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Avengers (1963) #212-230
Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket
THE END OF AN ERA! They say that pride comes before the fall, and this tumultuous tome is proof of that! When longstanding and founding member Hank Pym -- in his guise as Yellowjacket -- demonstrates reckless behavior in battle, his fellow members schedule a formal court-martial hearing in order to determine the fate of their emotionally conflicted comrade. Will Yellowjacket triumph over his inner demons -- or crumble under the pressure of being an Avenger?
COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) #212-230 -- written by Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, Steven Grant and Roger Stern; and illustrated by Alan Kupperberg, Bob Hall, Alan Weiss, Don Perlin, Greg Larocque, Mark Bright, Sal Buscema, and Al Milgrom.
COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) #212-230 -- written by Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, Steven Grant and Roger Stern; and illustrated by Alan Kupperberg, Bob Hall, Alan Weiss, Don Perlin, Greg Larocque, Mark Bright, Sal Buscema, and Al Milgrom.
432 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 3, 2017
Far better than I remembered, and with Roger Stern taking the lead of the series it becomes just better and better... Shooter's first part was just terrible for me, sorry.
A run full of milestone events that every fan of the Mightiest Heroes of the Earth should read sooner or later: the start of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark friendship, the Tony/Janet affair, the evolution of Hank and Jan characters... it's all here, true believers.
Just read it
February 5, 2023
3.25 stars. Man this book starts off with two tragic stories. First we have some magic wielding lady named Linnea and her man, the sword swing warrior Gorn. They’ve been living in some sheltered magic bubble Linnea she made but Gorn has been craving adventure. So the two leave and come to modern earth. Linnea have been giving Gorn all the love he can handle and he treats he like crap. Story ends on a tragic note that was pretty sad. Then the next issue we see the thing that Hank Pym does to Janet that I’ve always heard of. That was some BS. Like really Hank? Janet was also giving him all the love he could handle and he also treat her like crap. Hank was being drug through the ringer all throughout this book. He was kicked off the Avengers, tricked/framed by Egghead and thrown in jail. As his court date comes up, Egghead strikes again by framing him again and forcing Pym to work for him. All the stuff with Pym and Egghead was the best stuff in here. We get a story with Moondragon and as I’ve been reading all these Avengers books, Moondragon has become more and more shady in my eyes. We also go back to the 12 century and meet the Black Knight again and see how he makes it back to the current time. Hawkeye rejoins the team………..again and now She-Hulk is part of the crew as well. Roger Stern comes in for the las 4 issues and shoots some life into the book. Makes me excited for the next volume as he will be doing most of the writing.
April 17, 2015
Following the abrupt departures of several long-time Avengers, membership was refocused on original members Thor, Iron Man, Wasp (Janet Pym) and Hank Pym (then in Yellowjacket mode), plus “honorary” founding member Captain America (as Chairman) and wild card newcomer Tigra. Writer Jim Shooter immediately zeroed in on the Pyms and the trouble that the façade of their seemingly happy marriage covered. Hank was eager to relocate his self-esteem by taking an assertive role in his return to active duty with the team. His belligerent attitude and casual cruelty to his wife generated awkwardness, but his ill-advised attack on a grief-stricken sorceress that Cap had managed to calm down would have gotten him and the others killed, absent an 11th hour save by the Wasp. In the aftermath, Cap felt he had no choice but to institute a court martial against Hank, causing angst for all involved. After an ugly scene, Hank left in shame.
Jan retreated for a bit to recover, while Hank, troubled and broke, spiraled downward. After the team's encounters with Ghost Rider and Molecule Man, Tigra decided she wasn’t cut out for the big leagues and left the team. Jan, newly divorced, returned and was elected Chairwoman. A destitute and desperate Hank allowed his old enemy Egghead to manipulate him into robbing a government facility, a crime for which Hank was arrested after a clash with his former teammates. The Avengers were shanghaied to a distant alien world for a confrontation with former member Moondragon. Returning home, the team rounded out its membership with a returning Hawkeye and new recruit She-Hulk, just in time to face off with Egghead’s new Masters of Evil. In an unusual twist, Jan began a romance with Tony Stark, who kept the fact that he was also Iron Man from her. That revelation ended their fling and sent Tony into an emotional tailspin that would dovetail with events in his own book. After Doctor Druid sent the team into the past to help old friend the Black Knight (who was finally restored to the present, in his own body), Hawkeye teamed up with the new Ant-Man against the Taskmaster. The new Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) came aboard as a trainee just in time for Hank’s trial and a climactic final showdown with Egghead.
This arc was very powerful and made excellent use of the characters’ tangled histories. At the outset, Wasp was still presented as something of a flighty airhead, but her strength and intelligence quickly came to the fore, especially once she took lead of the team. The domestic violence angle was controversial then and still rankles many fans three decades later. While heroic breakdowns are common in modern comics, at the time having an established hero like Hank go off the rails the way he did was pretty daring, though not inconsistent with his past bouts of mental illness. No matter where the character has gone since, that one moment continues to haunt him.
It’s also interesting to revisit an era where it wasn’t common for the members to be in on one another’s secret identities. But the revelation of Thor and Iron Man’s identities during the Molecule Man story got that ball rolling and it was used to great effect in the Tony/Jan romantic plot.
Jim Shooter did some really strong character work during his stint, before handing the reins over to Roger Stern, who would settle in for a run that would last nearly six years. Bob Hall was the nominal regular artist for the first half of the arc, but frequent fill-ins were necessary. Other guest artists came aboard after Hall’s departure, before Al Milgrom arrived to provide some stability. Milgrom’s clean, classic style suited the material without being too big a departure from Hall’s somewhat more detailed work. The art highlight, though, was a two-issue stint from the notoriously unprolific Alan Weiss, who did some stunning things with the Molecule Man tale. Even with a couple filler issues included, Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket is a strong overall collection and a necessary chapter in Avengers history for any fan of the team.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
Jan retreated for a bit to recover, while Hank, troubled and broke, spiraled downward. After the team's encounters with Ghost Rider and Molecule Man, Tigra decided she wasn’t cut out for the big leagues and left the team. Jan, newly divorced, returned and was elected Chairwoman. A destitute and desperate Hank allowed his old enemy Egghead to manipulate him into robbing a government facility, a crime for which Hank was arrested after a clash with his former teammates. The Avengers were shanghaied to a distant alien world for a confrontation with former member Moondragon. Returning home, the team rounded out its membership with a returning Hawkeye and new recruit She-Hulk, just in time to face off with Egghead’s new Masters of Evil. In an unusual twist, Jan began a romance with Tony Stark, who kept the fact that he was also Iron Man from her. That revelation ended their fling and sent Tony into an emotional tailspin that would dovetail with events in his own book. After Doctor Druid sent the team into the past to help old friend the Black Knight (who was finally restored to the present, in his own body), Hawkeye teamed up with the new Ant-Man against the Taskmaster. The new Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) came aboard as a trainee just in time for Hank’s trial and a climactic final showdown with Egghead.
This arc was very powerful and made excellent use of the characters’ tangled histories. At the outset, Wasp was still presented as something of a flighty airhead, but her strength and intelligence quickly came to the fore, especially once she took lead of the team. The domestic violence angle was controversial then and still rankles many fans three decades later. While heroic breakdowns are common in modern comics, at the time having an established hero like Hank go off the rails the way he did was pretty daring, though not inconsistent with his past bouts of mental illness. No matter where the character has gone since, that one moment continues to haunt him.
It’s also interesting to revisit an era where it wasn’t common for the members to be in on one another’s secret identities. But the revelation of Thor and Iron Man’s identities during the Molecule Man story got that ball rolling and it was used to great effect in the Tony/Jan romantic plot.
Jim Shooter did some really strong character work during his stint, before handing the reins over to Roger Stern, who would settle in for a run that would last nearly six years. Bob Hall was the nominal regular artist for the first half of the arc, but frequent fill-ins were necessary. Other guest artists came aboard after Hall’s departure, before Al Milgrom arrived to provide some stability. Milgrom’s clean, classic style suited the material without being too big a departure from Hall’s somewhat more detailed work. The art highlight, though, was a two-issue stint from the notoriously unprolific Alan Weiss, who did some stunning things with the Molecule Man tale. Even with a couple filler issues included, Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket is a strong overall collection and a necessary chapter in Avengers history for any fan of the team.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
May 14, 2014
The issues contained in this outstanding GN are of importance to any comic book fan. Alan Moore is usually credited as the first author to portray 'super-heroes' as living under extreme pressure and just as flawed as ourselves in theWatchmen series started in 1985, this is in fact incorrect as a few years earlier Jim Shooter started writing this ground breaking run of The Avengers which highlighted the emotional breakdown of Hank Pym culminating in his striking his wife. I will not reveal the outcome of the story but would just like to say if you want to read a truly ground breaking GN that REALLY did advance the whole genre try this. EXCELLENT.
August 26, 2014
A large portion of pretty terrible material. Roger Stern begins authoring towards the end of collection and the difference is night and day. Like comparing pre-schoolers to a post-grad. Hated the Tigra issues. Her sole super-power is being horny and sticking her butt up in the air and flirting tactlessly. Cringe-inducing embarrassment.
October 17, 2023
This is one of the those thick chunky proto-Epic trades, where Marvel was playing with expanded page counts at higher price points before realizing that the market for complete runs in color sell like hotcakes. This book went out of print instantly and goes for stupid money on eBay and Amazon now. I am lucky that I grabbed it on the week of release.
Things begin with #212, which was the only one out of this particular run that I bought off of the stands when it was released back in July of 1981. I was pleased to see how well it held up nearly 35 years later. The third party narrative captions are a turnoff to many modern comic book fans, but then again, decompression is a turnoff to me. The amount of characterization that writers were able to cram into each and every issue back then is staggering when compared to how slowly things move now. High praise to everyone involved in the making of these comics, as this was handed off like a baton between creative teams and it didn't miss a beat.
Due to the events in issue 212, where Yellowjacket shot an opponent in the back after Captain America had talked her down, ol' Hank Pym (Yellowjacket to the uninitiated) faces a court-martial and is expelled from the team. This causes him to become unraveled. Pym has always shown signs of instability, as evidenced in his never-ending parade of identities (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and finally Yellowjacket) and his personality quirks. This book features the infamous scene where Pym beats his wife, The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne Pym). The Wasp divorces Pym, causing him to further plummet into the depths of despair. While there are multiple arcs the overall theme of these issues is the fall and redemption of Henry Pym. Things are nowhere near the same for him at the end of this run, though.
There is lots of goodness here, such as Hawkeye and Ant-Man (II, the Scott Lang version) taking on Taskmaster. Also enjoyable are Egghead's new Masters Of Evil and the short-lived romance between Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp). The latter was a great character development moment which was wrapped up in one issue. I could see a lesser writer (like, say, Brian Michael Bendis) milking that for an entire trade.
Roger Stern arrives with #227, kicking off one of the greatest runs in the history of The Avengers. While he handled a few issues before, those were pinch hitting. This was the beginning of his true run. The biggest difference between the beginning of Stern's run and the way that runs begin today is that Stern first had to clean house of all of the dangling subplots. Most new writers completely disregard what has come before. Stern not only honored what came before but built on it. He was just getting up to speed as this book ended. He brought the then-new Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau, later Photon) and drops hints at the Black Knight and Starfox, both of who became staples of his run on the title The best is yet to come!
Things begin with #212, which was the only one out of this particular run that I bought off of the stands when it was released back in July of 1981. I was pleased to see how well it held up nearly 35 years later. The third party narrative captions are a turnoff to many modern comic book fans, but then again, decompression is a turnoff to me. The amount of characterization that writers were able to cram into each and every issue back then is staggering when compared to how slowly things move now. High praise to everyone involved in the making of these comics, as this was handed off like a baton between creative teams and it didn't miss a beat.
Due to the events in issue 212, where Yellowjacket shot an opponent in the back after Captain America had talked her down, ol' Hank Pym (Yellowjacket to the uninitiated) faces a court-martial and is expelled from the team. This causes him to become unraveled. Pym has always shown signs of instability, as evidenced in his never-ending parade of identities (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and finally Yellowjacket) and his personality quirks. This book features the infamous scene where Pym beats his wife, The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne Pym). The Wasp divorces Pym, causing him to further plummet into the depths of despair. While there are multiple arcs the overall theme of these issues is the fall and redemption of Henry Pym. Things are nowhere near the same for him at the end of this run, though.
There is lots of goodness here, such as Hawkeye and Ant-Man (II, the Scott Lang version) taking on Taskmaster. Also enjoyable are Egghead's new Masters Of Evil and the short-lived romance between Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp). The latter was a great character development moment which was wrapped up in one issue. I could see a lesser writer (like, say, Brian Michael Bendis) milking that for an entire trade.
Roger Stern arrives with #227, kicking off one of the greatest runs in the history of The Avengers. While he handled a few issues before, those were pinch hitting. This was the beginning of his true run. The biggest difference between the beginning of Stern's run and the way that runs begin today is that Stern first had to clean house of all of the dangling subplots. Most new writers completely disregard what has come before. Stern not only honored what came before but built on it. He was just getting up to speed as this book ended. He brought the then-new Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau, later Photon) and drops hints at the Black Knight and Starfox, both of who became staples of his run on the title The best is yet to come!
December 11, 2018
This collection focuses primarily on Hank Pym's breakdown from superhero to all around POS. It starts off with him getting violent towards Janet, his wife, and escalates from there to being kicked off the Avengers, eventually helping a supervillain, being sent to Ryker's Island, and doing time for a major felony.
There are a couple storylines in this collection that have nothing to do with Pym's character arc: one where the Avengers are sent to help Moondragon on another planet and one where they are sent to another point in time where they have to help Black Knight. These are both a couple issues long and are just really boring, a huge mar on this otherwise decent collection. There is also a one off issue where Hawkeye and Ant-Man help out one of Hawkeye's old friends and end up battling Taskmaster, it's a fun little story that has one of my favorite Avengers covers.
The Pym saga is really good though, very compelling storytelling and as a bonus you get to see new members recruited to the Avengers, which keeps things fresh and interesting. My only grip with the storyline is I felt the team didn't do enough investigating to see what was going on with Hank. They were just kind of like "wow, he really went off the deep end after we kicked him out of the gang" and then Tony tried to bang Janet. Otherwise, a classic Avengers story that fans shouldn't miss!
There are a couple storylines in this collection that have nothing to do with Pym's character arc: one where the Avengers are sent to help Moondragon on another planet and one where they are sent to another point in time where they have to help Black Knight. These are both a couple issues long and are just really boring, a huge mar on this otherwise decent collection. There is also a one off issue where Hawkeye and Ant-Man help out one of Hawkeye's old friends and end up battling Taskmaster, it's a fun little story that has one of my favorite Avengers covers.
The Pym saga is really good though, very compelling storytelling and as a bonus you get to see new members recruited to the Avengers, which keeps things fresh and interesting. My only grip with the storyline is I felt the team didn't do enough investigating to see what was going on with Hank. They were just kind of like "wow, he really went off the deep end after we kicked him out of the gang" and then Tony tried to bang Janet. Otherwise, a classic Avengers story that fans shouldn't miss!
November 3, 2023
This is a pretty decent collection of Avengers stories overall. The only real problem I have with it is how sudden Yellowjacket's change in personality is. He's his usual self in the issues prior to 212 but all of a sudden he's irritable and moody.
It was sorely needed though, as the writing in the Avengers had become quite stale. Before these issues, it seemed like they were fighting wave after wave of boring villains that would never be seen again after their initial appearances.
Shooter and Stern's writing elevates Egghead from a forgotten villain to a dangerous criminal mastermind that reforms the Masters of Evil (albeit with mostly new members.) Everybody these days seems to hate Henry Pym because of this plotline, but whatever happened to mental health awareness? Sure, Pym does some pretty rotten stuff here, but he's also the victim of multiple mental breakdowns and other ills.
The issues featuring Moondragon and the Molecule Man are quite entertaining as well. Additionally, the return of Hawkeye to the team is a plus, and She-Hulk and Captain Marvel's additions are welcome.
Definitely worth reading.
It was sorely needed though, as the writing in the Avengers had become quite stale. Before these issues, it seemed like they were fighting wave after wave of boring villains that would never be seen again after their initial appearances.
Shooter and Stern's writing elevates Egghead from a forgotten villain to a dangerous criminal mastermind that reforms the Masters of Evil (albeit with mostly new members.) Everybody these days seems to hate Henry Pym because of this plotline, but whatever happened to mental health awareness? Sure, Pym does some pretty rotten stuff here, but he's also the victim of multiple mental breakdowns and other ills.
The issues featuring Moondragon and the Molecule Man are quite entertaining as well. Additionally, the return of Hawkeye to the team is a plus, and She-Hulk and Captain Marvel's additions are welcome.
Definitely worth reading.
August 11, 2018
This is a volume that's hard to rate....anytime there are this many issues in one volume, especially from back in the day of fill in issues, there are bound to be some issues that bring down the ranking as a whole. And while those issues appear here as well, there's so much good in here as well. In fact, the volume ends with one of my favorite all time issues of any comic, one that chokes me up as much now as it did the first time I read it, years ago.
July 12, 2017
Gosh, this was terrible. There was *nothing* good about this. The art was bed, they story was worse, and the dialogue . . . yeah, no. I'd almost think that the writers had no idea who the characters were. Certainly, I question their interactions with humanity. And they may have some deep-seated issues with women. Frankly, I'm surprised Jim Shooter had anything to do with this POS.
August 31, 2018
After 30+ years, I had to read it again
I think everyone who writes an Avengers story should be required to read this. It's more important than any other story in the team's history. Its portrayal of Pym as a deeply troubled, yet noble and sympathetic character stands in sharp contrast to the characature he has been portrayed as over the last few decades.
I think everyone who writes an Avengers story should be required to read this. It's more important than any other story in the team's history. Its portrayal of Pym as a deeply troubled, yet noble and sympathetic character stands in sharp contrast to the characature he has been portrayed as over the last few decades.
December 18, 2023
This book lived up to the hype that I was expecting. Aside from a couple of side arcs that don’t relate to Hank and Jan’s drama, this story came to a satisfying yet sad conclusion. I knew parts of this story from other context but seeing it unfold the way it did just made me so sad.
December 9, 2018
This comic is very fantastic.
March 23, 2023
Man, full of cringe at so many points in this story. Reading this 1980s story with my “woke” 2020s brain really cements the Marvel misogyny.
April 15, 2023
The issues with Hank Pym were amazing and some of the best comics I've read. The intervening comics were less interesting, but that can't be helped with a trade paperback collection like this.
April 3, 2022
Ok, this was a memorable collection. Starting with some of the most controversial comic issues to come out in the early '80s to some good old-fashioned Avenger adventures this book had it all. From the divorce to the transition between Jim Shooter to Roger Stern, from the inclusion of our Jade Amazon to Hank Pym's revelation, each issue had me looking forward to the next one.
What makes this collection even more memorable is the fact that the original cast finally learns of each other's secret identities. It took a while but it's finally out in the open. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume and heading into Secret Wars. Btw this has got to be my favorite cover in this collection.
What makes this collection even more memorable is the fact that the original cast finally learns of each other's secret identities. It took a while but it's finally out in the open. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume and heading into Secret Wars. Btw this has got to be my favorite cover in this collection.
March 8, 2014
Non è il punto più alto di Shooter come sceneggiatore, ma questa saga, non eccelsa nemmeno per i disegni, ha un grande pregio: mette in luce la grande umanità di Henry Pym, socio fondatore dei Vendicatori, uomo tra i superumani, anello di collegamento tra gli uomini e gli Dei (nel Marvel Universe) ed eroe controverso. Ebbene, buona parte della controversia parte da qui, da queste storie, che precedono il recupero del personaggio, il più complesso tra quelli Marvel.
L'esperimento di Shooter di mostrare la discesa nella delinquenza di un eroe consolidato, non si può dire riuscito. Ma gli sono stato grato, per averci provato.
L'esperimento di Shooter di mostrare la discesa nella delinquenza di un eroe consolidato, non si può dire riuscito. Ma gli sono stato grato, per averci provato.
July 27, 2019
WASP CHAIRWOMAN, FINALLY!!
December 25, 2021
Read it for Janet Van Dyne’s triumph as a character.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews