Hello and welcome to my weekly look back at a Silver or Bronze Age story in Ye Olde School Café! This week, we’ll continue our peek at Avengers: Nights of Wundagore. So far, we’ve seen Wanda and Pietro have their souls stolen, but then returned when the rest of the team caught up with the perpetrator. The gentleman seemed more sad that he wasn’t going to get to spend time with his lost “children” than the fact that he might get locked up. In the next few issues, David Michelinie and John Byrne show us the true origin of these twins, and also a knock down, drag out fight with Crusher Creel!
As we pick back up after last issue, Wanda and Pietro are headed for the Balkan Peninsula, and the rest of the team is trying to convince Gyrich that Ms. Marvel should fill in for Wanda. After some arguing, Gyrich finally allows it, and everyone is happy. Suddenly, though, we see Tony Stark having some issues focusing on his job (rather than booze). Quickly, he and Beast help the garbage men with the Avengers trash in a very funny moment, and we see the dudes drive off to the city dump. As they tip the truck’s box over, some pieces of glass fall out. The pieces of glass are no ordinary refuse, though. It’s really parts of the Absorbing Man! He quickly fuses together, and heads for a store to steal some clothes. Meanwhile, Steve is talking to Sam (Wilson, A.K.A. The Falcon) about the recent addition to the team. Sam is unhappy with Gyrich’s appointing him as a team member to fill a quota for minorities. Steve tells him that he doesn’t like it either, but the team needs him and the priority status that comes with government approval. The Falcon remarks how he’s going to change his name to “the token,” but Steve tells him that he’s not a quota, but a great hero and friend.
After Clint (Hawkeye) sees Wanda off, he then makes his way to a local coffee shop. As he sits down with a cup of java, a big lummox bumps into him and spills his drink. As he gets up, he recognizes that it’s the Absorbing Man! A few of the locals try their luck, but get tossed right out the front window. As Hawkeye jumps into action (after calling the Avengers), Creel is ready to rumble. First, Hawkeye tries to use a net-arrow, but Creel just grabs a piece of glass and shreds his way right out of it. Hawkeye then uses a few more arrows to try and break him to pieces, but Creel then touches a rubber tire, and the arrows bounce right off. Luckily, the rest of the team shows up and the fight is on. Creel smashes his way into a huge ship and absorbs the power from its turbines. He busts out of the ship and imediately starts swinging his trademarked wrecking ball at Ms. Marvel and Iron Man. Ms. Marvel is the first person to get whooped, but Beast saves the day by catching her. Iron Man is the next Avenger to get a beating, but then Cap and the Falcon show up. Cap instantly throws his shield right at Creel, but then realizes this was a mistake. Creel absorbs the qualities of the shield and begins to slap the whole team around.
After quite a bit of fighting, the Vision decides to get up close and personal. He grabs Creel, but he wants Creel to absorb his abilities. Creel then can’t hold himself together because of Vision’s intangibility, and he falls into the harbor. Ms. Marvel swoops in to grab him, but he changes to water and disappears. The Avengers then explain what happened to the police. Falcon remarks that he didn’t even get a chance to do anything, but Steve tells him to be ready because his time will come. Meanwhile, Clint and Iron Man have a brief argument about how he was dismissed from the team. Iron Man tells him not to get upset by it, because it was all Gyrich’s idea, not theirs. Clint doesn’t care, though, and is still upset by it. He walks off as the team returns to the mansion.
Well, that’s it for now, but be back next week for more of Wanda and Pietro’s adventure about their childhood that is in question. We’ll see Modred, Chthon, and the High Evolutionary in this epic chapter of their past! See you next week!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net