AVENGERS (volume 3) # 2

March, 1998

"Once an Avenger..." Part Two: "The Call"

By Kurt Busiek & George Perez

with Al Vey (inks), Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters), Digital Chameleon (additional color), Tom Brevoort (editor) and Bob Harras (editor-in-chief), Heroes All!

EXTERIOR COVER:

This issue is printed with two variant covers:

The George Perez version features the Avengers in their new identities as the Queen's Vengeance: Kreature (Beast), Quarryman (Sandman), Gigantus (Giant-Man), Star Knight (Quasar), Lady Marvel (Binary), Sir Devilfish (Stingray), Falconer (Darkhawk), Jade Giantess (She-Hulk), Daystar (Photon), Iron Knight (Iron Man), Knave of Hearts (Starfox), Yeoman America (Captain America), Donar the Mighty (Thor), Sir Fulminator (Living Lightning), Squire Justice (Justice), Longbow (Hawkeye), Blacksmith (Rage), Lady Comet (Firestar), Grimalkin (Tigra), Firemaiden (Firebird), Spider-Woman (Arachne), Chevalier (Swordsman), Lady Magdalena (Magdelene), Priestess Selene (Moondragon), Tsarina (Black Widow), Circe the Sorceress (Sersi), Sir MacHinery (Machine Man), Elementelle (Crystal), Nubian Prince (Black Panther), Heracles (Hercules), Pixie (Wasp), Serf (D-Man), Black Knight (Black Knight), Blackbird (Falcon), Sealord (Sub-Mariner), Ghost of Stone (Vision) and Gypsy Davy (Quicksilver).

The Ray Lago version of this issue's cover depicts Donar (Thor), Iron Knight (Iron Man), Gypsy Witch (Scarlet Witch) and Yeoman America (Captain America) in a dramatic group pose.

Originally, the Perez cover used on this issue was intended for issue 3; the original Perez cover to issue 2 featured the Scarlet Witch in chains, but it was censored on the grounds of being sexually suggestive with overtones of bondage. So the original cover to issue 3 wound up being used as the replacement cover of issue 2, and Perez created a new cover for issue 3.

INTERIOR COVER:

Only a few of the story's many characters are introduced here this month due to the space taken up by recapping last issue's events. Apart from the villains of the tale (Morgan and Mordred), the lucky few characters singled out for individual attention are Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Quasar, Photon and Justice, all of whom play prominent roles in this story (though the Wasp does, too, and she doesn't rate a mention here for whatever reason). One wonders if these characters will be among the core cast Busiek has said he will establish as of issue 4; all eight are plausible candidates, though Quasar and Photon seem less likely to stick around than the others. Especially intriguing is the inclusion of Justice in the principal cast list, hinting that he may indeed become a new Avengers member as has been speculated.

 

PAGE 1:

Evidently, Morgan Le Fay used the Twilight Sword to remake the world into a facsimile of the Arthurian era she was born into, only with her as absolute ruler. For simplicity's sake, this text will refer to Morgan's self-made alternate reality as the Morganverse.

Panel 2:

Note that the tavern is named for (and presumably run by) Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers' butler, who is presumably reincarnated as a barkeeper in this reality.

 

PAGE 2:

Panels 1-3:

We meet Jade Giantess and Lady Marvel, the Morganverse incarnations of She-Hulk and Binary (the former Ms. Marvel). The way they handle their would-be seducers is in keeping with their true personalities as physically forceful liberated women with little patience for unsolicited male advances.

 

PAGES 2-3 (double-page spread):

We meet The Queen's Vengeance, the Morganverse incarnations of the Avengers, servants of Morgan Le Fay in this reality. They include Donar (the Morganverse incarnation of Thor), Knave of Hearts (Starfox), Sealord (Sub-Mariner), Circe the Sorceress (Sersi), Iron Knight (Iron Man), Blackbird (Falcon), Sir Fulminator (Living Lightning), Lady Comet (Firestar), Star-Knight (Quasar) and Daystar (Photon).

Prior to the publication of this new series, Busiek solicited suggestions for a new alias for Monica Rambeau (formerly Captain Marvel), whose rather generic Photon code-name hasn't caught on with fans. Whether Busiek intends it or not, Daystar would make a nice alternate alias for Rambeau once the Avengers return to their own reality. Beats the heck out of "Photon", anyway.

 

PAGE 4:

Boy, is Morgan ludicrously overconfident; but she spins a heckuva thorough plot synopsis.

 

PAGE 5:

Panel 7:

The mystically animated statue known as "The Ghost of Stone" is the Morganverse incarnation of The Vision, an artificial man as he is in his own reality. Oddly, the Avengers once fought a "Ghost of Stone", the animated statue that had been the Black Knight's petrified body (in Avengers [v1] # 157).

 

PAGE 6

The unknown thing nagging at the edge of Morgan's senses may be the subversive magic of the Scarlet Witch--or, perhaps, the mysterious manifestation from the last panel of this story (and we'll get to him soon enough).

 

PAGE 7

Panel 2:

Cold iron is said to disrupt magical energies--including, presumably, those of the imprisoned Scarlet Witch.

Panel 4:

Here we see the Gypsy Witch, the Morganverse incarnation of the Scarlet Witch, who remains aware of her true identity and is trying to summon help. Wanda being reincarnated as a gypsy sorceress makes sense since she was raised by gypsies in her youth.

As the captions note, Wanda was trained in sorcery years ago by the witch Agatha Harkness, hoping to augment and better control her natural mutant hex power. As noted, her husband Vision was mind-wiped by the government (in WCA # 42-45) and her children were wiped out of existence altogether (AWC # 51-52); for a time, these tragedies drove her mad, but she eventually recovered and got on with her life. The Vision has since recovered a semblance of his lost mind, but he and the Scarlet Witch remain estranged.

 

PAGE 8

Panels 5-6:

Yeoman America, the Morganverse incarnation of Captain America.

 

PAGE 9

Panel 2:

Longbow, the Morganverse incarnation of Hawkeye.

Panels 3-8:

Captain America's spirit is strong enough that Wanda's mystical summons of the Avengers freed his mind; Hawkeye heard the summons, too, and being of like spirit is easily roused from his delusion by Captain America.

Panel 6:

Hawkeye's "not another alternate reality" comment refers to the Avengers' recent exile in the "Franklinverse" alternate reality after Onslaught, which they only recently escaped. The Avengers' time in that alternate reality was chronicled in Avengers (v2) # 1-12. Hawkeye's comment about not being "dressed like a brown Plantman" this time is a funny reference to the awful costuming he was wearing in most of the Avengers (v2) series, which did rather look like a brown variation on the Plantman's outfit.

After Avengers (v3) # 1-3 had been published, Busiek offered this explanation for doing another alternate reality story so soon after the "Franklinverse" one:

"We wanted to take the team out of normal reality for two reasons:

1. So we could do a big-ass world-threatening story that could sprawl and take

a while wihout anyone wondering why the X-Men or the FF didn't join in. They

couldn't, since they didn't exist as such.

2. So we could take the team out of context and define, at least in an

emotional sense, what the team is all about."

 

PAGE 10

Panels 3-5:

This exchange reinforces a belief already held by many Avengers readers--that Captain America and Hawkeye are more dedicated to and representative of the Avengers team than anyone else, they being the two principal mainstays of the group. The fact that Morgan's spell is less effective against those with "the strongest sense of being Avengers" speaks highly of those characters who manage to resist the spell, and hints that they may remain as members of the core cast when the team establishes a set roster in Avengers (v1) # 4. Busiek has said, however, that at least one of the Avengers who hears "the call" in this story won't make the final cut for the permanent roster.

Panels 5-6:

Great little exchange between Hawkeye and Cap in which Hawkeye gets the respect he deserves for once, with Cap acknowledging Hawkeye as the most devoted and strongest-willed Avenger he could think of.

 

PAGE 11

This whole scene is strongly reminiscent of the Avengers: Emperor Doom graphic novel, in which Doctor Doom mentally enslaved the entire world and the Avengers resisted him. In that story, as in this one, Captain America was the first to regain his senses, and Hawkeye and Wasp were among the Avengers deemed strong-willed enough to be revived as well. Captain America insisted on trying to free Iron Man in that story, too, though it only partially worked since Iron Man suffers from certain character weaknesses despite his formidable will power and intelligence; Cap makes the same mistake again here with worse consequences, since Iron Man's mind remains completely subverted in this instance.

Hawkeye chose more wisely by reviving Daystar (the Morganverse incarnation of Photon) and Pixie (the Morganverse incarnation of Wasp), since Photon and Wasp are, like Iron Man, strong-willed past leaders of the group, but are also arguably more dedicated to the team's spirit than Iron Man.

Busiek says that Iron Man's inability to resist Morgan has more to do with his aristocratic self-image than his broader character flaws or poor teamwork record; however, Busiek concedes that "Tony's been a jerk in recent years" and says there's "a reason" for that, a reason that will be explored in future issues of Avengers (and, perhaps, Iron Man's own series).

The Avengers use their real names repeatedly in this scene, Iron Man's being Tony Stark, Photon's being Monica Rambeau, and Wasp's being Jan Van Dyne.

As the Wasp notes, Iron Man was, like her, a founding member of the Avengers.

 

PAGE 12

Panel 3:

As Hawkeye says, Iron Man's rather aristocratic self image doubtless left him more susceptible to Morgan's spell than most Avengers.

Panel 4:

The four free Avengers are surrounded by Morganverse incarnations of their fellow Avengers (clockwise from top): Falconer (Darkhawk), Chevalier (Swordsman), Star-Knight (Quasar), Heracles (Hercules), Liegeman (USAgent), Quarryman (Sandman), Knave of Hearts (Starfox), Serf (D-Man), Black Knight (Black Knight), Kreature (Beast), Sir Devilfish (Stingray), Sealord (Sub-Mariner), Sir MacHinery (Machine Man), Nubian Prince (Black Panther), Blacksmith (Rage), Squire Justice (Justice), Blackbird (Falcon), Gypsy Davy (Quicksilver) and Sir Fulminator (Living Lightning).

Fittingly enough, the Morganverse incarnation of the Black Knight looks like a dead ringer for his Arthurian ancestor, the original Black Knight.

Note that Liegeman wears a different-colored version of Yeoman America's outfit, just as USAgent used to wear a different-colored version of Captain America's outfit.

It's interesting to note that Hercules, like Thor, was reincarnated into the Morganverse in a facsimile of his traditional costuming, perhaps indicating a timeless quality to these mythological heroes. And Herc's traditional togs beat the heck out of the drek he's been wearing lately.

Not all of the Queen's Vengeance are referred to by name in this story, but Busiek concocted names for all of them and released a complete list through the internet magazine Mania.

 

PAGE 13

Panel 1:

Gigantus (the Morganverse incarnation of Giant-Man) brings up the rear as the Morganverse incarnations of the female Avengers arrive: Firemaiden (the Morganverse incarnation of Firebird), Elementelle (the Morganverse incarnation of Crystal), Arachne (the Morganverse incarnation of Spider-Woman), Circe the Sorceress (the Morganverse incarnation of Sersi), Tsarina (the Morganverse incarnation of Black Widow), Priestess Selene (the Morganverse incarnation of Moondragon), Lady Magdalena (the Morganverse incarnation of Magdalene), Lady Marvel (the Morganverse incarnation of Binary), Grimalkin (the Morganverse incarnation of Tigra), Lady Comet (the Morganverse incarnation of Firestar) and Jade Giantess (the Morganverse incarnation of She-Hulk).

It's ironic that Spider-Woman should become Arachne in this reality since that was one of the costumed aliases she considered adopting after gaining her powers, but her government employers gave her the Spider-Woman code-name instead.

 

PAGE 14

Panels 4-5:

Though he served for a relatively brief time as a full active member due to his overwhelming outside responsibilities as Protector of the Universe, Quasar has always been one of the most idealistic and noble of Avengers, greatly inspired by and dedicated to the heroic spirit represented by Captain America and the Avengers; as such, it makes sense that he'd break free and rally to Cap's cause; besides, Quasar's quantum bands are supposed to shield him from mental domination.

Panel 6:

Justice may not be an Avenger, but he has always dreamed of becoming one and is a highly idealistic and moralistic hero whose beliefs were inspired by his idols, Captain America and the Avengers; as such, it's not all that surprising to see him respond to the call. This is also the strongest hint yet that Justice and/or Firestar may be joining the Avengers once this adventure is over, since Justice apparently possesses a stronger sense of the Avengers spirit than most of the Avengers themselves do.

Incidentally, here's a good indicator of the extent to which Justice identifies with Captain America: Justice's future self from an alternate timeline, Vance Astro (of the 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy), wielded Captain America's shield for a time and adopted the Cap-inspired identity and costuming of Major Victory during that period. Like his older self Vance Astro, Justice is very much a would-be Captain America.

Panel 7:

As Captain America's comment indicates, Hawkeye didn't start his costumed career as a member of the Avengers; in fact, he was a wanted outlaw in his early days before joining the team.

 

PAGE 15

Panels 1-5:

Giant-Man, D-Man, Binary, Living Lightning and Iron Man are all beginning to hear the call--as are some of the others, presumably.

Panel 2:

The way Tigra's holding her nose indicates that D-Man is hygiene-challenged in this reality, too.

Panel 7:

It's not surprising that Namor would lash out given his violent temper; it's also not surprising that Morgan's mind spell would have a particularly strong hold on him since, as Atlantean royalty, he has an even more aristocratically superior self-image than Iron Man does. Namor also lacks a truly strong sense of the Avengers team spirit since he was with the group for a relatively brief time and has spent much of his life as a loner anyway.

 

PAGE 16

Panels 6-7:

Again, the sensation detected by Morgan may be a peripheral awareness of Scarlet Witch's magic--or of what Scarlet Witch manages to summon in the last panel of this story. Presumably, what Scarlet Witch has made contact with is the entity she manages to summon at the end of this issue (more on him later).

 

PAGE 20

Panel 1:

Thor is free of Morgan's spell as well, presumably thanks to a combination of his warrior spirit, his Avengers spirit, and the affinity for this era that Morgan observed in him earlier.

Panel 5:

Photon converts her body to blinding light, covering the Avengers' escape.

 

PAGE 21

Panel 4:

Moondragon seems deeply in Morgan's thrall--which isn't surprising since, as a rather ruthlessly self-righteous, self-styled goddess, Moondragon has an even more inflated ego than Iron Man and Namor. As such, she is held firmly by Morgan's spell despite her own formidable mental powers.

Panel 5:

Again, Morgan seems rather absurdly overconfident.

Panel 8:

Longtime Avengers readers will find the spotty red glow in Wanda's eyes familiar since a certain supposedly deceased Avengers member had eyes just like that. A supposedly deceased Avenger by the name of...

 

PAGE 22:

Wonder Man! As noted last issue (when his picture was seen in Avengers Mansion), Wonder Man (Simon Williams) was a longtime Avengers member who seemingly died some time ago when he was blown to bits in battle with alien invaders. Few fans believed the death would be permanent, though, since Wonder Man's body was composed of pure energy and could, as such, conceivably be reintegrated if some force were able to reassemble it--and Wanda's magic seems to have done just that. It's also particularly fitting (and probably no coincidence) that Wanda should be the one to resurrect Simon since Wonder Man was romantically infatuated with her for years, and she briefly accepted his advances after her marriage to the Vision broke up. If any mind could summon Simon back from the dead, it would be Wanda's.

Wonder Man's return will please quite a few Avengers fans since he has retained a following, and his death was deemed implausible and inappropriate by many readers; however, his return certainly comes as no surprise since he has returned from seeming death before (the character has been repeatedly referred to as immortal) and is an acknowledged favorite of Avengers writer Kurt Busiek. Many fans, myself included, were betting on Wonder Man returning sooner rather than later once Busiek took over.