READING THE CLASSICS: THE WEST COAST AVENGERS #44

 

Published on May 1st, 1989

     I've given some flak about this book featuring a ton of backstory from old issues that might prevent you from really enjoying the book if you were a new reader. I don't think that's a big problem these days, since the writers on the big DC and Marvel books never really stick around long enough to create a massive footprint. I could be wrong, as I've been reading comic books for 30 years and so some events that you kind of just assume everyone knows about (like Green Goblin killing Gwen Stacey) might be unknown to new comic book readers. Well in this very issue, The West Coast Avengers #44, Hank Pym notes that, "I'm reasonably familiar with his systems, as you well know. I even took a little stroll through his insides once, during my Ant-Man days." Surprisingly, I read the issue where he did that. It was way back in 1972 during the "Kree/Skrull War" storyline that I reviewed last year. It's just a throwaway line, doesn't even get an editor's note to "check out issue so and so," but for long term readers, it's rewarding. "Oh, I remember that!" You do enough of that, though, and you'll never get new readers. Maybe that's why comic books are such a niche product and not exactly mainstream. I'm guessing I'm not the only one that's watching Disney+'s WandaVision and decided to go read the comic book it's based on. I wonder if half of them gave up on this after a few issues, though? Too fucking complex! Who are these people? It probably doesn't help that the West Coast Avengers get a new team leader that shows up on the final page in a shocking reveal to be...U.S. Agent? Huh? Who the hell is that? Dude looks like Captain America. I'm sure if I was a hardcore Avengers reader that reveal would, in fact, be a surprise and shock. Since I'm not, I was kind of letdown and baffled. In the rest of the issue, the West Coast Avengers attempt to put back together the destroyed Vision. He eventually wakes up and goes on a Terminator rampage until he's subdued. Somebody must've just watched The Terminator...because that sequence is right out of the climax of Cameron's original. There's also an odd, one page foreshadowing scene where a group of villains are in a boardroom deciding on a superhero to choose for something mysterious and decide on Wanda. The plot thickens! I'm actually enjoying this book more than I did the "Kree/Skrull War." Maybe because this is almost 20 years after that and a bit more up to date in every aspect. I really enjoy John Byrne's artwork, too. It's crisp, energetic, and pure comic book. This book is setting up so many moving parts, though, that I'm wondering if it'll actually all pay off and make sense someday. ***

READING THE CLASSICS: THE WEST COAST AVENGERS #43

 Published on April 1st, 1989

     While reading this issue, part 2 of "Vision Quest," I kept thinking: did Marvel realize that comic books were supposed to be for kids in 1989? The book isn't "adult" or "mature" or anything, it's just pretty complex. Currently, the only complex mainstream superhero books I can think of are the ones Jonathan Hickman writes, like X-Men now and his Avengers run a few years ago. Most superhero books are typically just heroes beating up villains, right? Kids don't really read comic books now, anyway. Was my generation the last one that did? I was reading comic books at age 10 or so, though I never picked up this book. I was more a Spider-Man and Image fan. I also read Darkhawk and Sleepwalker from Marvel, so I certainly didn't care about quality. I suppose I could go into how this book is complex...but even I'm pretty lost. The basic plot is kind of standard. We learn that Mockingjay, Hawkeye's former wife, was duped into helping a secret group capture Vision. She thought she was helping a group from S.H.I.E.L.D. How did she escape? "It took nearly three weeks of biding my time before I was able to sucker my guard into my cell with a yoga breathing exercise that simulated my own death." Nice. So eventually the West Coast Avengers fly to that evil base where they find that Vision has been pretty much ripped apart and destroyed. I'm not sure how this plays into the book, but Wanda reminisces about her history with Vision and during their courtship they ended up involved in the "search for the Celestial Madonna. Three women were candidates for that cosmic role." What the hell is going on in this book? "The living ghost of the Swordsman had declared Mantis the Celestial Madonna because of her humility and physical perfection." Hmmm. I guess...maybe I needed to read the first 40 issues of this book to understand it? The book is fucking weird. I doubt children read or enjoyed it back then, but who knows? At least it held my interest. And, hey, great climax with the Vision destroyed. **1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: THE WEST COAST AVENGERS #42

 

Published on March 1st, 1989

     Disney+, the new streaming service, has their first Marvel TV show that they're currently running. It's called WandaVision and features two of the dumber, lesser known Marvel heroes, The Scarlett Witch and Vision. I reviewed the famous "Skree/Krull War" Avengers storyline from the 70's last year and was kind of shocked that Vision and The Scarlett Witch were kind of prominent characters in The Avengers. They're definitely not now, although that'll probably change because the TV show is out. The only book I ever remember ever reading that featured either of those characters was Tom King's Vision book, and in that Vision wasn't even married to The Scarlett Witch anymore. The funny thing in all of this is that Vision was killed off in the Marvel movies and yet there's a TV show with him in it now. The TV show is said to be loosely based on John Byrne's "Vision Quest" storyline from 1989 in The West Coast Avengers book. I figured I'd check it out since I am enjoying the TV show. One big problem is that the majority of reviews of "Vision Quest" say that it fucking sucks and is awful and ruined whatever "good" continuity The Avengers had. So maybe I shouldn't be reading it? John Byrne wrote and penciled the storyline and this issue was apparently is first one on The West Coast Avengers. That book ran from 1984 to 1994 with 102 issues. Funny that I never read it, especially since I was reading comic books for probably the last five years of that run. Considering it's filled with a bunch of B-superheroes like Hawkeye and Wonder Man, that's not too surprising. It lasted a long time, though, right? I guess The Avengers was such a best seller they gave it a second book. Or maybe the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 got everyone excited about California so Marvel decided to set a book there. Either way, this issue, The West Coast Avengers #42 is part one of "Vision Quest." It starts with The Scarlett Witch waking up and realizing her husband, Vision, isn't in bed and is missing. Eventually we learn that someone hacked into the computer network and deleted any trace of Vision. It's not much of a mystery, since on the last page we realize that Mockingbird was the one that deleted Vision's history. There is actually a lot more that happens in this issue, including a fight with a fake Ultron, but most of it is an elaborate, confusing backstory of how Ultron created Vision. The Human Torch was originally a robot but then died and Vision was created from his robot corpse but also with "the brain patterns of Simon Williams...Wonder Man!" Okay. The one thing that struck me when reading that old "Kree/Skrull War" storyline was how super confusing and intricate the backstory and plots were in comic books in the old days. If you just randomly picked up this issue you'd be, like me, totally fucking lost. Do I really need to know the plot of like a thousand previous books to enjoy this? Comic books aren't as bad these days, though the reward of being a long term reader now probably isn't as great. At least now it's a lot easier to catch up and find old issues online. Back then you were either digging in back issue boxes in flea markets to find old issues or you were just lost. I will say that the wordiness of old comic books is completely different than it is now; books back then had a lot of description and felt worth the money. Nowadays I can read a comic book in like a minute and not miss a thing. John Byrne is a pretty famous figure in comic books, although I doubt I've ever read much or anything from him. Supposedly he's a cantankerous, old bastard these days, though his art was pretty to look at back then. I'm not sure where this storyline is going but for now it's an enjoyable, old school romp. **1/2