#first Hank was Gorn and now he's Ghost Rider? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thebibliomancer · 4 years

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #214: Three Angels Fallen!

December, 1981

Mission: Capture the GHOST RIDER!

Ha ha good luck with that

Tony he’s steaming you inside your own armor like a lobster you fool

Also I may be easy to impress but I do like the flame effects over the Avengers logo.

Also: hot dang Spider-Man AND some amazing friends? Those lucky NBC viewers!

So last time on Avengers time: Hank Pym Yellowjacket came back onto the Avengers and he was a jerk! He attempted to be the hero guy by shooting Elf-Queen in the back when Captain America had charisma’d her into not attacking.

Then the Avengers put him under court martial!

Given three days to prepare his defense, he instead built a killer robot to murder his friends and was shocked when the robot tried to murder his friends! He sadly walked away from the team before they could tell him to leave!

This time: that stuff all made the news.

How awkward for Hank Pym. And how awkward for the Avengers. And just how very, very awkward.

Wow, if you zoom into the news article, it’s actually a better recap than my last time thing.

Anyway. Aside from stuff that we know happened, the takeaway is that after Hank Pym left in a daze, he’s gone missing for two days. And the whole world knows what Hank did, at least in regards to the Elf-Queen and Sal incidents.

And Captain America is dealing with his turmoil by engaging in basement gymnasium work out.

Its fun how the Avengers’ workout room just migrates around the mansion.

So Cap is punching a robot training dummy to shards with his bare gloved fists and its not actually making him feel better.

Tigra is revealed to be just casually chilling up in the rafters because she likes being high.

Speaking of, I’m pretty sure she just neatly slotted into Beast’s role on the team. She’s furry and she’s sort of the clown of the team.

Tigra tells Cap to lighten up but when he keeps punching a robot she figures he wants to be alone and swings out the door.

She not-literally runs into Jarvis and they have a brief disagreement on etiquette.

Tigra: “Jarvis! Hiya!”

Jarvis: “Good day, madame!”

Tigra: “C’mon, Jarv! Call me Tigra willya? I’m not a ‘madame’! Just a cat!”

Jarvis: “In any case, madame...”

With that not dealt with, Tigra questions why Cap is so messed up over this Yellowjacket thing. Because as far as Tigra can tell, Yellowjacket is a creep who got what he deserved!

She’s really only seen Yellowjacket Hank Pym at his exact worst. And who knows how much attention she paid to the minutiae of the Avengers roster before joining. And per Jim Shooter’s argument anyway, Hank was never the standout Avenger so imagine joining the Avengers and learning that the guy that was Also There would do stuff like yell at his wife until she cried, hit his wife, accuse Captain America of slandering him and build a robot in case his court martial went against him.

She has zero positive social interactions with this guy!

Tigra: “Good riddance, I say! I mean, you only had to see the way he treated the Wasp to know he was a first class rat.”

Jarvis: “You are mistaken, madame! I have known Dr. Pym for years! He is a fine man... a good man! I have never seen him flinch from any danger or duty no matter how fearsome or grim! Truly, he is a hero!”

“Men are fallible -- even heroes -- and Dr. Pym, like any man must bear the consequences of his actions! Judge him not too harshly, madame -- until you have proven yourself as he has!”

Tigra: “He’s proven he’s a rat to me! Anyway, I hope Cap gets over this!”

Jarvis: “As do I, madame!”

Meanwhile, at the Windows of the World Bar, a bar that was in the twin towers back in the heady year of 1981.

A waiter named Mario startles in amazement as he sees Thor fly by the window of Windows of the World. Wow, maybe he’s coming here. Mario thinks how cool it would be if Thor was coming to the bar and he could wait on a real live Avenger. As he serves a Dr. Pepper to Tony Stark.

Tony can’t help but reflect on the irony because this guy is going to be waiting on two Avengers because Thor, as Completely Normal Expert Surgeon Dr. Donald Blake, is coming to meet with him.

The reason why Tony asked to meet specifically with Dr. Donald Blake is because he wants his medical opinion on the strange case of Hank Pym.

Blake immediately points out that he’s not a psychiatrist but then gladly gives his opinion anyway.

Donald Blake: “Well, I’m not a psychiatrist, Tony, but obviously he’s had a breakdown! Most likely it was caused by stress! Since he recently rejoined the Avengers, I suspected he was demanding too much of himself -- but then I think he always has! I often considered trying to talk to him about it, but... you know, even before we confided in each other about our civilian identities we were close friends as Thor and Iron Man... but neither of us were close to Hank!”

I guess that’s true. Interesting to think though that these guys were the founding Avengers but while Iron Man and Thor became close friends in and out of costume, Hank Pym whose identity has been open for a while didn’t really have close friends on the Avengers.

Yeah, sure, they’d go to bat for him. But there’s this distance. But Jan became good friends with everyone. Naturally gregarious, her. So its not just a case where she and Hank were off in their own social unit and separate from the Avengers or the commuting distance.

But like I said, they’ll go to bat for Hank. Blake thinks that his breakdown can be treated but that the treatment will be expensive.

Tony “Money is no problem!” Stark says money won’t be a problem. He’ll pay for Hank’s treatment.

Blake points out that Hank might be too proud to accept charity so Tony decides he’ll give him the money “and a job at Stark International! I’ll work his tail off ‘til it’s paid back, if that’s the way he wants it!”

That’s our Tony!

I wonder what the end plan there is. After his treatment is Tony thinking Hank will just come back to the Avengers? I wonder if he’s talked to Wasp about this hypothetical plan.

Because that’d be a thorny situation.

Speaking of, over at the house of Wasp:

“She is Janet Van Dyne Pym -- an Avenger, in her guise as the Wasp. She is heiress to a large fortune. This house is hers. As is anything else that she desires, if money can buy it. Most women would envy her -- and yet in recent times she has been unhappy. The contentment she feels now has grown only during the last two days -- since the disappearance of her husband.”

And she is at work sketching fashion designs. She is a fashion designer.

Jenkins the probably butler comes in to tell Janet a thing.

Jenkins: “Mrs. Pym -- ?”

Jan: “Jenkins, I asked you not to call me that! Ms. Van Dyne, if you please, or ‘hey you,’ but --”

Jenkins: “Yes, madame, but, um you have a visitor -- Mr. Pym! Do you wish to see him, madame?”

Jan: “Not really... but I suppose it’s necessary. All right, Jenkins, my shades are discreetly in place! Lead me to him!”

Jenkins: “Does your eye still hurt a great deal, madame?”

Jan: “Yes... and it’s still swollen shut -- but you know, Jenkins. I’m seeing more clearly than ever, now!”

So Jan goes to see Hank.

Apparently he’s been wandering around in a fugue state for two days since the court martial.

Hank says that Jan probably hates him but she corrects him. She pities him. But not enough to put up with him anymore.

And she demands a divorce.

Hank: “Jan, I know it’s too late to talk, but I want to anyway! How’s your eye? I guess I gave you quite a shiner, huh?”

Jan: “‘Shiner’ is a cute word for something that’s painful and humiliating! It makes me sick... and so do you!”

Hank: “I -- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you! I was upset!”

Jan: “You were more than upset, Hank! You’re a deeply troubled man! You need help!”

Hank stammers, and seems to be wishing that Jan could help him. Or wishing that Jan could understand him. Or that Jan could do something.

Jan: “Sorry, Hank! For years, I lived for you, clinging to you and worshiping you to support your fragile ego! I submerged myself completely to prop you up! No more! Never again! Now, please leave!”

Wow.

This is the very thing I was complaining about last issue with Jan’s sexy talk at Hank. Shooter played me for that exact reaction.

Anyway, she really wants him gone. Now. And two days was enough time that she’s had all his stuff packed up in one of her cars so he can gtfo. She even offers to give him a bunch of money to live on if it’ll get rid of him.

But Hank refuses to take her money. He doesn’t want anything more from her. He seemingly recognizes that he’s hurt her enough. And when she asks how he’ll live, he says he can live off his income from his books and patents.

He’ll be fine.

He won’t be fine.

There’s a scene transition to a seedy motel and a melancholic Hank sitting on the bed as the narration lets us know that actually Hank is deeply in debt and had to sell his patents years ago. All his books are out of print.

I know that he rankled at being supported by Jan but still, how did he end up in debt? Geez, Hank, you’re bad at finance.

“Though he has known gnawing doubt and discontent for months, his expulsion from the Avengers plunged him into agonizing despair beyond his darkest imaginings. He believed that day to be the absolute nadir of his life -- until an hour ago, when he ultimately, irrevocably lost his wife.”

Well.

I actually sort of imagine that if he hadn’t ghosted for two days, Jan wouldn’t have come to the decision to divorce him and cut him out of her life as soon as possible.

She was still in his corner despite what he did. He kept mum on the murder robot, hoping that the court martial would go well, that he had prepared some sort of defense that wasn’t. The thing that he actually said.

I actually suspect that it was disappearing for two days is what made up her mind. The last rocky bit of their relationship was paved in Hank’s emotional unavailability. He wouldn’t let her in. I think spending three days locked up in a murder robot lab instead of talking to her kind of says it all. And disappearing for two days after puts an exclamation on the sentence.

Anyway, I’m glad that he did disappear those two days. All that stuff Jan said about submerging herself for him rings true. I’d much rather she hadn’t been hurt at all but I’ve heard that this post Hank period of her life is a kind of renaissance for her.

She’s really going to spread her wings, if you’ll forgive the pun.

And to borrow a phrase. She’s more interesting without him.

So back at Avengers Mansion, Cap is still. Just. Beating the shit out of the exercise equipment. Geez, Cap.

If you haven’t worked out your frustrations at this point then I don’t know that breaking more equipment is going to!

Jarvis comes in with a lemonade for Cap. A lemonade and a heaping scoop of tell him to get his shit together.

Through. Geez. Through some reverse psychology spiel about the nanny state? Geez, Jarvis. C’mon.

Jarvis: “Years ago, people spoke with reverence about something called ‘the American Dream’! They believed that any man was free to go as far and high as his wits, courage and determination might carry him... They knew that, as with any dream, there was a risk! A man might fail! These days many people want to eliminate the risk! They think some ‘big brother’ should ensure that everyone succeeds!”

Cap: “I know! That’s foolish!”

Jarvis: “But, you see, they claim that things aren’t fair -- that one may be a good man and try very hard and still not achieve his goal!”

Cap: “That’s true! It’s not always fair! No one ever said it would be! Whatever the goal, there will always be some good men who fall short for some reason -- but the best of them will pick themselves up and go at it again, until -- Hmm... All right, Jarvis, I get the message! I’m going to stop being a ‘big brother’ -- stop blaming myself for Hank’s failure... and trust in the fact that, deep down, he’s one of the best!”

Don’t love the ideological argument that got him there but glad to see Cap buck up.

So we scene transition again and time transition to a different person in a different mood.

Johnny Blaze is sitting on an outcropping over a mountain road watching the traffic go by.

He’s in a dour mood because he lost his title as world champion motorcycle stunt rider. And apparently the last dregs of his self-respect.

I have no idea what’s going on in the Ghost Rider book but apparently his life has imploded.

So as he sees some “rich, carefree son of a gun” driving around in his sixty grand custom Ferrari while he himself doesn’t even know when he’ll be able to afford a meal again, why it makes him mad.

Valid.

And he decides hey the world has wronged him so why not lash out a little, as a treat. Starting with the dick in the Ferrari.

And the dick in the Ferrari just happens to be Warren Worthington III, the former X-Man known as Angel.

Also, Ghost Rider’s former teammate on the very short-lived Champions team.

So Ghost Rider pulls alongside Warren’s car in his motorcycle and pops a 200 MPH wheelie to get ahead of the car so he can stand right in the middle of the road.

Warren is apparently a nice guy so instead of going ‘fuck that skeleton bastard’ and running him over, knowing he’ll be fine, Warren swerves.

But he swerves going 190 MPH. And crashes his expensive car into a rock busting it up.

And then dick ‘the middle of the road is a fine place for a stand’ Ghost Rider yanks Warren out of his busted up car and rips his shirt off.

Because he wasn’t actually sure it was really Warren? Maybe Ghost Rider has trouble with facial recognition.

Anyway, Ghost Rider is like ‘race me, nerd!’ and when Warren doesn’t want to Ghost Rider goes “You will do as I say... or perhaps I shall give this woman of yours a kiss, eh?”

Not great, Ghost Rider. This is a bad look for you.

Warren agrees to the race.

So to prepare, Ghost Rider creates a motorcycle out of flame. Hm? What happened to the other motorcycle? Disintegrated off-panel. Ghost Rider mentions that its a big drain to create the motorcycle and that this might give Warren an advantage.

Its all a bit clunky so I think the artist drew Ghost Rider making the motorcycle and forgot that the motorcycle was already out. So then the dialogue had to cover the lapse.

You see that some of the times.

Anyway, the race starts and Ghost Rider immediately starts winning. Even having to deal with the rough terrain, his flaming cycle just go nyoom.

This race doesn’t have any explicit stakes though. And figuring he has nothing to gain nor to loooooooose now that his girlfriend Candy is out of reach, Warren decides he’s just going to beat up Ghost Rider.

So he pours on the speed in a power dive to catch up and hammer punches him off the motorcycle.

Warren decides that might as well have a conversation with the guy.

Warren: “Threatening Candy was a bad idea, Blaze! You used to be on the good guys’ side! What’s wrong with you -- ? What’s gotten into you?”

Ghost Rider: “It’s not what’s gotten into me, cretin! It’s what’s gotten out! I am the living spirit of vengeance! Once Johnny Blaze tempered my wrath with his mercy and compassion, but, no more! To Hades with his heroic altruism and polite fairness! My way is swift and sure! When there is injustice the Ghost Rider craves vengeance -- ! And it shall be mine!”

And then he sets Warren on fire.

Geez, Ghost Rider.

And he used hellfire too, which burns the soul instead of the flesh.

“And an angel falls screaming to the Earth.”

One-third of a title drop!

Ghost Rider takes off on his motorcycle, cackling into the night.

Nine hours later, Warren is in a coma in the hospital. Candy has tried calling the Avengers, hoping to get Beast since he was a friend of Warren’s.

But whoops! Beast left the team recently! But unwhoops! Cap decided that this looks like a job for the Avengers anyway!

Not like he had anything better to do.

Look at him. He was playing a World War II video game.

That scamp.

But after promising that the Avengers would come to Alkalai Flats, Cap realizes that the Avengers are short-handed. Yellowjacket was booted from the team, obviously. But Wasp has taken herself off the active list.

So they’re down to four people (and after they made such a big deal trying to pare down the team, womp womp! Bet you wish Jocasta were still around!) but Cap figures eh what the heck, I bet Thor, Iron Man, Tigra, and Captain America is enough to handle a character called ‘Ghost Rider’!

Which makes me think he has no idea what they’re getting into and that makes me laugh.

Anyway, the next day in Alkalai Flats, New Mexico.

Johnny Blaze working as the pump guy at the local gas station. Remember when pumps were manned? Me neither. Apparently it was a thing in the wild 80s.

Johnny is thinking wow he really should have skipped town after he forced Ghost Rider down and took control back. He feels really sore about lashing out at the world. But he feels so guilty about what he did that he can’t leave until he knows Warren’s going to be okay.

So he got a job pumping gas so he can afford to eat. And he visits the hospital everyday to check on Warren.

And then the Avengers arrive, touching down at the local airfield.

The Avengers, being Avengers, take some time to sign some autographs. Well, Cap, Tigra, and Thor do. Iron Man goes to talk to Mayor Obadiah, the sheriff, the postmaster, and the chamber of commerce.

Its all the same guy.

That sure is a collection of power in one pair of hands! And can one person really be a chamber? Aside from Jonothon Starsmore, I don’t mean him.

Anyway, the airfield is a distance from the town so Iron Man asks where he can rent a car (from the mayor) who takes them to the motel (owned by the mayor).

There’s some fun dialogue here as the mayor calls Iron Man “Mr. Man” and when Iron Man says “uh... that’s Iron Man” the mayor switches to “Mr. Iron.”

And there’s another fun moment as the mayor/sheriff/postmaster/etc drive them to town in the back of his pickup with Tigra snarking at Thor who is standing arms akimbo that even he can’t look classy in the back of a pickup.

Before calling herself a liar in her thoughts.

This whole sequence is just a little bit goofy and I love it.

I wonder if Iron Man more deeply regrets this than the time he had to commandeer a bus.

(Aww, look at Thor waving to the crowd)

But this goofy little sequence is great especially considering what we got last time. And even at the beginning of this issue. Its nice to deescalate the tone a bit.

Iron Man and Thor fly off in separate directions to look for Ghost Rider, unaware that Johnny Blaze saw them arrive at the hotel and went ‘welp! Time to lie low!’

And Tigra decides: “If I’m going to go prowling around the West I think I ought to be dressed appropriately!” and walks into a clothing store.

The ladies running it don’t quite know what to make of any of this. Especially when Tigra keeps talking.

Tigra: “Ah’d like to buy some fancy duds fer huntin’ down a certain varmint owlhoot who’s been terrorizin’ these here parts, ma’am.”

Evalyn: “Beg your pardon -- ? Say, miss, aren’t you one of those Revengers?”

Tigra: “A-vengers! Yes, ma’am! And yes, my entire body is covered with fur! And, yep, I’m a bona fide cat lady! Yes, I adore fish! No, I don’t eat little friskies, and I don’t take baths by licking myself! Any other questions?”

Evalyn: “What size are you dear?”

With that settled, Tigra decides to try on everything and tells them to bill the Avengers.

I thiiink I know why Tigra wanted so badly to join the Avengers now.

And, hey, understandable! Spending Tony Stark’s money in between doing superhero stuff is a great lifestyle if you can get it.

Its funny because she just got a check for a thousand dollars two days ago.

Tigra has been a very fun character so far if you very purposefully subtract the uncomfortable harassment of Jarvis.

But its nice that someone on the team is having a good time.

I do wonder if she’s absorbing traits from the absent Jan? Huge shopping spree in the middle of a mission is something I can imagine being written for the Wasp. Although the end result is decidedly more Tigra.

Anyway, having purchased a sexy cowgirl outfit to her liking, she goes to find Cap.

And Cap is talking to a mechanic. Cap wants a motorcycle. Adamson the mechanic has a motorcycle. He wants to lend Cap the motorcycle for free in thanks for his service to the country. Cap, being Cap, insists on paying $50 a day.

And that’s how Cap gets a motorcycle that he is inevitably going to break.

Cap: “Well... hello, podner!”

Tigra: “Hiya, Cap! Got room for a catty cowperson?”

Cap: “Hop on!”

Of all the things, I didn’t expect Cap and Tigra to be on the same bad faux western talk train together.

Tigra: “Whee! This is fun! Great idea, Cap!”

Cap: “It’ll help us cover more ground!”

Okay so they’re not entirely on the same page.

This has been a very fun two pages.

So the Avengers spend the whole day fruitlessly searching. Its a good thing that its a slow day in New York. But honestly, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four can probably handle holding down the fort.

The next day, they’re still looking!

I wonder how much time they were willing to put into this if nothing came up? But then something comes up!

Local child Kim decided that he’d tie a blanket around his neck and play Thor up on a water tower.

I cannot believe that Thor is a bad example by proximity. Geez, Thor. Try to consider who you are adjacent to.

Kim’s mother runs and finds Johnny Blaze who is just about to skip town, having realized that if Angel wakes up, he is S O L.

But Johnny Blaze can’t let a child fall to his death and against his better judgement decides to change into Ghost Rider.

Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: “He’ll fall any minute! I can’t reach him in time! No one could... except... the Ghost Rider! He could! But, do I dare change? If I do -- will he save the boy? I’ve got to chance it! Got to remember I’m doing this to save the kid! Must save the child! The child... Bah! Forget the child! If he should die by his own hand, what does the Ghost Rider care? What is there to avenge? But the Avengers dare to hunt me! There is an affront that the Spirit of Vengeance cannot ignore!”

And then Ghost Rider just ghost rides away from the water tower.

But never to fear! Iron Man swoops in out of nowhere.

Iron Man: “Pardon me, young man, but I couldn’t help but noticing your unusual radar blip!”

Kim: “I-Iron Man?”

Iron Man: “That’s me! It’s all right now, soon -- but don’t ever do this again!”

See, Thor? You should constantly tell children not to try cool things, just in case.

Miles away, Ghost Rider vrooms past Cap and Tigra on their rented motorcycle and then zooms off telling them to give chase, IF THEY DARE.

Zooms off right along the median divider.

Tigra is like uh I don’t think chasing the guy with the flaming head is a good idea, uh Cap we’re driving on the wrong side of the highway, uh I think he’s leading us into a trap but Cap says “Don’t distract me! I think we’re gaining on him!” like he’s a suburban dad on a road trip vacation, about to inevitably take the wrong exit.

Anyway, Ghost Rider leads them into a box canyon.

While he drives straight up the wall, Cap can’t do that no matter how cool he is. So he just crashes into the wall while yelling at Tigra to brace herself.

To her credit, Tigra is flung off the bike and lands on her feet because cat powers. But Cap takes a rough tumble. Plus, he wrecked the bike and that was a loaner! Geez, Cap!

Oh, and Ghost Rider pops up behind them and sets them both on fire. And by that I mean sets their souls on fire because thats PG for some reason while having all your skin burned off is decidedly not.

“Streams of hellfire spurt from the demon’s outstretched hands -- washing over Tigra and Captain America, seizing them in its crackling embrace. The flames bite deep into their souls, and in a searing instant, they know what it is to be dragged eternally thruogh the pits of Hades. Their screams echo through the canyons -- and do not go unnoticed.”

Geez.

Kind of an overreaction honestly, Ghost Rider.

But like the block quote said, their screams didn’t go unnoticed and Iron Man flies in their direction to find Ghost Rider surfing on his motorcycle.

This is a weirdly, morbidly jolly Ghost Rider, isn’t he?

Anyway, Iron Man tackles him off his motorcyle, boasting that his armor can withstand any fire that Ghost Rider can generate.

Hey, kids in the audience!

Er, uh, hey, anyone at all in the audience?

Can you guess the logical flaw in Iron Man’s statement?

Is it...

That he has eye holes and a mouth hole cut out of his helmet and his face is now on fire?

If you guessed that ahead of looking at the panels, congratulations! You are now the proud owner of 10 Fun Time Avengers Reward Points. These can hypothetically be exchanged for fun prizes.

Also: I’m being reminded of Transformers trauma and I don’t like it.

So then Thor swoops down to take his swing at things.

Ghost Rider shoots FIRE EYE BEAMS at the thunder god but Thor just walks out of the flames like a cool guy.

This Thor, what a cool guy.

And then he throws his mighty mallet Mjolnir with a boast:

Thor: “It serves you well to claim kinship with the devil men name in their religions! Liar! You are but a creature of dark magic, a demon from some hellish mystic realm! I, too am a being from a mystic realm! I know what you are -- and I fear thee not! The hammer of the thunder god shall smite thee down, false one!”

Ghost Rider jumps on his motorcycle and... okay this is too good. I have to show you this in its entirety.

So Ghost Rider outraces Mjolnir and then grabs the hammer as its looping back to Thor and lets it carry him at great speed right at Thor so he can bowl Thor over with his motorcycle.

All while laughing like this is just the most fun he’s ever had.

I like that he also manages to spend nearly this entire sequence dunking on Thor. That’s efficiency of screentime.

So the Avengers regroup. Well, they try.

Tigra freaks out at the thought of, y’know, having her soul set on fire again. Which. Valid.

But being an Avenger means having to do stupid stuff.

Tigra: “What?! F-face that again?! You can’t be serious! I -- I couldn’t take any more of that! Cap! You went through it too! You know what it was like! Why aren’t you afraid?”

Cap: “I -- I am! I’ve never known anything so horrifying! But we’ve got to put it behind us!”

Tigra: “I can’t! What if he burns me again! I’d go mad! Please Cap, don’t make me go!”

Cap: “Pull yourself together, girl! We may need you! Think about it -- we can’t let him hurt other people that way! We’ve got to go after him!”

Tigra: “I -- I’ll try, Cap! I’ll try!”

Mm. Tigra is the logical one for this character beat since she’s new to the team. But I dunno. It doesn’t sit entirely well that the only woman on the team is being used for this beat. I’d be more annoyed if Wasp was getting it so there’s that, I guess.

It also helps that Tony is in the background thinking

Iron Man: “I... know how you feel, Tigra! Believe me! I don’t know how you do it, Cap... no armor, no weapons, no superhuman abilities -- but you put us all to shame! What a man!”

I read that in the Ace Rimmer “What a guy!” tone.

Anyway, my misgivings are also somewhat lessened by Cap admitting he’s afraid too and later saying its not wrong to be frightened but you can’t let your fear dictate your actions.

Because “being an Avenger means having to do stupid stuff.” A very wise me once said that. I did.

So Ghost Rider is headed back to Alkalai Flats to find Warren Worthington and kick his ass.

Which is usually warranted, hah, but since Warren is still in the hospital from the previous asskicking, just feels gratuitous.

The Avengers manage to head Ghost Rider off on his way back to town and Iron Man blasts him off his bike.

Ghost Rider behaves in the classy way you’d expect of the man who once posed for this saucy picture.

Ghost Rider: “Idiots! Have you not learned to fear my wrath yet? The girl does! I see it in her eyes! Very well, let her burn first!”

And he shoots some hellfire at Tigra.

Thankfully, Captain “One Step Ahead” America was one step ahead and suspected that Ghost Rider would go after her.

Ghost Rider then turns his fire on Thor and Iron Man but they no sell it (because Iron Man remembered to seal up his armor this time).

So he tries to go after Tigra again and this time gets blocked by Thor.

Thor then pins down Ghost Rider by spinning his hammer just really super fast to create a vortex and Cap says they need to press their advantage and get Ghost Rider to surrender.

Ghost Rider: “Stupid mortals! A hell-spawned spirit cannot surrender! I fight until the vengeance I crave is mine -- or I am destroyed!”

And then Warren T. Worthington III just shows up out of nowhere and spills the beans all over Ghost Rider that this whole tantrum has been a kind of just a tantrum. Because he figured Ghost Rider needed a friend.

Ghost Rider is like “I have no friends!” defiantly and maybe doesn’t realize its a bit sad.

Warren “Angel” T. Worthington III: “I have a theory about you! I think that the more bitter and unhappy you are as Johnny Blaze, the more ruthless and savage the Ghost Rider is when he emerges! You haven’t been too happy as Johnny Blaze lately, I take it! I heard you lost your title! So you took it out on me! That was dumb enough -- but then you made it worse! You almost made it a lot worse! What if the Avengers hadn’t stopped you? Were you out to kill me? Burn the town? Where would it have ended?”

Ghost Rider insists that he seeks vengeance and Angel is like ‘ok fine then vengeance on me. Kill me, dingus.’

But he can’t do it. Or more likely Johnny can’t do it. And his head extinguishes and Johnny takes back over.

To sit on the ground with his hands over his face asking everyone to leave him alone.

The Avengers who were just kind of sitting in the background for this entire encounter, not really sure how to feel about any of this, don’t know how to feel about any of this.

Thor even wonders what to do. But Angel tells him ‘Well Technically Johnny Blaze committed no crimes and I don’t see a Ghost Rider around!’

Cap decides, yeah, this is a good ending! This is a good moment to walk away on! Not our problem anymore! Reminds him of a thing, in fact! Something from his life and maybe a conversation he had the other day?

Cap: “This reminds me of Hank in a way! He lets things get to him... made one mistake... and then made it worse!”

Tigra: “What will become of him?”

Cap: “He has help available if he wants it -- but it’s like he said -- he has a choice! No ‘big brother’ can make it for him! In the end, it’s all up to him!”

Kinda clever to make the story about the Hank Pym overarching plot without belaboring Hank Pym. The Avengers just get involved in a situation that Cap analogizes to the one that the Avengers are experiencing while Hank Pym himself only appears on a few pages. Just enough so we remember that the story is ongoing.

It also lets the story get some lighter toned stuff in the middle of the heavy stuff. Tigra is a delight in this. Even Ghost Rider with his maniacal glee at punking the Avengers is worth a chuckle.

And we get the three fallen angels of the title.

Warren T. Worthington III in a literal sense. He’s a superhero called Angel and he fell because Ghost Rider kicked his ass.

Ghost Rider because demonic related abilities and demons are said to be fallen angels.

Hank Pym because he was one of the heroes, ‘on the side of angels’ but has fallen from grace because of mistakes.

And both Ghost Rider and Hank Pym have people that are willing to go to bat for them despite the mistakes they’ve made. If they’re only willing to accept that help.

I guess Angel too had people willing to go to bat for him since the Avengers flew all the way out here to help him despite barely knowing him.

So what next for the Avengers? And what next for the fall of Yellowjacket?

Next: “Enter the Silver Surfer! Also: the End of the World!”

Dammit, the world can’t end, we’re in the middle of a character journey here!

Follow @essential-avengers because you want to know what happens next but you also want to watch me reblog older posts. Wow, I’m bad at selling this! Please like and reblog also!

#Avengers #Ghost Rider #Angel #Tigra #Captain America #Iron Man #Thor #Hank Pym #the Wasp #also move their plots along #essential avengers #essential marvel liveblogging #first Hank was Gorn and now he's Ghost Rider?#what G person will he be next?#Tigra was having the time of her life until she caught on fire #Ghost Rider continued to have the time of his life after he caught on fire #Tigra says 'owlhoot'

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thebibliomancer · 4 years

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #217: DOUBLE-CROSS!

March, 1982

“A Hero’s Last Stand!”

Uh oh.

Double-cross? A hero’s last stand? Perhaps the most moving story I’ll read this year of 1982? The Avengers seemingly confronting Yellowjacket? Something bad is going to happen, isn’t it?

Actually, I covered this issue for my 100 Days of Comics from a random box liveblog thing! At the time I bemoaned I wouldn’t get to this one in my Essential Avengers liveblog for a long while and I was right! I said that in July 2017 and it is now July 2020!

But I’m going to be covering it again now that I can do so in context.

Huh.

I hadn’t thought about it but its kind of weird that Wasp and Yellowjacket kept being on the team roster square on the cover when they weren’t actively on the team. Tigra gets dropped right off when she leaves so I guess she’s gone for good, alas.

So the issue titled DOUBLE-CROSS! opens with a Mechano-Marauder bending a No Parking sign to let the Avengers exactly what he thinks of the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

And also to challenge the Avengers to come out and fight him.

ALSO GOD DAMN JIM SHOOTER

You don’t play around with the credits section or you kinda do! You’ve made an essay of it again!

Anyway, a minor but important detail is that a telephone repair man sees the Mechano-Marauder marauding and just exclaims he hates working this neighborhood.

One presumes that this happens a lot off-screen.

The Mechano-Marauder just keeps shouting that he’s going to come inside if the Avengers don’t come out to play so Jarvis is like sigh guess I’ll get Iron Man.

Iron Man is, of course, sitting in full armor with his feet up on the ottoman reading the newspaper looking ridiculous because its Iron Man in full armor with his feet up reading the newspaper.

Here, just look.

Anyway, Jarvis asks if Iron Man wants him to just... call the police on the guy in the robot suit? But Iron Man decides That This Is Something He Might As Well Take Care of Himself.

Because it gives him a chance to test out the Brand New Iron Skates!

It has been a long time, a long trying time, without the Iron Skates.

Since this is a goofus cold open nothing villain, the Iron Skates can be displayed to their full majesty.

Hmm. You know, I love the Iron Skates as much as anyone else but probably more than anyone else but look how serious the cover looks and now look at where we are in this opening section tonewise.

Iron Man jets right at the Mechano-Marauder, mocks him a little, and bowls him over.

Iron Man: “Mechano Marauder? That’s what you call yourself? Give me a break! Why does every clown with a workbench think he can build exo-skeleton armor?”

Mechano-Marauder: “You dare to mock me?”

Iron Man: “Hey, you made up that dumb name, fella!”

As this is going on, Janet van Dyne arrives in her limo, sees the guy in the robot suit fighting Iron Man, decides its not really a problem, tells her chauffeur to take some time off, and heads into the mansion telling Iron Man to call if he needs any help.

Mechano-Marauder: “She -- she ignored me! And you -- you’re making light of my attack! Well, let’s see you make light of *ungh* this!”

And he picks up Jan’s limo and hurls it at Iron Man.

Iron Man: “Mister, you’re lucky that car is almost a month old! Jan was about to replace it anyway! She usually buys a new limo every month... or whenever the old one gets dirty!”

And then he effortlessly deflects the thrown car.

Hey. Hey Jan. I think possibly you have too much money. Water exists.

And then Cap rides up on his motorcycle, sees Iron Man bouncing a car back at some guy in a robot suit, and goes hey chum need any help?

Iron Man says nah so Cap just ramps Jan’s limo to jump the mansion wall.

Because. If its leaning against a wall like a ramp, why not? And people say Cap is a stick-in-the-mud. Man just wants to do rad motorcycle stunts and punch Nazis.

Mechano-Marauder: “captain america ignored me, too!”

Captain America: (I hope Iron Man doesn’t take too long with that clown! This is an important meeting -- I’m anxious to get it underway!)

Thor also arrives but he so ignores Iron Man fighting some guy that he doesn’t even comment on it or even pause to look.

I like that the Avengers can all just tell that this isn’t an important villain or something that requires more than one of them half-assing a fight. I wonder how they know. They’ve had sillier looking villains that they’re treated more seriously.

Maybe they just have a sort of plot sense and know that this is but an appetizer to whet the appetite of the action junkies.

Anyway, inside Jan is explaining to Jarvis that she went down to the Dominican Republic during her time off because its just easier to process a divorce down there. Which I’ll take her word for.

The Wasp: “Anyway, it’s over now! No more Mrs. Hank Pym -- I’m Janet van Dyne again, free and single!”

Jarvis: “I see, madame...” (... And I also see that you are far more troubled by what has happened than you will admit even to yourself!)

Jan is really doing the barrelling ahead everything is fine forever now method.

Meanwhile, outside Iron Man is still just half-assing the fight but is also winning while half-assing which doesn’t make the Mechano-Marauder look very good.

I’d say that building a robot suit that can lift cars is still pretty impressive but Iron Man implies that its something that people can just sorta build in this universe.

You’d think we’d see more casual robot suits around if that were the case, though.

Anyway, even though Iron Man is half-assing this he does realize ‘hey wait who the hell even is this guy?’

Iron Man: “There’s something I don’t understand... what is your motive in this? Revenge? Or do you want to steal something? Or what?”

Mechano-Marauder: “I -- I want to be somebody... So I built this suit...”

Iron Man: “That alone is quite an achievement -- even if your armor isn’t in a class with mine!”

Mechano-Marauder proclaims that’s not enough, that he’s got to prove- Something. He gets cut off because Iron Man does him a punch and declares that he’s wasted enough time with this.

Y’know, I did rather suspect he was wasting time.

Iron Man: “Anyone with your obvious brains and resources who’s got to do this to ‘prove himself’ has to be the biggest fool in the world!”

So I guess it isn’t something that anyone with a workbench can build and it is sorta an impressive achievement, like Iron Man said.

But I don’t think Iron Man is strictly thinking about the Mechano-Marauder when he says the biggest fool in the thing. Because when the unmechano’d marauder proclaims that Iron Man hasn’t seen the last of Fabian Stankowicz!! Iron Man just darkly mutters “blow it out your ear!”

So I think he’s thinking of Hank.

Gosh, Hank Pym has been thematically echoed with Gorn, with Ghost Rider, and with Fabian Stankowicz! So many Hank echo fighters.

(I want to joke that this IS the last we’ll see of Fabian Stankowicz because his whole deal screams one-and-done but no, he has more appearances after this!)

Speaking of thinking of Hank, with Fabian Stankowicz defeated not-forever, Iron Man goes back inside the mansion and to the communication room. The phones are dead (because the phone repair guy got startled off on the opening splash. See, it did come up) and he wanted to call Tony Stark’s secretary to see if Hank Pym has called.

Its been weeks since he disappeared!

Speaking of the man, he’s wandering the streets heavy dwelling on the events of Avengers #213. But it has been weeks so he’s finally ready to make an action and get his life back together.

Hank Pym: “None of that seems real now! I -- I realize that I was jealous of Jan -- her money, her glamour... the more she did for me, the more I resented her! I have a choice! I can go on running, hiding from my failures... or I can swallow my pride and take the first step on the road back... If I’m going to get back on my feet and win my beautiful Janet back -- I... I’m going to need some help!”

So he swallows his pride and dials Stark International.

Hank calls and asks to speak with Tony, unconvincingly saying that he’s a friend and then backtracking and saying that Tony knows him.

The secretary thinks he’s a crackpot and is also tired of taking messages so she just puts him on forever-hold.

And Hank would probably have held for it. But he was on his last dime so when time runs out he can’t deposit anything more to stay on the line.

It happens that Tony Stark’s real secretary Mrs. Arbogast returns from nose powdery to relieve the pinch-hitter one who didn’t want to take a message.

Shiela: “I must have taken a zillion message, Mrs. Arbogast! Oh, and I just now put a guy on hold! He said his name was Henry Primm or something...”

Mrs. Arbogast: “Henry... Pym?! Tony’s been praying that he’d call!”

And she lunges for the phone but alas that’s when Hank’s time runs out and the call disconnects.

Dammit, Shiela! You made Hank think he was getting the brush off!

Even if you don’t care about a broken down guy like Hank Pym, think how difficult you’ve made life for Mrs. Arbogast when she has to tell Tony that he missed a call from Hank!

Mrs. Arbogast: “He... he’s gone! I missed him! Tony’s going to kill me!”

DAMMIT SHIELA!

Meanwhile, Tony Stark is currently blissfully unaware of this. He’s opening the meeting, politely complimenting the Wasp. Just living his Tony life.

But when Captain America goes to open the meeting as the current chairman, Jan raises her hand.

She points out that Cap has been chairman for a pretty long time (and done a wonderful job, really!) but its time for someone else to have a turn. Maybe someone who hasn’t had a go at it. Maybe someone winsome and wonderful like the Wasp. Yes, she’s nominating herself.

What a coup.

Iron Man: “You want to be the chairman -- uh, chairperson, Jan? Well, I... guess that’s okay...”

Wasp: “So second the motion!”

Iron Man: “sure... i second...”

Thor: “You have had much turmoil in your life of late, Janet! Surely the responsibility, the burden of --”

Wasp: “‘Yea’ or ‘nay’ please, Thor... okay?”

Thor: “Thou are bold, woman! Hm! Yea, then! So be it!”

Cap: “I can’t say it’s the easiest job I ever had, Jan, and I can’t believe you want it, but... Let’s make it unanimous!”

And boom! The Wasp is chairperson of the Avengers! After ages of being treated like a sidekick instead of an Avenger in her own right!

All it took was a dab of confidence and a dash of railroading a meeting. That’s politics!

But also this book really is delivering on a Wasp who isn’t burying herself anymore.

Freshly divorced Wasp is hitting the ground running.

God only knows what she’ll be up to in a week if she keeps this pace going.

Meanwhile, Hank Pym wanders into a bar to drown his sorrows. Or splash his sorrows in a puddle.

He doesn’t have any money.

But then a familiar face offers to buy him a drink.

If I asked you to guess who it was, you’d never (except for the panels I included). Because its Elihas Starr!

Y’know, Egghead? Hank Pym’s..... uh..... archnemesis probably? I mean its either him or Whirlwind and I’m not dignifying that.

Huh. I never really thought about it but Egghead resembles a mustacheless Robotnik and I don’t like that cursed thought.

Anyway, Egghead has an offer for Hank and what has the ex-Avenger have to lose by hearing it?

Hank goes well ok speak fast because in a minute I’m going to drag you to the police to turn you in and see if that makes me feel anything again.

Egghead: “Ah, yes! I was your first foe years ago when you’d just started out as a crime-fighter! We’ve crossed swords so many times... I know you well, Dr. Pym! I realize the risk I’ve taken meeting you like this! I would not do so without good reason!”

So here’s the thing.

Egghead has a niece called Trish Starr.

She was introduced in Ant-Man’s solo in Marvel Feature #5. Egghead tried to steal Trish’s ‘child prodigy brains’ and add them to his brains so he could take over the world.

I dunno, I’m looking at a synopsis here.

Hank destroys the brain drain machine like a good superhero and thwarts Egghead.

And then later Egghead planted a car bomb that caused Trish to lose her arm because he blamed her for his misfortunes.

The important thing though is that in hindsight he has realized that this was a major dick move and he wants to make it right.

Egghead: “Surely, you know how it’s possible to get so involved... so swept up with yourself that you lose sight of what’s really important! Surely, you understand what it is -- how it feels to know you’ve been cruel to someone you love!”

Wow! Is that another Hank Pym echo fighter for the pile? Wasn’t expecting Egghead to join the brawl but comics keep you on your toes.

Egghead says that he’s getting older and realized that he’s wasted his life on silly superhero schemes. All he has left is his niece. And she hates and fears him for what he’s done.

But nevertheless he wants to make it right so he’s built her a bionic arm to replace her missing one.

Its super sophisticated. Real top of the line cutting edge stuff. Thought controlled. Biofeedback that provides a sense of touch. You slap a sleeve of plastic skin over it, it’d be as good as not having lost her arm.

But Trish won’t accept it from Egghead because, uh, he blew her arm off with a car bomb.

But she would trust Hank Pym.

And Hank Pym is an expert bio-physicist. One of the few skilled enough to attach the arm.

Egghead isn’t asking for a favor. He’ll give Hank $500,000 to do this thing.

Hank really needs the money but he also doesn’t feel right accepting it. So Egghead proposes hey you take the money now, donate a like sum to charity when you’re back on your feet.

And Hank decides he can agree to this.

He does really need the money.

On a plane to Arizona to meet with Trish Starr, Hank actually feels like things are looking up. He’s got a plan out of this deep hole he’s dug himself into and that’s more than he’s had for a while.

Hank Pym: “I can pay off all my creditors... rent a nice apartment in the city... even set myself up in business as a consultant, maybe! And then, look out, Janet, ‘cause old Hank is going to make a comeback -- and I’m not going to quit trying till you’re mine again!”

He is very optimistic.

I’m not sure that his relationship with Jan can be repaired but at least he realizes he needs to sort the rest of his life out first.

And the ‘i’m not going to quit trying till you’re mine again’ thing is considered less romantic than it once would have been. But at least he’ll be putting the effort into the relationship if a relationship is to exist.

I dunno. We’ll see.

So Hank takes a quick break after landing in Arizona to clean himself up and put on his Yellowjacket costume so he looks more confidant superhero and less disaster spiral.

And Trish is actually happy to see Dr. Pym. She’s heard of his troubles and even offers any help that she can.

Wow, Trish is really nice.

Yellowjacket explains the nonsense. That her uncle feels bad and built her a robot arm.

She is, reasonably, hesitant. She does not trust him.

Yellowjacket: “At first, I didn’t either, Trish. But, you know, I’ve been through a lot lately! I pretty much hit bottom! It opened my eyes! I think I understand your uncle fairly well now -- and I think he’s sincere!"

Plus, trust but verify. Hank isn’t completely a fool. On the way, he examined the arm thoroughly and its exactly what it appears to be. No hidden tricks or traps or hijinxes.

So Trish agrees to try on the arm.

Forty-seven minutes pass, which seems like a decent length of time to adjust cybernetics, I guess.

Trish is overjoyed to have two arms again!

So overjoyed that she slaps Yellowjacket right across the face!

Wait, what?

The arm is out of control, moving on its own. Yellowjacket thinks the cybernetic linkage must be out of whack but he was sure he connected it perfectly.

At Trish’s insistence, he decides to disconnect it but suddenly Trish gets wiggly speech bubbles and tells Yellowjacket “Do not approach her! Touch her and she dies!”

But aw shit, its Egghead!

Egghead: “The arm you so earnestly attached to the girl has given me, Egghead, complete control over her! I can see through her eyes, speak through her mouth and direct her every move, all from my secret, hidden base! you ninny!”

Wow, how Eggman of you, Egghead.

Also, do you have ANY plans that don’t exploit your niece? The hell, dude!

Yellowjacket objects that he checked the arm for just this sort of nonsense but Egghead laughs that Hank just isn’t as smart as he is. He knew that Hank would examine the arm carefully so he designed it so he could alter it by remote control!

... You’d think that Hank would have been able to see that the circuits were designed to change shape like that. Or the receivers for the remote control signal. Or something.

Yeah, this was dumb of you, Hank. Or authorial fiat. Whichever.

Egghead also threatens that if Hank refuses to obey him and the arm will self-destruct and kill Trish.

Because Egghead also doesn’t have any plans that don’t involve blowing up his niece apparently!

Egghead: “You have ten seconds to swear to absolute obedience! Nine... eight...”

Yellowjacket: “All right! All right! Don’t kill her! what do you want me to do?”

So not much of one but small silver lining? At least Egghead isn’t a thematic echo of you, Hank?

Anyway, Egghead orders Hank to take a flight to Omaha, Nebraska (which means he’s gone from New York, New York to Flagstaff, Arizona to Omaha, Nebraska. He’s piling up the frequent flier miles) where he’ll find a tractor-trailer rig which he is to drive to the Strategic Air Command Headquarters.

And when they get there, Hank is to infiltrate the headquarters. And he’s being timed. If he takes a second longer than Egghead has calculated he needs, Egghead will kill Trish.

So Yellowjacket Hank has no choice but to play along for now while desperately trying to think of a way to ruin Egghead’s plans without endangering Trish.

And as he’s flying tiny and unseen through the labyrinthine base, he realizes he knows this place. The Avengers were privy to this and other top secret installations.

So he knows there’s a hot-line and alarm system direct to Avengers Mansion!

So he detours to press the button.

It’s a gamble to assemble the Avengers without being able to contact them ahead of time and having to clue the Avengers in without tipping off Egghead but if he can manage that, then Iron Man could jam Egghead’s control signals to the arm so Hank can remove it without it exploding!

Yellowjacket: “It’s a big gamble summoning them -- but I have a hunch that I’ll be glad I did!”

But for now he’s got to hurry to make up for lost time so he doesn’t run behind schedule.

Outside the base, Remote Control Trish rolls up to the guard post in the tractor-trailer under the pretense of needing directions but as soon as the soldiers start questioning why she has a mechanical arm and why she’s not wearing a shirt, Egghead just shrugs, I assume, and goes for audacity.

Egghead!Trish: “My partner will arrive soon! He should be in the airshaft now -- crossing from S.A.C. headquarters to the underground bunker directly below this guard post. In a moment he’ll render unconscious the guards below -- and then open up your little fortress from within for me! I’ll be nice and warm inside in seconds!”

Guard: “Ma’am, ah do believe y’all are plumb loco!”

Egghead!Trish: -beats them up- “Dolts!”

I have to admit, I do like this trope when people just confess to the whole plan as a distraction, often before throwing hands.

Inside, Hank kicks the open button just as Remote Control Trish is strolling up to the hidden elevator.

At the bottom, Egghead!Trish chides Hank for being .6 seconds late.

Which is awfully pedantic. Egghead specifically said “take but a second longer” and he was a little under a second slow.

Anyway, Egghead tells Hank to neutralize the lock on the vault.

So Hank tinies and heads inside the lock. Luckily, its almost the same lock on the vault in the Avengers Mansion lab. So Hank knows where to find and snip the master power circuit to disable the alarms.

The vault also has a deadbolt that a bulldozer couldn’t snap but Remote Control Trish grabs the lock and rips the deadbolt clean off.

Although Egghead also points out that Hank’s inbuilt disruptor sting could have shattered the lock.

Inside the vault is the entirety of the United States’ strategic stockpile of adamantium resins.

Adamantium is considered absolutely impervious to all known agents of destruction (which isn’t entirely true but its so close to true that lets just go with it).

Egghead: “But you know all about adamantium, don’t you, Dr. Pym? You’ve used it in building robots... like the one you used in your ill-fated attempt to influence your recent court-martial!”

This is a sore subject but despite Hank telling Egghead to shut up, he just keeps rubbing salt into the wound by talking about how much Hank failed with his ‘kill his friends’ robot plan.

Egghead: “Yes, that was a very clever plan you had, Dr. Pym! Too bad you so stupidly blew it!”

You’re adding a lot of insult to injury, Egghead. You’re a petty sort of supervillain, aintcha?

But a petty sort of supervillain with a meticulously crafted plan because the canisters of resin are extracted from the last protections, brought up the elevator, and loaded onto the truck bing bam boom, done.

And with no one the wiser except those unconscious guards, Remote Control Trish and Yellowjacket drive away from the secret base in the truck.

Egghead: “It may interest you to know, Dr. Pym, that, like you, I intend to use this adamantium -- to build robots! Unlike yours, however, mine will have no weak points!”

Yellowjacket: “And then?”

Egghead: “Have you no imagination, Dr. Pym? Obviously, my invincible robot raiders will be able to ‘acquire’ for me whatever I need to further my plans for world conquest! Gold, nuclear arms...”

I feel that if you’re using robots to ‘acquire’ things for you, you don’t actually need gold. Gold is most useful for exchanging for goods and services and it doesn’t sound like Egghead has plans to buy anything anymore.

But as he’s musing about all the things he’ll steal, he sees (through Trish) the Avengers fly overhead!

Hank hitting that button worked to summon the Avengers!

Hank is hyped that they’ve arrived but he never actually completed the other half of the plan. Step 1 Call the Avengers, step 2 ?????, step 3 Everything is better forever.

And step 2 was a very important step. The linchpin even.

So the Avengers show up and park the quinjet right across the road to stop the truck.

(I love that there is a panel that is basically the cover although there’s not a bit where Yellowjacket stands opposite the Avengers so the cover is, alas, still a lie. I like it quite a bit though.)

The Avengers got to the base, found the unconscious guards, got a description of the truck, and followed the road until they found it.

But Egghead goes ‘ok change of plans, you get to fight the entire team or I kill the girl because that hasn’t stopped being a thing I’m threatening.’

He also pretty strongly suspects that Hank is the one who called the Avengers here and says it’ll be on his head if anything happens to Trish.

Hank muses that he could take one or two of them with some luck but taking all four Avengers is out of the question!

I think he’s forgotten the multiple times he’s either soloed the team or did unreasonably well.

But with no choice, Yellowjacket flies out of the truck and starts attacking immediately while the Avengers are still in the ‘hey thats our good pal Hank, whats he doing here’ mode.

Wasp is calling the shots and the shot she calls is ‘hey if he doesn’t want to talk, bring him down!’

Cap throws his mighty shield and Hank does seem to yield! Or disappear! He shrinks out of sight and too small to pick up on radar.

Iron Man and Cap are convinced Hank booked it but Wasp is sure that he’s no coward but might have gotten very small and hidden somewhere.

And she’s right. And its hilarious.

Hank has been hitching a ride on Cap’s shield so when it boomerangs back to the guy, Hank blasts him near point blank with his disruptor sting.

Hank counts himself lucky since its not easy to catch Cap unawares but then is caught unawares himself.

Wasp knew Hank was around somewhere so she gets the drop on him, blasting him with her own sting.

She demands to know why Hank is betraying everything he’s stood for his whole life but Hank doesn’t dare explain even in a tiny size conversation with his ex, for fear that Egghead might suspect betrayal.

So instead he just backhands Wasp.

I feeeeeeeeeeel like this was not a great fight choreography decision given the controversy about #213 which surely must have been brewing even four months later.

Yellowjacket: (Darn it, Jan! How many times have I told you not to close in so quickly? You only hit me with a glancing sting-blast! I’m sorry, Janet!)

I also feel like his dreamed of winning her back is about this much further out of his reach now.

Best laid plans.

By this point, Iron Man has gotten Yellowjacket on his radar again (specifying that he can track him no matter how small he gets. Unless he’s riding on Cap’s shield, which evidently baffled the radar). He repulsor blasts Yellowjacket towards Thor and tells Thor to grab him.

Yellowjacket: “They’re pulling their punches... taking it easy on me! That gives me a chance! Provided I can keep the element of surprise, and I’m utterly ruthless -- I may yet be able to win... and save Trish’s life!”

And then he turns the momentum of being repulsored into a kick that knocks Thor to the ground.

I do like the choreography of it. And how Yellowjacket is reasoning through how one him can beat four Avengers when he should be at a huge disadvantage.

Although I think the best part of this is that Egghead is watching this remotely cheering Hank on like this is a sports match.

Egghead: “Good work, Pym! Hit him again! C’mon bash ‘em! You can do it!”

Granted, he probably could be helping. Driving the truck away, or something? Spectating is fine too, I guess.

Yellowjacket then manages to pop up right by Cap and Iron Man and blast them both.

That’s three of the Avengers down for the moment, now he just has to find the Wasp.

But she’s still the one most wise to his tricks so while he was kicking Thor in the face and disruptor blasting Cap and Iron Man, she was lurking by the Quinjet waiting for the right opportunity.

Wasp: “You’re not getting away from me this time! The party’s over! You know the trouble with you is that you have only one good trick... and I can do it too!”

And the one good trick is apparently, by context and inference, suddenly growing big and smacking someone by surprise.

She hits him like a volleyball towards Cap, who smacks him towards Iron Man, who WAK!s him towards Thor who catches Yellowjacket.

God.

This sequence is spectacular.

Not for Hank, granted.

Thor: “Verily, small one, thy mischief is at an end! Now, speak, or tempt my wrath! Explain this knavery, or...”

Yellowjacket: “I had to do it, Thor! Because I failed to defeat you, an innocent girl is going to die! Any moment now, Egghead is going to push the button that kills her!”

Having lost anyway, Yellowjacket spills all the beans about Egghead and the exploding arm. And since he hasn’t heard a Trish shattering kaboom, he begs Iron Man to jam the command signals to the arm!

Iron Man goes to investigate Trish in the truck but he can’t find any transmission to the arm. And scanning it, he can’t find any booby traps. And he finds it fairly simple to remove.

Because: Egghead stopped transmitting once Hank got beat. And insult to the insulted injury already dealt, there never was a booby trap. Egghead had been lying through his teeth about it.

And: to cover his tracks, he planted some false memories into Trish’s brain while she was under control.

So when the arm is removed (Thor covers Trish with his cape because he’s gallant like that) and Hank begs Trish to tell the Avengers about how Egghead is behind everything, Trish remembers it differently.

Trish: “Egghead? I don’t remember anything about Egghead? You talked me into letting you attach it -- and then it forced me to do as you commanded! I -- I can’t lie for you, Dr. Pym!”

Oof.

Dammit Egghead, you suck.

Yellowjacket: “But -- but it was Egghead’s doing! You’ve got to believe me! P-please!”

Iron Man: “Are you going to come quietly, Hank, or...”

Yellowjacket: “i -- i’ll come...”

And hours later, the Avengers sit around brooding moodily in one of their many sitting rooms when Jarvis brings in the paper.

But Cap tells Jarvis to just leave it. Nobody is in a mood to read it just yet.

Because prominently displayed at the page 1 headline of the Daily Bugle: “EX-AVENGER JAILED!”

Jarvis: “Yes sir... I understand exactly how you feel!”

Oof.

This issue hurts a bit. Not in the same way as issue #213 where it was Yellowjacket being increasingly vile to the one who cared most about him and devolving into a paranoid blame-shifting rant when he has the chance to defend his actions.

This one hurts because Hank did almost everything right. This isn’t Hank spiraling into a breakdown Hank. This is Hank on the upswing, making plans to make good of himself again, wanting to help people, wanting to thwart the villain.

His primary error was trusting a supervillain but he did due diligence there, examining the arm thoroughly just in case only to end up surprised by comic book nonsense technology.

But when he gets roped into the scheme, he summons the Avengers trusting them to help stop Egghead even though he has reason to suspect that they’ve just totally disowned him for his terrible behavior.

This is a common comic book trope, the person forced to work for the villain because of a hostage or something. Hank himself has been in the situation a couple times.

It just doesn’t... work out this time.

Egghead covers his tracks too well. And the Avengers are primed to believe the worst about Hank.

They want to believe the best.

Cap had a whole character beat about having to trust Hank to pull himself back up. Iron Man has been desperate to reach Hank to get him a job and psychiatric care for his breakdowns.

(Its actually interesting how the fall of Hank Pym arc has been kept going without having him front and center through all those thematic echoes. We get to see how the Avengers are dealing with their Hank feelings while also doing other things.)

But still, this situation has to remind them too heavily of the engineered heroics he pulled during the court martial. AND adamantium is being stolen? The stuff the kill-your-friends robot was made out of?

Too many things line up and Hank has been missing and incommunicado with his friends. When they find him with the stolen adamantium and he won’t explain himself, they have to be thinking ‘no, well, this tracks, actually.’

There’s one thing Hank could have said that could have made them start pulling threads.

‘I’m the one who tripped the alarm that summoned you.’

But I think with everything lined up against him, including his past behavior, Hank doesn’t think they’ll ever believe him. He thinks his friends have rightly abandoned him.

So in the end, he just meekly surrenders into disgrace.

And that’s why this issue hurt a little.

Follow @essential-avengers because you want to see what awaits Hank and because you thought Jan had a good showing beating him up. Sucks for Hank but dang, good job, Wasp. Likes and reblogs are also appreciated.

#Avengers #Yellowjacket #the Wasp #Captain America #Thor #Iron Man #Egghead #Essential Avengers #essential marvel liveblogging #a really funny opening sequence #and a last page kick in the knee #for want of a dime the hank is lost #i hope i didn't call egghead eggman at any point #lot of good sequences in this one

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