I picked up the newest issue of AVENGERS on my now-weekly Thursday trip to the Stationery Store. The book was on something of a roll right at that moment, in the midst of a three-part adventure sorting out the backstories of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (or trying to–later developments would overturn some of the revelations made in this storyline.) This was also the first time that the Scarlet Witch went bad, though here she’s possessed rather than acting of her own accord. In later years, this too would become a theme that was returned to more than once. In any event, it was a series that I was regularly enjoying, so no real thought went into laying out my four dimes for this latest issue.
AVENGERS was mostly being written by David Michelinie at this point, but for this continuity-heavy story, Mark Gruenwald and Steven Grant stepped in to take care of the plotting. I have to also assume that penciler John Byrne also had a hand in the plot, as he typically did on his assignments from around this time. Byrne was paired here with Dan green as his inker. While Green wasn’t quite so seductively sharp in his line as Terry Austin, he was still a good and polished match for what Byrne was putting down. The book looked good.
Plotwise, as this is the concluding chapter of a trilogy, we hit the ground running. The Avengers are running too as the story opens, racing to far-off Transia in response to an urgent call for help from Quicksilver received last issue. But there’s an unnatural storm brewing over Transia that quickly knocks out the Qunjet’s engines, forcing the team to bail out. All except Wonder Man, who figures he’s indestructible enough to survive the crash and offers to stay behind and guide the ship away from any populated areas. When the Beast wants to remain with his buddy, Wondy straps his own rocket-belt onto the Beast and sends him hurling out of the plummeting Quinjet to safety, though he lands some distance from the rest of the team. Meanwhile, having reached the ground, the Avengers are attacked by Modred the Mystic, who has been sent to capture them for his master, Chthon. So we break out in a fight sequence as the Avengers tackle this mystic menace.
The Avengers do a credible job of laying the smackdown on Modred, though it’s a battle that occupies several pages as one by one the individual Avengers are trounced. Finally, though, it’s the overlooked Wasp who delivers the coup de gras, zapping Modred into unconsciousness. But there’s no time for celebration, as Janey Van Dyne herself is similarly zapped by a figure that turns out to be the Scarlet Witch, now completely possessed by the demonic Chthon. She’s already put the kibosh on Wonder Man after he crawled out of the wreckage of the Quinjet, and now she transports the stricken Avengers up Wundagore Mountain to where she’s ready to enact a spell that will let Chthon dominate the world. We get a reprise of the cover image at this point, as the assorted Avengers are hung upside down like Christmas Tree ornaments.
This being Gruenwald’s show, we then get a three-page recounting of the details of the history of the Darkhold, the mystic book of evil first established in the pages of WEREWOLF BY NIGHT. Gruenwald and Grant thread the needle of a bunch of previous stories to lay out the story of the dark book and its connection to Chthon–as well as Chthon’s connection with the Scarlet Witch, which goes back to the moment of her birth. The text establishes that Chthon was the reason why Wanda’s mutant hex powers would occasionally ebb over the years, in the hopes that she might turn to actual sorcery to augment her abilities, as she did under writer Steve Englehart. This has opened up the doorway for Chthon to inhabit Wanda as a vessel.
But before Chthon can get on with his enchanting, he’s interrupted by a member of the Knights of Wundagore on a flying techno-steed. This is actually the Beast, who found the remains of the Knight and his vehicle where he landed on the mountainside, and commandeered it (though why he suited up in the dead Knight’s armor as well before knowing he might need it will remain a mystery for the ages.) The Beast is able to put his lance through the Darkhold book, breaking the spell holding the Avengers, so a free-for-all breaks out. But even all together, the assembled heroes can’t seem to do much to harm Chthon. At a certain point, Django Maximoff, Wanda and Pietro’s father who had brought them to Wundagore in the first place (and who had mostly been overlooked in this issue up until now) pulls out the doll in which he’d been able to capture Wanda’s soul in the first place. And by concentrating, he’s once again able to summon Wanda’s essence to the figuring. But this proves too much for him, and he collapses.
Quicksilver attempts to use the doll to swap Wanda’s soul back into her body, but he doesn’t have the spiritual juice to get the job done, not on his own. But the Avengers assemble, all focusing their efforts on making the swap, and together they prove to be enough to get the job done. Back in her own body, Wanda brings down a portion of the Mountaintop upon the figure, in which now resides the essence of Chthon, burying it forever (or at least that’s the idea. Of course Chthon came back again in later years, multiple times.) And that’s about it. Django Maximoff perished in his efforts to save Wanda, so the Avengers bury him, and they leave the now-mindless Modred in the care of the New Woman Bova who had been Wanda and Pietro’s midwife when they were born. And that wraps up this tale.
The Avengers Assemble letters page this time includes two pieces of correspondence that are of some small note. The first letter by Bruce McCorkindale takes up a challenge delivered on an earlier letters page by future Avengers writer Kurt Busiek, who bemoaned the lack of substantial critique on recent letters pages. Also responding was future Eclipse Comics publisher Cat Yronwode, who was also a huge Marvel fan throughout the 1970s.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
I read this story way back when I was a teen. It was translated in Dutch. Nowadays I have it in English and still like this story.
Greetings from Belgium.
LikeLike
A great story, but Magneto as Wanda and Pietro’s father never made a lick of sense. If no other good came out of the whole Fox/Disney X-Men/Inhumans debacle is that this was changed for the better.
LikeLike
I loved this run of Avengers, though I missed a couple issues here or there. But that was my prime “collecting” phase as a kid, so I’m pretty sure I hunted down the gaps. I was a sucker for the artwork, though I enjoyed the stories too. I think a reason for that is one that I still find valid today – things could actually happen to the characters. Sure, nothing was going to fell Cap, but the others (Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Carol, Beast, Wonder Man, later Hawkeye) all had spurts of character development. I loved those non-action scenes as much as the big battles. These days, (IMO), it feels like nothing much ever happens (to too may characters) unless it’s an event/promo/gimmick which usually gets undone or ignored within a few months. But this stretch of Avengers was one of my favorites.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, I really liked having Magneto as Wanda and Pietro’s father. I appreciated the initial intent on Byrne and others part that such an insinuation would never be openly expressed, but once the Chris Claremont let the cat of the bag, I thought it was handled well.
Of course the complexities of the various cinematic rights made that relationship impossible in later years. Then again, with everything now seeming under the MCU banner, who’s to say that Magneto won’t again find himself the father of the twins?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked Magnus being Wanda’s & Pietro’s father, too. It added more drama and even difficulty to all of their characters. When I started reading comics, that was the status quo. And though I like character development, I didn’t think the change made things more interesting for them, or for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Kurt Busiek, who bemoaned the lack of substantial critique on recent letters pages.”
I believe this was a deliberate choice on Jim Shooter’s part. I remember him writing on his blog years back that he considered the letters pages promotional material, and he didn’t want any negativity on them. I think he’d also been getting complaints from Jack Kirby about the presence of negative letters on the pages in Kirby’s books. Ralph Macchio and the other staffers who’d been assigned to put those pages together apparently weren’t sympathetic to what Kirby was doing, and filled the pages with reader complaints.
LikeLiked by 2 people
According to one article I’d read, Kirby getting to be writer/artist/editor annoyed some of the newer staffers who didn’t see why he should get a deal like that.
Phooey on Shooter. I enjoy Julius Schwartz Silver Age letter pages precisely because there’s some good critiques in them.
LikeLike
TOM wrote ( Though why he suited up in the dead knight’s armor as well before he might need it will remain a mystery for the ages ): Perhaps the dead knight’s helmet had a message inside ( I’m inspired by the message that MCU’s Tony Stark was leaving ( recording in his helmet ) in Avengers: Endgame 2019 film on the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship before Captain Marvel encountered him and Nebula ) about who he was fighting before he was killed. If that had happened the Beast would have hoped it might be great psychological warfare against Chthon ( Temporary catch Chthon of guard — like Sprite/Kitty Pryde ( with help from Nightcrawler ) impersonating Dark Phoenix did against the Shi’ar — Uncanny X-Men#157 ( May 1982 ) ).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dan Green’s an accomplished artist in his own right, beyond his vast credits as one of the best inkers of his generation. Depending on which series it is, and who’s drawing it, I’d choose his inks over some of his contemporaries.
These “Avengers” issues showed me he’s a great inker for Byrne. His thick, lush inks and lighting sense were perfect for Byrne’s Beast (Byrne drew one of the best). They also added ro the mood and tone of all the characters. They didn’t come off as physically flat, despite the 2 dimensional medium. No easy trick.
I also like the work of George Roussos and Jim Novak. George was limited by the available technology at the time, but his choices were creative. His colors could change and overlap without the boundaries of inked lines, which added to the naturalistic quality and just more appeal to the colors. Like Dan Green, George was also well accomplished in comics, in addition to coloring.
Jim Novak woul letter many great comics, getting more bold and distinctive. His eun in the first “Punisher” ongoing featured some eye popping work, that I hadn’t seen much of, if at all, in comics at the time. Added another level of graphic visual appeal and sophisticatuon.
Roger Stern’s later, lengthy run on this book as its writer is one of his many highlights, for me it was especially the “second half” drawn by J.Buscema and Tom Palmer. But I have to say, there are a few series he edited that were at the top of their game under his watch. The guy knows the nut and bolts of comics as well as drama and excellent characterization.
Steven Grant knows I’m a fan, so I wont butter him up more here. But the whole credit box would be in a Gen X readers’ hall of fame.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Add me to the list of being a huge fan of Stern’s latter half of the Avengers with Buscema and Palmer’s art. Even less than completely inspired, John Buscema gave that book such “grand old heroes” touch that couldn’t help adding that much more to Stern’s amazing stories.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Right? His “Conan” continued simultaneously, and often seemed more inspired than his 2nd or 3rd return to “The Avengers” (especially the “Conan” issues inked by Bob Camp!). And John’s on record saying about as much, preferring drawing “Conan” to “mainstream” superheroes.
I also had a “Thor” annual from around then,that he inked his own work on, and it absolutely blew me away. No one drew a more wicked and formidable Mephisto.
And he found time to draw a fill-in of Mark Gruenwald’s “Squadron Supreme” “maxiseries” (#7?), inked by Bob Layton, who I wouldn’t immediately think of to ink John Buscema’s drawings. But it looked great. And his Hyperion made me wish (again) for John to draw Superman. The 2nd crossover with Spider-Man wasn’t enough, or his best stuff.
And Palmer took over more & more over John’s “breakdowns”/”layouts” on “Avengers” But overall, the mythic sensibilities and sheer raw drawing skill, depiction of physical power, despite the static panel framing, was like John’s “hold my beer” statement to the generation of artists coming up then.
As if, oh, you wanna see how a world class superhero team is drawn? Here, lemme show ya. Definitve versions (there can be more than one, by different artists!) of each character. Especially Cap, Wasp, Herc, & the Black Knight. You were reading authentic representations of each
The facial expressions and body language really sold Roger’s dialog. Including when they were mad at each other, which Wasp and Herc, Herc and Namor, and Monica at Herc and Namor, often were. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Couldn’t agree more that those facial expressions and body language absolutely sold every aspect of Stern’s excellent stories. From Captain America’s stone face when Zemo tormented him to his tears later and so, so many other outstanding examples. It’s amazing how someone so gifted at superheroes so disliked drawing them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I guess John Buscema was just gifted at drawing, pairing, and visual art in general, and superheroes were just a way to make a living using his artistic skills and talents.
He could draw anything. American Westerns. Romance. Crime. War. But by the 1980”s, superheroes had long eclipsed all other comicbook genres.
He dud some notable Punisher stories in the 1990’s, I think.He never lost his potency. And he was definitely doing very good stuff in the 1980’s.
LikeLike
I agree with you that Dan Green was a really good inker. I think he was underrated. It seems to me that, unlike gents like Terry Austin, Joe Sinnott or Tom Palmer, his inking sort of fell under the radar. But I feel that Green always did solid work when paired with Rick Leonardi, and he contributed what were probably some vital inks on Uncanny X-Men when Marc Silvestri was a relative newcomer.
Of course, as you say, Green was also a great penciler himself, as his very short run on doctor Strange in the early 1980s showed. And, of course, Green did beautiful painted work on the Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa graphic novel.
I remember that when Green died in 2023 it felt like his passing was sadly unnoticed by a lot of comic books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking about “Shamballa”, too.
And I was glad he stayed on “Uncanny X-Men” after JRJr’s excellent run. Dan’s inks were well-suited for Silvestri’s own dynamics & kinetic figures.
They stayed together on the “Wolverine” solo book, which was a smart choice by all involved.
Comicbooks were in such a different place in 2023 than they were in Dan’s hey day. I’m unsure when his career trailed off. 20 years ago?
He inked Ron Garney’s drawings on Kurt Busiek’s run of “JLA”. I think I read Ron saying he wishes he hadn’t gone as loose and experimental as he did on that run. Ron’s one of my very favorite be artists, but that’s not my favorite work from him.
Just from that credit box, Kurt, Ron, & Dan, “JLA” should’ve been a critical and sales success. I think if Ron and Dan had been on “Avengers” with Kurt, that book wouldn’t have flinched from the excellence Kurt had achieved with other art teams. Just a guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Had my buddies at the time not been telling me it was time to go, this comic would have returned me to collecting several months prior to X-Men #129. Seeing that cover on the comic rack in that convenience store as we walked past snagged my helpless eyeballs and did not want to let them go!
Jump forward a few decades and this issue still rocks! Although much of that goes to the stellar John Byrne-Dan Green art, I’ve also find the story quite intriguing. Sure it was a tad heavy on continuity, but since it’s not every day that the Avengers tackle elder gods, I didn’t mind expanding my knowledge.
And if it moved Wanda and Pietro away from the Whizzer as their father, that prompted a “thumbs up” from me. Nothing against Golden Age characters, but Bob Frank wasn’t the most exciting cape in the drawer. As for the Scarlet Witch, I confess that she’s almost more fun when she breaks bad than as a hero. Almost.
Props as well to the responses spawned by Kurt Busiek’s letter in the Avengers. I have to wonder how much fun it would have been if the internet had existed back then?
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great issue and the Byrne/Green art is fantastic. Back in the day I probably preferred Austin’s inks on Byrne, but Green’s brushwork really adds to the atmosphere in this issue.Love the flourish of Wanda’s face becoming more demonic.
This was one in a run of great issues. It didn’t matter who showed up in the line-up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As I said when this blog reviewed one of the earlier the chapters this hits all the things I want in a retcon: it makes sense of disparate stories, it’s an interesting retcon and it’s a good story.
Sign me up as a fan of Magneto as Dad. Englehart did some fun work with that in Vision/Scarlet Witch.
LikeLike