AVENGERS #340, #341, & #342

"CLAY SOLDIERS"
Plot: David Michelinie | Script: Scott Lobdell
Pencils: Paul Abrams | Inks: Robert Jones & Chuck Barnette
Letterer: Brad K. Joyce | Colorists: Renee Witterstaetter & Marie Javins
Edits: Ralf Macchio | More Edits: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: Captain America, Wasp, Hercules, She-Hulk, and Iron Man attend the opening of New York's new super hero medical research and treatment facility -- but the festivities are interrupted when a woman races toward Captain America for help, but gets hit by a car in the process. In Cap's arms, the woman warns him that "he's crazy" and that Cap must help "the children." Then she passes out. Later, at Avengers Mansion, Wasp and Jarvis dig up information on the injured woman, learning that she is married to a weapons manufacturer named Itzhak Berditchev, and that the couple has ten year-old quintuplet sons. Realizing these must be the children in question and suspecting that Berditchev recently stole some plutonium from Austria, Cap and Wasp send Jarvis, undercover as a gunrunner named Armond Carlyle III, to infiltrate Berditchev's estate while they follow.

At the estate, Jarvis gains entrance as Cap and Wasp sneak around the grounds. Wasp feigns unconsciousness when sprayed with gas, and Cap races into Berditchev's hedge maze. Jarvis is taken prisoner by two of Berditchev's sons, but manages to escape them. Elsewhere, Cap speaks with Berditchev via a video screen and learns that he saved Berditchev, then a child, from a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, and that Berditchev has since patterend his life -- and the lives of his sons -- around a twisted understanding of Cap's ideals. Soon, Cap overcomes Berditchev's assassin, Bulwark, while Jarvis and Wasp appeal to the children and turn them against their father. When everyone eventually crosses paths in Berditchev's control room, the munitions dealer has a nervous breakdown. He and Bulwark are arrested, and the Avengers prepare to turn his sons over to their recovering mother.

Continuity Notes: In the opening pages, Iron Man mulls over his "recent health problems" as seen in issues of his own title, while Hercules confides in She-Hulk that he feels like the "token god," covering while Thor is unavailable due to events in his ongoing series. There's also a reference to the Avengers' encounter with Thane Ector and the Collector last issue. Later in the story, Jarvis recalls his injuries at the hands of the Masters of Evil in AVENGERS #275.

In the issue, Wasp wears the costume she's shown using on the cover, but it's colored yellow-and-blue instead of blue-and-white.

"RAGE OF ANGELS" | "BY REASON OF INSANITY?"
A tale of fire and fury brought to you by:
Guest Writer: Fabian Nicieza | Penciler: Steven Epting | Inker: Tom Palmer
Letterers: Michael Heisler & Bill Oakley | Colorists: Christie Scheele & Rob Tokar
Late Monger: Ralph Macchio | Plate Monger: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: (Issue 341) Racial tension grips New York after the beating of a young hispanic man named Carmello Martinez at the hands of several police officers. Rage in particular is troubled by the violence, and confronts a group of racist counter-protesters near the 41st Precinct. Later, Captain America runs Rage and reserve Avenger Falcon through a training exercise. Cap and Falcon try to talk with Rage about the situation, but he storms off. Meanwhile, the counter-protesters receive a package from a mysterious benefactor: the uniforms of the Sons of the Serpent, a costumed hate group.

Elsewhere, Dwayne Taylor -- a.k.a. Night Thrasher, leader of the New Warriors -- mulls over the situation as well, then spars with his mentor, Chord. At Avengers Mansion, Peggy Carter and Michael O'Brien deduce that the leader of the counter-protesters is a known member of the Sons of the Serpent. While in Brooklyn, Cap and Falcon, in their civilain guises, track Rage's Avengers ID card to his grandmother's house. There, they're shocked to learn from the old woman that the man they know as Rage is actually a fifteen year-old boy. Elsewhere in Brooklyn, at the 41st Precinct, the Sons of the Serpent make a public appearance to attack the anti-police protestors. The New Warriors appear, followed by Rage, and the entire situation devolves into a hate-fueled mob scene on all sides. A mystery man watches from a rooftop, subtly influencing the conflict, and is pleased when the Avengers arrive on the scene.

(Issue 342) In their conflicting attempts to defuse the situation, the Avengers and New Warriors start fighting, while the Sons of the Serpent sneak away. Hate Monger leaves as well, and the two super-teams immediately come back to their senses. Angry over Captain America's orders that the Avengers not get involved in the city's racial issues, Rage leaves and is followed by the Warriors' Slhouette. While she learns where Rage lives, her teammates speak with neighborhood kids for leads on the Sons of the Serpent. Soon, the Warriors come to Rage's home to recruit him in their quest.

Meanwhile, Captain America has learned that the Sons of the Serpent last operated out of the Richmond Building, which is currently abandoned. The Warriors also find clues directing them to that building, and when the Sons of the Serpent arrive in the building's sub-levels that night, they find the Avengers waiting for them. The heroes easly defeat the Sons, but Hate Monger shows himself immediately after. The New Warriors appear and attack Hate Monger, who begins to influence Rage's anger. But Captain America talks Rage down, and Hate Monger disappears.

The Avengers inform Rage that minors are not permitted to serve with them in combat missions, but Captain America tells Rage he will always be welcome to train with the Avengers in the use of his powers. Night Thrasher, meanwhile, slips Rage the New Warriors' phone number before the groups part ways. Then, months later, Hate Monger, now appearing a black man where he had previously presented as caucasian, stirs up a group of African Americans against white people.

Continuity Notes: There's no explanation for why Falcon is at Avengers Mansion to train with Rage, though I don't really care. I'm always happy to see Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson hanging out together, and their team-ups had been few and far between around this time (though Mark Gruenwald would soon add Falcon to the cast of CAPTAIN AMERICA on a semi-recurring basis a bit later in the 90s.)

As noted above, Peggy Carter puts in another appearance, this time alongside Michael O'Brien, the Avengers' security chief (and a former Vault Guardsman). Peggy explains that the Sons of the Serpent previously fought the Avengers and the Defenders, with footnotes pointing to AVENGERS #32 and 33, and DEFENDERS #22 - 25. The Sons' former base, the Richmond Building, belonged to Defenders member Kyle Richmond, a.k.a. Nighthawk, who was considered deceased at this point in continuity.

The New Warriors show up, minus Speedball and Nova, and are depicted sporting their looks of the time in their own series: specifically, Namorita is wearing some (incredibly, unblievably ugly) Atlantean battle armor, while Marvel Boy has his arm in a sling (which he -- and a footnote -- explain are due to the Warriors' recent fight with Terrax in issues 15 through 18 of their own series.) Notably, Fabian Nicieza was the co-creator and writer of NEW WARRIORS, so this specific attenton to continuity isn't surprising.

The story's villain is weirdly never identified by name in-story during his very brief appearance at the end of issue 341, yet the "next issue" box refers to him as Hate Monger as if we're supposed to know that. (Granted, if a reader is familiar with Hate Monger, they could pretty easily determine through context, but it's still weird.)

As noted above, Rage departs the Avengers in this issue. It's understandable they would not keep him around, given he's only fourteen years old, and personally I just think his costume looks weird alongside the rest of the group. It's a bunch of colorfully garbed super heroes, and... a guy dressed like a biker (I'm not a fan of Ghost Rider's recent tenure with the group either, for that reason.) If Rage had a more "super-heroey" costume, I'd have no problem with him on the team from a visual perspective. But in any case, he fits in much better, both visually and agewise, with the New Warriors.

Assemble: In issue 340, Wasp wonders if she or Cap should be shouting "Avengers Assemble!" as they sneak onto Berditchev's estate, but Cap suggests that doing so would not be very stealthy.

Issues 341 and 342, however, give us a really good one on their final page and splash page, respectively! Hate Monger is apparently secretly an Avengers fanboy, too, as he mutters to himself, "Say it for me... Come on--say it for me..." just before Cap says it. ("Avengers Assemble!" count: 3 in 9 issues to date.)

My Thoughts: As regards issue 340 -- the less said about it, the better. This the epitome of the late-80s/early 90s Marvel fill-in: Poorly drawn, boring, and totally inconsequential in every respect. It does get some very minor bonus points, at least, for making reference to recent evens in this and other titles, suggesting it's not an inventory story from the editor's desk, but a "true" fill-in.

So let's move along to issue 341! There is a sort of difference between a fill-in and an issue with a guest creative. Issue 340 is, as noted above, a fill-in in every possible way. But 341 and 342 and drawn by the normal art team; they just happen to have a guest writer. And that continuity of art, along with a team linup change, helps this 2-parter to feel more "official" than the prior installment.

That said, I don't really have much to say about this one. I've talked before about "socially relevant" comics and how I'm not terribly interested in them when the social message is the main thrust of the story. I don't mind it as commentary in an adventure that is otherwise about something else, but building an entire story around the Avengers fighting white supremacists and trying to defuse racial tension... it's just not my cup of tea. In part because it's too real for me, especially reading it now in 2022. The story is fine and well-written by Nicieza (especially compared with Scott Lobdell's obviously phoned-in effort on the previous issue), but I'm just not interested in commenting on it.

...okay, I will say one thing. Captain America's stance that the Avengers should stay out of the racial issues, for the flimsy reason that he doesn't think it will end well if they get involved, is a little weird -- especially coming from him, of all Avengers! And I would argue that, again looking at it through today's eyes, it's a position that really hasn't aged very well!

Next time, the Harras/Epting run begins for real (before being almost immediately interrupted by a nineteen-part crossover, but we'll get there in a couple more weeks).