Avengers #237: Review

Nov 1983

Roger Stern, Al Milgrom

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Story Name:

Meltdowns and Mayhem

Review & Comments

Rating:

Avengers #237 Review by T Vernon (January 13, 2023)

Comments: Part three of three parts. Rhino returns in THING #24; Electro in FALCON #3-4; Moonstone and Blackout in the next issue.

Review: Another cool issue with two teams of superpowered people battling each other, cleverly using their powers against one another. I always enjoy stories like this, though we don’t learn what Captain Marvel did to escape from the black light bubble. Spidey turns out to be very helpful, especially when scientific knowledge is needed (and Iron Man is not on the team). Captain Marvel (Monica R) is also a nice addition to the team, though she may be a bit overpowered for the usual adventures; here she has to be stuck in a bubble (already mentioned) to keep her from clobbering everybody at once. But she saves the day, a nice note for an underappreciated character.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Avengers #237 Synopsis by T Vernon

At Project Pegasus, the Avengers escort the Lava Men back through the tunnel to their own land. Uninvited guest Spider-Man marvels at the speed at which the Avengers’ world moves. Captain America and the Guardsman explain to the Lava Men’s leader that their drilling into the Lava village was an accident, as they were unaware that it was there….

Bad guys Moonstone, Blackout, Electro, and Rhino discover the presence of the Avengers over a CCTV. Rhino is in favor of attacking them immediately while Electro balks. Rhino reveals that he doesn’t trust Blackout, who appeared the same time as the Avengers. Blackout is offended and traps Rhino in a black light prison while ranting about his woes, giving Rhino enough time to push his way through the solidified light and clobber Blackout. Moonstone orders Electro to separate them with a bolt of lightning while she explains her plan….

The Lava Men depart and seal up the hole leading to their village. Wasp scolds Spidey for interfering in Avengers business but also mentions her willingness to make him an Avenger-in-Training, which he finds mildly insulting given his experience as a superhero but Cap talks him into it, also mentioning how they have no secrets from one another about their powers. Starfox is concerned, though, as he has a power he doesn’t want anyone to know about. She-Hulk also advises him to walk on the floor like the rest of them. O’Brien ushers them into the Tube, containing a vortex beam, raising them to the upper levels. Suddenly, the power cuts out and they plummet with Spidey shooting webs to catch his non-flying comrades. O’Brien calls it sabotage because of the multiple failsafe measures. She-Hulk busts through the wall; O’Brien learns of the villains’ escape and they find the door to the nuclear research dome sealed off. She-Hulk and Starfox again smash doors down and they discover a black light wall; Shulkie punches a hole in it and is shocked by Electro. Moonstone informs them over CCTV that the bad guys are in control of the nukes. Scarlet Witch steps forward to cast a hex that melts the wall, causing an electrical feedback that blasts Electro. Blackout encloses Captain Marvel in a bubble she cannot break. Rhino takes on the bulk of them; Cap A hurls his shield cutting off Electro’s power supply and Wanda drains the air from around his head, knocking him out. Shulkie punches Rhino’s lights out. Blackout flattens Starfox with a blast so Cap M bursts out of the bubble and takes him on. Moonstone sets the nuclear reactor to a meltdown and takes off with Blackout right behind. Spidey explains the situation and Cap M enters the unit to replace the damping rods in the power core while Spidey describes what she needs to do. They succeed and the team returns to the Mansion to rest up. The Avengers contact the National Security Council to inform them that Spider-Man is an Avenger-in-Training but Raymond Sikorsky vetoes the idea as Spidey is considered a security risk. Spider-Man graciously leaves, with a joke on his lips….

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