Avengers #103: Review

Sep 1972

Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler

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Story Name:

The Sentinels are alive and well

Review & Comments

Rating:

Avengers #103 Review by Rob Johnson (February 23, 2012)

Larry Trask is Bolivar's son, and he created the Mark II Sentinels with the added ability to adapt to the mutant powers used against them. Judge Chalmers is Bolivar's friend who has been supporting Larry since his father's death. Larry didn't know that he himself was a precog mutant, because of the medallion he has been wearing since very young, which his father gave him to somehow suppress his ability. When Larry unleashed the Mark II Sentinels in UXM#57-59, Chalmers removed his medallion in #58. Of course the Sentinels could now detect Larry was a mutant, and once again rebelled. After the Sentinels were defeated again in #59, Chalmers replaced the miraculous medallion in #60, which suppressed Trask's precog power again, but also all his memories of the Sentinels. Rick Jones was involved in the Kree-Skrull War in #89-97, where the Kree Supreme Intelligence triggered the latent human mental power in Rick to end the war in #97. Rick then hung around with his old pals the Avengers so that he could be present in the anniversary #100. He now returns purely to sever those ties, to free him to return to his earlier symbiosis with Captain Marvel in the revival of that title in CM#22. Rick and Marvel will guest star in #106 amd #108.

The cover banner advertising that this title features Captain America, Iron Man and Thor is dropped from this issue on, replaced by the first use of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'. But the big 3 will continue to occupy these pages. The splash page continues to be headed 'The Mighty Avengers', as it has been (with occasional months off) since #5. (It was also the cover title in #62-69.) Roy Thomas takes over as editor from this issue, with Stan Lee restricted to the 'Stan Lee Presents' credit. This is part of a Marvel-wide move. The robot Mark I Sentinels were invented by Bolivar Trask to hunt down mutants. They broke free from his control in Uncanny X-Men #14, and he died stopping them in UXM#16.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Avengers #103 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

The Avengers (Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Thor and Vision) are trying to figure out where the Sentinel might have taken Scarlet Witch last issue. But the Avengers and SHIELD databases come up empty. And the only Avenger who might know something, Quicksilver, has run off on his own to rescue his sister.

Pietro reaches the Sentinel HQ he knows about (on the way encountering some anti-mutant sentiment) but finds the Sentinels have stripped it clean. He thinks back to the last time he was here in Uncanny X-Men #59-60, where the Sentinels were led by larry Trask. So he goes to the home of Judge Chalmers, where Trask is staying, and abducts him.

While the other Avengers continue to try to find any hint of the Sentinels, Vision broods on his love fro Wanda, and the offer he got from his 'brother' Grim Reaper last issue, of a human body in return for help destroying his teammates.

The Avengers receive a message from Dr Peter Corbeau, head of the Starcore project which alerted the world of the approaching Sentinels last issue. Someone is beaming a ray once every hour from the Australian desert. And this ray is causing solar flares of increasing intensity.

The team prepare to fly to Australia in a quinjet boosted for extra speed by Thor's hammer. But Rick Jones pops in and asks to go with them. Cap tells him it's too dangerous. Rick doesn't have any super-powers, despite the temporary mind-power he used to stop the Kree-Skrull war in #97. Rick leaves embittered, to meet the next stage of his fate in the revived Captain Marvel title.

Quicksilver has discovered that Larry Trask can't remember the Sentinels. He figures out that the medallion Trask is wearing is inhibiting these memories. But removing the medallion also restores Larry's precognitive ability.

Trask says that the Sentinels have another base in Australia. Pietro commandeers a plane and pilot to fly them to Australia. Impatient to save his sister, he tells Trask about the space-warp a sentinel used last issue. Larry somehow channels this ability, and whisks the plane direct to (the nearest airport to) their destination. Which of course is the same place as the source of the solar flare ray beam.

The other Avengers have got there before the next beam is due. (The quinjet doesn't need an airport. And anyway it gets shot down.) They attack a technological ant-hill infested with Sentinels. Vision is downed, and the Sentinels begin to adapt to their other attackers.

Meanwhile as Quicksilver's plane arrives, Trask has a vision of the future. He sees a Sentinel killing the Avengers, a giant solar flare destroying the Earth, and then it all goes black.

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