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 #41, "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie!" by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and George Roussos.
Eileen Gonzalez: Ah, a new artist today!
Brian Cronin: Marvel had just recently convinced John Buscema to return to comics.
Brian Cronin: When the comic book industry took a big hit in the late 1950s
Brian Cronin: Buscema was still new enough to the field that he was one of the first ones who lost his gigs.
Brian Cronin: He got out of comic books and went into commercial illustration.
Brian Cronin: He worked in commercial illustration for roughly eight years, until Marvel came a-calling in 1966.
Brian Cronin: It's kind of...I don't know if the word is sweet.
Brian Cronin: But it is kind of interesting to watch Marvel's mid-1960s success lead to Stan Lee reaching out to these older artists.
Brian Cronin: And sort of "Put the band together" as it were.
Eileen Gonzalez: I do remember reading that Lee was pretty upset about having to lay off so many Marvel employees during the 1950s. I guess I'm not surprised to hear that he would reach out to people like that as soon as he had the chance.
Eileen Gonzalez: And it seems Buscema liked comics work enough that he agreed.
Brian Cronin: It's funny, Buscema was scared of it, because he had been gone for SO LONG.
Brian Cronin: But comics offered a lot more freedom than his commercial work.
Eileen Gonzalez: Well I for one am glad he took the plunge. I really like the art in this issue.
Brian Cronin: It's funny, Buscema mentioned that he had trouble re-adjusting to comic book work because of his long time off.
Brian Cronin: And he didn't think his early return work (he did some Hulk stuff) was all that good and so Stan gave him a stack of Jack Kirby comics to study
Brian Cronin: And I think that you can see some of that influence here.
Brian Cronin: Specifically the layouts.
Brian Cronin: That's what Buscema mentioned really needing help with, getting back into the layouts of comic book storytelling.
Eileen Gonzalez: Always good to learn from a master like Kirby
Eileen Gonzalez: Though I'm not quite sure what Scarlet Witch is doing on that first page. A balance beam routine, I think?
Brian Cronin: It's funny seeing the opening splash where Thomas notes there is no need for a recap, since last issue wrapped things up nicely.
Brian Cronin: Why is Scarlet Witch doing handstands?
Eileen Gonzalez: Also, you'd think Tony Stark, he of the endless fortune, could provide a big enough training space that they don't all crowd on top of each other as they work out.
Eileen Gonzalez: Now we just get problems like this one, where Hercules accidentally bungles Hawkeye's routine.
Brian Cronin: Yeah, a Danger Room this is not.
Brian Cronin: I love Scarlet Witch's super direct thought bubble.
Brian Cronin: "Yet I know it is because he still misses the Black Widow...who has become a traitor."
Brian Cronin: Scarlet Witch has been in the superhero game so long that she even THINKS in exposition!
Brian Cronin: It's funny how Hawkeye always needs SOMEone to argue with, huh?
Brian Cronin: I love Hercules as a foil, because he's mostly so above it all.
Brian Cronin: Like, "Whatever, dude."
Brian Cronin: But when you piss him off, watch out!
Eileen Gonzalez: Hercules is so clueless! And meanwhile Hawkeye's about to blow a fuse, and Quicksilver keeps waffling on whether to keep Hawkeye from getting flattened or not.
Eileen Gonzalez: "You're no match for him, Hawkeye!" "Eh, well, Hawkeye's an adult, let him get beat up."
Brian Cronin: It's interesting that they think that Goliath or Cap would handle it better.
Brian Cronin: They've been there when Hawkeye has almost come to blows with both of those guys!
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, that's a weird spot of hero worship there. You'd think working with the Avengers so long would cause the shine to wear off, but it still seems like Wanda and Pietro put the older members on a pedestal.
Brian Cronin: I think part of it is that they are glorifying the past because they're just so happy to be back as part of the team.
Brian Cronin: So it's like they're trying to relive their glory days, even if the glory days weren't always so glorious.
Eileen Gonzalez: Good point.
Brian Cronin: By the way, it's still hilarious to see Quicksilver become, by default, the reasonable guy in the group.
Brian Cronin: Thomas writes the Black Widow as so badass, doesn't he?
Brian Cronin: Her plan to infiltrate the Chinese forces is to just show up in an American plane and blast the first couple of guys she sees.
Brian Cronin: She's like Steve freakin' McQueen.
Brian Cronin: Super cool.
Eileen Gonzalez: I especially like that panel where she's blasting the soldiers from what looks like Wonder Woman's invisible jet. EXTRA cool.
Brian Cronin: New American stealth technology, I assume. "America: Finally Invisible Jets!"
Brian Cronin: How funny is the footnote "By the way, Black Widow is not really a bad guy"?
Brian Cronin: Especially since that's later revealed in the story itself, so it's a super odd use of a footnote.
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, especially since they were talking earlier about how they had nothing to recap from last issue. Apparently they did after all.
Brian Cronin: They should use these superfluous footnotes in every issue.
Brian Cronin: "Note: Hawkeye's kind of a jerk."
Brian Cronin: Although, Hawkeye has still grown as a person to the point where he admits to it a lot quicker than normal.
Eileen Gonzalez: And he did have a legitimate reason to be annoyed at Hercules.
Eileen Gonzalez: Meanwhile, that is a real fancy hideaway the communists have there.
Brian Cronin: Yeah, Buscema is really cutting loose on the base design.
Brian Cronin: Although, to be fair to Heck, he also drew a really cool base for the Ultroids recently.
Brian Cronin: By the way, when you're pretending to be loyal, you probably shouldn't shout, "The guy who brainwashed me!"
Eileen Gonzalez: Ha! Whoops.
Eileen Gonzalez: I did think those Chinese guys were a little too trusting.
Eileen Gonzalez: And then Black Widow is waaay too trusting when she walks into a dark room by herself.
Brian Cronin: Buscema does a great job showing the Pschotron in effect.
Brian Cronin: Then we cut to the ostensible main plot of the issue.
Brian Cronin: You gotta love Hank's incredulous reaction to Jan wondering why he wants the Dragon Man.
Brian Cronin: "How could you ask such a thing? Who WOULDN'T want a Dragon Man?"
Eileen Gonzalez: He's a collector's item!
Brian Cronin: You gotta appreciate the way Thomas is already deftly weaving in the larger Marvel Universe into his stories.
Brian Cronin: That guy really knows how to immerse you into a world.
Eileen Gonzalez: Yeah, I thought that was really cool, tying in a prior Fantastic Four plot with this Avengers story.
Brian Cronin: Jack Kirby and Stan Lee had introduced so many great villains in the Fantastic Four, Thomas has been really smart about adapting them to this other team book.
Brian Cronin: We get our favorite Marvel citizen catchphrase, as Diablo turning the building into gold is dubbed a publicity stunt!
Brian Cronin: What would that even be PROMOTING?
Eileen Gonzalez: A new bank? I don't know.
Brian Cronin: "As part of the launch of our latest line of Gold Bond topical creams, we turned a whole BUILDING into gold!"
Brian Cronin: "Yes, that's somehow part of our technology here at the Gold Bond company, but we're still selling topical cream!"
Brian Cronin: "Alchemy might be cool, but itch cream pays the bills!"
Eileen Gonzalez: I do wonder about Diablo's plan here, though. He obviously wants Dragon Man back but was waiting for it to be released by the authorities. Did he think it would be easier to get Dragon Man back from the Avengers than from the non-powered authorities?
Eileen Gonzalez: Whatever "authorities" means here. The police?
Brian Cronin: Great point. Didn't we have that problem with a recent issue?
Eileen Gonzalez: Probably? I feel like a lot of these villains have their timing all wrong.
Brian Cronin: Hercules is already fitting in by not being willing to go on the mission.
Brian Cronin: Remember Hawkeye's, "It's only a BLUE emergency. What's the big deal?" from a couple of issues ago?
Brian Cronin: I do like Hercules' ennui about Earth.
Brian Cronin: "Gold buildings? Bah, I used to live somewhere with ALL gold buildings. Stupid Earthlings."
Eileen Gonzalez: I don't remember Thor being this blase about everything. It's kind of funny seeing Herc act that way--I like this new dimension to the team.
Brian Cronin: Imagine what kind of publicity stunts they must have needed on Olympus to get his attention!
Eileen Gonzalez: Poor Bill Foster. The comic remembers he exists just long enough for him to get knocked unconscious.
Brian Cronin: With Diablo's convenient new weapon, the Dyna-Disk!
Brian Cronin: Such an odd new weapon.
Brian Cronin: Diablo was already a pretty powerful villain, so it was weird to give him this new weapon with its vague abilities.
Brian Cronin: But wow, Buscema on the action scenes - such detail while maintaining the dynamic nature of the action! It's really impressive stuff.
Brian Cronin: That shot of Diablo using the Dyna-disk on Wasp is particularly impressive.
Eileen Gonzalez
Eileen Gonzalez:The whole fight scene crackles.
Brian Cronin: Although, there's the time-saving panel later, where their clash apparently somehow causes a flash of light
Brian Cronin: "Oh man, just trust me, it was really awesome. But so awesome that our minds couldn't even HANDLE it, man!"
Eileen Gonzalez:I forgive him for that. The rest of the fight is just so darn neat.
Brian Cronin: It really is.
Brian Cronin: Buscema really sells the exhaustion of Goliath as he just powers through the battle. It's really impressive.
Eileen Gonzalez: But then we go back to the Avengers' old fighting method: going in one at a time.
Brian Cronin: Yeah, and by the way, seems like a kind of foolish plan by Hawkeye to just break through the glass like that, right?
Brian Cronin: Where is he even coming from that he would smash through it on that angle?
Eileen Gonzalez: He saw Batman do it and wanted to try it for himself.
Eileen Gonzalez: But seriously, why couldn't he have shot at Dragon Man from a distance? You're an archer! Don't get close enough for him to grab you!
Brian Cronin: Yeah, not his most strategic moment for him. It seems like they really need Cap leading them around.
Brian Cronin: Also, "I need not be told what to do, Hawkeye, for am I not...the Scarlet Witch"
Brian Cronin: Huh?
Brian Cronin: I don't think those two sentences really go together as well as you think, Wanda.
Eileen Gonzalez: And the fact that she WAS standing around doing nothing for most of the fight indicates she does need to be told what to do, actually.
Brian Cronin: Right?
Brian Cronin: She looked really awesome in the panel, though!
Eileen Gonzalez: Agreed.
Brian Cronin: Here's what I don't get. Diablo knocks them out and then takes off, bragging about his great plan.
Brian Cronin: Thomas clearly has decided to keep this great plan a mystery.
Brian Cronin: Do you think that was a good idea, to heighten the mystery, or a bad one, as it lessens the cliffhanger if you don't know how dangerous his plan is?
Brian Cronin: Like when they fought Attuma and he planned on wiping out the Earth with tidal waves. We knew his plans, so the cliffhanger of whether they could stop them worked pretty well.
Brian Cronin: But if we only knew that he had SOME dangerous plan, would it work as well?
Brian Cronin: Or does the mystery aspect HELP it, because not knowing makes you come up with your own thoughts?
Brian Cronin: As to how could capturing the Dragon Man lead to something that could endanger the whole world?
Eileen Gonzalez: I think this would have worked better if we'd left off with the Avengers buried in the rubble and we didn't know if they'd survived or not. I guess there is some suspense regarding the unknown plan and Goliath and Wasp being kidnapped, but it feels a little weak for a big cliffhanger.
Eileen Gonzalez: As it is, I don't think there's quite enough suspense to make for a good "tune in next time" type ending.
Brian Cronin: Ah, good point, so if would have been better if he had just taken off with them perhaps being crushed by the building?
Brian Cronin: I think you're probably right.
Brian Cronin: All in all, I think the story is also dealing with the fact that it really pales to the Black Widow mystery.
Brian Cronin: The sub plot shouldn't overshadow the main plot, but that's definitely what has happened here, right?
Eileen Gonzalez: Totally. I liked Diablo and Dragon Man, but I'm dying for them to get on with Black Widow's adventure.
Brian Cronin: It's almost like this is the killing time to get to the Black Widow adventure
Brian Cronin: So to see it go to two issues is perhaps a bit much for a killing time story.
Eileen Gonzalez: It is an interesting new format that Thomas is trying out, what with having a running subplot in addition to the main plot. But yeah, I really want to see what Black Widow's up to more than this Diablo guy.
Brian Cronin: But still, it's a successful debut issue. I think when Buscema gets another inker, the art will get even better.
Brian Cronin: I like Roussos, but I don't know that he helps Buscema too much here.
Brian Cronin: We're set up for quite an enjoyable set of issues with this team and it only gets better the longer they work together.
Eileen Gonzalez: But first, we have to finish up with Diablo and his funky statue sidekick.
Brian Cronin: Hey, at least it's not the Ultroids!
Brian Cronin: Or the Triumvirate of Fear!
Brian Cronin: So they're already ahead of the game!