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Avengers #224

Oct 1982

Alan Zelenetz, M. D. Bright

Story Name:

Two from the heart

Synopsis

Avengers #224 synopsis by Rob Johnson

Rating:

The Avengers respond to a subway accident that has ruptured a gas main. Iron Man rips a hole in the ground and Thor descends into the tunnel. Whirling Mjolnir blows flames out and disperse the gas. Captain America, Hawkeye and Wasp help passengers to safety. When the danger is over they look round and find She-Hulk holding up a building that's trying to fall over. (She now has a costume, a sort-of 1-piece bathing suit.) Hawkeye uses a buzz-saw arrow to cut through 2 lampposts and Thor uses them to prop the building up.

Newly-single Janet Van Dyne has resumed flirting with her male companions (and Iron Man/Tony Stark is taking notice). She fends off reporters who suggest the millionairess is dating a celebrity. But she leaves quickly when they bring up her jailed ex-husband Henry Pym.

Scott Lang sees this interchange on his TV news. The divorced ex-con sympathises with his friend Hank's situation, and decides to do something about it as Ant-Man. He and 2 flying ants visit Henry Pym in jail. Scott shrinks Hank and suggests they escape the way he came. But Pym refuses - he wants to clear his name legally and win back Jan's respect.

Next evening Tony Stark hears that Jan will be at a society do and decides to attend. They dance and have a drink (non-alcoholic in Tony's case). All the while it niggles at the back of Tony's mind that Wasp wasn't there in #216 when some other Avengers learned he was Iron Man - he should tell her. Later Stark's helicopter piloted by Jim Rhodes takes them to Jan's house. Jan and Tony kiss goodnight.

Tony is worried how him dating Jan will affect Henry. (Egghead just gloats when he sees them in the Daily Bugle next day.) But that doesn't stop him taking her to Jamaica next day, and other places over the following days.

But 1 night he gets home to find Captain America waiting for him. Steve Rogers is concerned about Tony dating their friend Hank's wife before the ink's even dry on the divorce papers. Tony counters that he's using his money to do all he can for Hank's legal problems, but Steve suggests that's just a way of assuaging his guilt.

Steve also guesses that Tony hasn't told Jan that he's Iron Man. Surely she deserves to know. After Cap leaves Tony has to resist the call of a whisky.

Next day at Avengers Mansion She-Hulk is complaining about being bored sitting around doing nothing between cases. Hawkeye snipes that the rest of the team are good at doing nothing - none of them have even been to see Hank in prison. He'd spring Pym himself if he didn't think that would make things worse. Cap just cryptically hopes no-one else will do anything to hurt Hank. Half the team don't know what he's getting at, but when Thor gets the Golden Avenger alone he adds his advice that IM should be honest with Wasp.

That evening Jan is expecting Tony for another date, when Iron Man shows up instead. And unmasks in front of her. She is shocked. And then she says she can't betray Hank with 1 of his friends. Their affair is over.

Henry Pym sees in a newspaper next day that Tony Stark has jilted Jan.

Review / Commentaries

Avengers #224 Review by Rob Johnson (November 17, 2015)

This issue counts as part of the Trial of Yellowjacket arc, and Jim Shooter is back to plot it. He wrote the 1st 4 issues of the Trial (#212-214 & #217) then plotted #222 and this 1. But he'll have to leave the conclusion in #227-230 to others. Meanwhile Alan Zelenetz is drafted in as scripter, and Mark Bright as penciller. This is the 3rd issue of Ant-Man's guest stint. Next he'll be in the imminent Contest Of Champions and the guest-fest in Marvel Two-In-One #96, before returning here for #229 the penultimate chapter of the Trial of YJ. When Ant-Man visits Henry Pym he is reading a newspaper that already has a Van Dyne and Stark headline, despite the fact that they haven't dated yet. Only Henry Pym of the original team now doesn't know Iron Man and Thor's secret IDs. Those 2 shared IDs way back in #113. Captain America found out both in #216. Wasp learnt Thor's ID in #220. But Avengers Classic 3/2 and Mighty Avengers 21 will say Hank realised who IM was in #4. I don't know when he finds out about Don Blake? According to the Official Index Cap will be a busy guy between here and next issue. In CA#273-274 he'll join with the surviving Howling Commandos to rescue Gen'l Sawyer from Hydra and Baron Strucker who all turn out to be Life Model Decoys. In a tale in Marvel Fanfare #5 the son of a WWII Nazi villain tries to get revenge on Cap. And in his Annual #6 Steve Rogers teams up with the 3 replacement Captain America's (Spirit of '76 , Patriot and the 50's Cap) plucked from their various times by Mr Buda/Contemplator, an Elder of the Universe. Meanwhile Wasp has a chat with Don Blake in Th#324 before Thor fights old Avengers foe Graviton. Then the whole team attend Dazzler's charity concert in Dz#21 along with loads of other heroes.

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Alan Zelenetz

M. D. Bright

Brett Breeding

Christie Scheele

Brett Breeding (Cover Penciler)
Brett Breeding (Cover Inker)

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Avengers

Captain America
(Steven Rogers)

Hawkeye
(Clinton Barton)

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

She-Hulk
(Jennifer Walters)

Thor
(Odinson)

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Avengers #224

Two from the heart

Synopsis

Review / Commentaries