The Avengers Gain a New Writer As the Living Laser Disintegrates Cap's Shield!

This is "From a Different Point of View," a feature where I discuss a comic book series with another writer. In this case, it is CBR's own Eileen Gonzalez who will be going over the history of the Avengers with me, story by story!

We continue with Avengers #35, "The Light That Failed!" by Don Heck and Roy Thomas.

Brian Cronin: Yes, True Believers, after 34 issues of Stan Lee scripting, there is a new scripting sheriff in town!

Brian Cronin: I assume that Thomas is pretty much just scripting here, with Heck presumably following the plot that was set up last issue for the most part.

Eileen Gonzalez: It's a little weird they switched writers in the middle of a two-parter, isn't it? Or did this kind of thing happen a lot?

Brian Cronin: When you have the artist plotting it out, you can swap out scripters fairly seamlessly.

Brian Cronin: Denny O'Neil stepped in for Lee towards the end of Ditko's Doctor Strange run, for instance.

Brian Cronin: So I'm sure Thomas is just finishing things up here, before he really starts taking control in future issues.

Eileen Gonzalez: That makes sense.

Brian Cronin: I love this opening sequence, because it shows how little people thought of Captain America's shield at the time.

Brian Cronin: It was just a shield he carried around.

Brian Cronin: It looked cool, but it wasn't some iconic thing.

Brian Cronin: To the point where they literally have it GET DISINTEGRATED BY THE LIVING LASER'S BOOBY TRAP!

Brian Cronin: Not even the Living Laser himself, but a trap he set for them.

Eileen Gonzalez: I know! That was so weird to see Cap being so blase about his shield falling to pieces in his hand. And then he just gets a replacement later like it's no big deal.

Eileen Gonzalez: He loses his shield but he doesn't break his stride when it comes to giving Hawkeye fancy speeches about perseverance.

Brian Cronin: Hawkeye's development is so hilarious.

Brian Cronin: He's now this super noble guy who adores Captain America.

Brian Cronin: I dig the development, but it's still fun to see it happen fairly dramatically in the last few issues.

Brian Cronin: Maybe he's one of those people who gets really antsy when he's single and now that Black Widow is back, he's more content.

Brian Cronin: Because he's SUCH a sweet guy in these panels.

Brian Cronin: And he's been a dick for a dozen issues or so.

Eileen Gonzalez: Cap is having none of it, though. Hawkeye's being all nice and "I liked working with you!" and Cap is just "Shut up, we'll be fine!"

Eileen Gonzalez: This is not the place for sentiment, apparently.

Brian Cronin: Yeah, Cap is ALL business.

Brian Cronin: Heck is inking himself.

Brian Cronin: So that's obviously harder to do.

Brian Cronin: But, dude, come on, some of these panels are a stretch to even call them half assed

Brian Cronin: Like Goliath going down the basement stairs

Brian Cronin: And there's, like, a HINT of a background

Eileen Gonzalez: And then on the next page there is no background AT ALL, just half a doohickey in the corner. I guess he was busy that month?

Eileen Gonzalez: The buildings that the Living Laser is flying past look a little slapdash too, now that I think of it.

Brian Cronin: On his way to do "random destruction" to get Wasp to want to screw him.

Brian Cronin: You know you're a messed up dude when you say that shit out loud and you still think it makes sense.

Brian Cronin: "Let me go do some RANDOM DESTRUCTION and the Wasp will fall in love with me!"

Eileen Gonzalez: It's especially odd since, as we find out later, he's already got a big master plan in mind. So what is the random destruction for? Warm-up?

Eileen Gonzalez: Speaking of messed up, when Goliath rescues Cap and Hawkeye and realizes Wasp isn't there, he... overreacts. Just a little.

Brian Cronin: Goliath's wall smashes are just the same panel redone each time, right?

Brian Cronin: Let me go look at some examples.

Brian Cronin: My bad, Heck! I was remembering incorrectly.

Brian Cronin: Those are actually all distinct depictions of the same basic act.

Brian Cronin: You win, Heck, I suck!

Eileen Gonzalez: There should not be this many panels of the same guy doing the same move, though.

Brian Cronin: Yeah, that's fair.

Brian Cronin: It's to the point where he's even referring to it as "Wall-Smashing Time."

Brian Cronin: Like it's his thing now, to just break through walls.

Brian Cronin: "There was a door right there, Goliath."

Brian Cronin: "Sorry, this is my bit now!"

Brian Cronin: Avengers Mansion just has big holes in every wall from his bedroom to the front door.

Eileen Gonzalez: Gotta give Tony Stark something to do, I guess.

Brian Cronin: But yeah, as you noted, Goliath (after an amusing line about how mechanics aren't his line...about 20 issues before he invents a self-aware robot) is pretty far gone that his first reaction THAT HE SAYS OUT LOUD is that he should have just let Cap and Hawkeye die and gone to save Wasp first.

Brian Cronin: They all go with the "it's just the heat of the moment" to excuse it

Brian Cronin: But that's just suuuuuuper messed up, right?

Eileen Gonzalez: Everything is fine! He doesn't need therapy or anything!

Brian Cronin: It's funny that Hawkeye's concern is more about being called a "wash-out" and less "I should have left you to die!"

Brian Cronin: "I wish I had stabbed both of you ninnies and watched you bleed to death as I see the light go out in your eyes." "What the hell? Don't call me a ninny!"

Eileen Gonzalez: Hawkeye's priorities have always been a little off.

Eileen Gonzalez: And then they go back to headquarters and Cap promises Goliath he can have first crack at the Living Laser when they find him. Seems like a good idea, if you want the Living Laser to never be seen or heard from again.

Brian Cronin: Didn't Goliath also throw a sharp wooden spear at the Living Laser the other issue?

Brian Cronin: Cap and Hawkeye also had blast arrows ready to go when they were in South America a couple of issues ago, so Cap might just be totally cool with his people doing whatever they thinks needs to get done.

Eileen Gonzalez: I just remember Goliath dropping him out of a tree. Still, Goliath is downright scary when Wasp is in danger.

Brian Cronin: It's interesting that Cap got "he had a crush on Wasp" from what they saw.

Eileen Gonzalez: Maybe he saw something off panel that we didn't, because yeah, that's weird. Men being super aggressive and angry = having a crush?

Brian Cronin: The Living Laser's master plan is so delightfully out there.

Brian Cronin: If you're going to go crazy, then go BIG like this.

Brian Cronin: The Living freakin' Laser is going to conquer a country!

Brian Cronin: By the way, why do the guys he is helping assume they'll learn how his powers work?

Brian Cronin: That seems like a big leap.

Brian Cronin: "We'll hire Doctor Octopus, but when we figure out how to give our own men six metal arms synced to their brains, we'll be able to get rid of Doctor Octopus"

Eileen Gonzalez: Anyone who think it's a good idea to take over a country with the help of a foreign supervillain, especially one who's only been around for two days, is clearly not thinking straight. This whole plot is hilarious and way out of left field. There was no hint of any of this before now, was there?

Brian Cronin: Nope, but we DID see that an Asian country was taken over just from a big robot guy, so I guess that's the precedent?

Eileen Gonzalez: Weirder things have happened!

Eileen Gonzalez: I like the panel where Living Laser is shooting down a plane while reassuring us he's giving the pilot time to get out.

Brian Cronin: Look how rough the next panel is.

Brian Cronin: The guy's face looks barely drawn.

Eileen Gonzalez: Maybe Heck was tired after drawing that tank.

Eileen Gonzalez: Though a lot of faces have looked weird to me this time out.

Brian Cronin: How offensive are these outfits for the revolutionaries

Eileen Gonzalez: I was laughing and offended at the same time. Why are they all dressed like Pancho Villa? This is the funniest panel in the whole comic.

Eileen Gonzalez: And then I love how fast that dictator is willing to step down. "I will never surrender!" "You have no army." "Welp guess I'm toast."

Eileen Gonzalez: This master plan is quickly falling apart.

Brian Cronin: You can't stop the Living Laser.

Brian Cronin: He can just take over every country.

Brian Cronin: How awesome are the Heck panels where he has long conversations occur with them just in the plane?

Brian Cronin: So he doesn't have to draw any characters?

Brian Cronin: That was a big ol' "Oh man, I am so far behind schedule."

Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, there's been quite a few of those, but this one is longer than usual, I think.

Brian Cronin: He doesn't even draw the Laser!

Brian Cronin: Just a laser blast from a window!

Brian Cronin: Man, the Pancho Villa henchmen are just so damn offensive.

Eileen Gonzalez: I also wonder at the usefulness of a bright pink shirt when you're fighting a war with guerilla tactics.

Eileen Gonzalez: These guys are begging to be shot.

Eileen Gonzalez: But hey, the Avengers are back in time for Hawkeye to drop more outdated pop culture references!

Brian Cronin: Should blast arrows really be a go-to when you're fighting people?

Brian Cronin: Cap and Hawkeye are way too willing to blow people up.

Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, Hawkeye brings the whole roof down for no reason.

Brian Cronin: As they say..."Caramba"

Brian Cronin: Sigh.

Eileen Gonzalez: As a Mexican American, I, too, dress like Pancho Villa and say "caramba" on a regular basis.

Brian Cronin: Like, it'd be offensive if they were IN Mexico.

Brian Cronin: But they're not even in Mexico!

Eileen Gonzalez: I guess they thought if they made up a country it wouldn't be offensive.

Eileen Gonzalez: Spoiler alert: it is still offensive.

Brian Cronin: And yeah, as you noted before, Cap just has a new shield out of nowhere and it's such a normal thing that no one even calls attention to it.

Brian Cronin: "Oh yeah, Cap's shield? We got a whole pile of them here."

Eileen Gonzalez: I actually went back and reviewed half the comic looking for the moment where he got his shield back. I thought it would be an important moment, but nope.

Brian Cronin: I just can't get past how offensive the villains are. They're a mix of Pancho Villa and Fidel Castro and no in between.

Eileen Gonzalez: At least we have the consolation of seeing Hawkeye debut his boomerang banshee arrow. Truly a historic occasion.

Brian Cronin: How did the hollowed arrows as snorkels thing work, by the way?

Brian Cronin: Why would they need that?

Eileen Gonzalez: Good question. Once they jumped into the water, it looks like the rebels all just left, so they wouldn't have needed to stay hidden long.

Brian Cronin: Exactly. It's such an odd bit.

Brian Cronin: Also, how amazing was Laser's "I don't know much about women, but I do know about building giant lasers, so that should get me a woman, right?"

Eileen Gonzalez: That bit's hilarious. "I've kidnapped this woman and tried to murder her friends, why doesn't she love me?! Women are so MYSTERIOUS."

Eileen Gonzalez: And then Laser has a chance to finally kill Goliath but doesn't. For some reason.

Brian Cronin: OH MAN! That was SO DUMB!

Brian Cronin: "I want to kill you with the rest of the Avengers, for...reasons"

Brian Cronin: Like, if he wanted to keep him alive, that's one thing.

Brian Cronin: But he plans to kill him!

Eileen Gonzalez: If he'd just killed him with his super special lasers, he could have saved the expense of those super special chains that don't even work.

Eileen Gonzalez: Every villain in this comic is a mess today.

Brian Cronin: Roy Thomas gets his first case of explaining away whatever Heck happened to draw.

Brian Cronin: "Wait, why does he happen to have chains here? I guess I'll have to explain it."

Eileen Gonzalez: I like the little cutaway shot of the tower they're all stuck in.

Brian Cronin: That WAS cool.

Brian Cronin: That made me think, "Huh, I guess Heck isn't totally half-assing this."

Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, there's some neat-looking stuff once in a while, but it doesn't make up for the blank backgrounds or the Pancho Villa henchmen.

Brian Cronin: Agreed.

Brian Cronin: How awesome was it that the rebels were screwed as soon as the giant laser is gone.

Brian Cronin: How incompetent are you as rebels that you can't hold up to "even the few government troops which have not yet surrendered."

Eileen Gonzalez: Especially since it was established earlier that the government's army was in ruins and the dictator was ready to surrender! You really can't follow through?

Eileen Gonzalez: But no, we must flee to the border!

Eileen Gonzalez: And then this democratic army shows up to clean up the mess? Where did they come from?

Brian Cronin: Yeah, it's all a mess.

Brian Cronin: Hopefully once Thomas is in charge of the plots, things pick up, because this is terrible.

Brian Cronin: Also, what's hilarious is that Heck sets up the mystery of where Goliath went earlier in the issue...

Brian Cronin: Thomas then followed through with multiple references to it from Cap ("Where did he go?").

Brian Cronin: And then the big reveal is SET UP BEFORE IT HAPPENS!

Brian Cronin: Isn't that just the biggest plotting fail by Heck?

Brian Cronin: The only point to keep it a mystery is to have a scene like him disappear out of the chains

Brian Cronin: Out of nowhere.

Brian Cronin: And THEN have it explained.

Brian Cronin: Not explain it FIRST.

Brian Cronin: Right?

Eileen Gonzalez: You'd think! This whole storyline was a mess, especially the second half, but spoiling your big reveal is a whole other level.

Brian Cronin: Thomas has some drops, too, though.

Brian Cronin: Like when Heck shows Black Widow mad at Hawkeye.

Eileen Gonzalez: UGH I hate that part.

Brian Cronin: You could easily play it as her being mad at him for vanishing on a dangerous mission without telling her, right?

Brian Cronin: But instead, "You went to a holiday spot without me"?

Brian Cronin: What the what?

Eileen Gonzalez: That still wouldn't excuse her throwing stuff at him, but yeah, it would make more sense if she was reacting to the fear/confusion of his taking off so soon after they were reunited.

Brian Cronin: Oh yeah, it's a hacky scene by Heck no matter what.

Brian Cronin: The dialogue doesn't help, though.

Eileen Gonzalez: I'm also annoyed by Jan and Lucy showing such sympathy for Living Laser. Dude tried to kill a bunch of people and take over a country and you're saying "he was a good man--once" and he did it "out of love for me." ????