EARTH'S MIGHTIEST ANNOTATIONS by Sean McQuaid AVENGERS (volume 3) # 8 September, 1998 "Turbulence!" By Kurt Busiek & George Perez with Al Vey (inker), Tom Smith (colors), RS/Comicraft/Dave Lanphear (letters), Tom Brevoort (editor) & Bob Harras (editor-in-chief). Avengers Assembled: Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision [II], Wonder Man, Firestar & Justice. Other Characters: Edwin Jarvis, Silverclaw (Maria de Guadalupe Santiago), Demetrius, Moses Magnum, Triathlon & Mister Cawley (FAA official). In her own language, Silverclaw is known as La Garra Argentado. EXTERIOR COVER This issue's cover illustration (drawn by George Perez and colored by Tom Smith) features the Avengers (Justice, Thor, Firestar, Iron Man, Wonder Man, Captain America, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch) gaping at new hero Triathlon. Firestar, Justice and Scarlet Witch are all wearing new costumes that they adopt in this issue. Firestar's outfit differs slightly from the version shown in the story, though. On the cover, she's wearing a yellow shirt under her bodysuit. In the story, she wears a red shirt under her bodysuit. INTERIOR COVER Events from recent issues of Avengers, notably issues five and seven, are recapped. PAGE 1 This is the first revelation of the existence of Edwin Jarvis's foster child, Maria De Guadalupe Santiago, though her existence was hinted at in Avengers (v3) # 5 when Jarvis received mail from Maria's home country, Costa Verde, one of Marvel's many fictional South American republics. PAGE 2 Like the members of the Avengers, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis carries an Avengers communicard. PAGE 3 This is the first appearance of Silverclaw, a.k.a. La Garra Argentado. PAGE 4 Panels 1-5: Firestar and Justice are given new costumes courtesy of the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), an inactive Avengers member whose career as a fashion designer has made her one of the most costuming-conscious Avengers, as well as the Avenger with the widest variety of outfits. Wasp is apparently familiar with the costumes Vance and Angelica originally wore as Marvel Boy (III) and Firestar when they founded the New Warriors, since these new outfits closely resemble those original costumes in terms of basic design. Vance's new Justice costume is very much like his first Marvel Boy outfit, which in turn is based on the costuming adopted in Marvel Two-In-One # 5 by Vance's alternate future adult counterpart, Vance Astro of the 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy. Firestar's outfit is the same basic design as her original suit, but the red flame trim has been replaced by black flame trim; the Wasp has also added a plunging neckline to the costume, much to the dismay of the modest and practical Firestar, who has no intention of wearing an outfit with such a ridiculously large amount of cleavage. It's nice to see a believably real character reject the rather crass comic book convention of flashing as much female flesh as possible. This is also in keeping with Firestar's character, since she's always been portrayed as a quietly sensible person without any exhibitionist tendencies. The cleavage costume seemed inappropriate for her when it was previewed in Avengers (v3) # 4, so it's good to see that Busiek had her balk at wearing it. Her fiancee Justice, on the other hand, seems to like the cleavage just fine judging by his expression in panel 2... Vance's thought balloons in this sequence reveal something that readers of the couple's exploits in New Warriors already knew: that high-level usage of Firestar's microwave radiation powers poses a health risk to both Firestar and those around her. That's one of several reasons why Firestar has been a much less enthusiastic Avengers recruit than Vance. More specifically, it's why she was so reluctant to use her powers at high levels last issue. Panel 6: Behind Vision we can see a portrait of good friends Beast and Wonder Man, as they looked during the long membership stint they served together (most of Avengers [v1] # 154-211). To the right of Vision we can see a portrait of another inactive Avengers member, the Black Panther. PAGE 5 Panels 1-7: Captain America is testing the new energy shield given to him by Sharon Carter in Captain America (v3) # 9. As he says, the replica of his original shield that he'd been using was crushed by Kree soldier Bron Char in Captain America (v3) # 8. Cap's thoughts about having a spare copy of that shield explain how he was using a seemingly undamaged replica shield in Avengers (v3) # 7 after Bron Char destroyed the replica shield in Captain America (v3) # 8. Panels 8-10: The personal matters Thor speaks of are his recent adoption of a new mortal identity, that of paramedic Jake Olson, forced upon him for reasons unknown by the mysterious being known as Marnot. This is covered in more detail in Thor's own ongoing series. PAGE 6 Panels 2-3: It's accepted practice for the Avengers to respect the privacy of their members as long as the team is kept informed of matters affecting a member's Avengers duties. As Cap observes, Thor has done that. The recently departed Warbird, by contrast, tried to conceal her personal problems from the Avengers and was pressured into resigning after those problems began to affect her performance. Panels 4-7: In the wake of Warbird's resignation, her friend and former teammate Wanda is trying to find her and offer some support. Carol Danvers (Warbird) had been living with her parents since returning to Earth (as revealed in Iron Man [v3] # 7), but Warbird has already "moved west" to make a new start by the time Wanda contacts the Danvers home. It's interesting that Warbird decided to move westward since Avengers writer Busiek has sent several other characters in that direction recently, most notably the Thunderbolts. Readers have already been speculating for some time that Warbird might join the Thunderbolts after leaving the Avengers, perhaps as a replacement for similarly powerful but problematic Thunderbolts member Moonstone (II). Panels 8-9: Speaking of the Thunderbolts, their recent battle with old Avengers foe Graviton (in Thunderbolts # 17) attracted some media attention, including coverage from Now Magazine (published by J. Jonah Jameson, better known as editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle newspaper and Spider-Man's most vocal critic). Pictured on this Now Magazine cover are Thunderbolts members Atlas, Jolt, Moonstone (II) and MACH-1. The remaininf current member of the Thunderbolts, Songbird, is presumably also on the cover even though she isn't visible in this panel. The Thunderbolts are slated to appear in issue 12 of the current Avengers series (if not earlier), and the EMA annotations will include more information on the characters then. PAGE 7 Panels 1-3: Hawkeye's reaction to the media coverage of the Thunderbolts is curious. As he himself says, he and Wanda started out as reluctant outlaws who reformed and became super-heroes. As such, it seems odd that he'd begrudge the Thunderbolts a similar chance at redemption, especially since he seemed inclined to leniency when the Avengers first encountered the Thunderbolts. On the other hand, it's true that the Thunderbolts have yet to answer to any authorities for their crimes (unlike Hawkeye and Wanda), and that most of the Thunderbolts were hardened criminals for years (in contrast to the few months that Hawkeye and Wanda were fugitives from justice). More specifically, most of the Thunderbolts are past members of the Masters of Evil, an infamous criminal gang that has often attempted to destroy the Avengers. That gives the Avengers a somewhat personal stake in wanting to see the Thunderbolts brought to justice. The catalyst for Hawkeye's resentment may well be the media coverage of the Thunderbolts itself, since Hawkeye loves the spotlight and hates to see apparently undeserving parties enjoy it. It's also true, as Hawkeye says, that the Thunderbolts' reputation as villains who posed as heroes for criminal purposes (before their currently genuine attempts to reform) will make it more difficult for other would-be heroes to win acceptance if they have a criminal record or reputation, something Hawkeye takes personally since he never would have been able to become a celebrated hero if the Avengers and the public hadn't been willing to give him a chance despite his shady past. Panels 3-7: Vision tries to strike up a conversation with Wanda, but she's so uncomfortable around him now that she callously brushes him off by walking right through him as if he's not there, the same rude reaction she had to his presence last issue. As Vision observes, Wanda has adopted a new costume, albeit one based on her traditional costume design; and as Wanda says, it's an outfit that reflects her gypsy heritage, something she's seemed increasingly conscious of in recent days. More specifically, the costume may have been inspired by the outfit she wore in the Morganverse as the Gypsy Witch, in Avengers (v3) # 2-3. Note the portraits on the wall visible in panels 3 and 6. The portrait on the left, first seen in panel 3, depicts the double wedding at which Mantis married the Cotati Swordsman and Vision married the Scarlet Witch. This illustration is adapted from the cover of Giant-Size Avengers # 4, in which the double wedding took place. The portrait on the right depicts Hawkeye and his late wife, Mockingbird, who died in action as an Avenger member in Avengers West Coast # 100. It's a sadly ironic juxtaposition: Vision trying unsuccessfuly to reach out to his estranged wife, Wanda, against a backdrop of portraits of happily married Avengers, including Vision and Wanda themselves. It's a doubly sad irony when you consider the fact that all the marriages depicted in the portraits have ended: Vision and Wanda have been estranged since Vision's reprogramming, the Cotati Swordsman abandoned Mantis years ago, and Mockingbird's untimely demise has left Hawkeye a widower. PAGE 8 Panel 1: Wanda feels so unhappy and out of place as an Avenger now that she's actually thinking of leaving the team. Her place in the Avengers was rooted in relationships that no longer exist: her marriage to Vision is over, her brother Pietro has long since left the team, her friend Carol has left the group, and her closest remaining friend, Hawkeye, is preoccupied with his work-related frustrations. Panels 9-16: Iron Man and Thor receive Jarvis's distress call in their secret identities as Tony Stark and Jake Olson. PAGE 9 Firestar, apparently, compromised by keeping the Wasp-designed costume but wearing a red shirt underneath it. In this writer's opinion, a black shirt would look better, more unified. Heck, lose the cleavage altogether and just leave the upper region of black decoration unbroken. PAGE 10 Hawkeye respects Cap's leadership enough to keep quiet and follow orders, but there's no disguising the fact that Clint has grown into more of a leader than a follower, and is no longer as comfortable as he once was in a subordinate role. For more on what this might mean for Hawkeye's future, see the "Thunderhawk" supplement to EMA. PAGE 11 Hawkeye's blast arrows are tipped with a plastic explosive, and he has used them since the earliest days of his career. PAGE 12 Panels 1-2: MOSES MAGNUM is the former president of the Deterrence Research Corporation, one of the world's most successful and least scrupulous weapons manufacturing firms. His illegal schemes brought him into conflict with the Punisher and Spider-Man before a battle with Power Man (Luke Cage) hurled him into an active volcano (in Power Man Annual 1). Magnum survived and emerged with superhuman powers (secretly given to him by his unseen rescuers, the subterranean tyrant Tyrannus and his allies, They Who Wield Power). Using his new powers, Magnum became a sort of eco-terrorist who would threaten to cause enviromental disasters if the authorities did not meet his blackmail demands. His first such scheme was thwarted by the X-Men--one of whom, Banshee, single-handedly prevented Magnum's attempted destruction of Japan (in X-Men [v1] # 118-119). Since then, Magnum has apparently returned to his original profession as an international arms dealer. He first appeared in Giant-Size Spider-Man # 4. Since his transformative plunge into the volcano, Magnum has exhibited high-level superhuman strength, the ability to generate energy blasts, and the ability to focus a near-infinite amount of his bodily energy or "magnum force" into any portion of the Earth, producing effects such as massive earthquakes, firestorms or tidal waves. Magnum has delivered ultimatums via holographic projectors before, in X-Men (v1) # 118. Panel 3: An electro arrow, another staple of Hawkeye's archery arsenal, releases a powerful electrical charge on impact. PAGES 13-14: The first appearance of TRIATHLON, a new Busiek-Perez creation who's been getting some advance publicity as a prospective addition to the Avengers, a possibility foreshadowed by the rather chummy dialogue in this sequence about Triathlon liking teamwork and Cap saying he's welcome to it. Right off the bat, Triathlon seems like someone able to work smoothly within the team. While details are as yet unavailable, Triathlon is obviously based upon and somehow related to an obscure Marvel hero known as The 3-D Man. The 3-D MAN was a 1950s hero (published in the 1970s) who came about through the unique merger of two brothers, Hal and Chuck Chandler. Chuck was a test pilot who was abducted by alien Skrulls during an important test flight. Earth is a strategic locale in the ongoing conflict between the alien Kree and Skrull empires, so the Skrulls were seeking information on Earth's space program and had captured Chuck to interrogate him. Chuck resisted and escaped, accidentally causing the explosion of the Skrull spacecraft in the process. While his brother Hal watched, the radiation from the explosion seemingly disintegrated Chuck, who disappeared in a burst of light. Hal later discovered, however, that the light burst had imprinted an image of Chuck on each lens of Hal's eyeglasses. Through concentration, Hal could merge the images and cause Chuck to reappear as a three-dimensional man, clad in an altered version of his experimental flight suit and endowed with physical abilities roughly three times greater than those of an ordinary human. Hal would fall into a trance-like state when Chuck appeared, and Chuck could only exist in the three-dimensional world for three hours at a time before Hal had to awaken. Chuck used his limited time well, though, becoming the costumed adventurer known as the 3-D Man and single-handedly subverting the Skrulls' early attempts to undermine Earthly civilization. Hal would remain comatose whenever the 3-D Man was active, but was aware of the 3-D Man's activities through a sort of mental link. Later, a Skrull's ray weapon altered the transformation so that Hal was the 3-D Man's dominant consciousness for some time. Both brothers' minds seemed to be present in the 3-D Man at all times, but only one of them (usually Chuck) would be in conscious control of the 3-D Man's form on any given occasion. Few people are aware of it, but a team of adventurers known as the Avengers briefly formed in the 1950s before disbanding at the request of the President, who felt the public wasn't ready to learn of them and their exploits. The 3-D Man was part of that short-lived Avengers team, and their rescue of the President from the Yellow Claw helped dispel the 3-D Man's reputation as a dangerous outlaw thanks to the President's influence. The 3-D Man's career wasn't much lengthier than that of the 1950s Avengers. Hal soon decided to retire the 3-D Man, partly because he was thinking about starting a family, and partly because he was afraid his brother's consciousness might somehow be lost during periods when Hal was the 3-D Man's dominant consciousness. Hal settled down into a career as a research scientist, got married and raised two sons. He has only activated the 3-D Man twice in recent years, and Chuck seemed to be its dominant consciousness again. What ultimately became of 3-D Man is unknown, as is how Triathlon is connected to him. There must be a connection, though. They have the same super-powers; they share the triple motif; and Triathlon's costume is similar to the 3-D Man's outfit, albeit with large amounts of black and white added to moderate the garish red-green color scheme. The pointed yellow trim of Triathlon's outfit echoes the yellow triangular emblem on the old 3-D Man costume, as do the triangular patterns on the soles of Triathlon's boots. Triathlon seems to have the same powers as the 3-D Man. If so, he possesses roughly three times the physical abilities and sensory acuity of an ordinary human. According to OHOTMU estimates of 3-D Man's power, Triathlon would be capable of slightly superhuman ("enhanced human") strength and speed. His stamina, durability, agility and reflexes are estimated to be peak human, on a par with Captain America. The 3-D Man first appeared in Marvel Premiere # 35-37. He later appeared in What If? (v1) # 9 and the Marvel Super-Heroes Contest of Champions. Hawkeye is using gas arrows, though it's not clear what kind; in the past, he has used arrows that release a variety of gases, including knockout gas, tranquilizer gas, tear gas and so forth. PAGE 15 Captain America mentions hours spent training against Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson), an adventurer who was transformed into a cat-woman by the Cat People, giving her superhuman strength, agility, equilibirum & sensory acuity in addition to a furry, cat-like physique with claws and, later, a tail. Tigra joined the Avengers in Avengers (v1) # 211, during Cap's chairmanship, but served only a brief term before resigning in Avengers (v1) # 216. That, presumably, is when she and Cap trained together. She later became a founding member of the western Avengers roster, serving on and off until she downgraded to reserve status indefinitely in Avengers West Coast # 74. She last worked with the team in Avengers (v3) # 1-4. Greer first appeared as the Cat in The Cat # 1, and was transformed into Tigra in Giant-Size Creatures # 1. PAGE 16 Ironically, the radiation-proof wrapping used to ensnare Firestar is similar to a device the Avengers themselves used to ensnare the Radioactive Man in Avengers (v1) # 6. PAGE 17 Panel 1: Wanda's refusal to employ Simon as a weapon comes as no real surprise, since she's been increasingly uncomfortable with using Simon in that capacity. Some readers had been wondering how long she, Cap and the other Avengers could keep taking such a cavalier approach to Wonder Man's murky status, letting him languish in his undead state while using him as the team's emergency secret weapon. Panel 2: Cap muses on how he can't remember a time when the team was so troubled and fractious, but that seems more than a little exaggerative considering the sort of internal tensions the Avengers have coped with in the past. Hawkeye's feeling confined, Wanda's feeling depressed, Firestar's a reluctant adventurer and Warbird quit, but the Avengers have been through worse than this. Perhaps the Warbird business really shook Cap up; whatever the reason, he seems to be losing perspective here. Interesting, too, that Triathlon comes to Cap's rescue just as Cap is musing about how screwed up he thinks the Avengers have become. Not a bad first impression for a prospective member to make... Panel 3: As Cap says, Magnum's been involved in earthquake threats before, such as his attempt to destroy Japan with a massive earthquake in X-Men (v1) # 118-119. PAGE 20 A worried Wanda wonders how Cap will react to her refusal to hex up Simon, and her thoughts turn to Carol being expelled after Warbird proved unable to use the full range of her powers. Wanda, by comparison, is unwilling to use the full range of her powers (namely, her ability to reanimate Wonder Man). The situations differ, though, whether Wanda appreciates the difference or not: Carol was expelled in part because she tried to conceal the state of her powers from the team. Wanda, at least, has been honest about no longer wanting to conjure Wonder Man on demand. PAGE 21 Jarvis's foster child is revealed to be Silverclaw. As such, she may be another of the new Busiek-Perez heroes slated to become a presence in the Avengers series. Comments from Brevoort & Busiek have indicated that there might be a few such characters, but until now Triathlon was the only such character known to the readers. PAGE 22 Panels 4-5: Justice berates himself for being bested by men with guns, but Firestar and Thor reassure him, reminding him that even Cap needed help against their foes. Justice's self-abusive perfectionism is a lot like that of his idol, Captain America. Panel 7: Firestar inquires as to the welfare of Wanda. It's interesting to note that newcomer Angelica's the one to take notice of Wanda's pain, just as Wanda seemed to take notice of Firestar's distress last issue. One could see a friendship developing between these two, given time: both are reluctant mutant heroines dragged into super-teams by loved ones, both have aspired to a quiet domestic life, and Busiek seems to be playing them as two of the more empathetic Avengers. Panel 8: In an admission echoing the comments of some readers, Cap said he should have been more sensitive to the awkwardness of Wanda's situation earlier; instead, he failed to consider the effect that reanimating Simon might be having on her. PAGE 23 Panels 1-2: Wanda has often wanted little more than a quiet family life. It was her brother Pietro (Quicksilver) who pressured her into joining the Avengers in the first place, and it was the surrogate family Wanda found in the Avengers that made her stay with the group: her husband Vision, and close friends such as Jan (the Wasp), Carol (Warbird) and Hawkeye. But with Pietro gone, Vision estranged, Jan absent, Carol resigned and Hawkeye preoccupied, there is no longer a comforting family structure for Wanda within the Avengers. And unlike some of her teammates, she has no strong inclination to adventure or heroism. So with her Avengers "family" gone, it's only natural that Wanda has begun to question her place in the Avengers. Wanda's description of the current situation as a "new era" in which "everything's different" may be Busiek's way of trying to foreshadow future changes in the Avengers status quo. If mainstays such as herself and Hawkeye are considering leaving the team, a new era of sorts may indeed be in the offing, perhaps including newcomers such as Triathlon and Silverclaw. One doubts Wanda will leave for long, though, since she has so many unresolved plotlines in the Avengers series, principally her connections to Simon and the Vision. Panels 3-4: As indicated in issues 4 and 7, Wonder Man will appear to Wanda in times of emotional need as well as moments of physical danger. Panels 5-7: Wanda and Simon kiss, and by the looks of their passionate clinch, they may be initiating full-blown sexual intercourse (a relationship they've engaged in at least once before according to Wonder Man's ongoing series, despite the fact that Wanda has usually rejected Simon's advances). Wonder Man can alter his form at will, so he'll presumably have no problem servicing Wanda's sensual needs despite being composed of ionic energy. And if Simon only appears to Wanda in times of need, one is tempted to wonder if a carnal encounter is something the long-sulking Scarlet Witch may well have needed... Panels 8-10: Vision enters to check on Wanda, sees the lovers, and retreats without a word as if he'd never been there. It's a heart-rendingly sad scene as Vision doubtless believes that he's finally, truly lost Wanda for good, seeing her in the arms of his rival, Wonder Man. Note the light that flares in Vision's eyes just before he vanishes: Vision may be taking this setback gracefully for the moment, partly because he's repressing his newfound capacity for emotion (trying to deny his pain) and partly because there's no dignified way to intrude on a scene like this, but there's undoubtedly emotional fire in the Vision's eyes as he sees his wife and his erstwhile twin brother making love. This is a scene that will doubtless have dramatic consequences in future stories.