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Avengers #31

Aug 2000

Kurt Busiek, George Perez

Story Name:

And so it begins ...

Synopsis

Avengers #31 synopsis by Rob Johnson

Rating:

The synthezoid Vision, in his human guise Victor Shade, enters a pub in Chicago where he is well known. With his super-hearing he overhears mention of a meeting called by the Grim Reaper. Apparently he's been pub-crawling for weeks following his trail. He quickly leaves, reverts to Vision and floats away.

At Avengers Mansion Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) and Government liaison Duane Freeman are watching Iron Man run a battery of tests on Goliath (Henry Pym) but failing to find any explanation for his problems during the Kulan Gath story (#28-30). (IM is wearing an old armour (from #85 of his original run) these days because his latest armour gained sentience and went rogue (current IM#26-30).)

Hank is confidant that he sorted out all the problems with his growth serum a while ago after he left the West Coast Avengers. He'd improved it when he rejoined the Avengers in #366 and perfected it soon after. This changed his powers slightly - he'd regained the ability to shrink as well as grow, but he couldn't now change the size of other things unless they'd been specially pre-treated. He knows Jan is worried about his mental state, given his history, but he thinks it must have been a side-effect of Gath's magic - or maybe just the flu.

But we know that the problem *was* a side-effect of the magic, and that he was split into 2 copies. The other copy followed the team home as miniature Yellowjacket and is watching the proceedings from hiding. He's been living in the Mansion scavenging for food. The security system doesn't complain because it recognises him as Pym. But now he's disgusted that big Henry is under Jan's thumb, and he heads out into New York City for adventure.

In the Combat Simulation Room Warbird (Carol Danvers) is overseeing a friendly contest between She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) and Triathlon (Delroy Garrett). They have magno-gloves and a metal ball, and the aim is to get the ball to the opponent's goal wall-plate. It's Shulkie's superior power vs Delroy's lesser super-strength coupled with speed and agility. There's lots of rebounds off the walls and such until Triathlon bounces it off Jen's head to score. He says he mastered the bank shot hustling pool. His opponent compliments him on being as accurate and sneaky as Hawkeye, and Delroy laughingly asks Warbird if that was a compliment.

Beast calls the Mansion and Wanda answers. He wants to talk to Simon Williams (Wonder Man) but the Witch thought her lover was with *him* (in the Avengers Two: WM & B mini-series). Hank McCoy says Wondy left for the Mansion when they returned to NY a week ago. Wanda guesses he must have missed them while they were in Costa Verde fighting Kulan Gath, but she's still worried.

Then there's another message this time from Vision which he broadcasts to all rooms. He tells them that all the Maggia leaders of the US and Europe have been called to a meeting in Chicago by the Grim Reaper. And he thinks the Avengers should be there to capture them all. But Wanda is more interested in where her ex-husband has been sine he left weeks ago (in #23 after a bust-up with Simon). Vizh ignores her and tells them to meet him on the roof of the Okanaga Building then signs off.

As Duane sees them out Iron Man is still frosty with him, and the others aren't much better. He wonders how he can do his job if they no longer trust him after discovering he's a member of the Triune Understanding 'cult' which they are suspicious of. Even Triathlon who the Triune's foisted on them (#27) is more in with them now.

In the quinjet on the way to Chicago Triathlon asks Warbird why they all act concerned about Scarlet Witch over her super-powerful boyfriend Wonder-Man and her ex Vision. Carol says there are complications in both relationships.

When they land on the roof Vision explains he's been tailing Grim Reaper while he was away, seeing him contact Maggia leaders and now there's a big meeting going on in a riverfront warehouse

Inside we see Reaper and some familiar faces:- Madame Masque of the Las Vegas Maggia, plus Caesar Cicero and Silvio Manfredi from New York. 2 names will turn out to belong to chars we know:- Edward Lavell of the Gulf Coast and Pierre Fresson from Europe. But the other 2 T B Smithson of Texas and Shigeru Ichihara of the Pacific Rim have been invented for this issue (and only for this issue). Reaper suggests they should stop being separate organisations and band together to become even more powerful.

Avengers leader Wasp insists that the synthezoid tell her where he's been since #23 (I thought he just did). But again with the ignoring as he says instead that SHIELD are here to intercept any escapees but the Avengers will be the ones to go in. And he 'suggests' that Triathlon, Wasp and himself take out all the sentries. Which they do. Then Wasp orders the assault.

Madame Masque is happy with the current non-interference pacts. She's not going to open her borders and let her enemies in. Reaper says his boss won't take no for an answer. At this point the Avengers break in and Masque says she knew this was a trap. Tony Stark knows it's impossible for Whitney Frost to be here, but he still expected it. And Masque triggers her prepared defence and robot Dreadnoughts break in from the opposite direction.

Wasp sends Goliath, Iron Man, She-Hulk and Warbird to tackle the big robots. She'll go after the mobsters' heavies with Triathlon and Vision while Scarlet Witch prepares to step in with spells where needed. Said heavies try to get their bosses to safety, but some of the bosses can make it out under their own power. Pierre Fresson turns out to be Cyclone while She-Hulk captures the Texan. The Golden Avenger goes after Cyclone but a Dreadnought gets in the way. Meanwhile Edward Lavell puts on his Eel mask and tries to slip away, but Triathlon's boot in the face stops *him*. Then another batch of Dreadnoughts arrives but the Witch takes them all down with 1 hex.

Soon Grim Reaper and Madame Masque are the only villains still standing, and Reaper has Masque as a hostage with his scythe at her throat. He confirms to her that she was a prime target and his boss will be pleased when he delivers her. Masque calls out to Iron Man and says "She still loves you and she needs your help". And then her head explodes.

The Avengers are stunned into inaction and Reaper creates a smoke cloud to cover his escape. SHIELD rounds up the goons and 3 Maggia leaders (Smithson, Eel and I would guess Ichihara, although in my Comments I suggest it might be Manfredi). Wanda corners Vision and finally gets an answer. Vizh says he needed time to think after the confrontation with her and Simon in #23. He's come to the conclusion that he had sought validation from others, but now he has taken responsibility for his own happiness.

Iron Man orders everyone back to the quinjet. They need to figure out what Reaper's up to and who he's working for, plus what's going on with Madame Masque. (He omits to mention finding out what's happened to Wonder Man.)

The crossover continues in THUNDERBOLTS #42.

Review / Commentaries

Avengers #31 Review by Rob Johnson (June 5, 2020)

Wes Abbott joins Richard Starkings as letterer.

This issue starts a crossover with Thunderbolts that will end in #34. For the 1st half of the run it's more of an interleaving than a crossover. And it won't be until the last 2 parts that it gets an overall title 'The Nefaria Protocols'.

Tony Stark continued to wear his old armour after the Mask In The Iron Man arc (in his #26-30) through the Sons Of Yinsen affair (in Iron Man #31-32 and his 2000 Annual). And he'll continue until he gets the new SKIN armour in #42. By which time he won't be Tony Stark anymore!

Grim Reaper is Eric Williams, the brother of Simon Williams, Wonder Man, and Vision's brain is based on Simon's so Eric and Vision consider themselves 'brothers' too. For that reason Vision's 'father' Ultron dragged Eric along with Vision into his latest 'family' plot (#19-22) at the end of which Vision let Eric escape. So he's been feeling responsible and keeping an eye on him since then.

The Maggia have been Marvel's version of the Mafia since #13 of our 1st series. That Maggia family was led by Count Nefaria, and it was his daughter Whitney Frost who took it over in Tales Of Suspense #97 after he was imprisoned. And it was Whitney who became Madame Masque in Iron Man #17 after a facial disfigurement.

Next issue we'll be reminded that several 'Madame Masque's have died recently, and we'll learn that the real MM is still alive. But more on her recent history then.

There was at least 1 Cyclone before the current 1.
André Gerard's career spanned Amazing Spider-Man #143 (Apr 75) to Captain America #319 (Jul 86). (He will be temporarily resurrected in the 2009 Punisher series.) He did at 1 time work for Whitney Frost's Maggia, but was usually freelance.
Pierre Fresson has mainly been seen in 1997's Thunderbolts series where the Maggia gave him a Cyclone costume but he then joined Crimson Cowl's Masters Of Evil. So it's a bit strange that he is now in the European Maggia's good books such that he is either a boss or at least has been chosen to represent them here. He'll continue doing Maggia work in TB#43 in this storyline, but then he'll return to the MOE in TB#63.
There is some debate whether the Cyclone in Marvel Comics Presents #97 (Mar 92) and Silver Sable & Wild Pack #21-22 (Feb-Mar 94) is Fresson or another guy named Gregory Stevens.

This Eel is also not the 1st with that title.
Leopold Stryke débuted way back in the Human Torch story in Strange Tales #112. 1 of his early apps was working for the Maggia boss Count Nefaria in X-Men #22-23, but his major gig was as 1 of the Serpent Squad in Cap comics. He was killed in Ghost Rider (1973) #21 and succeeded by ...
Edward Lavell in Power Man & Iron Fist #92 where he was working for Maggia boss Hammerhead. But then he too went freelance and also joined Crimson Cowl's gang. So again it's surprising to find him depicted as a Maggia leader here. After this he'll still be in the Maggia in the SM:Lifeline 3-issues but then he'll go non-Maggia again, including joining a version of the Serpent Squad. But much later (ASM(2014)#5) he'll again be a Maggia boss.

Silvio Manfredi, or Silvermane, was a New York Maggia boss introduced in ASM#73-75 seeking to regain his youth via a mystic Tablet. He's been bedevilling Spidey and others on and off since then, lately in SM(1990)#94 and New Warriors (1999) #4.
Maybe *he* is the 3rd boss captured because he's next seen in prison with fellow Maggia boss Hammerhead in Wolverine #164.

Caesar "Big C" Cicero was Silvermane's right-hand man in ASM#73-75 but always had his eye on the boss's job. His apps have not been as prolific as Silvio's. He became a boss in his own right and was last seen alongside Manfredi in SM#73-74 and SM Made Men 1-shot.
His only later app will be the SM:L mini where he'll be reunited with Eel and Hammerhead and that mystic Tablet.

The 1st Dreadnought robot was sent by Hydra to assassinate Nick Fury in Strange Tales #154. It reappeared when Silvermane forsook the Maggia and took over as Supreme Hydra in Daredevil #121-123. The Maggia (led again by Madame Masque) bought the design and used several copies against Iron Man in his #138-139. The 1st use of a veritable army of Dreadnoughts was IM#245-246, again by Masque's Maggia. But these 4 issues were actually early apps of the MM bio-duplicates that we'll learn about next issue. And this issue's char was 1 of those too.

Beast is bopping around at the moment between Uncanny X-Men #380 (end of a story involving Mr Sinister and High Evolutionary) and #381 (part of the Revolution event). His last app was in the Wonder Man & Beast mini mentioned in the synopsis and he's next in Cable #84.

The Avengers will take a side-trip to Hulk Annual 2000 before next issue when Hulk comes to New York.

We'll begin to learn what's up with Wonder Man in TB#42.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Kurt Busiek

George Perez

Al Vey

Tom Smith

George Perez (Cover Penciler)
George Perez (Cover Inker)
Tom Smith (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Richard Starkings.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Bob Harras.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Avengers

Beast
(Henry Phillip McCoy)

Grim Reaper
(Eric Williams)

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

Madame Masque
(Giulietta Nefaria)

Scarlet Witch
(Wanda Maximoff)

She-Hulk
(Jennifer Walters)

Vision

Wasp
(Janet Van Dyne)

Yellowjacket
(Hank Pym)

Plus: Caesar Cicero, Cyclone (Pierre Fresson), Duane Freeman, Eel (Edward Lavell), Goliath (Hank Pym), Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi), Triathlon (Delroy Garrett Jr.), Warbird (Carol Danvers).

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