she dared to praise his skills when
he saved her life and Vision dared to express admiration for the self-healing
trance she put herself into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here I
thought he was trying to be a better boyfriend, not a paranoid and controlling
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Though, unfortunately, it turns
out he’s only half as paranoid as he thinks he is.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
His fears aren’t
helped when Mantis suddenly leaps out of bed, declares the Vision is in
trouble, and rushes off to save him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Swordsman is still weak from his own injuries and can’t follow.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But back to
Zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damian Link does a very bad job
of imitating his brother and Taurus punches him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discovering that Libra is also missing
doesn’t make his day any better, and he, Capricorn and Virgo rush off in search
of their missing members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They clamber up
to the roof, where Libra, the rebel Zodiac members, and the Avengers have just
landed, and they’re none too happy with Taurus.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4q8a2OqjrdnIgGTbeMITdKX2fXWhryLr-Canx6peL3aSEiLanaPHFMDxSc-y44IACRlrbWZQvXlbx50Y8xWA3sQKpH4rAUSxW87aJ-h1VLImao0rUQQy98V_70qg5zwwspZ6IczmrRs/s1600/26leader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4q8a2OqjrdnIgGTbeMITdKX2fXWhryLr-Canx6peL3aSEiLanaPHFMDxSc-y44IACRlrbWZQvXlbx50Y8xWA3sQKpH4rAUSxW87aJ-h1VLImao0rUQQy98V_70qg5zwwspZ6IczmrRs/s1600/26leader.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
But of course
Zodiac ain’t gonna fall for that wait I lied yes they did.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the ensuing
fight, Vision knocks Taurus into Zodiac’s rooftop pool… which was presumably put there for
the benefit of the water signs or something since Taurus can’t swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision, just like in the quicksand in
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengers-224-avengers-118-119.html">Dormammu’s dimension</a>, freezes up, requiring a just-arrived Mantis to dive in
and save him.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
When grilled
afterwards, the Vision can provide no explanation for his recent lapses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Libra is grilled on why he chose to
rescue the Avengers, he says it’s because he thought Mantis was with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also pulls a Darth Vader on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yup, that’s right—he is her father!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only difference is that Mantis isn’t
suspended over a giant pit during Libra’s announcement… although his
declaration does end the issue, so she’s hanging from a cliffhanger if nothing
else.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #123 </i>opens with Mantis’s
response to Libra’s revelation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
basically “wtf you jerk that’s not cool stop lying.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vision points out that it’s probably not
a great idea to have this discussion while almost a dozen dangerous criminals
who hate you are just standing around within listening distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dumping Zodiac (minus Libra) at the
police station, the Avengers regroup at the Mansion.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
She yanks the
blindfold off, and while the Comics Code Authority won’t allow them to show us
what he looks like underneath, he’s apparently suffered horrible burns where
his eyes used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did this
happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a long story, but we’ve got
almost twenty pages to fill, so we’ve got time.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In 1953, Libra
was a German mercenary working with French forces in Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you probably guessed, Libra fell in love
with a local woman named Lua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Not sure
if that’s a real Vietnamese name or if the writer just liked the sound of
it—anyone know?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They</span> married just two
months after they met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently this
wasn’t enough time for Lua to warn him about her xenophobic brother Monsieur
Khruul (yes, the same guy the Swordsman was working for), who forces them to
flee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While on the run,
they found time to have a daughter, the woman we now know as Mantis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, Khruul’s assassins show up to
murder them with flamethrowers not long after Mantis’s birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lua dies and Libra loses his sight, but he
manages to grab Mantis and run off into the jungle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Days later, he stumbles upon an ancient
secluded temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t even pretend like
you’re surprised.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Why the heck are
they orange?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vietnamese people aren’t
creamsicles.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the
priests agree to care for Libra and teach him how to get along without his
sight, they don’t approve of his past and don’t let him visit his daughter at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do take good care of her,
however, training her in multiple forms of martial arts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years go by and Libra, having had no contact
with his daughter in all that time, forgets his love for her and returns to a
life of crime, eventually joining Zodiac.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Mantis still
refuses to believe all this and attacks Libra. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Avengers try to stop her she turns
her fury on them, kicking the ever-loving crud out of them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libra, who received the same training she
did, pins her to the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She calls
out to the Swordsman for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not real
sure what she expects him to do, since he couldn’t even stand up without
fainting last issue, but in any event…</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
How do you know
he didn’t just go to the kitchen for a sandwich?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe he’s hungry.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Actually, it’s
more serious than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Mantis
doesn’t believe Libra’s story, the Swordsman does, and it’s caused his hatred
of Monsieur Khruul to shoot up to Murderous Vengeance levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He steals a quinjet and flies off to Saigon,
and the Avengers can’t follow, since they left their second quinjet in New
Jersey and T’Challa’s personal ship is built only for one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iron Man has no choice but to fly to Jersey
and retrieve the second quinjet, thinking to himself as he does so, “Being an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avenger</i></b>
is like living in a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">madhouse!</i></b>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ehh, don’t
sweat it Tony, all old comic books are like that.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Over in Saigon,
the Swordsman storms Khruul’s palace and is immediately knocked unconscious by
his ‘roided up lackeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well that was
quick.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgl3x2pEisLgtEaKANtgYG2KIm5-Su3a1MbYzwZWMvUZgx6FW33Dne81GARJ6K23kaW8n9o8LXleMCOt1IsdBwMnyjJh3XVHGJBy6hHic0jksERBPrHS2szlvgKdqHU0lUgfzhg_WIIQ/s1600/26niece.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgl3x2pEisLgtEaKANtgYG2KIm5-Su3a1MbYzwZWMvUZgx6FW33Dne81GARJ6K23kaW8n9o8LXleMCOt1IsdBwMnyjJh3XVHGJBy6hHic0jksERBPrHS2szlvgKdqHU0lUgfzhg_WIIQ/s1600/26niece.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Uh, no he didn’t?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read those pages like three times looking
for any mention of Mantis, and the Swordsman hasn’t mentioned her since right
after he stole the quinjet and Iron Man tried to radio him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was Khruul listening in on their radio
conversation?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It takes the Avengers
an hour to make it to Saigon, but by that time Khruul has tortured the
existence of the Priests of Pama out of the Swordsman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, this guy has even less luck than the
Black Knight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s comically tragic: the
harder he tries to be a hero, the worse he fares.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Khruul and his
lackeys then left to go get revenge against the priests for daring to care for
Khruul’s hated niece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the Scarlet
Witch gets the Swordsman to a hospital, the other Avengers hasten to find the
Priests of Pama, with Libra leading the way.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
RIP creepy
orange men who kidnap the children of people too weak to fight them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will… be missed?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers
don’t take kindly to murder in any event, and they make short work of Khruul’s
minions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Khruul himself, however, is
nowhere to be found, until the Avengers hear him screaming from inside the
temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time they get to him,
he’s practically dead and only has time warn them to “beware the star-stalker.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the star-stalker?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers don’t know, but us readers are
treated to a nice big panel of a dragon stalking the depths of the temple…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We’ve been
getting a lot more big epic storylines lately, which I feel is both good and
bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of miss the simplicity of
the old days, where they could tell a story in one or two issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Currently, e</span>ven when an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> story only encompasses one issue, said issue is actually a
callback to previous events in another book or part of a bigger crossover
event, meaning that they feel a lot longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, the longer storylines do allow for more consistent continuity
and character development, which is nice.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Oddly, it seems
like most of the character development in this book focuses on the new (or
relatively new) members, e.g. Vision’s freezing up, Mantis’s past, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guys like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America,
who were once basically the headliners of this book, have been relegated to
supporting characters in everyone else’s drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m guessing that’s because they all have their own titles in which to
grow and change, whereas the newbie Avengers (as far as I know) were limited to
this one title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t mind… at least
not yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully all of the Avengers
will get their share of personal trials and tribulations, especially since personal
drama in the individual books is rarely dealt with in any tangible way in <em>The Avengers,</em> as we shall see.</div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.27, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-227-avengers-124-125.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #122 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #123</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-14519317485855172412016-04-16T09:15:00.001-04:002016-04-23T10:35:43.112-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.25 - Avengers #120-#121<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwWl5fc1hGAaH_V12cW7qaVgX67555z89ZrX4pUbSnyzDmYogkiLFilAYamNOQj6rBhfqq8WJBJN18lx_ObDBvOOe8JfjtSTzyHeUW45QH39_iALu8EjGy3D5HY5PhpbR5xY2W6LTpgk/s1600/25covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwWl5fc1hGAaH_V12cW7qaVgX67555z89ZrX4pUbSnyzDmYogkiLFilAYamNOQj6rBhfqq8WJBJN18lx_ObDBvOOe8JfjtSTzyHeUW45QH39_iALu8EjGy3D5HY5PhpbR5xY2W6LTpgk/s400/25covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.24, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengers-224-avengers-118-119.html">go here</a>!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Grab your
horoscopes, nerds and nerdlings, because today’s Avengerous Tale is all about
the zodiac and they’ve got some very bad predictions for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And everybody in the world.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a>We begin with a
sinister jailhouse conversation between Joshua Link, an incarcerated former
member of the crime gang known as Zodiac, and the mysterious Taurus, the new
head of Zodiac.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Joshua objects
to this plan on the grounds that he and his brother Damian, a cop with whom he
is spiritually connected (or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">linked</i>,
you might say—hahahahaha), are both Gemini, and Joshua’s not real keen on the
idea of being murdered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taurus seems to
have a plan to accommodate Joshua’s concern, but we don’t get to hear it right
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead we cut to Avengers Mansion,
where Officer Damian Link is visiting the Avengers on official business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Specifically,
Link is serving as official police liaison to the Avengers in the matter of
Captain America’s murder charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t
spoil too much here, but in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
America #169</i>, Cap appeared to murder a baddie named Tumbler in the middle
of a fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously it was a set-up, but
nobody else knows that yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, we won’t
be seeing Black Panther this issue because he’s in Wakanda building wings for
Sam Wilson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, you know those big red
wings Falcon’s always flying around on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Falcon's_Wings">T’Challa invented them</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t let
the MCU convince you otherwise.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the middle of
a sentence, Link staggers, nearly felled by “another one of those black-out
spells” that’ve been troubling him lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This, as you may have guessed, is actually Joshua taking control of his
brother’s body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mantis notices a change
in Link’s “vibrations” and asks her boyfriend the Swordsman to keep an eye on
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pays off ten seconds later
when Link, genius that he is, tries to swipe the Avengers’ secret weapons
manual.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
The Swordsman’s
blade tears just enough of Link’s police uniform to reveal the Gemini costume
underneath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, Joshua always
influenced Damian to put on the Gemini costume under his uniform every morning
because… because?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m beginning to see
why Zodiac didn’t try to bust him out of jail earlier.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Gemini gets his
butt handed to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This displeases
Taurus, who was watching the whole debacle through a telescope on a distant
rooftop, and now calls up the rest of Zodiac to come help him fix things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But what of the
Swordsman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, remember when that
crazy American guy shot at him in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-223-avengers-116-117.html">Avengers #117</a></i>?</div>
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Poor guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tries so hard.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the
Avengers put the Swordsman to bed, Gemini, now restored to the Damian Link
persona, wakes up and has no memory of what just happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To make matters worse, the intruder alarm
goes off, though it’s a little redundant since Zodiac just melted the wall to
slag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Commence fight scene!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3HHBdZaOWQglBI2bpwI0nIsWcMUHdn5ZI8ozhgmeUNNmzeNSWbnwYNvHSa3aMZYFG-wP9TsNdG2Fl2fK_9kbKed1JhrdMqcssrLr1uAF97tIkSRLq6v-8h0C5zq4HTSClB-GQe95I3o/s1600/25last.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3HHBdZaOWQglBI2bpwI0nIsWcMUHdn5ZI8ozhgmeUNNmzeNSWbnwYNvHSa3aMZYFG-wP9TsNdG2Fl2fK_9kbKed1JhrdMqcssrLr1uAF97tIkSRLq6v-8h0C5zq4HTSClB-GQe95I3o/s1600/25last.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
What<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
What is going on
in this panel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I don’t mind Bob
Brown’s work but right now he’s making Rob Liefeld’s grasp of anatomy look
halfway logical.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers are
defeated thanks to a super-powerful star-powered weapon called the Star Blazer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zodiac then takes off for reasons we’ll
discover later, and Jarvis returns from grocery shopping to find
all of his employers (minus Swordsman) unconscious on the floor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Jarvis rouses
the Avengers, who soon discover a tape recorder on the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On it is a message from Taurus, who says that
at midnight tonight a deluxe version of his Star Blazer will kill everyone in
Manhattan born between May 22 and June 21—i.e. every Gemini, as he promised
earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that he’ll be making
demands of some sort.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
That night, on
top of the World Trade Center…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAB54m84pgFNWraQjO272NJ2b8PVwQbqs1MI7-O_2KjujCagTshFZvBEEovuOQV_hLe1f5xS4VDcTE_CovtMniB7rFX18PDhynRYsDmcRWtUoDctg4aCvK9PzZcxGVg97uXwyNec3ULvg/s1600/25nodes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAB54m84pgFNWraQjO272NJ2b8PVwQbqs1MI7-O_2KjujCagTshFZvBEEovuOQV_hLe1f5xS4VDcTE_CovtMniB7rFX18PDhynRYsDmcRWtUoDctg4aCvK9PzZcxGVg97uXwyNec3ULvg/s1600/25nodes.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Gee what a
relief I was so worried.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Just before
midnight, the Avengers come swooping in to stop Taurus from firing the Deluxe
Star Blazer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently they deduced the
weapon’s location because, hey, New York is filled with smog, so where else
would you try to use a star-powered weapon except somewhere really high up?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers
make short work of Zodiac and damage the Deluxe Star Blazer, but the weapon has
just enough just left in it to be used as a short-range weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers assumed they were safe since
none of their members are Gemini*, but since Mantis is an empath, she is
affected by the pain of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This
doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, since when Swordsman went down she seemed
fine and even had the strength to carry him out of the room by herself, but
anyway.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when Taurus blasts her with
the Deluxe Star Blazer, she goes flying to the edge of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All it’ll take is one little push to send her
falling to her death—unless, of course, the Avengers agree to let Zodiac go
free.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In the next
issue (drawn by our old buddy John Buscema—Bob Brown comes back next time) we
see the Avengers’ response to this generous offer.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiu_eAWd50tCXPS1YNCIcnwWons8JaUBGo_RotMEdcgZMWIRvR2iQxQcAjyG00JwdV28ghqpvEQvkcaMDVK-bpjGUQeU5e3DyYYI4yryLIBqROXVYQ-2pRVaogMPTk77tDSaxRwt4FWLk/s1600/25sly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiu_eAWd50tCXPS1YNCIcnwWons8JaUBGo_RotMEdcgZMWIRvR2iQxQcAjyG00JwdV28ghqpvEQvkcaMDVK-bpjGUQeU5e3DyYYI4yryLIBqROXVYQ-2pRVaogMPTk77tDSaxRwt4FWLk/s1600/25sly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Ehehehehehe<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
At the right
moment, Vision dives to the side and Scarlet Witch hexes the Deluxe Star Blazer
to pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, the Avengers are
outnumbered and in danger of being overrun when who else but Captain America
comes charging to the rescue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s still
on the run from the law, but he couldn’t let his teammates get trampled,
either.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately,
everybody except Aries seems to have forgotten about Mantis, and Aries ain’t
exactly the gentlemanly type.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hurls
Mantis off the roof, but the Vision dives after her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUWLDdjsCJqNTjucON8LpJvWVTQ74sE96juRNXJ0vIUMvx4Sia6pdwcTcC0IRO0aZweO9jQ4mWntV1bS0m7HI59FALn9zf3tzGGvkIwS3wNdLpBFQ7ZCr6bUOE97ceXzAbcARXe-VlDU/s1600/25race.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUWLDdjsCJqNTjucON8LpJvWVTQ74sE96juRNXJ0vIUMvx4Sia6pdwcTcC0IRO0aZweO9jQ4mWntV1bS0m7HI59FALn9zf3tzGGvkIwS3wNdLpBFQ7ZCr6bUOE97ceXzAbcARXe-VlDU/s1600/25race.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
So now you know
what to do if you ever get thrown off a building: spread-eagle your limbs and
wait for your android ally to rescue you.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Vision slows
their fall by thrusting his diamond-hard arm into the side of the building,
which enables them to survive but also splits the building in half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor holds it up while Iron Man welds it
whole again, which saves us from retroactive awkwardness since, if you will
recall, they were on top of one of the World Trade Center buildings.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While the
Avengers repair the building, Zodiac gets away in their starship because of
course they have a starship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the
repair job is complete, Cap hurries away to clear his name while the Avengers
take Mantis back to HQ to recover.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMucjmvHU7jGCfVLF3xBKaFpNQyN8KSZ6GueF-tWu933lqQN8qFCbUgZbqjGJG3b9PHe7VYJ-LA_zaswI5J0dtUQ0fxtbk2zKPLjeWW1yBf4T1dT2q-UzFGz4VBhzNlnrcOVwKpebny0/s1600/25mystery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMucjmvHU7jGCfVLF3xBKaFpNQyN8KSZ6GueF-tWu933lqQN8qFCbUgZbqjGJG3b9PHe7VYJ-LA_zaswI5J0dtUQ0fxtbk2zKPLjeWW1yBf4T1dT2q-UzFGz4VBhzNlnrcOVwKpebny0/s1600/25mystery.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
I guess Dr.
Strange’s spell didn’t affect their memories after all. Magic is so
confusing.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Avengers ask
Swordsman to tell them more about Mantis’s origins, but he’s not much
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All he can tell them is that they
met while he was working for the South Vietnamese black market—more
specifically, for a man named Monsieur Khruul, because if there’s one thing South
Vietnamese black market kingpins believe in, it’s subtlety.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman
didn’t really like his work and took to drink—and, as required by comic book
law, grew a Beard of Sorrow—at which point Mantis basically materialized out of
nowhere like a Dickensian spirit to encourage him to get his act together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, he was shot on a job gone wrong, and
Mantis found him and cared for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Swordsman never asked about her past and feels bad about it, like he’s
failed her as a boyfriend, and vows to make it up to her by going after Zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But someone objects to this plan.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtwIJhko0ARo7wjS2IlQVMULq7hqlR5ueQIu4Dn1-GBGmWrdsuRHy7sRUebTr65kY9CNc2UUkCGkNqDWbX38Fb_l7i_IA3GjhugG3Rdim-jf5YuLi5nE-gvm__o9kFXCUyyWjwyIS_QA/s1600/25travel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtwIJhko0ARo7wjS2IlQVMULq7hqlR5ueQIu4Dn1-GBGmWrdsuRHy7sRUebTr65kY9CNc2UUkCGkNqDWbX38Fb_l7i_IA3GjhugG3Rdim-jf5YuLi5nE-gvm__o9kFXCUyyWjwyIS_QA/s1600/25travel.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Yay, my favorite
cat-themed Avenger is back!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman
and Mantis take a sick day while the others rush out to find Zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zodiac, meanwhile, has taken to squabbling
amongst themselves after their spectacular failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aries wants to take over, but Taurus beats
him up and intimidates him into shutting his mouth… for less than a
minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that he calls a meeting
with the Zodiac members he thinks will be most amenable to staging a coup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are, for the most part.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8CxnpDr16p8tEchojuK7mteDUgcTIRw9w_TxCT-Weaj8nyL6LNZI9saQTOYKpEJKEMKA9kr5tK4DHAsM0cFAs8VD9B7LAVcIhA7CVtsL1LvzRCL12yYyYotOn_VloGPDi01Vl7XNDiU/s1600/25quarters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8CxnpDr16p8tEchojuK7mteDUgcTIRw9w_TxCT-Weaj8nyL6LNZI9saQTOYKpEJKEMKA9kr5tK4DHAsM0cFAs8VD9B7LAVcIhA7CVtsL1LvzRCL12yYyYotOn_VloGPDi01Vl7XNDiU/s1600/25quarters.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The rebels are
fine with that, so long as Libra STAYS neutral and doesn’t join Taurus’s side.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Aries implements
his grand plan by calling up Cornelius Van Lunt who, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/10/avengerous-tales-25-avengers-80-81.html">as you may remember</a>, is the moneybags behind Zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Aries asks to arrange a meeting, and Van Lunt tells him to meet him at
one of his New Jersey warehouses at dawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Come morning, Aries steers the airship towards New Jersey, where he and
his fellow rebels ask Van Lunt for more money so they can buy the weapons they
need to successfully overthrow Taurus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Thor, who was
flying around in search of the ship, spies it moving towards Jersey and
contacts his teammates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together they
storm the warehouse and start whaling on Zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Van Lunt makes a break for it, and moments
later, steel plates slam shut over the doors and windows, and Van Lunt contacts
them via a very special video message.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRq9qVKFg7MJ-HqWZzownqEyE4BsjQTL7nqkD28OwAaM4LPW_3HVaUMw7Q-O7AzfLBU8qE2GCpzQB_VN1RG84ftN8Wcx04axDp5GnMJtijfDDcC8SeG3yJk69Hd3JIJWXUSgWa7T-qos/s1600/25revolt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRq9qVKFg7MJ-HqWZzownqEyE4BsjQTL7nqkD28OwAaM4LPW_3HVaUMw7Q-O7AzfLBU8qE2GCpzQB_VN1RG84ftN8Wcx04axDp5GnMJtijfDDcC8SeG3yJk69Hd3JIJWXUSgWa7T-qos/s1600/25revolt.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Guess that’s a
no on the new weapons, then, huh?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Van Lunt then
presses a button which causes the entire warehouse to launch into space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because the warehouse is actually a rocket ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love comics.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I really like
the character development the Swordsman is going through here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reread my reviews of his <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/02/avengerous-tales-110-avengers-19-20.html">earliest appearances</a>, and right from the start, he had the potential to become a complex
and interesting character: he wanted to be a hero but wasn’t quite sure how to
make the transition from good guy to bad guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now that he has Mantis’s help and positive influence, he’s finally
completed that transition but still struggles with insecurities about his past
deeds and how he is viewed because of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope he realizes that he’s already made amends and that he doesn’t
have to keep killing himself to prove he’s sincere.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now if only the
writers would give him a name…<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.26, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-226-avengers-122-123.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #120 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #121<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
*Tony Stark’s
birthday is supposed to be May 29, which would most definitely make him a
Gemini, but that probably hadn’t been established at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do think it’s hilarious, though, that when
later writers decided on a birthday for him, they just happened to pick one of
the mere thirty days out of the whole year that would make this story wrong.</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-46029948310276727392016-04-09T10:00:00.000-04:002016-04-16T09:16:04.892-04:00Avengers 2.24 - Avengers #118-#119<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQMWjmtvBfKG9KPh3dS3AXunTaOEvM6efrrmyEPe8501yXZ5gEboyg2_j0bjbOtx6WXiD_WBSWPfMZjJXB9AtK11oaxln4qAZj5hvNhc9ErrNxYfMYEhCrQAG_ff94uW1JQJjNzWrmIQ/s1600/24covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQMWjmtvBfKG9KPh3dS3AXunTaOEvM6efrrmyEPe8501yXZ5gEboyg2_j0bjbOtx6WXiD_WBSWPfMZjJXB9AtK11oaxln4qAZj5hvNhc9ErrNxYfMYEhCrQAG_ff94uW1JQJjNzWrmIQ/s400/24covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.23, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-223-avengers-116-117.html">go here</a>!</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Once again we
turn to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Defenders</i>—Issue Ten, to
be precise—for the next chapter of our ongoing crossover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we see Hulk and Thor reviving their <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2014/11/avengerous-tales-12-avengers-3-4.html">old rivalry</a>, but they don’t get the chance to finally determine who’s
stronger before the Defenders and the Avengers show up, together at last and
ready to get to the bottom of how their feud began.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Hulk is
reluctant to follow orders any more but is eventually persuaded to give up the
Evil Eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Silver Surfer has brought
along the other pieces, but before they can do anything with them, one of
Dormammu’s lackeys sweeps into our dimension just long enough to scoop up the
Evil Eye and deliver it to his master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dormammu promptly puts it to bad use, shifting Earth into his own
dimension so he can conquer it and turning New York into a ghoulish
monster-ridden hellscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was gonna
make a joke about that last part, but… nah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Too easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gotta draw the line
somewhere.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a>We begin with
the world’s stiffest dance party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well
okay, they’re supposed to be pledging their lives to Earth’s protection or
whatever, but tell me this doesn’t look like really angry dancing.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Dr. Strange
casts a spell on the fourteen heroes to prevent them from turning into monsters
like everyone else, and then commands his fellows to follow him to Dormammu’s
dimension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Captain America doesn’t want
to leave, fearing that the monster-people will tear themselves to pieces
without any superheroes there to protect them, but fortunately SHIELD shows up
to combat the monsters, freeing up our heroes to go dimension-hopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And so it’s off
to the Dark Dimension, where Strange points out a trail that will lead them
directly to Dormammu’s secret hideout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some, however, are a bit too impatient for the
follow-the-yellow-brick-road routine.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOrIadArvEB2iOxtSrWt9q0llL6tjmb__rgyNtcTWPPLdJkjmaKaUklI4AJFRcO_1JWLKgpgd_Zcvgjb50AZKt2AWgWwY-Q_ZmbF4chyQCdQN8ISSmxew6oPue0_CSaLmv-n26eeAqao/s1600/24trail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOrIadArvEB2iOxtSrWt9q0llL6tjmb__rgyNtcTWPPLdJkjmaKaUklI4AJFRcO_1JWLKgpgd_Zcvgjb50AZKt2AWgWwY-Q_ZmbF4chyQCdQN8ISSmxew6oPue0_CSaLmv-n26eeAqao/s1600/24trail.png" /></a></div>
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Didn’t I see
this in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that what Gandalf looks like without his
beard?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Up ahead, Loki
is still whining to Dormammu about his as-yet-unrestored eyesight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dormammu’s had enough of that and locks Loki
in a mystic cage in retaliation for warning the Avengers back in Issue
One-Sixteen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh and P.S., the Watcher
has showed up, presumably with popcorn, to observe the impending battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t really do anything though—unlike
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-130-avengers-annual-2.html">last time</a>, he now seems determined to live up to his name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His presence only confirms that awesome
things are about to happen, since the Watcher only shows up during major,
world-changing events.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Speaking of
battle, the Avengers and the Defenders have run into a spot of bother.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE3KBaO-FALdJiLueBquxhLSODmclz7MunL14-RSffm5P9qzOeyZxqLIzycRykJzwMHY1qbz-gH9AlZ4c2xI0CMvHDNJ-bReNr8gssdlqX0jvkid_ztICNf-SzxZBOhQz_1uh_9wBeRk/s1600/24vipers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE3KBaO-FALdJiLueBquxhLSODmclz7MunL14-RSffm5P9qzOeyZxqLIzycRykJzwMHY1qbz-gH9AlZ4c2xI0CMvHDNJ-bReNr8gssdlqX0jvkid_ztICNf-SzxZBOhQz_1uh_9wBeRk/s1600/24vipers.png" /></a></div>
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The combined
might of the two super-teams repels the Mindless Ones, and back on Earth, every
hero (and even a few villains) are holding the line as best they can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now THIS is what I want from a crossover
book: badass teamwork, not unjustified squabbling!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You go, everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, not you, Doom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You still suck, even if you are trying to
protect Latveria.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0dZ3FDBu7datr8KUbc3-kRufL3KJpdK3T29hB63MovoaNcUmyRokVV0nj_dRSrVZOTCLSMTNKHxHdE8Vqc1L_FXrlKvuc2dmqGbXkKVA-dle_-0cUQs5uEhXTWwscKx1PWrQJcN6wsU/s1600/24spy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0dZ3FDBu7datr8KUbc3-kRufL3KJpdK3T29hB63MovoaNcUmyRokVV0nj_dRSrVZOTCLSMTNKHxHdE8Vqc1L_FXrlKvuc2dmqGbXkKVA-dle_-0cUQs5uEhXTWwscKx1PWrQJcN6wsU/s1600/24spy.png" /></a></div>
<br />
How can you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> spy the Watcher?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a three story tall man in a toga.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
With a wave of <s>his
magic wand</s> the Evil Eye, Dormammu knocks the Defenders unconscious and
creates a giant pit of quicksand to trap the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d think the Vision could turn intangible
and float right out, but he panics, so only Iron Man, Thor, and the Scarlet
Witch fly above the mire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their teammates
urge them to go on ahead and end Dormammu’s threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dormammu’s not finished playing, though…</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_d03DjckryV_ffh1KjRQM9uyOt8z3wFtQDIQh5z9eGu9YIFCfK-HD0T6hU6RIXrP_wPs7K_Y92YYvkrJ_freQoMtWEU1KLXONupRIwhRrdIobKZMY73NFA44VysMV95Ysac7aj5b7r8/s1600/24flesh.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_d03DjckryV_ffh1KjRQM9uyOt8z3wFtQDIQh5z9eGu9YIFCfK-HD0T6hU6RIXrP_wPs7K_Y92YYvkrJ_freQoMtWEU1KLXONupRIwhRrdIobKZMY73NFA44VysMV95Ysac7aj5b7r8/s1600/24flesh.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
If I were you,
Tony, I’d be more worried about what I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i>
wearing than what I’m <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>
wearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orange striped shirt and purple
pants?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t you afford to pay people to
dress you better than that?<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So that just
leaves the Scarlet Witch, who Dormammu covers in the interdimensional
equivalent of wet cement until she’s frozen in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can possibly save the Earth now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loki, of course!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He turns himself into a fly, escapes his
mystic cage, and distracts Dormammu just long enough for the Scarlet Witch to
free herself and blast him.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPBYPqOQHoXxIq5tgHL5W6pf4zqrrlNN1aPSPTQtRXSfCxJVlYPBT4jZ977FjECNNIXqORFG5tE362HtU7yuSMeNoG_-qVcLeRSsOIoVat9rTSahGTtdMKYTxeiWeCK-ATcXmk-f0tG4/s1600/24blasting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPBYPqOQHoXxIq5tgHL5W6pf4zqrrlNN1aPSPTQtRXSfCxJVlYPBT4jZ977FjECNNIXqORFG5tE362HtU7yuSMeNoG_-qVcLeRSsOIoVat9rTSahGTtdMKYTxeiWeCK-ATcXmk-f0tG4/s1600/24blasting.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Not in the
face!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in the face!<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Evil Eye’s
blast restores Loki’s eyesight but also has the unfortunate side effect of turning
his brains to Asgardian oatmeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
hey, at least the Earth’s gone back to normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The issue ends with Dr. Strange taking charge of the Evil Eye, which he
still needs to save the Black Knight; deleting the Avengers’ memories of Iron
Man and Thor’s secret identities (wait, does that mean Tony and Don no longer
remember <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">each other’s</i> secret
identities too?); and whisking everyone back to Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
To learn the
fate of our poor be-stoned Avenger, we must turn to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defenders #11</i>, in which Strange does some more mind wiping to keep
the Defenders’ existence a secret because of reasons (though he leaves the
Avengers’ minds intact, again, because of reasons) and repairs the damage done
to the Earth by Dormammu.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And here’s where
things get weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of finding the
Black Knight where they thought they would, the Defenders are zapped to the 12<sup>th</sup>
century (by Merlin, as it so happens) to help the Black Knight (who has already
been taken there) defeat Modred, Prince John and the Turks by freeing Richard
the Lion-Hearted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namor beats them all
with water, because if it’s good enough for Shyamalan, it’s good enough for the
Sub-Mariner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Then the
rightful owner of the Evil Eye, the legendary Prester John (long story, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prester_John">look it up</a>), shows up and
invites the Black Knight to hang around in the 12<sup>th</sup> century with him
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Black Knight agrees, though
I’m sure he’ll regret it when he remembers Europe hasn’t discovered the
toothbrush yet, and the Defenders all go home and split up to do their own
things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
What the heck
was that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t even know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, it’s a really random and bizarre
ending to what up until now had been a solid and entertaining crossover
event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also mega Islamophobic, but
this isn’t an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> comic, so I’ll
spare you the lecture.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Speaking of the
Avengers, let’s go see what they’re up to.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqYpz21DxRkv3CwTLugnt-gf-CSsmLqlVCd4-OXiywV_SR1emSz80vw_5q_fdDB6AHFw1DMZDGnKg9rKNHCokcEOUDbrBFoH6FrIH01XmWirML37zRCM6GYixMubFDiPAx6NFLj8dRsU/s1600/24defenses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqYpz21DxRkv3CwTLugnt-gf-CSsmLqlVCd4-OXiywV_SR1emSz80vw_5q_fdDB6AHFw1DMZDGnKg9rKNHCokcEOUDbrBFoH6FrIH01XmWirML37zRCM6GYixMubFDiPAx6NFLj8dRsU/s1600/24defenses.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
The Black
Panther saves their dumb butts and Scarlet Witch makes a snippy comment about
how useless humans are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Avengers
have other things to be worrying about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Namely, what do they do with Loki now that he’s got the mind of a
child?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor, being the eternal nice guy,
has the answer: he’ll keep Loki confined in the securest room in the mansion
and care for little bro himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want
to be heartwarmed by this, but I get the feeling it’s going to end very badly.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile,
Panther and Mantis are chatting when Mantis suddenly goes into a trance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her magic empath powers are telling her that
there will be trouble tonight at the Fourteenth Annual Halloween Parade in
Rutland, Vermont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re wondering what
a seemingly random New England town has to do with anything, the answer is
<a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/10/avengerous-tales-26-avengers-82-83.html">here</a>.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
In Rutland, the
Avengers meet up with their old buddy and parade organizer Tom Fagan… or do
they?</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnga6tU6r61t-bZZaDW70bIrMxiZXo_ZEgiGp5FS2MaYws6PKdttGqQ4_lIPPerU0WdjxcNDzPfcYQVsMDLZJrYP8I4ioT-cbyIpTM0t8vCG_BoYg0w8CgGjQyQKHS3RjVsQQeMRlWIWc/s1600/24shortcut.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnga6tU6r61t-bZZaDW70bIrMxiZXo_ZEgiGp5FS2MaYws6PKdttGqQ4_lIPPerU0WdjxcNDzPfcYQVsMDLZJrYP8I4ioT-cbyIpTM0t8vCG_BoYg0w8CgGjQyQKHS3RjVsQQeMRlWIWc/s1600/24shortcut.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“Tom” unleashes
the unbreakable bearskins of Hercules upon our heroes (half of them,
anyway—Swordsman, Mantis, Vision and Scarlet Witch are investigating
separately), and they all fall unconscious as our villain reveals himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you didn’t take a good look at the cover
of this issue, I’m sure you’ll be very surprised to find…<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rMHh5shFYQ6WELcVrs3YLBMJCiN4-5U_1GNv_hvDjO_6MirfpbAaap5Z0xC6MjFhvc_In0Msa2WvqpnP0PyflugVt0n59s3FpOLTA8Cdl54wiS6bMRqhETrP808-LIK6TsPESJ6vQj0/s1600/24collector.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rMHh5shFYQ6WELcVrs3YLBMJCiN4-5U_1GNv_hvDjO_6MirfpbAaap5Z0xC6MjFhvc_In0Msa2WvqpnP0PyflugVt0n59s3FpOLTA8Cdl54wiS6bMRqhETrP808-LIK6TsPESJ6vQj0/s1600/24collector.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Is he part space
baboon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looks part space baboon.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Back with the
others, Scarlet Witch loses her temper with some autograph hounds, prompting
Mantis and the Swordsman to beat a hasty retreat until she cools it with the
human hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They take a very nice little
romantic stroll, which is interrupted when the Swordsman hears weird noises
nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out to be a
bound-and-gagged Tom Fagan—the real one—who tells them that whoever it was that
greeted them earlier was most definitely not him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Swordsman
calls for Vision and Scarlet Witch, and Vision immediately comes up with a plan
of attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is that plan?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9V3qxJoTq5_8tyDqkwb8ux7yIM4BhpggDpyaNtOjzmtr-nSPj6ZXHWP53wwJX_FBVt5lT2pww4LaxaoITmwMdFuS8rDKE3l0OPxcUZxrpl7bDma0vT1WycXCtPXLczStkcne1txnFs/s1600/24concern.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9V3qxJoTq5_8tyDqkwb8ux7yIM4BhpggDpyaNtOjzmtr-nSPj6ZXHWP53wwJX_FBVt5lT2pww4LaxaoITmwMdFuS8rDKE3l0OPxcUZxrpl7bDma0vT1WycXCtPXLczStkcne1txnFs/s1600/24concern.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Bad plan, BAD
PLAN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Letting children near the hideout
of a dangerous criminal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BAD. PLAN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BOO.<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The kids
basically annoy the Collector into running away, taking shelter in another room
(he’s hiding out in the house Tom Fagan recently moved out of, if you’re
curious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the distraction
lasted long enough for the uncaptured Avengers to sneak in and free the
captured ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Collector,
in a desperate bid to save himself, unleashes thousands of vampire bats on
Rutland and refuses to get rid of them unless the Avengers let him go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a stupid plan, since vampire bats
usually don’t feed on humans, and being bitten by a bat won’t kill you except
on the off chance the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_bat#Feeding">bat has rabies</a>. Even then, rabies vaccines have been around
<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/10/surviving-rabies-100-years-ago.html">since 1885</a>,
so I think Rutland will be fine.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNvNFU8OaHMuGYoH1eEI1ThjhUrEQflhaHEXL_XLYBwXBeXHRzu3cqdrMQROdV59d9pXTL5L1PWCEkyxo5JFv2LuMn7-X8LLeNQtr-7_D8ULWYuUrVOvP-jl5HSuzrmCWylhPy9GaVN0/s1600/24stones.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNvNFU8OaHMuGYoH1eEI1ThjhUrEQflhaHEXL_XLYBwXBeXHRzu3cqdrMQROdV59d9pXTL5L1PWCEkyxo5JFv2LuMn7-X8LLeNQtr-7_D8ULWYuUrVOvP-jl5HSuzrmCWylhPy9GaVN0/s1600/24stones.png" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Why the heck
would Tom Fagan have a thing like that in his house anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe he really IS a secret supervillain.<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Mantis kicks
Collector in the face and crawls into the passage after the stones while the
others fend off the bats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(You better
hope Batman never hears of this.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
soon returns, stones in hand, and makes the bats disappear to wherever they
came from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers take the
Collector into custody, and Thor asks Fagan if Loki can live in Rutland under
the care of Fagan and the rest of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fagan agrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could possibly
go wrong?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
I’d still like
to know why the mansion’s security went haywire and attacked the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouldn’t they have programmed that thing not
to do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If nothing else, Jarvis was
home, so shouldn’t he have seen what was going on and turned it off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he vacuuming or something?</div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.25, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-225-avengers-120-121.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #118 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #119<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-39670111837902218492016-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:002016-04-09T16:18:07.356-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.23 - Avengers #116-#117<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.22, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/03/avengerous-tales-222-avengers-114-115.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
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Before I start
discussing the Avengers today, we need to discuss another comic: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Defenders</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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See, the
previous issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i> was
basically a set up for a big crossover with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Defenders</i>, which focused on the adventures of another set of heroes who
defend instead of avenge, I guess?</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Oh well exCUSE
ME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>P.S. Namor, Ken called, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring_Magic_Ken">he wants his magic earring back</a>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>So anyway, the
Defenders are a superhero team COMPLETELY UNLIKE the Avengers, and their
not-members include the Sub-Mariner, the Hulk, Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, and
Valkyrie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, not the straw feminist
version that was a <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/10/avengerous-tales-26-avengers-82-83.html">disguise for the Enchantress</a>; this is the version that
the Enchantress just created with her magic and the body of some lady named
Barbara.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s complicated and irrelevant
to the current plot, so let’s skip ahead and just recap the actual pertinent
issues—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defenders #4 </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defenders #8</i>—for you real quick.<br />
<br />
Due to other
complicated and irrelevant events, the Defenders ended up in Garrett Castle,
and they go on a big adventure together with the Black Knight and the
Enchantress, who’s playing the Black Knight for a sap and even turns him to
stone after their adventure is over.<br />
<br />
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Dr. Strange
takes Black Knight’s… body?… to his sanctum sanctorum for safe keeping and puts
up a magical barrier around Garrett Castle so no one will break in while Black
Knight is, um, out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Valkyrie takes the
Black Knight’s horse, Aragorn, and his sword, the Ebony Blade, for safekeeping
(and buttkicking) as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Four issues
later, Issue Eight, is the official beginning of our crossover event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doctor Strange has finally discovered a way
to end this rocky period in Black Knight’s life and summons his Defender
friends to come hear the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out
Strange has located Black Knight’s soul, which has been banished to another
dimension ever since his body was turned to stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strange uses his magic to send a message to
the Black Knight, who says he’s okay but he’d like to be rescued if it’s all
the same to everyone.</div>
<br />
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Unfortunately,
Dormammu and Loki have also been hanging out in this same dimension, and they
intercept the Black Knight’s reply, replacing it with some false information:
the only way to get the Black Knight home is with the use of a magical artifact
called the Evil Eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
obviously ominous name—and the fact that it’s supposed to have been
destroyed—the Defenders suspect nothing and race off to either find it or die
trying.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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And that brings
us to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #116</i>, which begins
with the Avengers barging into Doctor Strange’s sanctum sanctorum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ll recall, the Avengers believe that
Strange is responsible for the Black Knight’s disappearance, so they don’t have
much incentive to be polite right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Fun Fact: Asian
people like referring to themselves in the third person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more you know!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks, Marvel!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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Before getting
tossed out, the Avengers catch a glimpse of the stoned Black Knight, which
confirms their suspicions that Strange was behind his disappearance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Speaking of
Strange, he and the other Defenders (and Hawkeye) take little notice of the
Avengers’ intrusion, so focused are they on consulting the Orb of Agamotto in
an attempt to discover the whereabouts of the Evil Eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long story short, the Human Torch and some
buddies tried to destroy it, but the Evil Eye is basically
indestructible and split itself into six tinier Evil Eyes that landed in
various places around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conveniently, there are also six Defenders (and Hawkeye), and they each
pick a place or two to go.</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
“I told you no
double-dipping!”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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Meanwhile, Loki
finally notices that Dormammu probably won’t stop at conquering Earth—he’s
gonna want Asgard, too, and nobody but Loki is allowed to conquer Asgard,
dangit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The God of Mischief, still being
blind, decides he’s going to need a little help in regaining his sight and
stopping Dormammu’s scheme, and projects an image of himself to Earth to find
that help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can he possibly turn to?</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Fun Fact: Blind
people are incapable of lying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy,
Marvel sure is a fount of wisdom today, aren’t they?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Loki asks to see
Thor, who just happens to be right there, and tells them that the Defenders are
evil evildoers bent on ruling the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Avengers take him at his word because again, being blind means he
MUST be telling the whole truth, and split up just like the Defenders did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Our first
Avenger vs. Defender battle is between the Scarlet Witch and the Vision and the
Silver Surfer, who clash on Rurutu, a French Polynesian island (and an actual
place, surprisingly).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surfer
accidentally sets off a volcano in his search for the Evil Eye, destroying the
Scarlet Witch’s quinjet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vision, who HAD
been planning on trying to resolve things peacefully, throws rationality out
the window.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
“I’m going to
hug you until you apologize!”<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Silver Surfer,
not realizing his actions have (not fatally) hurt the Scarlet Witch, fights
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their battle unearths the piece of
the Evil Eye, but before Vision can grab it, he notices Wanda in the lava’s
path and rushes to save her, which allows the Silver Surfer to gain the Evil
Eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Silver Surfer is also apparently
stupid, since he flies away to warn the other Defenders that “the Avengers seek
the Evil Eye for their <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">own ends</i></b>, and they <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">attack</i>
</b>without <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cause</i></b>!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Fun Fact:
Starting a volcanic eruption and thereby endangering the lives of an Avenger
and of everyone in a nearby village is insufficient cause for attacking
somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Norrid Rad ain’t the brightest
herald in the galaxy, is he?</div>
<br />
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For the next
part of our story we must turn to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defenders
#9</i>, which I’m not going to do a full review of since it’s not technically
an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> comic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will, however, recap it for you for
completion’s sake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doctor Strange uses
his magic to spy on Avengers Manor (I guess <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">picking
up the phone and asking what’s going on is too hard for the master of the
mystic arts</i>) and sees the remnants of Loki’s projection as well as the
Swordsman, a former criminal (though Strange has apparently not been told of
the “former” part).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, Hawkeye
and Valkyrie head on down to Mexico to pick up another sixth of the Evil Eye,
but not before Hawkeye tries to force himself on his ally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because that’s just the type of guy he is.</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Hawkeye tricks
Iron Man into destroying a construction site filled with people, and while Iron
Man of course stops to rescue them, Hawkeye leaves the innocent civilians HE
ENDANGERED to their fate with the Evil Eye in his fist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am really hoping we find out Dormammu or
the Evil Eye is influencing the Defenders’ actions here, because otherwise they
all suck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except Hawkeye, who sucked way before this plotline
started.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
We also get a
battle between Mantis, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange in this issue, which
takes place in Indiana and ends with Strange defeating the Avengers with the
power of magic (and crossdressing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re keeping score, that makes 3 for the Defenders, 0 for the Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see if they can’t turn the tide in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers #117</i>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Oh dear.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
That’s the
Swordsman’s quinjet she just knocked out of the sky, though her monologue
indicates she expected an Avenger to be talented enough to land even a damaged
plane safely, making her slightly less murderous than her teammates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman does just that and then goes
searching for his attacker(s).</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
He comes upon a
European-style castle, which is weird since they’re in the middle of the
Bolivian jungle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn from the
castle’s tenant, a reclusive American, that the castle was built by an escaped
Nazi who was captured a few years after the castle’s completion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick search of the castle reveals that Valkyrie
is there too, searching for the Evil Eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cue fight scene!</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
In the middle of
their battle, the castle owner locks the door with a giant cartoony padlock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well gee, and he seemed so normal, living in
a Nazi castle in the middle of nowhere.<br />
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Turns out our
American friend has been hoarding treasure all this time and planned on
murdering Valkyrie and Swordsman so that they wouldn’t make off with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shoots the Swordsman with some kind of
energy gun, laying him low, but the Swordsman manages to stab him to death
before falling down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Valkyrie offers to
get him a doctor, but Swordsman doesn’t trust her not to run off with the Evil
Eye.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
He’s right to be
suspicious too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman falls
unconscious, and the minute he does so, Valkyrie pries the Evil Eye out of his
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s at this moment that the
police, having seen lots of weird flying things around the castle, come
storming in to investigate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure
why there are police here, since it was earlier stated they’re in the middle of
a jungle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do they do all day in
that jurisdiction, ticket the sloths for loitering?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So Valkyrie’s
got the Evil Eye and the Swordsman is getting medical care from the Bolivian
jungle cops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note to self: Make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bolivian Jungle Cops</i> the name of my new
sitcom.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where to next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Osaka, Japan!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UmljdKCoN4IkouiQ2OkYZmV7RrqaKx6vNtLRK3myaHzv5-be8GdEeUgg7u2_PSnxctrSJtmPjMFw9J7Ea5MSdJbDW80K7nMk-ZDBO2S-loILD9QvmoCGbD0GBw0HXyenPlRGuJe0nX8/s1600/23room.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UmljdKCoN4IkouiQ2OkYZmV7RrqaKx6vNtLRK3myaHzv5-be8GdEeUgg7u2_PSnxctrSJtmPjMFw9J7Ea5MSdJbDW80K7nMk-ZDBO2S-loILD9QvmoCGbD0GBw0HXyenPlRGuJe0nX8/s1600/23room.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
“We’re gonna do
a tango the likes of which you losers have never even DREAMED of!”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap and Namor go
at it for a while (and by that I mean they fight, not dance).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namor tries to swim away, only to bellyflop
onto the shield that Cap threw in the nick of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pretty hilarious, but then a local hero
and sometimes-X-Man named Sunfire shows up to throw the proverbial monkey
wrench into the works. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0xtW3yoFsJZnNomqphPRY0I_K01kjOvbHZoXdYschuJcWE9YHHKReQPqHoSKF9G_cJLQl5WL11t_XhUXBdbKJxMHuLq-UcaUAe4haXukbhyphenhyphenNKRdaiqnjdHjPJQGOjkmCNbSK3hbfR5I/s1600/23thrust.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0xtW3yoFsJZnNomqphPRY0I_K01kjOvbHZoXdYschuJcWE9YHHKReQPqHoSKF9G_cJLQl5WL11t_XhUXBdbKJxMHuLq-UcaUAe4haXukbhyphenhyphenNKRdaiqnjdHjPJQGOjkmCNbSK3hbfR5I/s1600/23thrust.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Hey now, is that
any way to talk about the country that gave you disco?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Sunfire makes
off with the Evil Eye in what I’m sure will be a futile attempt to teach Cap
and Subby a lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namor flies after
him and Cap, whose head wings are as useless as Namor’s ankle wings should be,
grabs hold of his legs so he won’t be left behind.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb88HUfNY-g3lLpkqFXvx7CTSYCUnKUrSIPe3-0gmeneo0wre1AyuBZefgKbMgGZ1WKhOOhXW6a2sWLJ5_-X0ANiF6C3Gk2YHYXEOgSVcNRzXN1UL9xU3h6UGlaJpaOC13MLBnZUCEIhU/s1600/23lies.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Namor tells
Captain America the truth as he knows it—that Enchantress turned Black Knight to
stone (right) and that the Evil Eye is the only way to save him (wrong)—before
dumping him in the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap isn’t
quite sure what to believe, so when Namor’s fight with Sunfire results in the
Evil Eye ending up in his (Cap’s) hand, Cap willingly turns it over to
Namor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve both begun to suspect
that someone has manipulated both the Avengers and the Defenders into this
fight, and they’re determined to find out the truth once and for all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
As much as I
generally dislike hero vs. hero battles, the knowledge that everyone’s going to
come to their senses and team up against the REAL bad guys by the end makes
this one palatable enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said,
my only problem is the actions of some of the Defenders, which are frankly
deplorable, even given that they’re trying to save the Black Knight’s
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do they really think Dane Whitman
would be cool with them attempting murder just for him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not if he’s worth the name Avenger, he wouldn’t
be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.24, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengers-224-avengers-118-119.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Defenders #4, Avengers #116,
Defenders #9 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #117</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860218635114157027.post-91984771640420967252016-03-26T10:00:00.000-04:002016-04-02T10:09:01.792-04:00Avengerous Tales 2.22 - Avengers #114-#115<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCG9sXXAXKwIxZ0tp4zkmjbjAHV-uTh61XHtnqyrjXZ8Fy4Mpp1MzDAfOB3ugx0QfjDPQDGB5kFeuG5bFzSHXO9AMFVea1XdjnUjz-nUMcyw5XJ3zLVB1LpbvuVfmSqXzmhSpePRVbOM/s1600/22covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCG9sXXAXKwIxZ0tp4zkmjbjAHV-uTh61XHtnqyrjXZ8Fy4Mpp1MzDAfOB3ugx0QfjDPQDGB5kFeuG5bFzSHXO9AMFVea1XdjnUjz-nUMcyw5XJ3zLVB1LpbvuVfmSqXzmhSpePRVbOM/s400/22covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>To read Avengerous Tales 2.21, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/03/avengerous-tales-221-avengers-112-113.html">go here</a>!</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Apparently the Swordsman and Mantis have gotten into Hank Pym’s store of growth serum. So has that bug, for that matter.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br />
So Wanda’s still
pretty PO’d about the events of last issue, as you can imagine, and her mood is
not improved when she sees Cap and Iron Man testing the Vision to make sure
he’s combat-ready.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DVy2GlcoHpGFnglSPiofBs0nycQPbf_JZ6msjr8-ZaLJsIcPM0n5B2vRwP4SAJxbFJYmcLTUsc1V4lXYFyVqwMu0jQ2gJ0tmTCjIXJgtlAY4XlImEl0rd4puHGSKtEGKrq3C59Z8w40/s1600/22fit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DVy2GlcoHpGFnglSPiofBs0nycQPbf_JZ6msjr8-ZaLJsIcPM0n5B2vRwP4SAJxbFJYmcLTUsc1V4lXYFyVqwMu0jQ2gJ0tmTCjIXJgtlAY4XlImEl0rd4puHGSKtEGKrq3C59Z8w40/s1600/22fit.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Hee.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It’s not the
testing itself that annoys her—who could possibly object to that panel?—but
rather what Cap says next: that if Vision had been human rather than an
android, he’d be all over the sidewalk right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A true enough statement, but Wanda is sick of
the constant reminders that she and Vision are different and decides to go for
a walk to clear her head.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
It doesn’t help:
the second she steps outside the gate, a bunch of jerks try to flirt with her
and insult her taste in men at that same time, which seems
super-counterproductive, but again, they are jerks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She hexes the heck out of them, but one gets
near enough to slap her.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Enter Mantis!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWArVpC1C2WvqpRXC0keL4a2XHx_FixzXxixXJT75pYuZsfJ0IPKFkzTBGqWMDpen6PmESGVGlYCjAFx3KJvTst8In2dob_3ZHmddU8orqpZ1widLCNEvL8B3aNPPjtOIoPL6_lkkepw/s1600/22understand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWArVpC1C2WvqpRXC0keL4a2XHx_FixzXxixXJT75pYuZsfJ0IPKFkzTBGqWMDpen6PmESGVGlYCjAFx3KJvTst8In2dob_3ZHmddU8orqpZ1widLCNEvL8B3aNPPjtOIoPL6_lkkepw/s1600/22understand.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Mantis is
awesome I love her please let her stick around forever and ever you go girl<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Mantis even
walks Wanda home to make sure she’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the Mansion, Wanda tries to invite Mantis inside, but Captain America
refuses, stating that “unauthorized personnel” are not allowed in Avengers
HQ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given what happened <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/04/avengerous-tales-124-avengers-45-46.html">the last time</a>
they ignored that rule, he’s perfectly right to be nervous about this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
His fears are
further heightened by the fact that Mantis didn’t arrive in the city
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her boyfriend and former Avengers
foe the Swordsman is here too, and he wants to be let back into the Avengers
because Mantis has made a new man out of him, etc., etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap still isn’t
buying it, but the others are willing to give Swordsman a chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the name of democracy, Cap stands aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for Mantis, she doesn’t want to join the
team, but she does want to stick close to her sweetie pie, so she’s staying at
the mansion now too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanda’s super happy
about that, since she’s tired of being the token girl.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspuzqT9bffCE-_rCAsNj56JIgaIY-kS55vMLn2ZVzM0usLTu9yOZkrDsZXHYNj_VXpONChw9fBWx4lhr4sN9KAwuub68VwEt5oUGuZtRfMtVd_5l_jE_nc_PL7Tq8fKGgtnkKZCkfpUA/s1600/22combat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspuzqT9bffCE-_rCAsNj56JIgaIY-kS55vMLn2ZVzM0usLTu9yOZkrDsZXHYNj_VXpONChw9fBWx4lhr4sN9KAwuub68VwEt5oUGuZtRfMtVd_5l_jE_nc_PL7Tq8fKGgtnkKZCkfpUA/s1600/22combat.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Was Steve
Englehart also writing a romance comic at the time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I think he got the scripts mixed up.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
ANYWAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thor is super impressed by the Swordsman and
recommends that they make him a full-fledged Avenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cap, however, still harbors doubts,
especially after they all view a news story about how Hawkeye is back in New
York (he and the Hulk kicked Zzzax’s electric fanny in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hulk #166</i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Swordsman
reacts by saying what a showboat Hawkeye is and how they totally don’t need him
in the Avengers so don’t even THINK about asking him back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap considers
following Swordsman as he leaves the room, but nah… he’s just being needlessly
suspicious now, right?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcFrlpWtic7x48fYxdr5ll0Yxrat5kAeYPKE8gyM5sJMqs42-5ByAUh_tbXBGicyCP1wsLxxU-WMOZbIWqlWAbUDHts2PfU_MKk1qIbQ9O9ckdEXLetkjSAscNWCMYAJD3pCqTsMBfAA/s1600/22alarms.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcFrlpWtic7x48fYxdr5ll0Yxrat5kAeYPKE8gyM5sJMqs42-5ByAUh_tbXBGicyCP1wsLxxU-WMOZbIWqlWAbUDHts2PfU_MKk1qIbQ9O9ckdEXLetkjSAscNWCMYAJD3pCqTsMBfAA/s320/22alarms.png" width="203" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Cap is going to
be paranoid forever now.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
The Lion God
storms Avengers Mansion with Swordsman and Mantis leading the charge.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLxqtug1LA270ANLSLft9yGNnz8tHmgwDDL0ASZgaKmSPBqjpKsncPzv0fEjC9tzk1nPckYZcqjVLKLVWKfrg_XxD0dYT8jKG6Xp3UsVqincx-NsAGNro-FkUF7qa8mBCJqLXofUF7zI/s1600/22nerve.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLxqtug1LA270ANLSLft9yGNnz8tHmgwDDL0ASZgaKmSPBqjpKsncPzv0fEjC9tzk1nPckYZcqjVLKLVWKfrg_XxD0dYT8jKG6Xp3UsVqincx-NsAGNro-FkUF7qa8mBCJqLXofUF7zI/s1600/22nerve.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Yes, Mantis just
took down Thor with her bare hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then she does the same to Cap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks
like my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Women Marvel Should Make Movies
About But Never Will</i> list just got a little longer.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But not all is
as it seems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the Lion God is
about to burn Black Panther at the stake, the Swordsman and Mantis hypnotize
him (???) long enough for Iron Man to recover and trap him in an adamantium
cylinder, which Thor then shoots to another dimension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huh?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Well, Mantis is
sort of an empath, and when she sensed the Lion God’s return was imminent, she
and the Swordsman planned this whole charade to lure him out and defeat him for
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Avengers (except Cap) accept
this explanation and move on as if it never happened.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now it’s time
for our next adventure, which takes place in England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or it will, if the British government lets
them in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvblkWgMVGuhWIFRkREethwBJzNI1y1ffBZj_VOeUqtf4srCIMufS_m7B2s8LiDMnvp7QZTIN-D6PuxYfnbOiWPqVzzgFOQzp7OVrn5VKFwJkBD-W5TDJZ4SD1FrAxg9RX7W6Yn0YBlLA/s1600/22soil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvblkWgMVGuhWIFRkREethwBJzNI1y1ffBZj_VOeUqtf4srCIMufS_m7B2s8LiDMnvp7QZTIN-D6PuxYfnbOiWPqVzzgFOQzp7OVrn5VKFwJkBD-W5TDJZ4SD1FrAxg9RX7W6Yn0YBlLA/s1600/22soil.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Not sure why
Mantis is being punished for the Swordsman’s crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She hasn’t done anything to deserve being
banned, as far as we know.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But the Avengers,
being the Avengers, convince Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud that they will be responsible
for the Swordsman’s actions, and so he’s temporarily allowed to visit “merrie
olde England” with his teammates.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
So just what are
the Avengers doing in England?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re
here to yet again rescue the missing Black Knight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor guy: he was really happy to be named <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/06/avengerous-tales-137-avengers-70-71.html">an official Avenger</a>, but the only time he shows up in this comic is
when he <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/09/avengerous-tales-22-avengers-74-75.html">gets kidnapped</a> or put in a <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2015/05/avengerous-tales-133-avengers-61-62.html#more">magic-induced coma</a>.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
To add to the
mystery, the Black Knight’s home, Garrett Castle, is surrounded by an
Avenger-proof force field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
displeased.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw6t8gmWbkri1e2j853VcrAr0aSw0WVUC3UnjoOnH0qdVYF_XG6VCJPKmBsNU41rjZXTniuuV1wQ4d5FUUWrQfjoPZNzhCKr71niEv3tBvUfXe-9C1OoOW-dwVK0BIFO1jIfRiAtBsVk/s1600/22cutting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw6t8gmWbkri1e2j853VcrAr0aSw0WVUC3UnjoOnH0qdVYF_XG6VCJPKmBsNU41rjZXTniuuV1wQ4d5FUUWrQfjoPZNzhCKr71niEv3tBvUfXe-9C1OoOW-dwVK0BIFO1jIfRiAtBsVk/s400/22cutting.png" width="271" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
A cutting
ray?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His SWORD has a cutting ray?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t that like putting a fan on an air
conditioner?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It already does that!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Mantis uses her
empathy nature powers to tap into the field and learns that Doctor Strange is
the one who put it up, though she can’t tell why.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
And then a bunch
of literal troglodytes pop out of the ground and attack everybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently they have trouble telling us
surface dwellers apart and blame the Avengers for whatever happened to the
Black Knight, from whose castle they would often pilfer food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The troglodytes’ king, Skol, also exposits
for no reason about how he and the others are descendants of English peasants
who fled underground after being accused of poaching.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Anyway, the
Avengers obviously don’t know what happened to the Black Knight or why Doctor
Strange erected the force field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skol really,
really doesn’t like that answer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUH37rBhB9acjQOKiQDxKbNLO5k5KpU9D3bjBw0Gj7ddiZk-nedNU-lLN3-o5bxHiAQqptn8N3YaRVLvq_HZpBtHxZE-OGtO2DCnq-dSXTBYxpxdShrs7HdAQmVeH-DPS2I2cWgr0O6k/s1600/22troth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUH37rBhB9acjQOKiQDxKbNLO5k5KpU9D3bjBw0Gj7ddiZk-nedNU-lLN3-o5bxHiAQqptn8N3YaRVLvq_HZpBtHxZE-OGtO2DCnq-dSXTBYxpxdShrs7HdAQmVeH-DPS2I2cWgr0O6k/s1600/22troth.png" /></a></div>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
I’ve always
wondered what the heck a ‘troth’ is and why Asgardians would swear by it, so I
looked it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The explanation is pretty dull,
actually—troth is just a 12<sup>th</sup>-century word for faith or
loyalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like it derives from
the word ‘truth,’ which is kind of obvious when you know it.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
Now that we’ve
got that boring English lesson over with, let’s get back to the action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mantis kicks the skele-bug’s behind, which
angers the troglodytes enough that they douse all the torches, leaving the
Avengers in total darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately,
Black Panther’s cat-like eyesight spots the tunnel through which the
troglodytes are about to attack them.</div>
<br />
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With Panther’s
help, the Avengers line up in front of the tunnel entrance, ready to defend
themselves.</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPlwO2rH5grMQr-ZosdqtW9D71byJFbc54c2jNPNABGT0C-xO_g5yXC-EncDWVv75QaBCD4qzAZHsSdxPfDkKkc52cGFbUn43DswExWMCRktU_irPefgmEMjt1Veffikarh8I9EemsUY/s1600/22strike.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPlwO2rH5grMQr-ZosdqtW9D71byJFbc54c2jNPNABGT0C-xO_g5yXC-EncDWVv75QaBCD4qzAZHsSdxPfDkKkc52cGFbUn43DswExWMCRktU_irPefgmEMjt1Veffikarh8I9EemsUY/s1600/22strike.png" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Panther goes
into the tunnel to defeat as many troglodytes as he can before they get to his
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does quite well, beating them
until they surrender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the fight,
the Avengers bring the troglodytes to the surface to receive medical care from
the government <s>who will probably end up experimenting on them but whatever</s>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the Avengers are free to find out who,
besides Doctor Strange, was involved in the kidnapping of the Black Knight.<br />
<br />
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There’s also a
brief coda where a blinded Loki teams up with a demon named Dormammu, who is
currently banned from Earth, in a plan to expand Dormammu’s own hellish
dimension until it engulfs the Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That would create a loophole through which Dormammu could invade Earth
like he wants, since it’d technically be part of his territory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
But I’ll explain
more about that next time.</div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To read Avengerous Tales 2.23, <a href="http://blueprintsfordelinquency.blogspot.com/2016/04/avengerous-tales-223-avengers-116-117.html">go here</a>!</b></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Images from </i>Avengers #114 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>Avengers #115</div>
</div>
Eileen Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15371137926079407799noreply@blogger.com0