The Mighty Marvel Try-Out Book: Avengers 71

Avengers #71 (December 1969)
"Endgame!"
Roy Thomas-Sal Buscema/Sam Grainger

Doug:  Karen and I thought it would be fun to do another series of "Marvel Firsts", although this one's sort of a do-it-ourselves.  Of the books we're going to review during the rest of September, only Marvel Spotlight #5 is actually contained in the Marvel Firsts: the 1970's series of trade paperbacks (again -- get these if you haven't already!).  It's interesting because we are certainly featuring characters (and one team - today) that were big in the '70's; however, three of our heroes perhaps enjoyed their greatest popularity in the 1990's.  So, let's get on with it and check out Roy Thomas' first dabbling with... the Invaders!

Karen: Much like how Roy would do a "preview" of the Defenders with his "Titans Three" issues of Sub-Mariner, where he teamed Namor with the Hulk and the Silver Surfer, this issue shows how long the idea for the Invaders must have been bumping around in his fair-haired noggin. Thank goodness it finally came to be in 1975.

Doug:  We open in Garrett Castle, where Dane Whitman (better known to us as the Black Knight) descends a set of stone steps to the Brazier of Truth.  He has a torch in hand, and needs to light it so that he can get the answers to pressing questions.  Sir Percy of Scandia, the original Black Knight, is summoned in a sort of weird seance.  Sir Percy bids Dane listen, and shows him what has gone before.  The Grandmaster and Kang the Conqueror have engaged in a contest of champions for the fate of the Earth.  Kang chose as his warriors his enemies, the Avengers.  To combat Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Grandmaster created a team known as the Squadron Sinister.  Hyperion, Nighthawk, Dr. Spectrum, and the Whizzer battled the Avengers across the globe.  But the Black Knight interrupted the battle between Goliath (nee Hawkeye) and the Whizzer in the streets of London.  This wild card, in the eyes of the Grandmaster, negated the game and so another scenario for sport was crafted.  But Kang's heart was not in the battle, only in the outcome.  For what he really hoped to gain was a way to restore full life to the comatose Ravonna, his true love.  Now that the Knight knew these details, he felt better equipped to further assist his heroic allies.

Karen: It's funny, I tend to think of the Knight as being a very basic hero with minimal abilities, but he's got this whole magical background, what with communing with the spirit of his ancestor. This was drawn well, just as you'd expect. Kang's pining for Ravonna also reminds me, in a different away, of Dr. Doom's softer side, where he was always trying to save the soul of his dead mother. Just another effort by Lee, Thomas, etc. to add depth to their villains I suppose.

Doug:  Cut to the 41st Century,where Kang and the Grandmaster await the beginning of their "endgame".  Kang monitors his latest team of champions, consisting of the Vision, Yellowjacket, and the Black Panther.  These Avengers have been dropped through the timestream and have landed in 1941 Nazi-occupied Paris.  They approach German guards and despatch them handily.  However, the tension mounts and then explodes as fireballs scatter the Avengers.  Emerging through a hole in time and space step Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, and the Original Human Torch!  And what's worse -- they think they're fighting emissaries of the Nazis!  So it's game on in war torn France, as "Okay, Axis -- Here We Come!" meets "Avengers Assemble!"

 

Karen: I love that bottom panel with the two trios squaring off. I'm sure they chose to use Cap's triangular shield to differentiate him from the modern day Cap, but I think he only used that in his first issue. That's probably been retconned a dozen times over by now. In any case, it works. Subby also has slightly different trunks than we're used to- they're not scaled, and they're darker, with green highlights.

Doug:  Back in Garrett Castle, the Black Knight knows he cannot go into the past to assist his friends in Paris -- no, instead he must find a way to go into the future.  Dane Whitman is one with his ebony blade -- yet it was in the hands of the Avenger Goliath when the Grandmaster transported the Avengers to the 41st Century.  With the help of Sir Percy, the Knight concentrates and through just a little medieval magic emerges two millennia (and then some!) into the future.  As fate would have it, Whitman arrives in the very chamber the Avengers are being held in some sort of mental stasis -- and his blade is on the floor right in front of the unconscious Goliath!  Suddenly Kang's guards burst in, but  the Black Knight makes short work of them.  Now in possession of the ebony blade, and hearing a damsel in distress, the Black Knight cleaves a wall of the chamber to reveal Janet van Dyne Pym -- the Winsome Wasp!

Karen: This reminds me of the much-more drawn out sequence during Under Siege when Dane was captured and couldn't summon the sword to him. I hadn't realized before reading these two books that he could utilize the sword this way, as a sort of transportation method. It's interesting that he goes crashing through a wall to find Jan, as he'd develop an attraction to her later on. But what's up with that ugly checkered outfit she has on? That has to be one of the least appealing suits we've seen her in.

Doug:  To Paris we're returned, and match-ups have been drawn:  Cap squares off against the Panther, which is cool since T'Challa had replaced Cap on the Avengers' active roster just about 20 issues prior.  YJ and Subby duke it out, and in the best match-up -- physically and certainly symbolically -- the Vision tangles with the Torch.  The Avengers are reluctant to go all out, which is interesting as I think I'd put my money on the WWII heroes in the battle.  But as you might guess, the lesser-powered Avengers use guile and surprise to gain the upper hand, never harming their 1940's counterparts.  Hank and T'Challa finally decide that in order to win and solve the Kang problem, they have to truly defeat Cap and company.  They concoct a plan that the "Invaders" never see coming -- the intangible Vision flies low and then accelerates through the WWII boys, partially solidifying as he does.  We all know what that does...

Karen: The displays of fighting skills and agility between Cap and the Panther are exciting. There's nothing like watching two combatants whose main gifts are their athleticism. YJ and Namor seems like a terrible mismatch, as Subby has it all over YJ in raw power (watch him punch through a brick wall!) but YJ has some tricks up his sleeve -namely insects, and lots of them.The critters annoy Subby so much he flies off to find the nearest body of water, buying YJ a brief respite. The Vision and Torch match-up makes my head spin - are they different beings who've shared the same body? Is this the future 'Torch' returned to face himself, or is it more like his ancestor? It also seems appropriate that T'Challa is the one who takes the initiative and comes up with the plan to win. Why in the world didn't we see him leading the Avengers at some point?

 

Doug:  Meanwhile, in the future Kang immediately claims victory, but the Grandmaster says "not so fast"--  the first match involving the Squadron Sinister had ended in a stalemate due to the interference of the Black Knight.  So Kang cannot claim a full victory -- the Grandmaster instead makes him this offer:  Kang can be the master of life or death.  Pick one -- save the life of his beloved Ravonna, or kill the Avengers.  And wouldn't you know that at that very instant the Avengers enter... and they aren't happy.  But Captain America makes Kang a startling offer -- send the Avengers back to their own time and all will be forgiven.  Yeah, right -- that's not exactly how guys like Kang operate.  He thinks momentarily about Ravonna, and then like any egomaniac, assumes that he will himself eventually find a way to save her.  So it is the power of death that he chooses!

Karen: Kang was so close to choosing life for Ravonna -but his utter hatred of the Avengers wouldn't let him do it.  And you're right about the egotism -again, all very Doom-like. 

Doug:  We've said it 1000 times before around here -- if you're a super-baddie, and you're going to off your main enemy, JUST DO IT!!  What's all the cat-and-mouse business?  You guessed it -- Kang toys with Cap and the Panther, and even Thor.  Then he puts a hurtin' on the whole team, dropping them where they stand -- on the very edge of death!  But what he didn't count on was that the Black Knight... isn't an Avenger!  Kang's beside himself, and the Knight takes advantage of his confusion.  One home run swing of the flat side (natch) of the ebony blade, and Kang's down.  The Knight asks how he was able to do it so easily, and the Grandmaster explains that Kang had mastery only over the Avengers -- so the Knight was not under that "plan".  As Kang lay there moaning and groaning, the Grandmaster just decides to leave, sending the Avengers back to 1969 as he goes.

Karen: I know, realistically it makes no sense, other than the idea that they want their enemies to suffer so they can gloat. When you're dealing with enormous egos like this, and not common thugs, perhaps it can be forgiven. Besides, it's more exciting than a bullet to the brain. I liked how Panther and Cap charged in, and Thor protested that he should be in the vanguard! These Avengers were not short on bravery. The whole 'flat-of-my-blade' thing is tiresome but it's the problem you accept when you decide to use a sword-wielding hero in a modern super-hero setting. Unless you're fighting monsters or other non-human creatures you're stuck with non-lethal solutions, and it's somehow just less satisfactory. Although I can't complain about the Knight's look -always thought he was a groovy-looking guy. 

Doug:  Conan never needed no stinkin' flat of his blade.  Anyway, back in our "present", the team shares relief that their ordeal is over.  They also heap gratitude on their longtime ally, the Black Knight.  T'Challa suggests it first, and Thor runs with it -- the Black Knight is offered, and accepts, membership in the Avengers!  And then we get one of the iconic images of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, as Sal Buscema and Sam Grainger treat us to a pretty nifty pin-up to close the issue.

Karen: It's a happy ending, with a gorgeous pin-up. Those were the days, huh? Besides the heroes pictured (nine altogether), we still had Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch floating in and out of the roster. Basically eleven Avengers, not counting Hulk, who I wouldn't at this point, nor Swordsman (although both would show up for Avengers #100), nor Wonder Man, who was still considered to be dead. I really like the idea of the Avengers being the elite super-hero group, with a limited roster. I wouldn't have minded seeing it stay within about 20 heroes total. Today more characters are Avengers than aren't. We've got Secret Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, Double-Secret Probation Avengers.... it just goes on and on until there's nothing special about being an Avenger. Give me one team, and one team only. Like this one.

Doug:  I loved this story!  I generally like Avengers tales where Kang the Conqueror is involved, and this one really didn't disappoint.  A huge kudo to Roy Thomas for his scripting of the battle between "the Invaders" and the team that was sent to 1941 Paris.  It's been well-documented that the Golden Age comic books were heavily influential on a young Thomas, and he really shows his love by virtually reproducing the sort of dialogue we'd have seen way back when.  I also want to dote on the art -- those of us who loved Sal Buscema's tenure on Captain America, that would come a few years hence, get a nice taste of what that would look like.  Karen and I were privileged to receive a comment from Sam Grainger's daughter on the BAB last week, and I'll toss additional kudos his way for the inking of Sal in this story -- top-notch stuff.  This is just a really solid issue from that peak on which you look down one side at the Silver Age, and the other toward the Bronze Age.  Oh yeah -- and Spider-Man and Wolverine aren't ever going to be Avengers in my Marvel Universe!

Discuss: The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour

 

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Discuss: Classic 'Hero vs. Hero' Covers

Karen: Over on the Facebook Back Issue forum, there have been a lot of great covers posted, including a number of Sub-Mariner covers from the title's run in the 60s and early 70s. It was pointed out how frequently Namor appeared to be slugging it out with other super-heroes. This got me to thinking about how many covers feature hero vs. hero. There's something about two good guys slugging it out that is undeniably exciting, but when it's drawn in spectacular fashion by a great artist, it just elevates it to a whole different level. I'm posting some favorite hero vs. hero covers here for discussion, but you're free to bring up any others. 

Doug:  Karen offered me the opportunity to add to this one after she'd already started it.  I chucked in the last three covers at the bottom -- I am loving all of them, however!  Great topic, partner!

NOTE: This post was refreshed on May 12 2020, and there were 16 covers originally on display. As all links were broken, and I cannot recall just which covers were present, I'm offering up just a few. I hope I've still carried the intent of Karen's original post. -Doug

Doug:  I'm adding this wonderful John Buscema Silver Age 2-parter,  below:

Discuss: Rock 'n' Roll Magazines

Who's the Best...Comedy Team?

NOTE: This post was refreshed on May 12 2020, and some images were added - including The Three Stooges, referenced in our first comment below. -Doug

 

Summer's Over -- What Do You Have to Say For Yourself?

Doug:  Well, that was nice while it lasted.  With yesterday's celebration of Labor Day here in the States, Summer 2013 came to its unofficial end.  You might recall that we ran a post back around Memorial Day where many of you offered up your summer plans.  Some of you spoke of films, some of books to read, others of vacations or household chores.  Go ahead and make that jump backward and check out what you said (those of you who commented -- you other lurkers (and we love you all) are welcome to take a look as well).  Today let's report on what you did accomplish.

Doug:  Most of what I had planned did indeed come to pass.  My wife and I were able to celebrate our 25th anniversary twice, once on an overnight to Chicago where we dined at Geja's Cafe' -- a spot where we'd eaten during our brief honeymoon in 1988, and again in July for four days at the Osthoff Resort in Wisconsin.  I did programming for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and Chicago.  Summer school, way back in June was fun, and I did begrudgingly finish the training for teacher evaluations.  I caught a White Sox game with my younger son (birthday presents to us from the oldest) and we took a quick two-day trip to Cincinnati to see the Reds play the Giants (the night before Homer Bailey's no-hitter -- our luck).  That trip allowed us to check another ballpark off the family list.  I think among the four of us we've seen 19 major league stadiums.  I also managed to do a landscaping project on the west side of our house that had been needed for several years, and we redecorated our master bedroom/bathroom.  And finally, as far as the itinerary goes, just before school started my oldest son and I went to Wizardworld Chicago.

Doug:  As to the reading, which I always try to enjoy during the summer months, I still have not conquered Tim Snyder's Bloodlands.  I don't know why -- it has been highly recommended by many of my colleagues at the USHMM.  So it remains on the to-read list.  I did purchase a short book for my youngest son to read while on his soccer team's two-week tour of Europe:  The Last Survivor: In Search of Martin Zaidenstadt, an inquiry into what life in the German town of Dachau is like today for those who lived through the war years and the stigma of being associated with the concentration camp of the same name.  As Munich was one of the stops on my son's team's trip it seemed fitting; I was able to read the book in just a few hours so that I could recommend it to him.  One of the highlights of my summer was receiving a Kindle Fire HD from my wife for birthday #47, and I am very happy to report that I subsequently got back to some childhood favorites (Amazon offers at no cost tons of old books that are now in the public domain) by reading Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar and four REH Conan short stories:  Red Nails, The Hyborian Age - Conan's World, The Phoenix on the Sword, and The Scarlet Citadel.  I did get about halfway through Frankenstein, but somehow it got pushed aside.  Of course I did the usual reading for this blog, including some stories from Back Issue magazine.

Doug:  But enough about me -- how about you?

Bring Lawyers, Guns, and Money: Amazing Spider-Man 162

Amazing Spider-Man #162 (November 1976)
"Let the Punisher Fit the Crime!"
Writer: Len Wein
Pencils: Ross Andru
Inks: Mike Esposito and Dave Hunt

Karen: Welcome to part two of our little tale -and what a way to start this issue! I love this cover! Comic Book Database credits both Ross Andru and John Romita Sr. - I definitely see Romita, particularly in the Spidey and Punisher figures. I like how the Punisher is facing both the reader and Spidey and Nightcrawler, guns ready. 

Doug:  One of the ideas we've discussed around here in the past is the obscuring of a cover's logo by the art.  Here the artists give us, the readers, a nice bit of depth by allowing the cables to extend to our own horizon.  The placement of the logo (still one of the best ever, by the way) "behind" the cable lines works great.

Karen: This entire issue is narrated by the Punisher in his 'war journal' style, but it's not over-bearing. The splash page is essentially the same as the cover -the Punisher facing our two acrobatic heroes, although he's inside the tramway car. But he's holding a gun on them both, convinced that one of them has been committing murders in an effort to set him up. Spidey and Nightcrawler, on the other hand, are convinced that the Punisher is the killer they've been hunting. Spidey in particular is ticked off, as he'd wanted to believe the police were wrong about the Punisher. The gun-wielding vigilante tells the two to stay put and not to try anything, but Spidey is too quick. He swings around the car, while his mutant companion jumps through the door, knocking the Punisher over. Spider-Man kicks the Punisher's rifle out of his hands  but the ex-Marine manages to pin the wall-crawler to the wall of the car with a pair of knives that he miraculously throws through his costume's shoulders, and not Spidey's skin! The Punisher pulls a gun on Spidey as the webhead tries to break free and demands to know why he's been impersonating him, when bullets begin tearing through the car. Nightcrawler clings to the underside of the vehicle and scans the area for the sniper, and realizes he's somewhere on the 59th street bridge, hidden from view. The shooting stops and 'Crawler teleports into the car, startling the Punisher.  He wants to question the mutant, but Kurt 'bamfs' away quickly -- he's trying to avoid revealing anything about himself, after all (the whole point of last issue's encounter with Spidey). He teleports a great distance and has to recover his strength; he can't go after the sniper.

Doug:  I always kind of enjoyed the "War Journal Entry #..." style of narration when the Punisher was on the scene.  That sort of self-absorption seemed to fit his dour personality, and also showed how meticulous he was in waging his one-man revenge war.  When Spidey and Nightcrawler move to save themselves from ol' Frank's potential attack, it gives us an extended view of what might have been had our two heroes continued to duke it out between themselves.  Take away Nightcrawler's teleportation powers, and the webhead and the fuzzy elf basically have the same power sets.  It would be a sight to see, and as you remarked last week, settings like the Ferris wheel really provided some neat visuals.

Doug:  Nightcrawler having to recover after a long teleportation was his own personal Achilles' heel, much like Johnny Storm overusing his flame, Iron Man's ongoing issues with his heart, etc.  It's just another perfect example of Marvel's characters and their feet of clay. 

Karen: Alone in the bullet-riddled tram car, Spidey and the Punisher realize that neither of them is the killer, and decide to work together to find him. They head off to the Punisher's 'war wagon' - in actuality, a souped-up van (this was the 70's, remember). They manage to drive right through a police road block and evade any conflict with the law. They decide to get back together the next night.

Doug:  "this was the 70's, remember" indeed!  Between reading this off the spinner racks, and my daily doses of Speed Racer and reruns of the 1966 Batman TV show, was there anything that cars couldn't do?  What a great time to be a kid with a hungry imagination.

Karen: The following day, we see Spidey in his civilian ID as Peter Parker, on the Empire State campus. Interestingly, this is the only time we see Peter in this issue -it was a bit light on his personal life this time around. peter sees Mary Jane getting a little too close to Flash Thompson on a grass lawn on campus. She's obviously trying to make him jealous -and she's also obviously annoyed with him leaving her alone last issue at Coney Island when they witnessed the murder.Pete's irritated by her displays of affection with Flash but he doesn't have too long to dwell on it, because he soon spies another member of his cast, J. Jonah Jameson, headed into a building on campus. We (but not Peter) discover that Jameson is there to see Dr. Marla Madison, an expert on "electro-biology" (??) and he has an offer to make her, the challenge of a lifetime: help him destroy Spider-Man! Boy, he never got tired of that, did he?

Doug:  You see, this is why I was never a big fan of the Peter/Mary Jane relationship.  I know that many of you will say that MJ's strong point was her independence and spirit.  I know Gwen would get mad at Peter for running off on her, but it always struck me that Mary Jane would seemingly dump Pete immediately.  Chalk most of this up to a wide-eyed 10-year old who didn't yet get the cat-and-mouse aspect of dating relationships, but MJ could seem cruel.  And what of Flash Thompson?  Does everyone recall that weird Mindworm story in ASM #138 where Pete moves in with Flash and they become fast friends after years of Flash tormenting Peter?  Fast friend here?  Nope.  BUT -- this was a necessary part of the Spider-Man mythos, and a peek into the alter ego side of things that I looked forward to (still do when reading these old stories).

Doug:  We've also gotten a hefty does of JJJ in this issue and last as well, haven't we?  Jonah is best when moving beyond the typical "Spider-Man's a Menace" headlining, and this is the beginning of a nice arc for him.  How about later when Dr. Marla Madison and he hook up -- inter-generational love, my friends!  By the way, at some point I'd like to see some sort of diagram, graphic organizer, or whatever that explains Marvel science/scientists and just what disciplines they are fluent in.  Electro-biology...  that's not part of your job, Karen?

Karen: Later that night, Spidey and the Punisher meet up as planned. I really like the way these two relate to each other. They don't quite get one another, but there's a respect there. Punisher has a tip that the gunman is going to show up at a block party organized to support a fire house in a poor neighborhood. Spidey takes to the rooftops in search of the shooter while Punisher checks out the alleys and streets. At one point we see a man in an overcoat speaking on a walkie talkie, watching Spidey and telling someone on the other end that he's there, when suddenly he's yanked into the shadows. But that's the last we see of him. Mysterious, hmm?  Next we see Spidey dropping down into an alley where he sees what appears to be an unconscious man. But surprise! It was a trap. The man pulls a gun on Spidey. Old webhead's spider-sense goes off, but thinking it's telling him about the danger he already knows, he ignores it -- and promptly gets hit over the head from behind. He's tough though -- it takes a few more konks before Spidey is knocked out. 

Doug:  The way Spidey's spider-sense worked in the rooftop/alley scene was sketchy at best.  Even though he was some distance from the guy with the radio, we've seen in the past that Spider-Man can have a feeling of being watched -- seems like that should have been the case here.  Additionally, shouldn't Peter have been alerted to the guy in the alley who was playing possum?

Doug:  One of the things I think of (now -- not back in 1976) when I read comics is how much punishment our heroes and villains take in the course of a story.  No way Spidey wouldn't have had a severe concussion after those three blows to the head.  No way.  And that would have affected him well into the next few storylines.  But the only thing we ever see him, or Daredevil for that matter, affected by is a cold or a wrenched shoulder.  Silly...

 

Karen: The party is still going on in the street when the crowd becomes aware of something terribly wrong. They see the limp form of Spider-Man, in chains, hanging from a lamp post. There are gun men in front of him, holding their weapons on the people. A figure in the shadows pulls out a bullhorn and begins calling for the Punisher. He says he knows he's out there, and he has his partner, Spider-Man. He says that the Punisher may not remember him, but he remembers the vigilante, thanks to being thrown through a plate glass window by him. He steps into the light and we can see him -his face is horrifically scarred. He says he's called Jigsaw now, and he's going to kill the Punisher. I thought Andru and Esposito did a an excellent job on Jigsaw's face -- he could have been a joke, a caricature like a Dick Tracy villain, but he really came across as terribly mutilated.

Doug:  I absolutely love the large image of Spidey hanging from the lamp post in chains.  Ross Andru must have looked at some old Harry Houdini images for inspiration!  You said it with your kudo about Jigsaw's look.  The only complaint I have about that page (well two complaints -- lavender body suits for the henchmen?  C'mon...) is the reveal of Jigsaw in the last page panel.  You know who was a master of "the big reveal"?  Jack Kirby.  I swear that man did a great job knowing where the full and half-page ads would be placed in magazines he worked on.  His reveals always seemed to be after a page turn.  Anyway, we really don't get cheated, as there are several more good shots of Jigsaw on the following page.  It's sort of like a trainwreck -- difficult to avert one's eyes.  And that Andru and Esposito did not keep his face consistently drawn only seems to add to the horror the guy went through.

Karen: Jigsaw says if Punisher doesn't show himself his men will start shooting the crowd. He starts counting to three, but on three a knife knocks his gun out of his hands, and bullets begin to spray at his feet. However, he's not lying when he says he's been training- he springs away, rolls, and comes up with his gun pointed at Spidey's head. Before he has a chance to use it, Nightcrawler comes bursting out of nowhere to knock him over. Yes, it was Kurt Wagner who took out the man on the walkie talkie a few pages earlier. Apparently he'd been tailing the Punisher in hopes that it would lead him to the man who killed his friend (Kurt was reading about it in the paper Wolverine destroyed when they were in the Danger Room). Now, he's just in time to save our wall-crawling hero. 

Doug:  Had anyone else nearly forgotten that Nightcrawler was also guesting in this story?  I had.  This was really beginning to play like a typical Marvel Team-Up, where last month's guest only sticks around as a segueway to the next guest and the evolution of the plot.  I was happy, however, to see Kurt arrive to save the day!

Karen:  With Nightcrawler's appearance, Punisher decides to make his entrance. He comes down from the rooftops, firing rubber bullets (to protect the civilians nearby) and using special gas grenades. "Not exactly my regular style, " he muses. No indeed -- especially in his later years! 

 Doug:  As our readers have seen on our reading list on the sidebar, we'll be checking out Frank Castle's first appearance later this month.  This 2-parter, by the way, is the Punisher's 6th appearance (if I count correctly -- check my math).  Am I correct in thinking that it was Spider-Man who insisted that the Punisher use rubber bullets?  Or was that something Castle was doing all along?

Karen:  The Punisher blasts away at Jigsaw's thugs, making his way towards the main event. Speaking of which, Nightcrawler isn't doing too well against Jigsaw (we'd find out later he's wearing an exo-skeleton). Spidey comes out of his stupor just in time,and snaps his chains, saying "This looks like a job for Spider-Man!" (Cute.) With Spidey, Punisher, and Nightcrawler all together, the tide quickly starts to turn. Jigsaw sees this, and turns tail. He heads for the firetruck, of all things, with one of his thugs driving. The wall-crawler spots him and swings up onto the speeding truck but Jigsaw turns the high-pressure water hose on him and it's all he can do to grab on to a piece of equipment and not go flying off the truck. He manages to turn off the water supply, so Jigsaw tries throwing the hose at him. However, it catches around a tire and the other end wraps around Jigsaw's leg. The whole truck goes careening off the road and into a building, with Spidey flipping out of the way just in the nick of time. Nightcrawler and the Punisher catch up and see that Spidey has Jigsaw tied up in the hose. They tell him Jigsaw's men are "neutralized." Spidey goes to shake hands with NC, only to find a cloud of brimstone, and then turns to Punisher, but he's disappeared too! Old web-head decides he might as well leave himself, and swings off into the night.

Doug:  The half-splash of our three heroes kicking butt is pretty fun.  What did you think of Spidey's somewhat cruel goading of Jigsaw?  On the one hand, the guy was a mass murderer bent on some personal revenge scheme.  On the other hand, he had faced (pun intended) great personal loss/tragedy.  On the other hand (now we're venturing into Doc Ock territory with all these hands)...  Ah, nevermind.  The smash-'em-up of the firetruck at the end was a good way to finish the story. I really expected one of those Wile E. Coyote moments with the firetruck going under a viaduct and Jigsaw being decapitated.  It was sort of nice that he was just trussed up, so that we are fully aware that he'll be back.  I loved the Batmanesque exits by the Punisher and Nightcrawler!

Karen: I really enjoyed this story. It was simple and straightforward, it had great pacing, the action was fun and exciting, and Spidey sounded right to me. I much prefer this version of the Punisher -I suppose the original version - to what he eventually became, which was pretty much a psychopath. Nightcrawler really didn't have a lot to do, but was still fun to see. All in all, a very solid read.

Doug:  As I usually do with you -- I agree on your assessment of this 2-parter.  And I think we needed this one after the Marvel Team-Up story, which was uneven to say the least.  But hey -- over the past month we've read stories with Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Human Torch, the Inhumans, Nightcrawler, and the Punisher -- and by Conway, Wein, Andru, Mooney, Giacoia, and Esposito.  That's not a bad line-up.  And as we said a couple of weeks ago, it just goes to show that sometimes our memories of these 35-40 year old stories can be a little cloudy.  But when viewed through the eyes of a child, they were certainly pretty awesome!