Avengers #150

TITLE: The Avengers #150

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

COVER DATE: August 1976

COVER PRICE: $0.25

18 pages


WHAT I REMEMBER...

As I mentioned on the last post, I just recently reread this issue so the events are pretty fresh in my mind. It doesn't help, that this issue serves as a vehicle for reprinting bits and pieces of stories that any Avengers or Marvel fan should know by heart. And honestly, if you don't know what happened in Avengers #4, you should probably just hang it up.

I'll cut the non-Avenger reader some slack if they're unfamiliar with Wonder Man's introduction in #9, and I might even be lenient about ignorance with the first big wholesale line-up change in issue #16 if you catch me on a good day.

And you know what? Today is a good day, because this issue reprints those exact issues. So while we don't get a new Avengers line-up until the next issue, we are treated to some highlights of the first year and half of Avengers history, courtesy of Messrs. Lee and Kirby. If that wasn't enough, we also get a framing sequence by Steve Englehart and George Perez.

Let's get right to it, and in the interest of still having something to say when and if the Randomizer picks issue #9 or 16, I'm going to forgo the full on review and just geek out for the remainder of this issue and soak up all that Lee, Kirby and Perez have to offer.

Since this was the anniversary of 150 issues of The Avengers, let's see if I can find 150 things to geek out about in these eighteen pages. Everybody synchronize your watches, and we're off...

1. Awesome cover by Ron Wilson and Frank Giacoia! That right there is just about the perfect Avengers line-up. Swap out Hawkeye for Hellcat, and I could read about these guys all day long.


2. It only cost two bits!


3. Great issue title. Avengers Assemble! It's also a great catch-phrase, but why does it work as well as it does? It's not like assemble is the most action-packed verb around, and it definitely doesn't translate to other super-hero teams nearly as well. Champions Congregate! Fantastic Four Forgather! Metal Men Muster! It's a true mystery for the ages.


4. Stan Lee


5. Jack Kirby


6. George Perez

I'm probably cheating by listing the creative team separately, but I gotta get to 150 somehow. Besides, those guys are legends and deserve the honor. And while I've acknowledged that I'm playing fast and loose with the rules, these guys ain't nothing to sneeze at either...


7. Steve Englehart


8. John Tartag


9. Duffy Vohland


10. Dick Ayers


11. Denise Wohl


12. Artie Simek


13. I love time travelling villains


14. Irene Vartanoff


15. Archie Goodwin


16. Avengers Trope #41: The assembled mass of people and reporters outside of Avengers Mansion. I love this visual, as it really drives home the accessibility of these heroes. You couldn't do this with a moon base.


17. Yellowjacket. You can keep your Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Wasp, Scientist Supreme, or Dr. Pym identities. To me, Hank Pym will always be Yellowjacket (although I do kinda like the sound of that Scientist Supreme one).


18. Crazy wild coincidence! That just happens to be the 150th different costume that the Wasp has worn in her tenure with the Avengers so far.


19. Another crazy wild coincidence! I think I may have just made that last fact up out of thin air.


20. It's not named here, but one can only wonder if that is Korr that Yellowjacket is riding on.


21. The Wasp's fiery streak! She's come a long way in the past 118 issues.


22. A bonus shout out for referencing continuity from the previous year...and in a Marvel book, no less. Those were the days.


23. Jarvis' striped pants and tails. There's a butler who dresses for success.


24. Avengers Trope #81: Monogrammed chairs! Nothing says super-hero headquarters like monogrammed chairs.


25. Although, for each of them supposedly having chairs "especially reserved for them", it would appear that the Beasts and Hellcats are pretty interchangeable. One can only assume that their decals are waiting if they make the cut into the new line-up.


26. Appropriate that Iron Man's symbol is that of both iron and man.


27. Avengers Trope #68: Overly dramatic resignations!
    
    But I guess when you're dealing with the god of thunder, you should expect a little bluster every now and again.


28. Thor's abrupt announcement leads us to our first flashback to Avengers #1 and the formation of the team, helpfully recapped by the local newscaster reporting from outside. It was pretty awesome that the news station had Kirby on staff to provide some artist's renderings of the action.


29. It turns out, it's actually George Perez that they had on staff. I just checked the panels that I assumed were reprinted from Avengers #1 with the actual issue, but they're not the same. So there you go, a little Perez after Kirby for you. Here's another...


30. I like how Iron Man keeps his options open. You know, just in case this whole Avengers thing doesn't pan out.


31. This was obviously the Hulk from his more verbose, catch-phrase spewing youth.


32. Overly officious membership by-laws.


33. Wait a minute...isn't everyone here? Couldn't you just do a show of hands and get the new chairman installed with an actual mandate behind him? We all know what happens when a leader gets appointed, rather than elected.


34. Here's Perez' take on Kirby's classic scene of a frozen cap from Avengers #4.


35. Followed shortly by a nice Perez ala Heck re-imagining.
    
    
36. There's something right about George Perez drawing Wonder Man. He's one of the few that can make his myriad of questionable costumes seem not quite so questionable.


37. With the flashbacks coming this quickly, it's only a matter of time until we're at the formation of the new Avengers in Avengers #16. And with it, our first glimpse of actual Kirby art.
    
    And not a moment too soon, as the old Avengers seem to be in a spot of trouble!


38. Avengers Trope #92: Nothing says let me onto your team more than an "I just kicked your teams ass" introduction!



39. Hawkeye!


40. Flashbacks within flashbacks. Were there no editors back then. But it's Hawkeye, so we'll give him a pass.
    
    


41. And what of old Jarvis tied up in the corner? No hard feelings I'm sure, but we'll see how quickly your tea and biscuits gets delivered the next time your feeling a bit peckish, eh Hawkeye?


42. ZZZZZZZIT!


43. TWANNNNNG!


44. SSSSSSST!


45. Three arrows loosed from the same bow at the same time, and only one of them sounds like an actual arrow. Although in all fairness, I think that last sound effect is actually coming from the snake that Hawkeye used to tie up Jarvis' legs with, so we're all good. It's probably a good thing he was around to get that snake before something drastic happened, eh?


46. More by-laws! Good thing there's an employee manual to get the new members up to speed.


47. Watch that wandering eye, Jan! You know your man is a bit of a loose cannon, right?


48. One reformed villain joined up, so why not offer a spot to Namor, The Sub-Mariner?


49. Denied!


50. He'd come around in about a hundred issues or so, and end up palling around with the Avengers for a good few years. I actually have a lot of love for Namor in the Avengers as his arrival came right around the time I started reading the books on a regular basis.


51. Don't fret Iron Man, there's plenty of b-list villains hanging around that are just dying to join up.


52. Old-timey social networking at its finest. I long for the days when you could have a membership drive using the want ads.


53. Quicksilver's hair, the beta-testing for Logan's hairdo.


54. Self-deprecating Stan.
    
    I guess even Stan gets tired of Magneto boasting in those early issues, as we have yet another flashback in a flashback dealing with the origin of Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch.


55. Old-timey social networking at its finest, part two.
    
    I guess the equivalent today would be tweeting your request for membership to #avengersmemberdrive.


56. Quicksilver has lovely penmanship for someone who, and I'm only assuming here, writes really fast.


57. Captain America fighting jungle beasts! Why? Who cares, as we've had a real lack of action in this issue.


58. If only he would've fought a gorilla, we would've come full circle from our last post.


59. I guess this is still early in Cap's career, as he hasn't mastered the art of ricocheting his shield back to him with every throw. There's nothing more foolish than a super-hero picking his shield up off the ground.


60. Back in the states, Cap is still on his jungle high and looks to avoid the assembled reporters in true, man of action style.
    
    Surely there has to be a secret door somewhere, eh?


61. Reunions!
    
    Just because the other Avengers are kid-sized to Giant-Man, shouldn't give him permission to treat them as such.


62. Time-travelling villains! Although isn't there some sort of paradox being violated by having two disparate versions of the same character commenting about the same thing in real time?


63. Did I mention that I love time-travelling villains? Maybe I'll go back in time and mention it there too!


64. The drama...oh, the drama!


65. Really Rick Jones? I mean really? (with apologies to Seth and Amy)


66. Tip for Rick Jones on getting into the Avengers. Try robbing a bank or subjugating mankind first. It seemed to work out all right for the new line-up.


67. I think Tony Stark is the poster child for personal reasons.


68. Overly dramatic exits...


69. ...and new beginnings!

And that brings the 150th issue extravaganza to a close. Let's see how we did on our quest to find 150 interesting things about Avengers #150. After totaling up the judges scores, it looks like we got to 69...so close, so close.

Lucky for you, you won't be going home empty-handed. That's right, along with the home version of the Random Longbox board game, every reader will also be going home with the identity of the new line-up that was teased in this very issue, but never revealed.

Here it is, enjoy...

(oh, and spoilers I suppose, for those of you not up on your 34 year old continuity)

As far as line-ups go, it doesn't get much better than that.

All characters and artwork reproduced are (c) Marvel Comics

The West Coast Avengers #23

TITLE: The West Coast Avengers #23

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

COVER DATE: August 1987

COVER PRICE: $0.75

22 pages


WHAT I REMEMBER...

Now, the West Coast Avengers...I have a lot of love for the West Coast Avengers. The funny thing is though, is that that the title has always been mediocre at best. Aside from the Byrne run in the 40's and 50's, and Roger Stern's original mini-series, I can't really think of another run on this series that sticks out for me. I'd probably give Roy and Dann Thomas the benefit of the doubt for the longevity of their run, and for the fact that they kept a personal favorite of mine around in the form of U.S.Agent.

So why does this title generate so much good will in my collection? First off, I've always assumed for the last decade or so that X-Factor was the first new title launch that I collected as a week-in and week-out comic book buyer. That turns out to not be true, as West Coast Avengers beat it to the punch by almost six months.

I'm sure that's part of it.

The other thing, is that it always featured some of my favorite Avengers.

Hawkeye? Naturally.

Vision? I, for one, loved the pale-Byrne Vision.

Scarlet Witch? I always dug her hex powers.

U.S.Agent? The Damian of the Avengers.

The Great Lakes Avengers? Their debut issue is one of my favorite books from the 80's.

These were all characters that didn't have their own book, so most of the time this title was the only place you could catch 'em.

But we're here to talk about this issue, and to tell you the truth, when I reread it to prepare for this review it turns out that I had literally no memory of this issue whatsoever. I'm sure the only reason that I remember the Mockingbird/Phantom Rider showdown was that it has gotten so much play in the recent issues of Hawkeye & Mockingbird.

So how could this issue have slipped through the cracks so completely, on a title that I generally read month in and month out? Let's find out...

Showtime!
Lost in Space-Time: Conclusion!

• Writer: Steve Englehart
• Penciller: Al Milgrom
• Inker: Romeo Tanghal
• Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
• Colorist: Christie Scheele
• Editor: Mark Gruenwald
• Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

As you can tell from the title of this issue, this is the last chapter dealing with a time-strewn team of Avengers. Hawkeye and that gang are stuck in ancient Egypt, while Mockingbird's being stalked in the old west, and the only one that can save them is Hank Pym and some WCA also-rans. And here we get my first clue as to why this issue is such a cypher to me. Hank Pym comes to the Fantastic Four for help, but why he comes dressed in disguise is beyond me.

That disguise is so good, it totally made me forget this meeting (or anything else about this issue) ever happened.

But seriously, doc...who told you that Phantom Stranger meets Where's Waldo was a good look? Fortunately for him, that's not the worst costume design in this issue.

With his help, Mr. Fantastic soon fixes up the FF's time machine so that Hank and company can act on a clue left for them by Hawkeye from over 5000 years in the past. Off they go, leaving the FF to look after Hank's fancy new Quinjet that's been outfitted with an artificial intelligence based on a loyal ant that he had known named Korr.

How could I have possibly not remembered that? It just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Now, remember that costume I mentioned earlier? Let's catch up with Avengers in ancient Egypt.

Look at that awesome costume on Wonder Man...and by awesome, I mean horrible.

Anything that makes this look downright dapper by comparison is a lost cause.

So the Avengers are on the run in Egypt, and end up taking refuge in a local temple. Coincidentally enough, it's the temple of the shunned god Khonshu, patron saint of Moon Knight. Trapped in the temple, with no hope of rescue anytime soon, Hawkeye sets out to build some weapons with which to arm the acolytes for the oncoming siege from the restless natives.

Wait a minute...Did that statue just wink at Hawkeye?

Two pages of tedious recapping of Moon Knight's origin later, we find out exactly why Khonshu was so keen on Hawkeye. He was only using him for his toys.

That's right...Hawkeye created the weapons that were handed down millenia later to Moon Knight. How could I have forgotten about something as random, coincidental, and completely out of the blue as that? I actually know the answer to that question, as I've never been able to muster up much enthusiasm for Moon Knight. I'm sure I probably saw these two pages and flipped forward until I got to the good stuff.

And speaking of good stuff, here's Mockingbird having her big throw down with the Phantom Rider. I don't feel quite comfortable cracking wise about her plotline here, so let's let her have her moment of vengeance and move on.

We're back to the present, just in time to catch up with Mr. Fantastic sending Hank Pym, Moon Knight, and Firebird Espirita back to rescue Hawkeye and crew.

It's nice to know that you can always count on Reed to help send you through time when you need it. He may have a snide comment or two about you after you leave, but he's got your back.

Now that we have a working time machine, this issue should be wrapped up in no time. A quick jaunt back to ancient Egypt sees the West Coast Avengers reunited. Unfortunately, most of their reunion is taken up with the Priests of Khonshu speaking gibberish about prophecies and fists and vengeance...and honestly, I just can't be bothered to wrap my head around it.

I'm with you Hawkeye, let's get movin' already.

Trading in his time machine for a form of transportation more appropriate to the old west, Hawkeye swoops in and rescues his girl.

Now, with the team finally reunited as a whole, they're off to the time stream one last time to head back to the present and deliver a good smack down to Dominus for sending them all back to the past in the first place.

SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN...

A couple of things, actually.

First, don't piss off Mockingbird. She'll take you down. Just ask the Phantom Rider, it's a long way down.

Second, don't underestimate Hawkeye. No sooner are you stuck in the past, and he figures out a way to get help that would do Grant Morrison proud.

Third, don't let Hank Pym or Wonder Man help you with your wardrobe. Ever.

I gave this issue a fair amount of grief during the review, but it wasn't that bad. It's biggest sin is probably that it's decidedly average on most counts. The only aspect of this issue that's had any lasting effect is Mockingbird's story, and that gets a scant four pages. All the rest is Hank and his crew talking about the emotional journey they've been on, and why this time they're good enough, smart enough, and doggone it people like them! And then there's all of that Khonshu nonsense.

So yeah, not much to see here. If you really want to know about Mockingbird's vengeance, pick up the Hawkeye & Mockingbird trade as you'll get a much better story out of it.

All characters and artwork reproduced are (c) Marvel Comics

How I spent my new comic book-less Christmas vacation

So it would appear that the world is still spinning and time is marching forward after being forced to go without an official Comic Book Wednesday this week. Yeah, we had Blackest Night #6, but when was the last time you left the comic book store with only one book? That's not a comic book day, that's a comic book minute.

Hopefully you had a store as cool as Back To The Past in Redford, Michigan to help ease your pain like I had. These guys took it upon themselves to make it worthwhile to stop in and pick up your one measly book. They had grab bags packaged of 15 random comic books for ten bucks each, and randomly mixed into those were 20 silver and bronze age books, the grandaddy of which was a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1.

Seeing as how I'm used to spending about $30 a week, I bought my copy of Blackest Night as well as two grab bags. At the very least, some more random comic books would be good for the blog, and who doesn't need a copy of the holy grail of X-books?

So did I win it?

No, but I did manage to get lucky and got something pretty cool.

The Invincible Iron Man #1

You can tell by the scan that it's not a Near Mint copy by any means, and I think calling it Very Good is even a stretch. I've never really collected Iron Man as a solo-character before, but I'll take a key book from one of the founding Avengers any day of the week. In fact, I actually think I'm ready to start liking Iron Man again. Civil War is far enough back in the rear-view mirror that I don't have to choke down any bile just mentioning it. Hopefully, Siege will put things right, but if I get burned again with my beloved Avengers...

So on to the task at hand today, which is to pick the first random book to review of 2010! Since I just so happen to have a stack of thirty brand new random comic books right here, we'll break format just slightly to pick a book from my two grab bags. Take it away Randomizer...

...and that book is Joker: Last Laugh #2 from December 2001, published by DC Comics!

I like to think I have a pretty good passing knowledge of what happens in the DCU, but I have no idea what this mini-series is all about. It's got a trade dress reminiscent of the Tangent line of books, but it wasn't a part of those. I then thought for a second that it was part of Emperor Joker, but that was earlier than this was.

I checked my database, and I actually have the first issue of this six-issue series. It obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me if I didn't pick up any subsequent issues. The random gods were also kind to me, and gave me the next issue in line so I wouldn't have any additional holes in my collection.

It's written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty, so it should at least be competent enough. The big draw, however, is that it is pencilled by Marcos Martin! His work on Doctor Strange: The Oath was absolutely fantastic, and definitely put this guy on my radar of creators to watch out for. Who knew that he had been drawing books pretty regularly since 2003?

I'm looking forward to seeing how his earlier work stacks up to his recent stuff, so check back in a day or two for the review.

X-Statix #25

TITLE: X-Statix #25

PUBLISHER: Marvel

COVER DATE: September 2004

COVER PRICE: $2.99

22 pages


WHAT I REMEMBER...

I'm pretty sure that this title was one of the last X-Titles that I ever really enjoyed. Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men had just wrapped up a couple of months before, while this title was winding down. It would be the last time I actually looked forward to reading about Marvel's Merry Mutants!

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, as there have been a couple of bits of good stuff in the last five years. Like Peter David's Madrox mini and one or two of Mike Carey's issues. But the good is far outweighed by issues both bad and mediocre, best exemplified by the storyline whose name I dare not speak for fear that even that will acknowledge it's place in continuity (psst..it's The Draco, but don't let anyone know I told you).

If my fascination with all things X had to end, I suppose Morrison, Milligan, and Allred were the perfect messengers with which to lay them to rest. They both took wildly different directions to tell their stories. Morrison took the core concept and amped it up about 1000%, while Milligan and Allred took the core concept and through it out the window.

I fear that the X-Titles will never be as good as they were at this time. But then I thought that back when Claremont originally left in the early 90's, so hope springs eternal. But for now, let's relive the last great days of the mutants.

The Good And The Famous

• Writer: Peter Milligan
• Pencils: Mike Allred
• Inks: Nick Crane
• Colors: Laura Allred
• Letters: Blambot's Nate Piekos
• Color Assisting: Jennifer Lee
• Editor: Axel Alonso
• Chief: Joe Quesada
• Publisher: Dan Buckley

This issue is part five of five of the big throwdown with The Avengers. All you basically need to know to bring you up to speed is that Doop (the globulous green guy on the cover) was kidnapped. While in custody, his brain explodes and scatters to the far corners of the earth. Fearing that his brain could be used as a weapon in the wrong hands, The Avengers decide that they must track the pieces down. They really don't trust X-Statix, so five issues of wackiness ensues.

The story is told in the old Justice League of America style, with the team splitting up to achieve individual goals, before coming back together. In the previous issues, there was Captain America vs. the Anarchist...Dead Girl vs. Scarlet Witch...Mr. Sensitive vs. Iron Man...Hawkeye vs. Vivisector...Ant Man vs. Venus Dee Milo. I'm not going to tell you who won, as you'll just have to dig your old issues out and reread 'em again (you do have them, right?).

At the beginning of this issue, the Avengers have three pieces of Doop's brain while X-Statix only have two. As you can see from the cover, the last battle is between Doop and Thor.

A piece of Doop's brain has found itself on mighty Asgard. Doop and Venus Dee Milo teleport there to find it, but are waylayed by Thor, who is after the brain for the Avengers. One whack by Mjolnir puts Doop down for the count, while Thor continues his search.

It doesn't take long for the citizenry of Asgard to bring the brain to Thor, but no sooner does he have it in his grasp when he is sucker punched by Doop. Thor wrestles free from Doop's grasp and hurtles Mjolnir at Doop. To his surprise, Doop absorbs the hammer into his body.

Boasting about the taste of Thor's hammer, Doop is unsettled as Thor begins to summon Mjolnir to return to his grasp. Instead of vomiting up the hammer, Doop shows that he is not to be underestimated by regurgitating a horde of hammers. While Thor attempts to find the real Mjolnir, Doop claims his brain as his own once again.

As Thor attempts to summon Mjolnir, all of the hammers begin to rise and rocket upwards, bringing down the walls around them. Doop drops the brain in all the excitement, and it is Thor's once more.

All of the destruction taking place on Asgard has awoken the Fatal Sisters, three long dead valkyriur who have been summoned by the call of battle. And arise they have, trampling the Odinson in their path, causing him to drop Doop's brain.

Doop takes possesion of his brain once again, but if he thought he had regained the upper hand, think again.

Standing in front of him know are the rest of the Mighty Avengers...Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Ant Man.

They claim that they are here to help Doop, but only if he surrenders his brain to their custody. While Doop ponders their request (i.e. demand), Thor returns with a grave warning. The matter of Doop's brain will have to wait, for the awakened Fatal Sisters are on their way to earth to reclaim the world of man for Asgard.

They won't have to take them on by themselves, however, as the rest of X-Statix are teleported to Asgard by Venus Dee Milo. In classic Marvel style, the two teams of heroes realize that they shouldn't be fighting each other after all, as a common foe needs their attention.

The sheer might of the thirteen assembled heroes convinces the Fatal Sisters that now is not the time for their battle, as they return to their slumber. Wow, that was easy. But things have a habit of never going smoothly for X-Statix. Captain America is impressed by the way X-Statix put aside their differences to help defeat the Fatal Sisters, but X-Statix being X-Statix, they have some chips on their shoulders that need tending to.

The Vivisector is upset that Hawkeye led him on into thinking they had a future together, while the Anarchist pulls the race card against Captain America. Cap demands an apology, but the only one forthcoming from Tike is his fist.

While it would appear another dust-up is inevitable, Doop starts to go into convulsions. It would seem the back-up brain located in his butt is breaking down. Mr. Sensitive convinces the rest of X-Statix to hand over their pieces of the brain, as the Avengers are the more responsible party and they should allowed to look after Doop.

Captain America is impressed once again by their act of selflessness, and allows them to keep Doop in their custody...for now. Cap pays them a compliment by noticing that they're not quite "the devil-may-care, irresponsible, fame-seeking, image-obsessed poseurs" that they've made themselves out to be.

Little does Captain America know, that he just insulted the entire team. Back at their base, X-Statix begin to reflect on exactly what they want out of the team. It seems everyone is just in it for either themselves, or the fame, or both. As it's suggested that the team disband, everyone falls silent.

SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN...

So here's a bonus fact about this issue...it turns out that this was probably the last issue that I enjoyed reading about The Avengers as well. So that makes this issue a two-fer, and it's a damn good one at that.

Peter Milligan gives us another absurdist issue, all the while playing the Avengers relatively straight. So in the end, we get the best of both worlds. I've always enjoyed Milligan's stories when they run slightly askew, and his run of X-Statix definitely fits that bill. Dare I say it, but he actually made us care for this bunch of characters that were basically one-note gags.

Mike Allred's art has always intrigued me, but for whatever reason I could never seem to keep up with his series Madman. The fact that he kept such a high level of quality for 40 some issues of this team, cemented his place in the Random Longbox hall of fame.

He has only gone on to bigger and better things, continually reinventing his storytelling techniques tenfold. Currently, you can find his work in Wednesday Comics, teaming up with Neil Gaiman on the Metamorpho strip. And if you haven't seen it already, you have to pick up issues #8 and 9 just to see them take the Periodic Table of Elements and transform it into a two-page action scene! Action nerds unite!

Rereading this issue of X-Statix reminded me just how good this series was. There's a serious hole in my hardcover collection that is just screaming for an X-Statix Omnibus. I mean, seriously...if they can publish a Secret Wars II omnibus, they can get around to publishing this one too!

All characters and artwork reproduced are (c) Marvel Comics

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.