Lions and Bulls and Rams... Oh My!

Avengers #121 (March 1974)
"Houses Divided Cannot Stand!"
Steve Englehart-John Buscema/Don Heck

Doug: Avid reader/commenter Richard noted a few weeks ago that he'd like to further discuss the derivation of comic book titles. Students of United States history will recognize today's title as scribe Englehart's taking of liberty with a speech Abraham Lincoln gave during the Civil War, when the President stated that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." And thus we enter the second part of our look at the Zodiac trilogy of issues that ran in the winter of 1973-4.

Doug: Catch your breath now, while you still can, 'cause this one's a non-stop rollercoaster! We lead off right where we left off, with Taurus and the rest of the crime cartel known as Zodiac atop the World Trade Center, with Mantis stunned and teetering on the side of the wall. Taurus is threatening to blast her over the edge, unless the Avengers surrender. And then something happens that struck me as quite odd... the Vision steps forth and plays off that neither he nor the other heroes really care, as Mantis is not an Avenger but a hanger-on with the Swordsman! I just found this really out-of-character for him -- don't get me wrong; I knew what he was doing. It's just that it was the Vision playing the ruse, and not another. So while he tries to sucker Taurus, Wanda revs up a hex and destroys the so-called "Star Slayer".

Karen: I can see your point, but then again, by this time he was a pretty experienced hero. But how the heck did Wanda destroy the big gun? Did it just vibrate itself to pieces? Did every bolt and screw suddenly snap? There were times where they just gave up on explaining what she was doing and just had her blast stuff.

Doug: To say a donnybrook breaks out wouldn't exactly be correct; to say "all hell breaks loose" would be more accurate. In the melee, Thor is stunned by a hand-held version of the star ray, Wanda's knocked out by Virgo, and the Vision has another funny line as he takes out three horoscopers on his own. And then Captain America enters the fray. In one of the lamest cross-pollinations ever, Englehart has Cap burst on the scene, stating, "...when I happened to see you fighting Zodiac." On the tallest building in Manhattan. Uh huh. However, despite this new distraction, Aries makes his way over to the edge, picks up Mantis (yeah, that was a heckuva long balancing act), and chucks her into the Manhattan sky.

Karen: Yeah, Cap's arrival definitely felt contrived. But I love seeing him with the Avengers, so I can forgive Englehart. But again...I have to complain about the Zodiac. What are their actual powers anyway? I mean, Virgo attacks Wanda with a metal bar. The others seem equally unimpressive. Talk about worthless villains!

Doug: Then it's Vision-time (I'll tell you, he was often the focal point in this story). Vizh leaps over the edge and plummets after Mantis. She, having awakened due to the passing cold air, "spreads eagle" to slow her descent. Vision manages to catch her, and then solidifying his arm to diamond-hardness, shoves it into the side of the WTC and uses the tactic to slow the fall, until they land, albeit with a severe jolt. After the landing, the WTC is shaken, and the Avengers immediately spring to action to mend it. There's a great panel of Thor supporting the entire tower, so let's pause a second to comment on the art. This issue features guest-pencils by Big John Buscema with inks by Don Heck. It's obvious that Buscema's dynamism is present, but at times we see a bit too much Don Heck on the surface. But overall, I'd say the art is a success. Funny, though, because I actually thought that as a tandem, Brown and Heck were better last issue than Buscema and Heck this issue. Thoughts?

Karen: Vision's rescue of Mantis was pretty spectacular. I love the fact that Englehart explains that he can only fly when he makes himself lighter than air. It seems like so many other writers or artists would forget this, and we'd get scenes of the Vision carrying people.

Karen: I'm glad you brought up the art. It was great to get a glimpse of Big John Buscema again on the Avengers. Unfortunately there are a lot of Heck-isms. But the layouts, the poses, are obviously Buscema. The faces show much more of Heck's influence.

Doug: Zodiac has used all of the commotion to make their escape, so there's nothing for our good-guys to do but head back to the mansion. Mantis has put herself into a trance in order to heal from the jarring landing. Once in bed, the Swordsman (on the mend from an infection suffered in #117) wheels into her room. The Avengers question him as to Mantis' background. He confesses that he doesn't know much, but does reveal that he met her in Saigon while doing enforcer work for the Asian mob. At his lowest point, she saved his life. We also learn here that she was a simple barmaid. T'Challa then enters the scene, having returned from an adventure with Cap and the Falcon (which was actually the first couple of chapters of the Secret Empire arc).

Karen: What does it say about the Swordsman that he knew so little of Mantis? He even says he was wrapped up in himself so much that he never asked about her. Yet he traveled across the globe with her and brought her to the Avengers. They in turn, took her into their HQ without ever investigating her. OK, when you start examining it, it seems very unlikely. But she injected a sense of mystery into the book. Although she might be the poster child for "pet characters". I think this may also the beginning of the 'quadrangle' with the Vision-Mantis-Swordsman-Wanda, as the Swordsman interprets a comment from Vision as showing a romantic interest in Mantis.

Doug: Meanwhile, back to the bad guys. There's a little unrest among the Zodiac, as Aries has challenged the leadership of Taurus. In a somewhat silly scene, yet providing an excellent visual, they have it out with Taurus coming out on top. But leave it not to Aries to fall into line, as he instead calls a secret meeting of six other members who also disapprove of Taurus' leadership. They scheme against their leader, and decide to call Cornelius van Lunt for financial backing. Ha! Little do they know that van Lunt is secretly Taurus; the mutineers are lured to one of van Lunt's warehouses. While all of this is going on, Thor has been looking for clues to the cartel's whereabouts, and eventually spies their ship.

Karen: I love the picture of Thor sitting on his hammer, watching the ship! I don't think I ever saw that before, or since.

Doug: The other Avengers are alerted, and an assault on the warehouse begins. van Lunt sneaks away during the fracas, and soon after our combatants notice that the doors and windows are sealed shut. Suddenly van Lunt's voice is heard, and then his face appears on a viewscreen. He laughs aloud as he reveals his alter ego. And then the warehouse blasts off!