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Solo Avengers #18: Review

May 1989
Howard Mackie, Ron Wilson

Story Name:

When You Wish Upon a Star

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Solo Avengers #18 Review by (June 7, 2022)

Review: Highly entertaining tale of demons and superheroes makes a nice showcase for Texas Twister who usually comes off a bit silly with that stereotypical Texas drawl reproduced in print. Shooting Star has less of a presence, mostly running and not shooting. And for some reason, Hawkeye is shown shirtless for a few pages; I know beefcake works in movies and TV but in a comic book? Don Heck’s drawing are seriously not that sexy.

The Moondragon story, which is actually an episode in the origin of Sundragon, has a heavy sci-fi feel, which I am usually a sucker for. We get a good feel for Titan’s civilization and the best part of the story is that Starfox, possibly the most obnoxious Avenger, isn’t home. The story is cool but goes off the rails somewhere. Why are Pam and the baby going out in a ship? Why is Demeityr worried about them? The part with The Dance, enigmatic as they are, is the most lucid part of the tale; it’s Pam’s actions that are hard to read. Promising tale fails through murky plotting.

Comments: First story: Texas Twister was introduced in FANTASTIC FOUR #177 and subsequently appeared in Captain America, Hulk, and West Coast Avengers issues. Shooting Star first appeared in INCREDIBLE HULK #265 and has appeared with and without Texas Twister. Riglevio’s only previous appearance was in WEST COAST AVENGERS (1985) #8; this is his final bow. Second story: Part two of three, continuing from issue #18 and concluding in issue #20. The title refers to a song from Alice in Wonderland, ending “Won’t you join the dance?” First appearance of The Dance, who return in QUASAR #45-47. Pamela Douglas is a fan of old time actor Ronald Colman (1891-1958) as was my mother.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Solo Avengers #18 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Hawkeye is alone at Avengers Compound when Texas Twister arrives, looking for his beloved Shooting Star. She had been replaced by a demon and now Tex wants to confront the demon, held captive at the Compound. When Hawkeye says he doesn’t think that’s a good idea, TT immediately becomes threatening, blowing up into a twister and forcing Clint to accede to the demand. Clint takes TT down to the basement where the demon, Riglevio, is held in a special cell. Hawkeye allows it only if he can stand ready with a special iron-tipped arrow. TT enters the cage, embraces the demon—then kisses it. The demon transforms into Shooting Star on the spot. Twister explains that he sold his soul to the demon to restore his waning powers but when the time came to pay, TT baked so the demon took Star instead. Tex was prevented from revealing the matter to anyone but eventually he discovered the means of undoing the spell. But then it is discovered that the demon, forced out of Star, has now entered Tex as part of a scheme to get close enough to Wonder Man to possess him and gain all his power. Tex turns into a twister and pursues Clint and Star through the building and Hawkeye is at a loss how to stop him with his arrows. He uses a bolo arrows to halt the twister then iron-tips to nail the demon to a tree. But Hawkeye can’t bring himself to kill the demon—so Shooting Star steps forward and threatens to blow his brains out. Riglevio immediately leaves TT’s body and enters a nearby statue, which Hawkeye plans to mail to Daimon Hellstrom. Tex and Star depart in contentment.

“Will You Won’t You Will You Won’t You” 3.5/5
Writer: Peter Gillis. Pencils: James Brock. Inks: Roy Richardson. Colors: Paul Becton. Letters: Rich Parker.

Synopsis: Story continued from issue #16.

Pamela Douglas relaxes on Titan, her mind shared by her dead cousin Heather alias Moondragon who is awaiting the completion of the new body being grown for her. Pam has a good time playing movie trivia with the world computer Isaac and a chess-like strategy game with Mentor, aided by the spirit of Isaac “Gargoyle” Christians in the amulet around her neck. She also finds herself attracted to Demeityr, the boyish immortal who has befriended her. When the baby is “born” Pam is told Heather’s mind will pass into it and then be remanded to the priests to be raised on Titan while Pam will be sent home. This does not appeal to Pam or Heather. Isaac Christians breaks the stalemate by asks to be the one caring for the baby. The transference is then effected, putting Heather’s mind into the baby….

Pamela takes the baby out on a space flight, being able to communicate mentally with each other but they are captured by The Dance, a powerful and ancient race whose activities are and motives are incomprehensible to outsiders. A column of fusion-level plasma moves toward them and none of them know what it is—but Pam marshals powers she did not know she had and Demeityr appears, having followed them in his ship and they depart, wondering whether the world is ready for two Moondragons….

Story continues in issue #20.



Ron Wilson
Don Heck
Janet Jackson
Rich Buckler (Cover Penciler)
Rich Buckler (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Jack Morelli.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Gargoyle
Gargoyle

(Isaac Christians)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clint Barton)

Plus: Mentor (A'Lars), Shooting Star (Victoria Star), Texas Twister.

> Solo Avengers: Book info and issue index

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