Reprints Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-4, Giant-Size Avengers #4
Written by Bill Mantlo and Steve Englehart.
Penciled by Rick Leonardi and Don Heck.
Inked by Ian Akin, Brian Garvey and John Tartaglione.
It's Halloween Night in Leonia, New Jersey. The Vision and his wife Wanda, the Scarlet Witch are enjoying a walk through their new neighborhood while the Vision entertains trick or treaters with displays of his superpowers. They have recently quit the Avengers and moved into their new home. Edwin Jarvis, butler from Avengers' Mansion, has come to help them unpack.
Jarvis gives Wanda an ancient book. Scarlet Witch puts the book down and walks away, not noticing that the book has opened itself. When the book is hit by moonlight, it causes Samhain to emerge from its pages. He attacks Wanda and tells her his backstory. Samhain is the personification of Halloween. He wants to know why Wanda summoned him.
Samhain's power transforms trick or treaters into the costumes they're wearing. They attack Vision and cause him more pain than he's ever experienced.
Can Wanda and the wounded Vision overcome the power of Samhain?
Next, the two heroes are contacted by Robert Frank, better known as the Whizzer, a World War II era crime fighter who possesses super-speed. Wanda believed Whizzer to be her father at one time and he is the closest thing to a father she has ever known. Frank still thinks he's Wanda's biological dad.
Frank wants to take custody of his autistic son Nuklo, who currently lives in a special medical facility. Nuklo's nuclear-based powers made him a deadly opponent for the Avengers in the past, but he has the IQ of a toddler.
Nuklo's therapist I.S. Bischoff has been very helpful to Nuklo's mental and emotional development. But the heroes are shocked to discover Bischoff is actually Whizzer's arch enemy Isbisa. The villain wears a suit that allows him to drain Nuklo's power and use it as his own. Whizzer is killed and Vision's battle with Isbisa costs him an arm. Wanda's hex power is strong enough to defeat Isbisa, but the fight leaves the Vision in critical condition.
Doctors stabilize Vision by inducing him into a coma. His android "brother" Simon Williams, better known as Wonder Man, is summoned to help save him. When the Vision was created, he was given some of Wonder Man's life energies. In order to save Vision, Wonder Man must repeat this process.
But things get complicated when Wonder Man's brother the Grim Reaper shows up to kill the heroes!
Finally, Scarlet Witch and Vision fly to the moon to visit the Inhumans. They believe the Inhumans' advanced medical technology can restore Vision's arm. This also gives them a chance to visit Wanda's brother Quicksilver and his wife Crystal. They have recently become parents to a daughter named Luna.
But the pleasant family reunion turns dark when Magneto, master of magnetism, arrives on the moon. He has recently learned that he is the true father of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The heroes attack Magneto. But is the purpose of his visit to destroy them or to make peace?
Plus, the Vision and Scarlet Witch tie the knot in one of the the most unusual weddings of all time!
Review:
Before I go any further, I should mention that this book opens with a reprinting of Giant-Size Avengers #4. This is unfortunate, because that issue was the last in a multi-part epic. If you haven't read the whole Celestial Madonna story, skip it and go straight to page 48, which is where the reprint of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch miniseries begins.
Story:
Wanda and the Vision were two of my favorite characters of the Bronze Age, so I've always enjoyed this miniseries. They were two long-serving Avengers who never got many adventures outside of the team. This series shows they could have starred in their own Bronze Age series. Bill Mantlo gives us a good story about a married couple.
Magneto is also well-written here. The master of magnetism was undergoing a bit of a transformation from "bad guy" to a more complicated character who was persecuted during the Holocaust. This is an important part of Magneto's development.
If there's any problem with the stories reprinted in Vision and the Scarlet Witch, it's that their battles with villains have repetitive results. The Vision experiences pain that he's never felt before while battling Samhain in the first story. Next up, Vision's arm gets melted during his fight with Isbisa. Maybe it was Mantlo's way of dealing with a character that was so powerful. It gets old. Other than that, the stories are solid.
Art:
Rick Leonardi penciled the miniseries, inked by Ian Akin and Brian Garvey. Their art here sort reminds me of the early-80s art of Michael Golden. They do a nice job, especially when it comes to fight scenes and action.
The art in the wedding story, from Giant-Sized Avengers #4, looks kind of rough. It's penciled by Don Heck and inked by John Tartaglione. As I understand it, Dave Cockrum was originally scheduled to pencil this issue and could not, so Heck and Tartaglione were pressed into service at the last minute because they could work quickly. So it was a rush job and looks like it too.
How Does It Look?:
Here's a page scanned from my 36-year-old copy of Vision And The Scarlet Witch #3:
And this is how the same page looks in the tpb:
Extras:
The tpb includes a two-page humor story that features Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Forbush Man that was originally presented in FOOM #6. There's also a painting of Vizh and Wanda by David Mack.
Rating:
I always enjoyed Wanda and Vision as a married couple. These stories are a nice reminder of one of the most interesting relationships in comic book history. Avengers: Vision and the Scarlet Witch features some important moments in the lives of these characters, good stories and enjoyable art. It's recommended to fans of this couple and those who want an introduction to their Bronze Age adventures.
J.A. Morris' rating:
3 Sals.
