Synopsis
Avengers, The (1963 series) #139 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Wasp was critically injured in #137 by Toad disguised as the Stranger. The Avengers unmasked him last issue and now they have brought him to Jan's hospital bed where her distraught husband Yellowjacket demands that the villain cure her. Toad obviously doesn't know how to do that, and Iron Man and Thor restrain Henry Pym as Jan's doctor orders them out of the room.
Police take Toad away as YJ takes his frustrated anger out on anyone. He blames the doctor for letting them in to disturb the unconscious Wasp. He lashes out at Iron Man when he points out that Hank forced his way in.
The arguments are cut short by an attack by Hank and Jan's old enemy Whirlwind (since his début as Human Top in Tales to Astonish #50), who says he's come take Wasp. The whirling villain gets past all the Avengers and picks up Wasp. But a mind-burst from Moondragon drives him away.
Adding to his understandable frustration, YJ is trying to hide the pain he keeps getting after he used his shrinking power for too long last issue. He leaves his confused friends at the hospital to avoid questions about it.
Iron Man changes the subject and suggests someone should investigate why Hawkeye hasn't returned from his time trip (#137). He elects to take Moondragon with him to go check out Dr Doom's time machine. Chairman Thor objects to the Golden Avenger making decisions without consulting him. IM quips that Thor got to partner with their potential recruit last issue. Now it's his turn to 'evaluate her suitability'.
Outside the hospital Henry finds the Pyms' ex-chauffeur Charles, who we learn was fired after trying to steal Jan's money in Marvel Feature #9 while Wasp and YJ were stuck at insect-size. (Strangely Charles has arrived in uniform and with a limousine.) They still don't know that he is also Whirlwind. And he now approaches Jan's room again as Charles to make another attempt at snatching her, but backs off when he see that Beast and Thor are still there.
En route to Dr Doom's castle im Latveria Iron Man makes a pass at Moondragon. She pretends to respond, only to knock him back. When they get there they find the time-platform absent, which means that Hawkeye must still be in the past.
Elsewhere a woman sees a picture of the new Avengers lineup in a paper and heads out to confront Beast. And on Rurutu island Vision persuades Scarlet Witch it's time they returned to the Avengers.
Back at the main action Hank Pym is at home remembering the good times with Jan, when Whirlwind attacks him. YJ orders a nest of ants to weaken the lawn beneath his enemy's feet, and the whirling villain sinks into a hole. The hero pulls out his new Cellular Disruptor gun (demonstrated in #137) and Whirlwind suddenly flees.
Henry wonders how the baddie knew that the gun would be dangerous to him (normal bullets bounce off his spinning form). He suddenly realises how the villain could have seen it before. He rings the hospital and, after checking that Jan is no worse, asks Beast for confirmation of something.
YJ finds Charles near the hospital and accuses him of being Whirlwind. The ex-chauffeur is 1 of the few people who have seen the Cellular Disruptor before. Charles drops his disguise. He presumably also knows about Pym's current size-changing problem, because he's astonished when YJ grows to giant-size.
But large YJ doesn't have much success catching Whirlwind. So he switches to ant-size, flies inside the villains costume and starts blasting his chest with palm-stingers. Whirlwind is almost beaten, but Hank's pain returns and he falls off the baddie's body. He is just about to get stepped on when Beast arrives an KO's their foe.
Beast carries the unconscious villain off as Yellowjacket accompanies him, still not wanting to tell anyone about the pain he keeps getting.
EnemiesPlus: Toad (
Mortimer Toynbee).