For today's "Classic" review, let's look at a special occasion from the days when that sort of thing was a rarity.
In 1969, a wedding was a real event. Up to that point, the only other wedding ceremony in the Marvel Universe featured Reed (Mr. Fantastic) Richards and Sue (Invisible Girl) Storm.
When Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp) announced she was getting married in the pages of the Avengers, it seemed a logical next step, as she and Hank Pym (Goliath / Giant-Man / Ant-Man) had been an item for years.
But there was a twist - she wasn't marrying Goliath - she was tying the knot with a brand-new character, Yellowjacket, who had appeared the previous issue, claiming he had killed Goliath.
Where today we'd see tie-in issues, a special mini-series (or annual) to honor the event, in those days it all happened in a single, 20-page issue. (Well, to be fair, the story was continued from issue 59 - so it was two issues).
Of course, there's more to the story (though not much more), as writer Roy Thomas seems to be having a blast, squeezing in guest stars from across the Marvel Universe (a shockingly small contingent at the time), while artist John Buscema (with inker Mickey Demeo) really started hitting his stride at this point, creating lush artwork with great character designs, dynamic action sequences and powerful layouts.
The ceremony itself is almost an afterthought here, as the issue is crowded with other events - but it made for a fun, memorable issue - though not, alas, an auspicious start for Jan or her hubby.
Grade: A
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2 comments:
Just letting you know that Mickey Demeo was actually Mike Esposito, of Andru and Esposito fame.
Thanks, James - I should have mentioned that. Esposito is a terribly underrated inker - his work on this issue is fantastic, for example.
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