Comic Book Review: The Avengers #189

TITLE: The Avengers #189

PUBLISHER: Marvel

COVER DATE: November 1979

COVER PRICE: $0.40

17 pages


WHAT I REMEMBER...

The 70's was an awesome period for The Avengers. For me, it doesn't get any better than this. The stories were fun and fantastic, and moved at a frenetic pace from issue to issue. If that wasn't enough, you had the likes of Neal Adams, George Perez, and John Byrne contributing to the artwork. It was truly a golden age for The Avengers.

The Randomizer gave us a treat with this pick, as it features artwork from John Byrne, with a story focusing on Hawkeye. I can't wait, so let' get right down to it.

Wings And Arrows!

• Plot: Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, Roger Stern, and David Michelinie
• Script: Steven Grant
• Pencils: John Byrne
• Inks: Dan Green
• Jim Novak
• Colors: Ben Sean
• Editor: Roger Stern
• Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story opens up after The Avengers have vanquished the villainy of Arsenal!

Yeah, I had to look him up too.

I was looking at this opening page and admiring John Byrne's pencils, and I realized that he never really drew Thor on any sort of consistent basis. Or at least not that I ever remember. It's a nice opening shot, and I suppose if I never really got the chance to draw him, I'd put him in the classic hammer twirling pose as well.

Thor barely sticks around for two pages, as he is off to Asgard to deal with those pesky Celestials.

Iron man, ever the polite host, waves him off from the front door of Avengers Mansion.

So caught up in his thoughts on the troubles that await him in Asgard, he nearly flies into The Falcon, who is returning to the team after a leave of absence to deal with a personal case.

The Falcon arrives to a bit of a full house, as all of the heroes from the last adventure (minus Thor) are still hanging around. That poses a problem, as this is the period when the Avengers are running under a government charter and their roster is limited to just seven members.

Their government liason was Henry Gryich, and he was quite the taskmaster back then. Since The Falcon is back, one of the others must leave. Unfortunately for Hawkeye, that someone is him. Another unintentional victim of racial quotas.

But it's not like Hawkeye to hold a grudge, eh? Who am I fooling...that's why I love him, as he tends to act first and think later (if he remembers to).

In fact, let's start keeping track of just how much of a badass Hawkeye really is.

Case Study #1 for how awesome Hawkeye is...

He's not afraid to let the other Avengers know he's better than them...To their face, no less!

Back to the story, Captain America and Falcon head to the control room to check in with Gyrich and inform him that the roster is back down to size. Gyrich lets them know who really holds the leash, as he congratulates Cap for filling out their paperwork on time.

You see, this is why we need thought balloons to make a comeback. Where else would we get a peek into the simmering racial tensions of the Marvel universe.

Hawkeye, meanwhile, has made his way to his rented apartment to lick his wounds after being replaced on the team. He's been looking for a new job, but doesn't have any luck until he decides that maybe it should be Hawkeye, and not Clint Barton, who should be out hustling the streets looking for a new gig. He spies an ad in the paper for Cross Technological Enterprises, who are looking for a new Security Chief.

As Hawkeye is a man of action, not words, he decides the best way to interview for the job is to break into the building himself to show them just how damn good he is. The head of Cross Tech, duly impressed with Hawkeye's initiative, offers him the job on the spot.

Case Study #2 for how awesome Hawkeye is...

He has a work ethic second to none!

Luckily for Hawkeye, he doesn't have to wait that long for some action as the alarms start rattling about a break in at warehouse 12. He rushes in to find the guards unconscious and a hole burned through the ceiling. Down swoops Deathbird, with a strike of her razor sharp wing that barely misses Hawkeye.

What is it with all of these winged people picking on our boy Hawkeye?

Hawkeye lets loose with a sonic arrow that disorients Deathbird. She pulls out her energy javelins and tries to fry Hawkeye, but he fires a grappling arrow and swings himself up and around, striking her from behind.

Case Study #3 for how awesome Hawkeye is...

He knows how to keep the ladies in their place!

Sensing the battle is going against her, Deathbird resorts to a more direct attack and throws her javelins directly at Hawkeye. She connects with his shoulder, sending a shock to Hawkeye that paralyzes his arm. Unable to use his bow, he takes an electro-arrow and hurls it into a nearby fusebox.

In the darkened warehouse, Deathbird mistakenly assumes Hawkeye has fled. She decides to abandon her quest for the technology that she came to steal.

Why she's so worried that a blackout is going to bring more people to the warehouse, when a full on, no-holds-barred battle between the two of them wouldn't is beyond me. I guess that's why I'm not a galaxy-spanning super villain.

Hawkeye didn't flee, however, and he soon traps Deathbird in a titanium steel net that I guess he found laying around? I can't imagine he was able to roll that netting up tight enough to fit into one of his arrowheads. Although this is the Marvel universe we're talking about, where the laws of physics bend to the demands of the plot. If Captain America can run around with his shield strapped to his back under a suit jacket, anything is possible.

The regular security detail for Cross Tech Enterprises soon arrives and takes Deathbird into custody. Deathbird yells to him that she will not forget this encounter, as she is being led away.

Case Study #4 for how awesome Hawkeye is...

He knows what the ladies really want!

But wait, he's not done yet...

Case Study #5 for how awesome Hawkeye is...

He wears the pants around here!

Finally, back at Avengers Mansion, Henry Gyrich has paid the team a personal visit to inform them about more membership stipulations. It seems the Scarlet Witch wants a leave of absence, but Gyrich ain't having it.

That's right, Iron Man! You tell him!

It's just like Iron Man to take a stand against the government when it tries to impose it's will on who can, or can't be, a super-hero.

I know I feel safer knowing that a stand-up guy like Iron Man has my back. Right Cap?

SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN...

Just because you're a world-famous Avenger doesn't mean that you can't take the time to flirt with the ladies, even if that lady happens to be a galaxy spanning supervillain!

I told you Hawkeye was the man, right? One of these days he'll be back in the purple and blue.

So finally, let's check the facts to see if the cover was just hyperbole, or did they actually manage to cram that much story into just 17 pages.

Why must Thor leave The Avengers? To battle the Celestials, or course.

When will the government stop harassing our heroes? This one's a gimme...never, as long as Gyrich is around.

Who is the surprise super-villain Hawkeye battles alone? Deathbird, making her Avengers debut.

Where does destiny take Captain America and The Falcon? Unless I missed something, the only place destiny took them was to the communications center of Avengers mansion. Hardly worthy of a cover blurb, if you ask me.

What strange new problems plague the Scarlet Witch and the Vision? Beats me...all we find out this issue is that the Scarlet Witch wants a leave of absence, which was apparently news to the Vision as well.

Three out of five isn't bad, I suppose. A cover that's 60% accurate as to the contents inside is actually pretty good by today's standards, where the generic cover reigns supreme.

All characters and artwork reproduced are (c) Marvel Comics.

Comic Book Review: Captain America #339

TITLE: Captain America #339

PUBLISHER: Marvel

COVER DATE: March 1988

COVER PRICE: $0.75

22 pages


WHAT I REMEMBER...

As I mentioned the other day, I didn't even know that I owned this issue so what I remember is pretty much nothing.

It's from the period in time where Steve Rogers resigned from being Captain America, and it takes place smack dab in the middle of The Fall Of The Mutants storyline that was running through the X-titles at this time.

Short preamble today, so let's just get to the book...

America The Scorched!

• Story: Mark Gruenwald
• Pencils: Kieron Dwyer
• Inks: Tony DeZuniga
• Letters: Jack Morelli
• Colors: Gregory Wright
• Editor: Ralph Macchio
• Chief: Tom DeFalco

The issue opens up with Famine wreaking havoc in the middle of the midwest, withering crops to ash and desiccating the local cattle. She's one of Apocolypse's Four Horsemen, and she has been let loose to terrorize America's heartland. Every living thing in her way perishes, be it crops, animals, or the farmers who tend them.

We then cut to Steve Rogers in the midst of a nightmare. His foe? It's a hulking man in a grey three-piece suit. Steve struggles to overcome him, but he can't touch him. This is not a physical battle, which Cap learns the hard way as his shield dematerializes.

It would appear that the hulking form is the embodiment of the U.S. Government, which he's still trying to come to terms with since his forced resignation. Obviously, there's some resentment going on there.

If Cap was resentful before, he's going to be downright pissed now, as his costume disappears next leaving him fighting in just his star-spangled boxers.

And we all thought that super-heroes wore their underwear on the outside!

Cap struggles to regain some modicum of modesty as he sees his black costume lying at his feet. He tries to put it on, but it soon transforms into miles and miles of red tape that engulf him like a mummy as he is taunted by the hulking figure, who has now transformed into a mocking visage of Ronald Reagan.

That's enough to wake Steve out of his nightmare, as he comes to in a plane flying across the country. With him are Nomad, The Falcon, Vagabond, and D-Man. Cap reassures D-Man, who apparently has just started his super-hero career, that even living legends have doubts and fears. After his pep talk, The Falcon wonders how he's going to convince Cap to do what's right and retake his mantle that he was forced to resign from. That's a story for another day, as a distress call comes over the radio detailing Famine's path of destruction across Kansas.

This is the first story I've read that really deals with D-Man and I'm confused. My only exposure to this character was in Busiek and Perez's fantastic Avengers run. I remember when they were holding one of their membership drives that everyone was giving D-Man a wide berth, like he smelled bad or was a leper. Obviously there's more to his story, as in this issue he's the money man behind Steve's current activities.

We cut to a U.S. Military base, where the new Captain America and Bucky run into Freedom Force. There, the Blob boasts about the recent death of the X-Men. Even though the X-Men were considered renegades at this point in time, it still sits uneasy with the new Cap who is showing signs of not being as much of a company guy as the U.S. Government would like.

Their little get together is cut short as Cap and Bucky are summoned to military command. There, they are informed about Famine and are ordered to go take her down.

Steve and his crew catch up to Famine just as she dispatches some military helicopters that were sent to stop her. The Falcon takes off, as Nomad, D-Man and Cap parachute down to the surface. I don't know what it is, but this panel makes me laugh.

You think there would be a more superheroy way to make an entrance from 15,000 feet!

The Falcon is able to get Famine into a full nelson, separating her from her flying, robotic steed. Just as he is about to land, she twists and attacks the Falcon. She escapes his grasp, as the Falcon falls to the ground, doubled over with severe hunger.

The cavalry lands just in time as Nomad's flying discs stop her attack on the Falcon. Steve runs to check on the Falcon, as Nomad fights Famine and D-Man tries to tame her steed.

After all the damage that Famine has wrought in her rampage, Nomad tries one of the oldest tricks in the book on her. He throws dirt in her face! Now that's an old-school scrapper. He then follows that up with a "knuckle sandwich." I think I figured out who the Nomad really is, he's my grandfather! I mean, who else says knuckle sandwich anymore.

After making sure that Falcon is going to be all right, Steve rips a metal panel off of a tractor to use as a makeshift shield and enters the battle to stop Famine.

It shouldn't really come as surprise that a little mud in the eye and a knuckle sandwich were insufficient to take her down. Steve tries to bore her into submission with what sounds like a segment of one of FDR's fireside chats.

What do you think you're accomplishing by despoiling the land and robbing hard-working farmers of their livelihood and trying to starve a nation?

I guess Cap really is a man out of time.

Just as Cap wrestles her into submission, she and her steed are teleported away. Steve is confident that Nomad and Falcon will recover, but what about America. Who can bind the wounds of the land and feed her famished people. It sure was convenient that a villain out of nowhere attacked the very heart of America, right as Steve was coping with what it means to be a living symbol of that same country. I guess that's what tangential tie-ins are for, convenient plot movements.

The new Cap and Bucky show up, but just find an empty field with no sign of Famine. Poor new Cap, always a bridesmaid and never the bride.

Weeks later, we catch up with Cap as he visits Tony Stark in his Los Angeles headquarters of Stark Industries.

It seems Steve has come to seek the aid of his onetime teammate to help him construct a new shield. Things were so much easier in a pre-Civil War continuity.


Then again, maybe not. Steve talking to Tony about him giving up being Captain America...now where have I heard that before...

Steve tries out his new adamantium shield, content with the hopes that now that he is complete with his shield again, the nightmares that have been plaguing him will stop.

SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN...

Cap and Iron Man used to be friends. Ahhh, good times...good times...

I was wondering the other day why I hadn't started reading Captain America before Mark Waid took over. After all, I was a huge Avengers fan since I first started reading comics in the mid-80's. I think after reading this issue, I know why.

It really wasn't all that good. I can see what Gruenwald was trying to do, it just seemed a little ham-handed to me. Maybe it was the fact that it tied into a crossover that was happening in another corner of the Marvel universe. It's not like Captain America was ever really closely tied to the X-universe, after all.

I've also enjoyed Kieron Dwyer's work in the past on the aforementioned Busiek run of The Avengers and his stint on Action Comics. Here, his work lacked the visual punch I remember his pencils having. He was still a competent storyteller here, but I was looking for a little bit more when I saw his name in the credits.

For the time being, I think I'll just stick with Captain America #444 as the official beginning of my Captain America collection.

All characters and artwork reproduced are (c) Marvel Comics.

Related links for your surfing pleasure...

• Kieron Dwyer's official website
• The archive of editorials by Mark Gruenwald