#while this jerk time traveler abducted a bunch of dead people and mistreated his future self

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #131: A Quiet Half-Hour in Saigon

January, 1975

This time, the Legion of the Unliving! Which is always an embarrassment to the writers when some dead characters turn out to not actually be dead. But to be fair, how could Steve Englehart know that Steve Englehart would be bringing Wonder Man back in twenty issues?

Also, as usual, this cover is a filthy lie. As the title suggests, this issue is more about a quiet moment before the storm. The Avengers taking some time to chat it up and explore character beats while behind the scenes a foe (spoilers: its Kang again) prepares a new attack.

The cover would be more accurate if the Avengers were standing around oblivious while the Legion of the Unliving loomed behind them. And maybe the Avengers would be taking a water cooler break, standing around talking about the game.

Anyway.

Last times: Kang kidnapped several women, including one very past menopause, because one was destined to be the Celestial Madonna and have a god baby but it turned out to be Mantis and also Swordsman died and Kang literally wrestled with himself and the Avengers went to Vietnam to explore Mantis’ past some more and got into a scrum with the Titanic Three, three ex-villains who decided it would be more fulfilling to be North Vietnam’s Avengers but who will inevitably go back to villainy.

This time: I already said. Its a breather episode, of sorts.

Although we do start with Mantis KLOK!ing a mugger right in the face.

What the dude was even thinking trying to mug this particular garishly dressed group, I’ll never understand.

He seems confused that someone dressed like a bar girl is so agile. Which. This whole time, Mantis was just dressed in her old uniform? That’s a bar girl outfit? She’s been serving on the Avengers basically dressed like a cocktail waitress?

Although I guess if its okay when Zatanna does it...

Anyway, after kicking the dude, choking him, and then slamming his face into the ground, she takes a moment to angst about becoming the Celestial Madonna and that she’s unknown on the streets where she remembers growing up.

But Mantis time is over, Steve Rogers just showed up in his new Nomad identity and becomes the center of attention.

And geez, he’s the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time. He’s smiling in every panel. He just wrapped up his first case against the Serpent Squad and decided to drop in on the Avengers.

Iron Man gives him a friendly shoulder punch and tells him he’s looking great, apparently unable to remove his gaze from Steve’s exposed man cleavage.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye bemoans all the changes the Avengers have been through since Hawkeye ragequit the team. Steve is Nomad, Swordsman died, Wanda studying witchcraft. It makes him wonder where that leaves him.

Meanwhile, Kang and Rama-Tut continue wrestling through time. Rama-Tut basically being ‘geez just accept you’re going to mellow out in the future’ and Kang is more like “You cannot make me believe that I will become as soft as you! Though we fall through this void for a thousand thousand eras, I’ll yet fight on!”

Kang needs to chill.

But he doesn’t get the opportunity to either chill or fight for a thousand thousand eras because his time sphere is yanked into Limbo. No, not the Illyana Rasputin dimension.

Instead, the timeless realm of Immortus, MASTER OF TIME.

The narration wonders how a timeless place can have a sequence of events and that is a really good question.

Kang immediately gets into a dick waving contest demanding to know who Immortus is and why he thinks his name alone should impress him.

The reason this is a dick waving contest is that Kang already knows who Immortus is. He’s been spying on the Avengers since #8 and even though Enchantress retconned the entirety of issue #10, Kang still saw it happen. He says this later. He’s just being difficult.

Immortus puts Rama-Tut into an imprisonment tube and Kang decides to take the time to yell at the unconscious man. He gets really into it too while Immortus looks on at his baby tantrum and muses that Kang is most certainly a man he can use.

Meanwhile, back in Saigon. Which. I mean. Can you say meanwhile when one of the places is a timeless place? Limbo is too confusing.

Hawkeye contacts Jarvis on the handheld visio-transceiver to see if Captain Marvel returned their message yet. He has not. As I said, very busy in his own book. Even though he expected the Avengers to drop everything for an issue to be part of his big storyline, they don’t get the same courtesy.

This is why everybody prefers Monica and Carol to you, Mar-Vell.

Hawkeye then asks if Wanda can come to the screen for a quick chat but she’s sequestered with Agatha Harkness and she left strict orders that they were not to be disturbed.

And while that call is going on, Mantis approaches Vision. But not to seduce him this time.

She apologizes for her behavior toward him in the recent past. And although Vision insists there’s no need to apologize, she likewise insists yuh-huh. With the whole Celestial Madonna thing, it seems that her life is coming to a new phase and she wants to put her affairs in order for whatever happens next.

Vision tells her she’s taking this too seriously and that if anything, he was flattered. And if an android can feel that emotion, imagine what new heights she could reach!

But that’s the thing. Mantis does not want to reach new heights. She was happy as she was.

Meanwhile, everything is great for Steve Rogers! He’s very much the guy that’s finally dating again after a contentious divorce. Except in this case, its after the president of the United States committed suicide in front of him after trying to take over the country with a mutant-powered UFO.

But it feels good to put the White House scandals behind him and start again. He’s even thinking of rejoining the Avengers. After he gets that pesky Serpent Squad finished off! Ha ha ha!

There’s a lot of Steve/Tony shipping fodder in this issue.

Meanwhile again, Mantis stands on the outside looking in, admiring the spirit of adventure and camaraderie between the Avengers. She thinks of herself as a Not-Avenger but I call BS on that. She appeared in Giant-Size #1 and Swordsman didn’t. She’s at least a de facto Avenger.

Also, her Mantis senses are tingling that someone is watching her but by the time she looks, the mysterious cloaked figured from last issue who has been watching her from the roof has disappeared.

And apparently in timeless Limbo, five hours have passed while Kang yelled at his older self and only now has Immortus gotten to the point of bringing Kang here.

Also, only thirteen minutes have passed in Saigon. Remember, half-hour in Saigon is in the title.

Immortus wants Kang to help him attack the Avengers. And here Kang reveals that he did know who Immortus was all along and is familiar with his work in issue #10.

Rama-Tut, now awake but still in the imprisonment tube, tells Kang he’ll never capture the Celestial Madonna. So Kang threatens to kill him. Which is less stupid than it sounds. Killing his future self won’t affect his present self and he doesn’t want to become Rama-Tut so he’ll be glad to have himself die if he ever does.

Anyway, Kang wants to use Immortus’ ability to pluck men from any era, like he did in retconned issue #10. Except he’s going to do it smart, not dumb like Immortus did.

Immortus grants Kang power over his machines to let Kang do what Kang gonna do.

So Kang summons the Legion of the Unliving, as seen on the cover!

With a specific eye toward people with powers and people who will bring a crucial element of fear to this campaign because all these people are dead by the year 1974, which is the year the comic is in.

First, the Frankenstein Monster (Adam or The Modern Prometheus to his friends)! Because Hammer Horror is spooky.

But seriously getting into it, the next selection is WONDER MAN from the year 1964! A man whose powers were created to equal the original Avengers, who the Avengers let die, and whose brain patterns were used to create the Vision.

His appearance will cause consternation in all the Avengers but will discombobulate the Vision most of all. And that’s what’s important because the Vision will be the one most likely to remain calm and logical in this assault.

So lets double up.

The next member of the Legion will be the original HUMAN TORCH from 1954!

More like the Human-Shaped Torch or perhaps the Inhuman Torch. Since he’s a robot. But he will serve as a threat to Vision’s robot body as Wonder Man threatens his artificial mind.

For reasons that will be revealed in upcoming issues but I’ve already touched on it before.

The next selection is to match Mantis. MIDNIGHT from 1973 but also from the Master of Kung Fu #16.

He’ll be able to counter Mantis with his own martial arts. That way Mantis can be taken unharmed so that she can marry Kang and make him the ruler of the universe.

You can give Kang this. He stays on message.

Next, the GHOST from 1969 but also from Silver Surfer #8-9. He is a pirate ghost. And he was chosen because he’s double dead or something.

And last, BARON ZEMO! Died in Avengers #15. Surely a man with no powers who was dumb enough to glue a mask to his own face will aid this battle. I mean, I guess seeing him would discombobulate Captain America. If he were participating in this battle. Which he isn’t. So. Choosing Zemo is stupid. You went against your own stupid rules, Kang.

BUT ANYWAY GROUP SHOT!

Although, if the point is to confuse and terrify the Avengers, I have to wonder why he didn’t choose Swordsman for his Legion of the Unliving. Having to fight against Swordsman so shortly after watching him die would rub some major salt in the wound. Could they even raise a hand to their recently fallen friend?

These are some haphazard selections, Kang. I mean I gave you shit about Zemo but at least the Avengers have some feelings about him probably. And Wonder Man and Human Torch are inspired choices. But who are these nobodies like Midnight and the Ghost and ‘Frankenstein’? What are they to the Avengers?

Back in Saigon, Vision decides to talk to Iron Man about love. Which makes him incredibly uncomfortable. Its kind of great.

Vision confesses he finds Mantis’ presence distracting. Her recent distress and the idea that she may leave the Avengers soon have become things that tug at his thoughts. And surely Iron Man has picked up some knowledge regarding matters of the heart after all that time he has spent with his employer, renowned playboy Tony Stark.

Iron Man tries to stammer through an answer that love is different for everybody.

Realizing that the subject embarrasses him, Vision swiftly lets him off the hook and promises he will never talk about love with Iron Man again. To Iron Man’s immense relief.

Meanwhile, Mantis is still wondering about her fate and the feeling of being watched when she spots Swordsman’s ghost in the busy streets of Saigon.

Just “standing there so grim and... green.”

She tries to tell herself that its not happening. Tries to force herself to stop seeing it. But finally she breaks and runs toward the green ghost. But as she reaches the spot where he was, he is no longer.

Its now minute twenty-four of the apparently literal half hour.

Oh, and the narration assures us that Kang had nothing to do with the apparition. Which would have been a really good way to grab Mantis without the Avengers being able to stop him.

Because as we are soon to learn, with Immortus’ equipment, he can just kidnap people right to Limbo.

But Kang and Immortus are too busy discussing tactics right now. See, Kang initially wanted to just transport himself and the Legion of the Unliving to 1974 to fight the Avengers in Saigon. But Immortus talks him around to just kidnapping the Avengers to Limbo.

There is an endless maze of tunnels beneath Castle Limbo. And if Kang wishes to inspire fear and confusion in the Avengers, its a good battleground.

Its a good idea. AND THE LAST THING HE NEEDED FROM IMMORTUS!

He traps the Master of Time in an imprisonment tube.

Kang has no respect for a man that holds his attacks until an ally appears. Immortus lacks the aptitude for true warfare. And he thought Kang would consent to be a mere warlord in his court.

Immortus acts surprised at this sudden but inevitable betrayal but he really shouldn’t.

Now, twenty-eight minutes into the Quiet Half-Hour in Saigon and Cap Nomad receives a notification that the Serpent Squad has been sighted in Los Angeles. So off Nomad goes, bounding over a wall to go wrestle some snake themed supervillains. And, again, this is the happiest he’s been in a while.

And as soon as Nomad is gone and Hawkeye wonders what they’re going to do now, the Avengers are kidnapped to Limbo with a mighty KZAP!

Transported into separate locations within the labyrinth beneath Castle Limbo.

And Kang contacts them on the PA telling them they’ve defied his will for the last time and that they will die here in the Labyrinths of Limbo. And then he sicks the Legion of the Unliving on them.

And that’s the end of the story. But there are more pages in the book. The letters pages have been included! And dang but there was apparently a shipping war in the fandom back in 1974.

But the letters I’ve seen in this and recent issues seem to lean toward Vison and Mantis getting together.

One letter says that Vision and Wanda’s relationship has gone far enough. “One of the most basic beliefs of love is to eventually marry and procreate children. How can a machine return love and warmth to Wanda? How could the Vision be a father? The whole situation is unrealistic. I know this is comics, but with the realism Marvel has instilled in its books, I hope this is changed.”

Another letter argues that Vision and Mantis suit each other much more naturally than Vision and Wanda and hurls vile obscenities on anyone that disagrees. Both Vision and Mantis “exhibit magnificent control of both body and mind, they are both without a past, and both are ‘strangers in strange lands.’” And wonders why Vision even loves Wanda. I mean, sure, he can see why Wanda loves such a mysterious, brooding powerful, attractive fellow with a sexy voice. But why does Vision love Wanda? The letter writer theorizes “The Vision, thrust into a world of mature adults, is still immature in the ways of the heart. To hide his emotional adolescence, he becomes involved with a beautiful woman. More importantly, being ‘in love’ with Wanda makes him feel human. Read over the last sentence. We all know how much the Vision would like to be human. He’s somewhat resolved to the impossibility of this, but loving Wanda compensates for it.”

Another letter in last issue, wanted the love square between Wanda, Mantis, Swordsman, and Vision to end with Vision and Mantis together and was noncommittal what would happen to the other two.

Which is all funny, looking back from a perspective of Wanda and Vision being one of THE couples of Marvel to rival Hank and Jan (divorced), Scott and Jean (she died, he remarried), Peter and MJ (demonically retconned), Black Bolt and Medusa (divorced) and Reed and Sue (together but could probably use marriage therapy but there’s no therapists in the space between dimensions where Reed trapped them to rebuild the universe without running it by Sue).

Hm. Discouraging. But anyway, with the perspective looking back, its weird to realize that at one point, it wasn’t sure that Wanda and Vision would end up together, get married, have demon children, lose their demon children, get divorced, and eventually Wanda would go crazy and cause Vision to be killed by She-Hulk. Readers back then wouldn’t know that.

And its heartening, in a weird, small way, that basically fandom has never changed. People have always been over-invested in who fictional characters kissed and they will continue to always be over-invested in who fictional characters kissed.

I can only hope that the letters pages continue to be included on Marvel Unlimited so I can see how people react to upcoming events.