Avengers #9 (October 1964)

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! In honor of the miniseries Wonder Man, I thought I'd take a look at his first appearance in the comic books. 

Simon Williams has actually been around for quite a long time. In fact, 2026 is his 62nd anniversary. He has been regarded as a stalwart member of the Avengers, most notably in their 1970s heyday and in my favorite era of the team, the Kurt Busiek era. He's also been a founder of the first incarnation of the West Coast branch. He's also appeared in other media, like the Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series, the MODOK animated series, and as I mentioned earlier, he was portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the titular MCU miniseries. 

So, how did it all start? Let's find out in Avengers #9!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers piece. It's pretty cool. It depicts Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil empowering Wonder Man, with the heads of the Avengers looming over it. My only real critique of the covers is the Avengers' faces. It would be nice if they showed fear or at the very least concern about this strange new character in their midst.

"The Coming of the...Wonder Man!" 
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciler: Don Heck
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Art Simek
Colorist: Stan Goldberg
Editor: Stan Lee
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story begins with Steve Rogers, aka the original Captain America, seemingly attacking his old foe from World War II: Baron Heinrich Zemo, father to future Avengers villain and Thunderbolt Helmut Zemo. However, it's only in his head. 

"HE ATE MY ICE CREAM! I'LL KILL HIM!"

I do find it funny that Iron Man, Giant-Man, and Thor have trouble holding Steve back. Rogers still wants Zemo's head, but the thing is after the events of Avengers #7, Zemo fled in a ship. He could be anywhere...even in the Twilight Zone. 🎵 Help, I'm slippin' into the Twilight Zone... 🎵

Right, right. In actuality, Zemo has headed to his hidden jungle kingdom located in the Amazon rainforest, where he's been living since the war. With him is his allies, Skurge the Executioner and Amora the Enchantress. And he's hatched a new plan to take down Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Part of that plan? A trip to New York City.

Nope, the three are not planning some sightseeing, although Amora and Skurge doing that would be pretty funny. Their actual mission is to recruit a man who got himself into a bit of legal trouble.

"We also have an excellent dental plan."

Meet Simon Williams, the MCU's newest star. An industrialist by occupation, his company (Williams Innovations) was going under thanks to the innovations of Stark Enterprises, so he ended up committing embezzlement in desperation. And he got caught. A disguised Enchantress and Executioner offer him the chance to get some payback on Stark. 

They bring him to Brazil, where Zemo makes him a guinea pig. He pumps Simon's body full of ionic radiation. Now, being pumped with lots of radiation would normally kill a man. So, Simon's dead, right?

Simon and death would become acquainted, but not on this day. Instead, Simon is transformed. He's bigger, stronger, tougher. He is a wonder, man!

"'Wonder Man' is still a better name than 'Big W Guy', you have to admit'."

Amora gets...very impressed with him, let's just say.

Skurge isn't happy about that, naturally. So, what's the plan here? Well, Zemo figures that maybe the best way to destroy the Avengers is from within. Simon will join the Avengers...and then break them up...somehow. I have no idea. I'm betting Zemo is just making this up as he goes.

My guess is he'll try to earn their trust and turn them against each other. Simon's a lot of things, but he has never struck me as the manipulative type. Anyway, we get a scene with Simon showing off his new powers. He's got incredible strength, tough as nails. He's even strong enough to wrestle Skurge into a river. Keep in mind, Skurge is half-Asgardian, and half-Jotunn. As in, half-Storm Giant. He's no stereotypical 90-pound weakling.

Simon may be a powerhouse, but that power comes at a price: The ionic energy will kill him in a week. However, Zemo has a treatment for it, and as long as Simon stays loyal, he'll get it. 

Later, Zemo's Masters of Evil brawl with the Avengers as they try to steal a company's payroll.

Simon makes his debut, seemingly easily thrashing the Masters.

"This was not what Amora had in mind when she wanted Simon to take her for a spin."

Zemo flees, happy the plan seems to be working. Simon introduces himself to the Avengers and gives them an altered version of his origin story: He was a man captured and experimented on by Zemo. Captain America smells a rat. 

It's not hard to see why. Cap knows Zemo. Zemo certainly has the scientific expertise to give Wonder Man his powers, but he certainly isn't stupid. He would have anticipated Simon trying to escape. Amora casts a spell to dampen Cap's suspicions...and also announce that Simon is dying of a rare disease. The Avengers are happy to help. They get to work finding a cure using their expertise.

"We're going to science this guy so hard!"

A few days pass. Simon reports in, wanting the antidote for his radiation sickness. He's also managed to capture the Wasp and brings her to the Masters. Simon tells the Avengers that they were captured by Zemo. Naturally, the unaware heroes race to the rescue. 

Zemo deals with Iron Man thanks to a giant magnet. Like the one Jim likes to use against ROM. Captain America and Thor come to the rescue. Wonder Man, able to match the Thunder God in power, KOs him and traps him under a boulder. Giant-man tries to help, but Wonder Man brings him down with the help of a boulder. Before he goes unconscious, Hank is able to smash the magnet, freeing Iron Man. 

Cap gets ambushed by Zemo with a stun-gun. Iron Man engages Simon, but the Wonder Man is able to beat the Armored Avenger into a mountainside. But the armor is made of stern stuff, and he's able to fight Simon. As this brawl goes on, Simon notes that the Avengers only seem to fight harder when the odds are against them, like being the underdog fuels them. Thing is, he's fighting for his own life (literally), and he must win. Amora makes that happen by putting a sleep spell on the Shellhead.

With the Avengers beaten, Zemo calls for them to be killed. Simon notes that they don't have to. They can just be captives. After all, they beat the Avengers once, they can do it again. Zemo tells Simon not to question him, as he can keep the ionic man alive. Simon thinks back to when the Avengers tried to help him. They did it without asking for anything in return, not because they wanted to have something over him. He was just simply someone in need, and they had the resources to try and help. This seems to spark a realization in the future Avenger.

This inspires Simon to embrace his inner hero. He destroys the ray machine that Zemo intended to use to execute the Avengers. He then moves to free Thor and gets tackled by the Executioner. Zemo activates a self-destruct device for his lair. The Avengers manage to escape.

The group then find a dying Wonder Man. Tony asks him why he betrayed the Masters. Simon tells them that he wanted to do one noble thing before the end. The story ends with Simon seemingly dying in Stark's arms.

I enjoyed this comic. What I found interesting about it was that this whole plot was a done in one issue story. In modern comics, Simon's intended betrayal and eventual heroic sacrifice would be an on-going subplot. Yes, the comic does establish that the events of the story do take place over several days, but it does feel like it was all in a very short time. I also really liked the scene of the Avengers working to help Simon. I've got nothing against the omnidisciplinary scientist trope in fiction, but it's nice to see here that while the Avengers did have a few brainiacs on their team, they are experts in different areas. Donald Blake was a doctor. Hank Pym was a biologist. Tony Stark is an engineer. Makes them seem more unique as characters. And of course, Simon turning out to be a better man than it was thought. 

I do think the dialogue was a bit awkward at times, most notably Tony's last words about Simon being a "mix of good and evil". Also, Don Heck's art comes of a bit...grittier than what was expected of a Silver Age artist. It also really needed the narration to tell what was going on at times. I liked the jealous face he drew for Skurge. Really showed the emotion well. 

It would turn out that reports of Simon's death were greatly exaggerated. Later issues would reveal that Simon was actually in a coma-like state, and that Hank Pym had recorded Simon's brain patterns to hopefully revive him one day...which would be used by Ultron to rebuild the body of Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch into the Vision. Simon's "death" would drive his brother Eric into becoming the villainous Grim Reaper, beginning a years-long grudge against the Avengers. The 1970s would become a heyday for Simon, as he returns to life, fully joins the Avengers (in which he becomes friends with Beast), and has been associated with the group since. You can read more about his history here.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 1: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

U.S.Avengers #1 (January 2017)

If anyone has read my blog, they'd know that one of my absolute favorite superhero teams is the Avengers. Thanks to Kurt Busiek and George Perez, I was fan of Earth's Mightiest Heroes long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe made them a household name. 

One of the most interesting things about the Avengers is how the roster has evolved and changed over the 63 years of the team's existence (Yes, 2026 is the Avengers' 63rd Anniversary). Not just that, but the spin-offs the team has had over the years. West Coast Avengers, Solo Avengers, etc. Heck, there's a joke team called the Great Lakes Avengers. These spinoffs have allowed many heroes say they proudly have worn the Avengers' iconic "A" logo over the years. 

The Avengers have had an incredibly diverse roster over the years. And I'm not just talking about gods and aliens and robots. They've had members from all over the world, all different colors, creeds, and even sexual orientations. As such, I thought I'd look at an Avengers comic for my first review of 2026.

Avengers spin-off teams tend to have a gimmick. For example, the West Coast Avengers' gimmick was they were based in California. This team, the U.S.Avengers, is meant to have a theme of American patriotism. British writer Al Ewing wanted to explore American patriotism and its relationship with American citizens. So, let's take a look at U.S.Avengers #1! 

The cover is a Paco Medina, Juan Velasco, and Jesus Abertov piece. It's a basic cover, showing the roster of the team, but it is well-drawn. Also, it gives me the vibe of an American action movie poster. 

The story begins with...a flashback.

It's being told by Roberto da Costa. He talks about the day he wanted to be an American. The flashback shows him watching Magnum PI with his fellow original New Mutants: Sam "Cannonball" Guthrie, Rahne "Wolfsbane" Sinclair, Danielle "Mirage" Moonstar, and Xuan Cao "Karma" Manh. As shown in the New Mutants graphic novel, he had come to the Xavier Institute after his powers manifested and his girlfriend died. 

He remarks that he felt truly loved amongst his teammates. They all had their differences. They were from different countries, but they were able to bond and come together. They had become a little family. To him, that group was a microcosm of the United States. The melting pot, disparate and separate cultures coming together to form a mighty whole. As Roberto is recalling this, the Secret Empire is coming by to pay a visit. 

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They're packing what looks like what Ernst Blofeld would have if he had access to SHIELD technology: A helicarrier that is also a volcano base. I love comics. Conventional weapons can't scratch the paint on the thing, so our man Berto needs to bring out a big gun. Roberto makes a call to another man: a General Robert L. Maverick. God, that is such a gloriously 1980s name. He asks Maverick if it's been long enough, but Maverick says that the "safety lock" is still active. It will shut down in four minutes...and the Empire will arrive in America will arrive...in two minutes.

The scene then shifts to this young lady.

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Meet Dr. Toni Ho, the daughter of Ho Yinsen. I wonder if she's aware of the Sons of Yinsen from Joe Quesada's Iron Man run? Yinsen and her mother divorced when she was a kid. When she was a child, her father died saving Tony Stark's life in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963). She never got the chance to tell her father about how she felt about her parents divorcing, and now she never will. It left her with a disdain for Stark, and she set out to be his better. High School was tough for her, being an Asian-American lesbian, but she showed to be a real good programmer and engineer, also managing to graduate from Caltech with three Ph.Ds. Much like Stark, she built a suit of power armor of her own. This suit is the latest incarnation of the Iron Patriot armor. 

Her Iron Patriot armor has no guns, no outright offensive weaponry. All its armaments are non-lethal/less-lethal stuff. Stun lasers, gas pellets, but most notably...it packs forcefields. 

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Her forcefields are able to slow the Secret Empire's flying HQ, but not stop it completely. But that's alright. Roberto has another member of the team in position: Aikku Jokinen, aka Enigma. 

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First appearing in Avengers #4 (January 2013), Jokinen was a Norwegian born to Finnish parents. She was bonded to an alien suit of armor known as Pod. After some shenanigans, she would be freed from Pod with the aid of Toni Ho, her eventual girlfriend. She infiltrated the Secret Empire HQ and starts wrecking house.

The HQ launches a lot of drones. Roberto has a plan for that: His old friend Cannonball and Squirrel Girl. Dorren Green's army of squirrels deal with the drones. Maverick's "safety lock" has switched off. Thanks to a special genetic plug-in, and now for one hour about every day and a half, Maverick can now become the new Red Hulk. And he does what a Hulk does best: Smash the sweet baby Jebus out of the Secret Empire's HQ. 

We then next see Sam Guthrie talking about himself. We've had talking head scenes like this throughout the comic so far. It isn't some fourth wall-breaking thing. They're actually making videos meant to be sent as internal memos to convince SHIELD that the U.S.Avengers and the new AIM are genuine in being the good guys. Sam asks about the videos, why they have so much flash, rah-rah USA, that kind of thing. Roberto points out that it's his flag. As well as Sam's. Doreen's. Toni's. As well as Aikku's if she wants it to be. That's what he believes in. He has to believe in the future...and a version of Captain America arrives. 

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Elsewhere, a man in a golden skull mask remarks to a crowd that there is no America. He believes that everyone is corrupt. That everyone lies. There are no guiding principles, there are no rules. There is only one truth: Get Yours, and Screw Everyone Else. The story ends with the Golden Skull welcoming his audience...to the $kullocracy. Yes, that is spelled right, it's supposed to have an American Dollar sign.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2017 trade paperback U.S.Avengers Vol. 1: American Intelligence Mechanics.

Avengers #9 (October 1998)

Since this is Black History Month, I thought I'd take the opportunity to showcase a lesser-known Black superhero...and a lesser-known Black supervillain. And this is also an excuse for me to return to one of my favorite comic book runs of all time: Kurt Busiek's Avengers run. If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you may be aware of my immense love for this run. It helped make me a fan of comic books. This is Avengers #9!

The cover is awesome. It depicts the villainous Moses Magnum using his geokinetic powers to send out heroes flying. He's front and center in the cover, and the amount of rubble around him show just how powerful he is. This shows that Magnum is a very dangerous and powerful villain, one that you need a group like the Avengers to face.

"The Villain Who Fell from Grace With the Earth"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Dave Lanphear
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with the Avengers doing...a bit of swimming.

Thing is, they aren't doing it for fun, even though swimming is fun. They're doing it to secretly get on board a massive cruise ship known as the Evangeline, presumably named after the Longfellow poem. 

The Evangeline is such a big ship that it has hotels, a casino, sports fields, and even a nautical theme park.

Yeah, I'd love to spend a week on this ship myself. It likely would not be enough time to see everything, but at least it'd be a fond memory. Two of the Avengers (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vance Astrovik/Justice) alongside their new ally Maria Santiago/Silverclaw have infiltrated the ship with civilian disguises. Steve Rogers/Captain America, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Angelica Jones/Firestar, and Tony Stark/Iron Man have made their way into the Evangeline thanks to a bit of underwater infiltration. As they go in, Steve starts to think about how this all started:

Earlier that day, the Avengers are all enjoying some breakfast at the Mansion.

"Oh, boy! It's Hash Brown Day!"

I'd love to eat breakfast at the Avengers Mansion. Look at that spread! Mmmm, breakfast buffet...

Anyway, Maria is joining them thanks to the events of last issue. In that issue, she seemingly led a group of men in an attack on an airport, under the command of an arms dealer named Moses Magnum. So, why is she here with the Avengers?

Gladly. Turns out that "Lupe" is connected to the Avengers' butler, Edwin Jarvis. She lived in an orphanage that was sponsored by a charitable organization. One of those "sponsor a child" things. Jarvis was Lupe's sponsor. The two of them regularly corresponded. As a result. she sees him as an uncle, calling him "Tio Edwin".

It's here we get some character stuff, touching on the ongoing sub-plots. Wanda is dealing with her being able to summon Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man from the dead (this was before he was fully resurrected later on). Hawkeye is struggling to fit in with the team, thanks to his time being a leader of the West Coast Avengers for a while. He's trying to go back to an old role he clearly has outgrown. And Firestar? Well, Firestar has issues with her powers. You see, unlike many mutants, Angelica Jones's powers can potentially cause her great harm, even kill her. Naturally, she gets very scared of using them at a high level (like when she had to power up dimensional portals in both the New Warriors book and in the recent Live Kree or Die crossover). She tells this to Wanda (she had also told Cap). Wanda asks her to give her a day or two, and the Scarlet Witch may have some ideas. 

Cap calls the meeting to order and recaps the events of the previous issue. Magnum had arranged the attack at the airport to steal an experimental device called the Seismic Cannon. Developed by Rand-Meachum Industries, the Seismic Cannon was a device meant to ameliorate the tectonic forces that can cause earthquakes. This fits with Magnum's past MO as he's been involved with earthquake threats. Vision then gets a call.

"Hey, guys! Triathlon here!"

Yeah, somehow Triathlon had managed to hack into the Avengers' comm-system and alert them that he managed to sneak away on the plane Magnum's men stole for their getaway in the last issue. He reports that Magnum is ranting about showing some apocalypse some chaos. Cap realizes who he's talking about: the X-Men villain. 

The Avengers sneak through the Evangeline, knowing they have no hope of getting to Magnum without being discovered. Hopefully, they can prevent that for as long as possible. During this, Hawkeye notes with horror that Magnum's men are willing to kill each other if it means getting him. He meets up with Triathlon, and the two do their best John McClane.

It's here we learn about the origin of this mysterious new hero. His name is Delroy Garrett Jr, from the City of Brotherly Love itself, Philadelphia. A child of the suburbs, he was a star track athlete, breaking records left and right. Made it all the way to the Olympics, winning medals for the USA. He became famous. Every company on the planet wanted to endorse him. 

However, his desire to win consumed him. It consumed him to the point where he started using steroids. He was caught, and as a result, he was stripped of his medals and banned from competition. It all came tumbling down afterwards for him. He wallowed in his shame and self-loathing, until he found the Triune Understanding.

"I also tended to turn the world around me red and green."

The Understanding helped him find peace, and helped unlock his hidden power, making him three times as strong, as fast, as agile, as tough as the best human athletes. Hawkeye said he heard the Triunes were a cult. Delroy doesn't think so, as they've done a lot of good for him. And that's how cults get you. The two then get to a grate, where they see this weirdness going on.

"This new massage chair is of THE GODS!"

Magnum is ranting about how he will take Apocalypse's gift and make it into a weapon. A weapon so great, even the mad mutant eugenicist will tremble at its terrible power. The grate collapses, causing the Avenger and Triune member to fall into the room. Magnum reveals he knew they were there, thanks to his mastery of seismic forces. I can imagine that meant he felt the vibrations of their moving through the ducts and their whispering. He commands his men to subdue them. Clint and Delroy seem to be standing alone against an army of Magnum Shells, the arms dealer's men. Clint...is not worried. After all, he's not the only Avenger here.

And his point is demonstrated.

"What is it with you Avengers and wrecking my house?!"

And with that, the fight is on.

The Avengers have an easier time with the Magnum Shells, but Magnum himself? That's a whole other story. Magnum now has greater control over his earthquake-generating power. He can now tap into the seismic energies of the Earth itself, and he will now create an earthquake that will destroy the entire American Eastern Seaboard.

However (thankfully), something is blocking him. It's Wanda, using her hex powers. Throughout Busiek's run on the book, she's been finding herself being able to tap into various forms of energy, even mystical powers like Morgan le Fay's in issue #3. Wanda has him on the ropes, but Magnum takes her down with a big metal component to the mouth.

This causes an enraged Wonder Man to make his appearance. 

"Hey, Simon! What's your favorite ice cream bar brand?"

The Avengers are shocked as normally, Wanda has to summon him...and she's out cold right now. Wonder Man tackles Magnum so hard, the two go flying out of the ship, unknowingly getting the attention of two incarnations of James Bond in the process.

I always knew James Bond was a Time Lord.

The two end up landing on the shore of Martinique. Simon then proceeds to land a series of Mighty Punches to Magnum's face. Magnum crows "It's not happening" and that he is cured. Cured of what, you may ask? Well, he's not as cured as he thinks, as an earthquake starts to happen. The other Avengers arrive after Magnum tosses Wonder Man away like he was a piece of garbage. A terrified Magnum explains his situation.

After the events of Power Man Annual #1 (1976), Classic X-Men #25 (September 1988) showed that Magnum was rescued by Apocalypse. The immortal mutant gave the man geokinetic powers in exchange for acting as one of his Chaos-Bringers. However, after his failures against the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #119 and Black Panther and the Michael Collins Deathlok in Deathlok #22-25, Apocalypse punished Magnum by letting him keep his power but stripped away any control of it. As a result, Magnum can't step on solid ground without causing massive earthquakes. It's why he created the Evangeline. It's why he was after the Seismic Cannon. He hoped it would allow him to control his powers again and win back Apocalypse's favor. 

Cap tries to get Magnum to surrender and return to the Evangeline. Maybe they can do something about this "curse" Apocalypse saddled Magnum with. However, the ground rips open. Magnum falls into it, ranting and raving that he'll never be free of Apocalypse. Iron Man tries to grab him, but the ground fissure closes shut, seemingly killing the superpowered arms dealer. Cap laments that Magnum was so used to using force and terror to get his way that it never occurred to him to just...ask for help. 

The next day, Silverclaw leaves to start orientation at Empire State University. Triathlon also leaves, but does so on good terms, saying that if they need his help, he'll be there. Vision (who was confined to the Mansion due to damage) asks how Wanda is doing. She did take a metal component to the face. She did manage to get off a potential hex, lessening the damage. She's in the mood for some chili, and Hawkeye's is god-tier. However, the Avenging Archer had his own plans. 

"P.S. I ate all the chocolate ice cream."

Yup, he's gone off. We'll see him with the Thunderbolts.

You all know what I am going to say about this. It's Kurt Busiek writing, George Perez on art, it's spectacular. I loved seeing the Avengers try to do their best James Bond spy impression. Busiek also masterfully touches on ongoing storylines like the whole Wanda/Simon/Vision issue, Hawkeye's struggles with his place on the team, Justice's lack of confidence, Firestar's issues with her powers, etc. Also, Magnum's fate was rather appropriate for him: A man who lusted for power ended up being destroyed by it. 

Magnum would return of course, and he would somehow get his lack of control over his earthquake-causing power stabilized. He would go on to face Spider-Man and the Punisher, as well as Wolverine and even Shuri.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2010 trade paperback Avengers Assemble Vol. 1. I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Avengers #14 (March 1999)

The past can haunt us. As much as people like to say that the past is something we can put behind us, it has a way of staying with you. For Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, that statement is very true. He's been involved in the superhero game for many years, and with it, he's seen many a triumph and tragedy, and he has also seen his life be put in turmoil. He's also died and come back to life. During Kurt Busiek's time scribing the lives of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the late-90s, Wonder Man got to reunite with an old friend and take stock of his life. This is Avengers #14!

The cover is a, naturally, a George Perez and Tom Smith piece. It depicts a surprised Wonder Man getting his eyes covered by Beast, the latter asking, "Guess who--?" It really fits the characterization of 1970s Avengers-era Beast. And considering how he would be portrayed in the future, it's pretty clear that the X-Men really bring out the worst in him.

"Hi, Honey...I'm Hooooooome!"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Wes Abbott
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with a mysterious new villain rampaging through Times Square. Because in the Marvel Universe, New York City is the center of everything.

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The gentleman's name is Pagan. Pagan seems to be your standard big dumb powerhouse, complete with Hulk speak. Pagan is invincible! Pagan is unstoppable! Pagan will have ALL THE FRENCH FRIES! AND ALL THE MILKSHAKES!

In all seriousness, Pagan is what we like to call...a problem. But enough of that, let's look in something a little more...light-hearted, shall we?

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Yup, Hank McCoy, the Beast, has come to pay a visit to Avengers Mansion, taking a break from researching the Legacy Virus over in the X-Books. Why? Well, recently, Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man has returned from the grave. Being one of the X-Men, Beast is familiar with people returning from the grave. Not to mention during their time in the Avengers together, Hank and Simon became buddies. As such, Hank wants to celebrate Simon's return, and in style!

For the next several hours, Hank, Simon, and Wanda enjoy some of New York City's famous nightlife. They also ended up joining Jesse Ventura during one of his parties with REO Speedwagon. 

Their path leads to the Horn O'Plenty Jazz Club. This place is special to Simon, as his father once took him here as a boy. It was in this place that Simon fell in love with jazz music. He would sneak into the club and listen to the music until he was thrown out. He saw all the greats: Miles Davis, Tommy Flanagan, Dizzy Gillespie. He even saw one of the last performances of Thelonius Monk before he died (This is a topical reference as Monk died in 1982). Wanda then spots someone in the crowd. 

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The Vision is here as well, as this place also happens to be one of his favorite hangouts. Wanda convinces him to join her, Simon, and Beast. Simon is thrilled he's here and that he likes jazz as well. It actually makes a lot of sense that Vision would love this place and be a fan of jazz. His mind was formed from Simon's mental engrams, after all. Hank asks the waitress for more drinks, as they're going to get good and drunk tonight!

The waitress reminds him that they ordered virgin drinks. Basically, non-alcoholic drinks. But Beast is an imaginative man, he'll find a way. Simon decides that he wants to talk to them about something that's been bothering him. His memory of the months before his death in Force Works #1 is a bit on the hazy side, but what he does remember troubles him. One of them is encountering his dead mother in Mephisto's underworld back in Wonder Man #22 (June 1993)...even though his mother is very much alive and well, living in Paterson, New Jersey. He also remembers becoming more violent and brutish, even threatening Wanda, which happened in Wonder Man #18 (February 1993). He feels terrible about that and doesn't expect forgiveness.

However, Wanda is...rather understanding of it all. His powers were going haywire, and he himself was going through some emotional turmoil. She especially gets it, as not long beforehand, she flipped out herself and rejoined Magneto in West Coast Avengers #55. Part of the reason she did was because Vision was dismantled in West Coast Avengers #42. That happened because Vision tried to take over the world while under the control of the alien supercomputer known as ISAAC. That happened in Avengers #255. 

Simon remembers killing people, like the superpowered Cambodian monk known as Angkor in Wonder Man #12 (August 1992), and a gang member in Wonder Man #16 (December 1992). Wanda points out that they were immediate threats to innocent people, and Simon was cleared afterwards in an inquest. Simon still feels guilty about those things and doesn't want his actions swept under the rug just because he was an Avenger. As such, he feels he's not fit to be a member of the team again. 

We next go to Nugent Technologies. Doctor Henry Pym is working on some project, where he's visited by a Tracy Spencer. She thinks the higher-ups are being demanding on him, since he's working late. However, it's not that. Pym's just doing research and has no deadlines on him. Spencer points out the administrators are pushing for everyone else to be ready for whatever Pym is working on, which Pym finds unlikely. A mysterious observer calls for Spencer to be transferred, so to keep Pym from getting suspicious...

The scene then shifts over to Washington DC, where the Avengers are investigating a sighting of Lord Templar. He evidently held Congress captive for a half-hour, babbled about a new balance of power coming, and then left. We get a nice little moment with Firestar helping Justice with his nerves over being an Avenger. They get a call from Wanda. Remember Pagan from earlier? Well, he's raising all kinds of Cain in New York. 

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The Avengers know nothing about this mysterious new bruiser, so Wanda tells Simon and Beast they'll scout him out before the heavy-hitters arrive. They'll need everyone with this one.

Vision tries to shock Pagan by plunging his intangible fist into the monster's chest, but it doesn't work. Simon tries straight-up brawling with him, but all it gets is him getting a Mighty Punch in his ionic-powered mouth. Beast says it best.

Page 16, Panel 8

Yup. Simon remarks that the last time he was hit like that, the fist belonged to Count Nefaria. Two re-engage the powerhouse monster, but it only seems to make Pagan bigger.

Page 17, Panel 2

Pagan claims he can do anything, and that makes him invincible. Wanda is...confused by this. She can sense energies around the monster. She asks what Pagan is after, but he says his goals are only his to know. A monitor shows a newscast about Lord Templar. Pagan scoffs and says even he can't stop him. This gets the gears in Wanda's head turning. The way Pagan talked about Templar. It was like the monster knows that self-proclaimed savior somehow. She senses that Pagan is drawing energy from somewhere, and that's why he's growing in size. He could be absorbing the kinetic power of Simon's punches, or the solar energy beams of the Vision. Which means they will have to tread carefully. 

And then Thor comes in to literally bring the hammer down and bring the thunder.

Page 18, Panel 3

"HEY, THIS HAMMER DOESN'T TASTE LIKE CHICKEN! YOU LIED TO PAGAN!" 

He's arrived alongside Cap, Justice, and Firestar. Cap takes command, pointing out Pagan should not have been allowed to cause this much damage. He orders Firestar to look for injured and get them to safety. Justice should telekinetically shut down all gas and water mains. As for Thor? Well, Pagan is a big bruiser, so he and Simon should take the fight to him.

He goes to engage Pagan, ordering her to use her hex power to lessen the probability of an explosion, or at least draw air away from Pagan. Big bruiser still has to breathe, right? Wanda tries to point out physical force doesn't seem to do any good, but he doesn't hear her. Thor and Simon try to engage the powerhouse, but Thor's hammer ends up hitting Simon hard.

Pagan laughs at them. Even the Avengers can't stop Pagan!

He tunnels away. Vision tries to pursue but the synthezoid can't catch him. Cap is not happy about this. Back at Avengers Mansion, Wanda watches Cap report to their government liaison, Duane Freeman. She thinks about the state of the team. It's a mess. Vision has become more withdrawn, Thor is absent a lot (thanks to stuff in his own book), Justice and Firestar are still newbies, and Cap...well, Cap has been wrapped up in his own stuff, which has led him to just expect the Avengers to run smoothly. Wanda decides it's time she and the Star-Spangled Avenger have a talk. 

That night, Hank McCoy makes his leave. After all, he has his work on the Legacy Virus to concentrate on. He tells Simon that he was once bitter and morose himself. He had a difficult time after he mutated into his then-present blue form. He assures Simon that he's a good man, and his heart will tell him what to do, and it'll be the right thing. The story ends with George Perez and Kurt Busiek themselves. George remarks he loves drawing Beast (He and Wanda were his favorites to draw) and wondering if he'll get to do so again, with Kurt saying you never know. Wait until JLA/Avengers.

I really liked this issue. The main event is of course, focusing on Simon. You can tell that Busiek is a big fan of the 1970s-era Avengers, as they get the main play in his run. What I especially like is that he uses past stories to explore their characters. It's something we don't really get in Big Two books anymore, mainly because most authors these days see continuity as an annoyance to be ignored. Stories like this are why I love continuity. 

Perez's art is of course, brilliant. It's very detailed and expressive.