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Vision and the Scarlet Witch #7: Review

Apr 1986
Steve Englehart, Richard Howell

Story Name:

Batteries Not Included!

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #7 Review by (December 14, 2022)

Review: Vision goes searching for his identity and ends up battling an energy-enhanced Toad in a spaceship; sounds about right for a comic book. Quirky tale has Namor among the Avengers, which is likely the most bizarre plot point in the issue, a Mastermind robot smashed until only his legs are left and escaping anyway, and Toad actually being a serious menace. Vision doesn’t learn very much in his travels and ends up quoting Popeye. Which seems to be enough for him. So it will have to be enough for us. Just like the Christmas issue which goes all in on pagan winter observations and leaves only a passing mention of Christ. And we end with some soap opera shtick.

Comments: The title comes from a notice that frequently appeared on toys and other consumer products that the power source needed to be purchased separately; I’m a bit vague on its relevance to the story, though. Namor and the original Human Torch met in MARVEL MYSTERY #8 (1940). In his dreams, Vision sees the Awesome Android, an army of Nick Fury LMDs, an army of Doctor Doom’s invincible robots (from FF #85), Ultron, and the Mastermind robot. Toad was stranded on the Stranger’s planet in X-MEN #19; he will be back in issue #11 of this miniseries.  “I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.” Vision is quoting Popeye, whom Namor would approve of, presumably for his self-reliance. One of the letters in the letter column is by Hurricane Heeran, future contributor to Alter EgoRoy Thomas’ fanzine.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #7 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Captain America and the Sub-Mariner are training in the Combat Simulation Room when the Vision suddenly enters through the wall. Namor is distracted and is clobbered by a machine. He loses his temper and smashes the mechanical menace. Cap is also clobbered before he can hit the kill switch. Namor confronts Vision who responds that Namor should not let himself be distracted. His purpose for coming: Vision wants to know more about the man whose android body he occupies: the original Human Torch—and Cap and Namor knew him firsthand. While Jarvis serves drinks, Namor relates the battles he fought against the Torch; in response to a question by Vision, the other two confirm that Torch’s voice was human, not mechanical. Cap describes his adventures with the Invaders. Vision remembers none of this and isn’t sure what he should be feeling….

At home in Leonia, New Jersey, the Scarlet Witch is sitting with her pupil Holly LaDonna and telling her all about the ancient meanings of the Winter solstice; Crystal arrives for a visit and Wanda tells her that she and Holly will soon be performing a “for witches only” ceremony. Crystal excuses herself and decides to go for a walk around the town, returning later….

Vision goes to Project Pegasus where Agent Raymond Sikorsky agrees to his request to see the synthetic “evil mutants” he helped capture last month (last issue). Vision is taken to see the robot Mastermind and asks for a private meeting. Mastermind knows nothing of his life before the Toad created him but he does know he can evolve: the robot grows into a giant composed of antimatter, melting Vision’s hand when he hits the creature. Angered, Vision tears Mastermind into several pieces but the legs and lower torso leap into the ventilation system. Vision warns Sikorsky and they, along with the Guardsmen, race to Toad’s cell just in time for the legs to arrive and crash against the force bars on the cell, destroying itself but allowing Toad to go free. The villain then brings down a tractor beam and is drawn back to his ship and away. Vision catches up to the departing ship, phases inside, and collapses….

Back home, Wanda interrupts a lesson on the rebirth ritual to wonder where Vision is. Now that she’s pregnant she finds herself worrying more and more about her husband’s safety….

After some weird dreams, Vision wakes up and heads for the control room where Toad is rehearsing his longtime grievances. He was a pathetic toady to Magneto but once he was stranded on the Stranger’s planet, he stole a lot of technology to make himself fearsome. Vision interrupts to present himself as an advanced piece of machinery. Toad erupts, accusing Vision of having stolen from him the only woman he has ever loved, Wanda. He presses a button and his levitating chair is now outlined by an energy field in the shape of a muscular giant. Vision battles the force giant while Toad demands Wanda. Vision beats him down while delivering a lecture on love and how to treat a woman. Toad operates his tunnel-like beam to eject Vision from the ship; as he falls out, he sends back a solar blast to disable Toad’s ship which goes careening off into space. Vision, however, is trapped in space; he uses his force beam to push himself back to Earth. He returns to Wanda, telling her he has come up with an answer to the question, “How much a man is he and how much a Synthezoid:” he is the Vision….

On her way home in the snow, Holly passes Norm Webster’s house—and sees him in a very romantic kiss with Crystal….



Richard Howell
Frank Springer
Adam Phillips
Richard Howell (Cover Penciler)
Frank Springer (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Bill Oakley.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Jarvis
Jarvis

(Edwin Jarvis)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)

Plus: Guardsman (Michael O'Brien), Toad (Mortimer Toynbee).

> Vision and the Scarlet Witch: Book info and issue index

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