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 #26, "The Voice of the Wasp!" by Don Heck, Stan Lee and Frank Giacoia, in his first appearance as an inker in the series.
Brian Cronin: This was during the period where guys who worked for DC wanted to keep their Marvel freelance work a secret, since DC paid more (but more work was more work)
Brian Cronin: So Frank Giacoia is going by "Frankie Ray" here.
Eileen Gonzalez: So many people used pseudonyms in comics for all sorts of reasons.
Eileen Gonzalez: When I first opened this issue, I kinda thought I'd missed something. It feels like we're walking in mid-scene.
Brian Cronin: Well, they're in the middle of yet another fight
Brian Cronin: So this could be any issue
Eileen Gonzalez: You know, I was reading the old-timey slang here and was reminded of the Teen Titans comics from this era, which were VERY heavy on slang. Which was annoying, but at least the Teen Titans were more mature than the Avengers.
Brian Cronin: Yeah, Stan's slang for Cap was weeeeeeird
Eileen Gonzalez: At least let him use '40s slang!
Eileen Gonzalez: Or maybe that IS '40s slang.
Brian Cronin: You're right, the slang is very similar in both books.
Brian Cronin: It's also interesting that we ARE into 1966. It totally slipped past me.
Eileen Gonzalez: The swingin' '60s are in full, uh, swing.
Brian Cronin: I don't know WHAT Heck was thinking with the opening parts of the story.
Brian Cronin: Stan tries to save it, but it's just a bit of a mess.
Brian Cronin: Some gobbly gook about the new security system.
Brian Cronin: And here's the real kicker (and probably a shot at the Marvel Method in general).
Brian Cronin: There's this whole bit about how the computer will only recognize their voices to activate messages
Brian Cronin: So with all of that set-up, wouldn't you think it would play into the later bit where Wasp calls them?
Brian Cronin: But nope.
Brian Cronin: I am glad, by the way, that we got the code that the Avengers use to sign into their messages.
Brian Cronin: That actually DOES play a role later in the story.
Brian Cronin: I loved how Hawkeye cut off Cap as Cap was ONCE AGAIN repeating the whole, "Man, Tony Stark would make a great Avenger" line.
Brian Cronin: I know he was just being a jerk in general, but I like to read that as, "Oh man, not THIS line again."
Eileen Gonzalez: They really should rename themselves the Tony Stark Appreciation Society.
Eileen Gonzalez: As for the tech thing, they keep doing that, don't they? Over and over, the book shows us new gadgets or communication methods for the Avengers to use and then drops them forever.
Brian Cronin: In a mini "Foggy Ruins of Time," Hawkeye is referencing a short-lived, but highly acclaimed, drama series about an inner-city high school teacher with his "Mr. Novak" reference.
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, I definitely had to look that up, haha. Hawkeye's really been laying on the pop culture references lately.
Eileen Gonzalez: Because those age SO well.
Eileen Gonzalez: And then there's more fighting, blah blah blah.
Eileen Gonzalez: For two seconds last issue, it seemed like Hawkeye was maturing, but nope.
Brian Cronin: I really do think it's Heck falling back on the tried and true infighting so that he can fill pages.
Brian Cronin: And it just continues to be WAY.TOO.MUCH.
Eileen Gonzalez: I guess I can't blame him if he was in a hurry--I'd probably do the same--but yeah. We need a new formula now.
Brian Cronin: Wanda's thought balloon about Cap's "plight" reads oddly, no?
Brian Cronin: Who thinks to themselves, "He walks....alone!"?
Eileen Gonzalez: The Avengers are all so dramatic about everything, even inner monologues.
Eileen Gonzalez: And I'm pretty sure you could all help Cap by not starting a fight every fifteen minutes.
Brian Cronin: I'd also like to see what those Wanda "moments" look from the perspective of the others.
Brian Cronin: Where she just starts staring longingly at Cap for long stretches of time.
Eileen Gonzalez: And everyone has to stand around waiting for a minute until she stops daydreaming.
Brian Cronin: Hank and the Wasp tie in from Tales to Astonish #78 and it's fascinating to note that their scenes in this issue together appear almost word for word in that issue, as well.
Eileen Gonzalez: Another time-saver?
Brian Cronin: Possibly, but I also think it was a sales pitch for Tales to Astonish #78.
Eileen Gonzalez: Ah, true.
Brian Cronin: The Wasp is back! Which means, of course, that the Wasp is captured!
Eileen Gonzalez: On the same page, even. Very impressive.
Eileen Gonzalez: Jan's inner fashion designer must be sobbing at her captors' outfits. They are HIDEOUS.
Brian Cronin: "Good thing I'm wearing a bathing suit and not my Wasp costume which is...basically a bathing suit."
Brian Cronin: Also, Jan, Namor resorted to those sorts of traps ALL THE TIME.
Eileen Gonzalez: If nothing else, that panel where Attuma is explaining his plan is pretty great. I love the image of Random City being flooded.
Brian Cronin: It's a brilliant page.
Brian Cronin: Heck at his best.
Brian Cronin: Giacoia, by the way, sort of reminds me of Romita's inks on Heck.
Brian Cronin: I think it works well.
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, I do like the art here. The only thing that made me double-take was the fact that Steve and Hank look exactly the same, but I guess that was just the "standard male superhero" face of the era.
Brian Cronin: There's a hilarious bit in one of those Marvel Year in Reviews from the early 1990s
Brian Cronin: That shows Steve Rogers, Hank Pym and, I think, Jim Hammond all next to each other and it's all the same drawing.
Eileen Gonzalez: Ha! They probably could have added another couple of drawings to that line-up too.
Eileen Gonzalez: Like Hawkeye.
Brian Cronin: Yes! I think Clint WAS in the lineup.
Brian Cronin: Let me just go find it, it's going to drive me nuts otherwise!
Brian Cronin: Ta da!
Brian Cronin: (It also works as a shot at John Byrne, to be frank)
Eileen Gonzalez: Ha! I love that, it's great!
Eileen Gonzalez: And extremely accurate.
Eileen Gonzalez: One funny thing about this issue is that, even though Hank is barely in it, he's still responsible for saving Jan, since he taught her about electro-communications. Because clearly she was incapable of just teaching herself.
Brian Cronin: That's a surprisingly accurate call back, though, to when they fought Kang and Wasp knew enough about electronics to know which cords to pull in his mask, right?
Brian Cronin: But yes, the whole "Hank had to teach me, the stupid girl, to do this" definitely grates
Eileen Gonzalez: Ah yes, she did do that, didn't she? I wish she could do it when she hasn't been captured/is about to be captured
Eileen Gonzalez: She does successfully contact the Avengers, though, so that's something!
Eileen Gonzalez: Even if it's her usual "call up the real heroes to come save the day for me" bit.
Brian Cronin: And we get to see why the Avengers keep running into traps/keep getting infiltrated by supervillains. They're REALLY not big into caution.
Brian Cronin: Cap's almost literally like, "Screw caution! Caution is for wimps!"
Eileen Gonzalez: I love how one of the others was like "Uh, how's Hawkeye going to catch up to us exactly?" And Cap is just like "That's a Hawkeye Problem, now move it!"
Eileen Gonzalez: No planning from the great leader at all.
Brian Cronin: "Just Barrel in and Figure Things Out Later" - the Steve Rogers' leadership Ted Talk.
Brian Cronin: We also get a recurring problem in a lot of the Avengers fights, which is that they just attack bad guys in places that they'e unfamiliar with and this often leads to them being screwed over.
Brian Cronin: "Might this underwater ship not be great for our breathing capabilities? Eh, let's just wing it!"
Eileen Gonzalez: Another problem: Wanda's waffling powers. Just a few issues ago, we were told she can only cast one hex at a time. Now she's casting them left, right and center... and still gets knocked out.
Brian Cronin: No one knows how her powers work!
Brian Cronin: It's like Avengers plot point bingo.
Brian Cronin: B - Infighting out of nowhere
Brian Cronin: I - "Tony Stark would make a great Avenger"
Brian Cronin: N - Wasp needs Hank to tell her how to do stuff
Brian Cronin: G - Wasp gets captured anyways
Brian Cronin: O - No one knows how Scarlet Witch's powers work.
Brian Cronin: I got a BINGO!
Eileen Gonzalez: Bonus points if Quicksilver is the only adult in the room and Cap broods about Bucky and/or needing his own life.
Brian Cronin: There's more than one way to get a bingo!
Brian Cronin: By the way, how much of a snoozer is Quicksilver?
Brian Cronin: Whenever he's by himself, the book crawls to a halt.
Brian Cronin: It's kind of funny how he's so famous now for his jerkish personality, while at the time, he was mostly showing a lack of a personality period.
Brian Cronin: Probably, though, because Hawkeye was bogarting the jerk stories
Brian Cronin: So Quicksilver defaulted to "bland guy with no notable characteristics except maybe being way too into his sister."
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, everyone else has a trait to distinguish them, even if it's not a very good trait (Cap = leader, Hawkeye = jerk, Scarlet Witch = girl). Quicksilver is just kind of there.
Eileen Gonzalez: Although he does fair better against Attuma's men than the others, so he gets some points for efficiency, I guess.
Brian Cronin: I felt bad for him in his fight with Attuma, as Attuma's garish outfit likely startled him a bit.
Eileen Gonzalez: He looks like he pasted a bat to his chest.
Brian Cronin: "Attuma hears that humans are cowardly, superstitious lot"
Brian Cronin: "Attuma shall become...a bat!"
Eileen Gonzalez: Attuma isn't nearly as bright as his outfit, though. He's told that his captive is gone and that people are spreading nasty rumors about him, and he's way more concerned about the rumors.
Brian Cronin: Well, we just saw the other issue, when people started talking smack about Ballgag (or whatever Kang's warlord was named), his power DID fall apart.
Brian Cronin: So I bet we're supposed to think these Atlantean rebels are like that, too.
Brian Cronin: But yes, the absurdity of him reviving his captured enemies, giving them breathing apparatus and having them fight him again is amazing.
Brian Cronin: It also highlights the whole stupidity of their plan
Brian Cronin: "Hey, Cap, why didn't we just bring breathing apparatuses with us to begin with?" "No time! The Avengers aren't timid!"
Brian Cronin: "If only we had Hawkeye's arrows!"
Eileen Gonzalez: Might as well ask for Rick Jones and his ham radio, to be honest.
Eileen Gonzalez: At least they don't quite attack him one at a time like they used to. Progress?
Eileen Gonzalez: At least until Wanda turns it into a pool party. Nice aim there.
Eileen Gonzalez: Hawkeye finally wanders back into the plot.
Brian Cronin: And the code now plays its role in the issue.
Eileen Gonzalez: And so does this new weirdo Stark gadget
Eileen Gonzalez: It helps you remember stuff, but only by putting you in a coma. Yikes.
Brian Cronin: Just because you CAN invent something, Tony, doesn't mean that you SHOULD
Brian Cronin: He really needs to work on that.
Brian Cronin: Hank Pym, too, of course.
Brian Cronin: "Hey, if you CAN invent a killer robot built on world destruction, you gotta do it, right?"
Eileen Gonzalez: They should form a support group. Reed Richards should join too, I suspect.
Brian Cronin: After all, as Cap notes, Avengers are not timid!
Eileen Gonzalez: And neither is the mystery man about to pummel Hawkeye (if we're lucky)!
Brian Cronin: We'll also find out if the character, as drawn here, actually matches the character who shows up next issue!
Brian Cronin: Fun times!
Eileen Gonzalez: So do you think they already knew who it was when they did this panel, or do you think they just decided on that later on?
Brian Cronin: You would certainly hope it is the former
Brian Cronin: But I think it might honestly have been a sort of "winging it" deal.
Brian Cronin: It's not like the person it turns out to be is some super logical guy to show up
Eileen Gonzalez: As you said: fun times!
Brian Cronin: Fun times for next time!