That's Just Dumb

Doug: Some things, in the hands of the ignorant, are dangerous. As this is the endless season of elections here in the States, we are inundated with poll after poll. But it's a poll I saw on Twitter a couple of days ago (and actually voted in) that has drawn my ire. Have a look for yourself:

Doug: Really? Now you all could guess that I voted for Goliath. Yup -- finished dead last. Check out the number of voters. Over 13K... and over 8100 of those nitwits chose Ant-Man as their favorite alias of Hank Pym? Clearly, these weren't Bronze Age Babies voting in this poll.

Readers' Write (15): Who's the Best...Sub-Mariner Artist AND Version of a Character With Multiple Versions?

While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations.  Today's "Who's the Best?" is a do-it-yourselfer.  As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.

Generally speaking, "Who's the Best?" is for historical topics.  For example, in the past we've started conversations such as "Who's the Best -- Thor Artist?" and "Who's the Best -- Frankenstein Monster?"  Start a conversation that is broad enough to elicit an ongoing conversation, and that even might lend itself to tangential musings.

Thanks for holding it down for us!

I'm going to exercise a bit of editorial control today.  Reader M.P. brought up the topic of the Sub-Mariner, which we discussed at length a few years ago.  However, frequent commenter Rip Jagger took M.P.'s mention of Jack Kirby's treatment of the character and turned the conversation toward Who's the Best... Sub-Mariner Artist?  That's a worthy topic, and one I don't think we've covered in the past.

Then our pal Osvaldo Oyola suggested a topic that plays off one we ran about 18 months ago when he asked Who's the Best... Version of a Character With Multiple Versions?

So that's what we're doing today -- two topics for you to mull over.  Thanks, everyone, for your participation over these weeks in January.  Karen and I return with new material next Saturday!

Doug

Discuss: The Big Guys (and Gal)

 

Doug's Favorites: Avengers #28

Avengers #28 (May 1966)
"Among Us Walks... A Goliath!"
Stan Lee-Don Heck/Frankie Ray

Doug: Today we'll begin an irregular series of comic book reviews featuring personal favorites of Karen and I.  I'm leading off with a book that I'm sure those of you who have been around here for any length of time at all could have predicted would be on my very-short list of all-time favorites.  Karen will be along in about a week or so with her first offering and then who knows?  We've even discussed working in one of our partner reviews on a book that happens to be on both of our lists -- Silver Surfer #4!  So buckle in -- I imagine this series will take us all over the Silver and Bronze Ages (and maybe even past?).

Doug:  As I said, I've written about this book on numerous occasions.  I still for the life of me cannot remember if I first came to it in its original form or in a Marvel Triple Action reprint -- it seems to me that I would almost have to have had the original somehow, as the MTA version was published after I think I first read this.  At any rate, the cover alone stands as one of the best of the Kooky Quartet era.  Attributed to Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia (with lettering by Slammin' Sammy Rosen), it just exudes heroism and not just a bit "hey, don't mess with us".  The interiors are of course by Don Heck, and I've gone on record several times saying I really do like Heck's art from this period.  It's really familiar for me, as I had a couple of original 12c issues and the MTA's were reprinting in this period as well.  Additionally, Giant-Size Avengers #5, reprinting Avengers King Size Special #1 was on the grocery shelf.  So really, I grew up with Heck alongside the current pencillers, Bob Brown, Sal Buscema, and even Dave Cockrum.  It was a great time to be a budding Avengers fan!

Doug: Another thing that I found different but better from the comics then-presently on sale was the coloring of Captain America's uniform.  The lighter blue with the little feather lines (my interpretation -- chain mail was a foreign concept to me) on the chest worked for me, and to be honest I always thought the navy blue seen in Cap's Bronze Age series looked off.  Of course I warmed to the darker version, but I still have a soft spot for these old issues of the Avengers with that color scheme as a focal point.  Lastly, before I get to the synopsis, Steve Rogers' true mark of heroism may not be that he defeated the Nazis and helped the Allies win the War -- it may be that he didn't kill Hawkeye!  Man, ol' Hawk is tough to take in this time!  I'll periodically sit down and read a little run of the Avengers, and whenever I do the in-fighting and petty bickering is way over the top.  But it is the hallmark of Stan Lee's Marvel Universe, and it's fully infiltrated his scripts on this book.  OK, on to the story itself, and I'll continue a smattering here and there of why this single book is one of my all-time faves.


Doug:  We begin with the Kooky Quartet in the monitor room of Avengers Mansion. Pietro has picked up a distress call from a "Dr. Henry Pym" wanting the Avengers help in finding the Wasp.  The newbies all wonder who this guy is, what's his connection, etc.  But Cap keeps a cool head and takes the mic from Quicksilver.  Turns out Pym is really Giant-Man!  He's on a "scientific research ship" out at sea.  Now we've had our discussions before of comic book scientists, most recently Ray Palmer as a physicist pronouncing death on the Batman, but I for one am curious why a biochemist is out at sea on a ship that looks like it landed from outer space!  Anyway, Pym's really down in the dumps (Heck does a great job depicting a real hangdog look, slumping shoulders, etc.).  He feels that there's nothing more to lose; while he regretted letting go of his secret ID, he feels worse about losing Jan.  Back at the Mansion, Cap orders Hawkeye to go pick up the good doctor.  Of course, Hawk can't just go...

Doug:  We cut away to find Jan secured in a small vial, the prisoner of a creepy crusty-looking baddie named the Collector!  This was his first appearance, and he's since gone down as one of the Avengers recurring foes (though never too deadly), with a major role in "The Korvac Saga".  I've always wondered -- are his eyes just really deep set and dark, or does he wear a mask?  Thoughts?  He tells us right away what his schtick is -- he's amassed a collection of cool stuff from across time.  His goal -- to collect a team of super-heroes!  Hold on, because I know that sounds like a Silver Age DC, but it works here.  The Collector has already obtained a super-villain -- the Beetle!  Wow!  I wonder how hard that takedown was?  I guess ol' prune-puss beat Scourge to the draw...  We find out later that not only has the Beetle been collected, but he's under the influence of some obedience serum and can't make a break for it.

Doug:  Back to the Avengers, Hawkeye returns with Pym.  He wants to get going right away, but the team insists that he prove himself.  We learn that he and the Wasp resigned back in ish #16 due to Pym's fears that the constant size-changing was harming his body.  But, he says, he'll give it a try so there are no doubts.  Suddenly Wanda, in typical Stan Lee girl-fashion, tells that she's sewn Pym a new costume, in the event he ever returned!  Wow -- I wonder how she'll deck out the God of Thunder?  But for my money, Wanda (does anyone know who really designed the Goliath costume?  Was it Don Heck?) did a great job.  I love the color scheme and it maintains some of the lines that exude growth -- dressed for success, I say!  Pym has warned that the only height he can achieve is 25 feet; and he must stay there for 15 minutes (don't know why...).  After a false start, he suddenly explodes upward in the alley.  Hawkeye and Quicksilver become believers and the team quickly boards a quinjet.

Doug:  Prior to leaving, the Collector had somehow taken over the frequency at Avengers Mansion, told them that he had the Wasp and even where to find him!  So as the quinjet streaks away, Hank Pym begins to take inventory of his new teammates.  I think this aspect of the story was endearing to me, as my recollection was that I was also new to this team.  Hank's opinions of Hawkeye and Cap seemed to mirror my own.  Landing, Quicksilver of course speeds ahead and finds a castle.  Awesome!  What kid wouldn't like a story with a giant, a castle, and Captain America?  The Collector allows our heroes to enter, and right into a trap.  It's a pretty basic trap -- Cap sniffs it out immediately and of course the team is knocked out in a flash.  We next see them all suspended from the ceiling by their wrists with the Collector gloating over them.  But as soon as the Wasp's name comes up, Pym loses it and shoots up and out of his bounds.  Heck does a great job over the next several pages of really drawing Hank to scale.  I'm not sure he always nails it at 25-feet, but back in the day I certainly got the idea.

Doug:  Hank, now called Goliath, and the team face several travails -- a catapult, the Beetle, a couple of giants grown from Jack's beanstalk, and a gong (that's right....).  But in the end Earth's Mightiest Heroes win out.  I think Stan and Don do a really nifty job of showing that this version of the Avengers can be taken down by lesser foes, and their strength is in their teamwork and in their unity.  I will say, however, that "Maneuver Nine" forced me to suspend a little disbelief (but not the cape of levitation).  Once the team is in control of the situation, the Collector plays his last card.  If anyone steps forth, he'll crush the vial around his neck -- which contains the Wasp!  Quicksilver solves that problem, though, and the Collector orders the Beetle to stand by his side as he grabs a funky-looking vase and does the big fade-out.  Wanda launches a hex at the vial, releasing Jan (what a great power!  Need something blown up?  Falling from the ceiling?  A vial the size of a pencil eraser opened?  Wanda's your girl!), who grows to full size.  Right away Wanda notices that she isn't wearing a mask.  Hank encourages her to reveal her ID, too.  She does, and then tells Hank to shrink down and give her a smooch.  But -- remember that 15-minute limit?  Yep, exceeded that.  Hank begins to get all woozy and passes out -- at 10-feet!  Oh, the tension!  Certainly, to be continued!

Doug:  If you've not read my Hank Pym essay, intended for publication in Assembled! 3, you should check it out.  I detail my love affair with the Goliath character and on into Hank's switch to Yellowjacket.  I won't go on with any of that here.  But to close, I want to reiterate why I think this book is so cool -- teamwork, characters that aren't too powerful, an anything-goes villain, a damsel in distress, cool threads, and a cliffhanger ending that left a young boy wondering where he could find the next installment!  This is honestly a story I never tire of... and that's the true mark of any favorite book.

Don't Go Changin', To Try and Please Me...

Karen: We know you were expecting the middle part of our Avengers/Chthon review here, but alas, the Dreaded Deadline Doom has caught up with poor Doug! We'll run the Avengers review tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

Doug: A couple of weeks ago when we ran the review of The Brave and the Bold #105, which featured the de-powered version of Wonder Woman, I got to thinking about characters who had some history behind them when they were suddenly changed. Diana Prince underwent a pretty drastic shift, losing not only her superpowers but the iconic costume as well. How about other characters? There was Clint Barton's big change from Hawkeye to Goliath, filling the role that Henry Pym had vacated when he took on the Yellowjacket identity. And speaking of ol' Hank, one of our favorite short-lived series in the Bronze Age was Black Goliath, when Dr. Pym's former lab assistant, Bill Foster, assumed the mantle of Goliath.

I'm sure I'm missing other examples... that's your job today, to fill in some gaps. Which of these examples of "character development" did you like, and which did you disdain? Were there some where changing the character back to the original persona was for the best, or were there cases where you developed a fondness for the change? I'm looking forward to your offerings on this subject!

It's My Favorite, and I'm Sticking to It!

Doug: Today we are asking for your favorite comic book of all time -- whether you own it now or not. This topic spins (somewhat) out of several comments left in our request for creativity that we ran last week. What is that one book that if lost, stolen, or hopelessly misplaced, you'd miss the most? Is it your most valuable book, the one with which you a) plan to send your kids to college on or b) retire on (good luck with either!)? Is it the first book you ever bought/received? Is it just one you love for whatever reason? We're going to hold you to just one book, so perhaps a pinch of pontification prior to posting would be prudent. This question is different from the Open Forum we ran a while ago where we asked you what was the best done-in-one ever -- that was a critical analysis. This one's just a personal, self-absorbed favorite of yours.

Doug: For this guy, I think if you really pressed me on the subject (which I guess today we are...), I'd go with Avengers #28 -- the introduction of Goliath. As I've said many, many times around here I am a sucker for giants and for that tortured soul of all tortured souls: Dr. Henry Pym. I really love this story -- it's got all of the early Marvel action and angst, with words by Stan "the Man" Lee and some nifty pre-rigormortis pencils by "Dashing" Don Heck. I liked the idea of the Collector when I was a waif, and the Kirby cover is just a killer. I come back to this tale often, and it never gets old. So, while this is one of the first comics I can remember owning, it's also one that holds up for me. And that is perhaps the hallmark of a favorite comic book!

Karen: This is an easy one for me: Avengers #92. This book has had the single largest impact on me of any comic book. It was the right book at the right time. The Neal Adams cover is burned into my brain. It was my first Avengers issue, and the beginning of the greatest (IMO) comic saga of all time, the Kree Skrull War. I've told the husband, when I die, put Avengers 92 on my funeral pyre. I mean it.

Among Us Walks…a Goliath! (Or, How I Came to Know Dr. Henry Pym), Part Six

Sad news just in -- please see below. Today's scheduled post follows.
From Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=32956):

"Writer Clifford Meth shares the sad news that comics legend Gene Colan has died. He was 84. Colan was in poor health for some time and passed away following a broken hip and complications from liver disease.

Colan is considered one of the premier Silver Age Marvel artists, illustrating some of the best known comics characters of all time including Captain America, Doctor Strange and the characters he's most associated with, Daredevil, as well as Blade, a character he co-created with writer Marv Wolfman. Colan also contributed work at DC Comics, with the majority of it seen in the pages of “Batman” and “Detective Comics.” Colan's last major achievement came in 2009, contributing to "Captain America" #601 with Ed Brubaker, which was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue.

CBR will have a full remembrance of Colan on Friday by columnist George Khoury. In the meantime, those looking to learn more about this major artistic talent should read this panel report from 2009’s Comic-Con International, our interview with Colan from 2009 or this extensive interview that looks back on Colan’s career conducted in 2000.

The staff of CBR would like to offer their condolences to Colan’s family and friends. Comics has truly lost one of its greatest artists."

Now, on to today's regularly scheduled post:

Doug: Wrap-up time, kids! Today's sixth installment features the conclusion of my essay on Dr. Henry Pym. It may seem dated, given some of the revelations Jim Shooter has released on his own blog. Here's my ending, and as this begins I'm speaking of my pursuit of a complete run of The Avengers:

I accomplished that feat in the early 1990’s when I purchased a VG copy of Avengers #1. What a satisfying conclusion to a fan’s dream project! Yet to this day I’ve not read the issues where Hank finally broke down, betrayed his fellows, beat his wife, and then seemingly redeemed himself. I’ve read all of his subsequent appearances, but not those issues. My excuse at the time was that the art was too bad (and I still feel that way); but as I’ve matured and as I’ve seen different writers come and go, some embellishing and other (recent) authors desecrating the team’s mythos I’ve decided I just don’t want to see Hank in that state.

As I alluded to at the beginning of this essay, Hank Pym has always been one of my favorite Avengers. And even though I’ve been led to believe that he redeemed himself by single-handedly defeating the Masters of Evil, writers just won’t let the guy have any peace. I’ve read his time in the West Coast Avengers as Dr. Pym; The Avengers volumes I and III. But writers never take him seriously today. The baggage is as large as his Goliath-sized boots – those few issues where he was shown as weak, perhaps mentally ill yet at the least mentally disturbed, have dogged him for 25 years. When Mark Millar had a tabula rasa in the pages of The Ultimates, it was formulaic-Hank who took after Jan with an aerosol can of bug spray. I was so disappointed, and so depressed. When Millar had the opportunity to correct, or at least amend, the character assassination of the early 1980’s, he went the easy route.  Give ‘em the old, familiar Hank.

The producers of the Ultimate Avengers animated movies have perpetrated a similar injustice, characterizing Hank as a loudmouth jerk. It seems to me they were writing for Hawkeye; trouble was, ol’ Hawk wasn’t in the flicks.

I’ve seen his return as Giant-Man in the pages of the newest iteration of The Avengers. Kurt Busiek and George Perez have done their best to redeem Hank Pym, but there always seems to be that cloud overhead...

I don’t begrudge Jim Shooter for that last bout of madness, at least the bout that I knew. I only wish he’d cared enough in the midst of his very good term as writer to bring back Hank’s honor, reestablishing him as a founding member to be revered and not reviled. A new love interest, the occasion to prove himself to his team with a fresh start, perhaps even another costume or name change… anything to have given one of my heroes his just due. A guy with the stature of a giant, but not that of a bug most people just step on…

Among Us Walks…a Goliath! (Or, How I Came to Know Dr. Henry Pym), Part Five

 Doug: As we continue our look at the Hank Pym essay I wrote for the yet-to-be-published Assembled! Volume 3, Jim Shooter becomes the writer of Earth's Mightiest Heroes...

Jim Shooter took the reins from Gerry Conway with Avengers #158 and got started with a BANG! The battle between Wonder Man and the Vision in those pages remains one of my favorite halves of any Avengers comic – However, with #160 Shooter started a truly memorable run, to many somewhat of a modern golden age not seen since the Roy Thomas/John Buscema heydays of the late 1960’s. Hank and Jan are featured only on a couple of panels in this story, but in a most cryptic fashion. As they are departing Avengers Mansion, Hank says to Jan, “Head for the lab, Jan… That battle convinced me that Yellowjacket’s powers need improving (Avengers 160, page 2)!” And off they went.I say “halves” because the second part of the book and its conclusion in #159 are only so-so.

The splash page by George Perez to #161 showed Ant-Man lurking in a ventilation shaft while Cap, Iron Man, Vision, Wonder Man, and Wanda enter the room. Making himself known via the use of a magnifying glass, Ant-Man addressed the group. It didn’t take any time at all for the reader to know that Hank was not right. The potential seemed great for a mental breakdown along the lines of that suffered through Avengers #59-60 – and that is what came to pass. Hank was enraged that the Avengers were not present for their “first official meeting” – no Hulk, no Thor, and Iron Man not in his old, clunky yellow armor. Referring to Wanda as “the chick in the swimsuit” and Cap as a “two-bit imposter” (Avengers #161, page 2), Hank asked for answers and when receiving only stunned silence launched a one-man (and mega-ant) attack against his friends. As the Beast and the Black Panther entered the fray, Hank single-handedly dismantled the team. During the fracas, his speech was unlike anything we’d seen from him. In response to the Vision’s suggestion that Hank is somehow putting them on, Ant-Man snapped: “Back off, Red Puss! And you can drop the weird hollow voice bit! Special effects don’t impress me (ibid)!” It’s only when the Wasp suddenly appears, startling Hank and attacking him with her stings, that he is subdued. After containing him and restoring him to his normal height, Jan related the recent backstory of their personal lives, as she said, “It’s been…building for a long time…and I’m afraid his mind…has finally snapped (page 10).”

Jan took the team back to shortly after she and Hank were married. She mentioned the accident that led to Hank taking the Yellowjacket identity and that subsequent to that his lab work began to go awry. Hank had begun to respond with rage and violence, often destroying machinery and other resources. Jan said that in days past it was always she who went to Hank for strength and support, but during this period their roles reversed. Knowing this, the reader had to ask if the exchange on the quinjet mere issues before was a smart conversation to have had in mixed company. Jan mentioned that she had suggested therapy but that Hank would never have agreed to it; she went instead and was told to try to bring Hank back to life as it had existed before he had become YJ. She stated that things had been going well, and that she was excited when he agreed (seen in #151) to join her back on the team. But, as they flew back to the lab mere days before this, Hank sped away from her (see quote from #160, above). And then the attack in the guise of Ant-Man…

Actually chapter one of a four-part story spread over almost a year, #162 was a first “conclusion”. Ultron was revealed as the true villain, having somehow mind wiped Hank and placed his memories well before he and Jan were married, and before the time when Hank had created Ultron. Ultron’s goal was to sap the life essence from Jan and instill it into his cybernetic bride (later to be known as Jocasta). Another battle royal ensues, Ultron is ultimately defeated, but at a cost of Hank’s permanent sanity. As the story winds down, and Hank is in custody, he screams out, “Ultron will be back to free me – and then we’ll crush you! That includes you, Janet! Now that they’ve somehow managed to make you whole again, your loyalties are apparently with them! How could I have ever thought I loved you (Avengers #162, page 31)?” In comfort, Iron Man says, “It…seems he’s gone totally mad, now – but don’t worry, Jan. After we study Ultron’s equipment, we may be able to restore his mind!” “Aye, ‘tis possible,” agreed Thor (ibid).

A pretty depressing way to leave a reader hanging, don’t you think? I was frankly crushed at this new development in the Pyms’ lives. How could Hank have let himself get to the point where he could speak to Jan that way? It was warming to see the other Avengers embrace and care for Jan in her time of need; that same picture, however, made me think of Hank as all alone and somewhat hopeless. Yes, the team had said they’d try to help him, but it seemed to me lines had been drawn; whilst one may forgive, can they ever truly forget? What Hank said – even if they could restore his mind, he’d said those words. Nothing could change that.

I was eager to see how events would unfold over the next several stories. I assumed Hank and Jan would be missing for several issues, much as they had after the events of #’s 139-140. After a seeming fill-in in #163, where Iron Man did battle with the Champions and Typhon (years later, I’d see this for the marketing gimmick that it was – an attempt to build up sagging sales on a title Marvel would have liked to save), the team was back in action in #164 against a revised line-up of baddies calling themselves the Lethal Legion. The opening scene showed Simon Williams going through tests under the supervision of Tony Stark, the Black Panther, the Beast and… Yellowjacket?? After I had read the issue, I went back to look for clues to Hank’s sudden sanity. None. When the next issue came out, same thing. And again, and again – and no hint whatsoever as to how Hank had gotten back up and running. Nada. When #170 arrived and I saw that the "Bride of Ultron" story was apparently being continued, I thought surely Hank’s mental state would be addressed. Even when he was brought face-to-face with the robot for whom Jan’s life force was intended, he remained calm, almost as analytical as the Vision might have been. And that was that. The story, which was very good – I certainly don’t mean to diminish its wonderment and lasting greatness – ended and Hank was just status quo.

And he remained that way until Avengers #193 (March 1980), when I quit buying new comics. I was about to enter high school. I had big disco hair, acne, and no girlfriend. Solution = quit being a “comic geek”. So I quit cold turkey. It wasn’t until I was in the second semester of my freshman year in college that I found out there were friends of mine who were interested in comics – and at that time I had a decent haircut, my face had cleared up, and I was dating the girl who would become my wife. The first issue I bought off the spinner rack at the drug store closest to my campus was Avengers #257, drawn by one of my childhood idols, John Buscema. The line-up took a bit of getting used to, with the new Captain Marvel and Starfox seeming somewhat out-of-place. It took several issues, too, to get used to the Wasp being in the book without Hank in some incarnation. But I soon began to figure out why he wasn’t around. His betrayal of the team, physical abuse of Jan, and their divorce became apparent. As money was available (God bless student loans!), and as I found out that there were now comics shops run through a “direct market”, I attempted to fill in the gaps in my collection that had in reality become a chasm during my high school hiatus. I also decided I’d attempt to get a complete run of the Avengers.

Among Us Walks… a Goliath! (Or, How I Came to Know Dr. Henry Pym), Part Four

Doug: Today finishes a month of Fridays (well, one Saturday), looking at an essay I wrote several years ago and intended for publication in Assembled! Volume 3. Whether or not that ever sees the light of day -- well, your guess is as good as mine! There will be two more installments as we head toward the "big finish".

At some point between December of 1975 and Hank’s next Avengers appearance in Avengers #150 (cover dated August 1976 – shipped in June), I acquired old beat-up (you know, “reader's”) copies of Avengers #’s 30, 42, and 56.        It was nice to fill in some history, and to see how valuable Hank was to the team in that era – the post-Kooky Quartet (becoming a Kooky Sextet??) period. He provided muscle, brains at times (always had ‘em, for sure), and spirit. It did seem to me, however, that he could be a bit more agitated in this span, particularly in #42 when he squared off against the team to try to save Jan from Diablo – I just found that he was written a bit over-the-top. While I understood Hank’s desperation, which Roy portrayed loudly-and-clearly, his loyalty to Hawkeye and the Maximoff twins seemed hazy at best. But, while protecting Jan continued a theme that has seemingly always run through their appearances, it gave me a sense of security that no matter the costume or height restrictions or team line-up, Hank was a rock among them. Incidentally, the covers to the stories of this era really illustrate Hank’s influence in that era, particularly #’s 30 and 42, where he is the featured character; he’s on #56, but Cap is the focus on a great “floating heads” cover.

Maybe it was newsman Sam Reuther who foreshadowed the Jim Shooter era when, in a Marvel Universe report on station CBS in New York, he gave the following report while anchoring coverage of the awaited Avengers line-up change:

“The first original Avengers to come back to the team were Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne – now Mrs. Pym – otherwise known as Giant-Man and the Wasp. Actually, Dr. Henry Pym has otherwise been known by a great many names – making him easily the most confusing Avenger of all. When he came back he changed his nom de guerre to Goliath – but soon he was shrinking down to ant-size again. It’s almost as if he could never get comfortable with his job. Every time he turned around, it seemed, he had a new costume – several in addition to the ones we’ve shown you – but the biggest surprise of all was chucking everything at one point – to become Yellowjacket with new non-growth related powers (Avengers #151, page 10)!”

Shortly after the report, Hank was shown standing in response to Jan’s cry that -heck, yes, she wants to be an Avenger!- and said, “No, Iron Man, I do not want to be an Avenger. I – I just would rather not be a superhero at all, Jan. I’m a scientist… a little eccentric, maybe… but a laboratory man, just the same. Maybe I could be a Defender, where they give you more free time. I can’t get involved here. I’m sorry (page 14).” After the dust settled from that shocker, Iron Man told Jan she should feel free to go after Hank. Jan remarked, “No, thank you, Iron Man. He’s his own man, I’m my own woman.” She thought right after, “That rat! I won’t give him the satisfaction (page 16)!” Whoa! To this gasping 10-year old, all was suddenly not right in Pym-ville! I’d seen some troubles between Reed and Sue Richards over in Fantastic Four #’s 146-149, but I guess the fact that the FF was a family first and a team second always let the reader know that sooner or later their universe would return to order. Here, I wasn’t too certain! After another Sam Reuther interlude, Iron Man began to offer the final roster spot to Hellcat, nee Patsy Walker. Jan was visibly shaken that the line-up would close without Hank; at the moment Patsy deferred in the interest of obtaining more training, saying, “…I guess I won’t join now (page 25).”, a voice from the background called out, “—but I will.” It was Hank, who re-entered the meeting, saying, “I’m not ready to give up my laboratory work – but I just can’t get Avenging out of my blood (page 26).” Jan exclaimed, “Oh, Hank – you don’t know how – happy I am – !” He responded, “Did you really think I’d leave – you, honey (ibid)?” Maybe I’m reading into it now – I know I didn’t catch it 35 years ago – but the way the writers (Englehart, Shooter, and Gerry Conway are all credited) put the emphasis points in those two word balloons seems strange. Exactly what emotion was Jan feeling? “—you don’t know how – " How what? Of course she said “happy”, but was there something else? Upset that we were even in this situation? That you’re wishy-washy? That you love test tubes more than me? Where might Jan have gone with that statement if not in the company of several other people? And as for Hank – with the pause before the words “you, honey” was he in fact betraying the rest of the team? Could he be counted on to save the others from peril, or just Jan? It’s fodder for much meditation, given the way events in Hank’s life would play out over the next 75 issues (give or take), and certainly even in the next year.

As the Wonder Man adventure began in #152 (penned by Conway), there was a poignant scene aboard a quinjet as the team rocketed to New Orleans. The following exchange took place among the team (Cap, Beast, Wanda, Vision, and Iron Man):

Jan: “Hank, I want you to know – I’m sorry if I forced you to rejoin the Avengers. I just thought it might be good for you. You’ve been so grim lately.”

Hank: “Have I? Then maybe I’m the one who should apologize, Jan. Here, how’s this for a smile?”

Jan: “Better. You look almost human.”

Hank: “I guess what it boils down to is this, Jan – I’m not a swashbuckler anymore. I’m a grown man – and I feel kind of silly chasing around playing hero.”

Jan: “Nonsense. You’ve always been insecure – first about my inheritance, now about yourself.” –kisses Hank on the cheek- “Take that, man-o’-mine, and please, shut up (Avengers #152, page 11).”

And that’s about it, at least for the next eight issues. One would think a conversation like this would lead to a major plot thread developing, or at least a short-term reaction/fall-out. But from #’s 153-159 there are only some very run-of-the-mill YJ/Wasp moments. Sure, they’re in the action, in the midst of a fantastic multi-part crossover between Avengers and Super-Villain Team-Up, but the run never showcases them as characters – merely as members of the team putting their unique powers to predictable use. Then Shooter got hold of them…