Dr. Mynde is satisfied: "Rick Jones is definitely our little pigeon... and not even Captain Marvel can stop us." The final thread is Benjamin Savannah, Lou-Ann's uncle who we've come to know over the last two issues. Dr. Mynde tells Madame Synn to change her clothing from the skimpy skintight number she's wearing. "Ben would have a coronary if he saw you in your fighting garb." Mar-Vell fails to turn up any leads on the car which attacked Rick, so flies to Lou-Ann's apartment and switches places with Rick.
Rick finally unburdens himself to Lou-Ann about his life - the heroes he's fought alongside with and his connection to Captain Marvel. Soon they're at her uncle's home (what a hot date!) where Professor Savannah introduces them to his friend Leonard Mynde. Dr. Mynde talks about the changes which have happened to Rick's molecular structure (last two issues) and believes he can do something about the photon energy which Rick has been emitting. Rick agrees to let Mynde have a look. Mynde brings Rick to his estate all the way in Northern Virginia and shows off the small army of guards he has in ihs employ. Mar-Vell warns Rick that he senses an "evil aura" around Mynde but Rick is desperate to be released from his bondage to Mar-Vell. "Then you can find some other poor sucker who wants to be a hero!" Meanwhile, Mynde and Madame Synn are going over a plan to conquer the Pentagon. "Others have tried... Dr. Doom... the Red Skulll... but where they failed, I will succeed..." Unfortunately, Mynde terribly well-constructed plan is ruined because Rick is eavesdropping on him.
Mynde sends a few of his guards to rough up Rick, who insists on fighting for himself instead of bringing out Captain Marvel. However, once the trio of guards are beaten, Madame Synn throws a bolo which snares Rick's legs and she drops him with one punch. Dr. Mynde then rises from his wheelchair, showing off his entire body for the first time: he's a cyborg! Also, now he's ranting about ruling the Earth.
Mynde goes into a monologue (why yes, before you ask, he is a Republic serial villain) and describes how he and Professor Savannah designed weapons for the Pentagon. Savannah thought the weapons would be used for peaceful purposes, but Mynde had no such illusions. He knew there was a secret arsenal beneath the Pentagon where weapons such as theirs were housed and he was determined to get at them; his snooping cost him his government job. Then he discovered he was dying of radiation poisoning so he transplanted his head on to a cyborg body. As you do. "In my new body, I am invincible... immortal... and the dreams of an immortal are greater than those of any frail human. ...I dream of ruling the world." Mynde holds out Rick's Avengers ID card, which Rick threw away in Captain Marvel #17. Mynde retrieved the card and later saw Rick become Captain Marvel (which sounds dubious, as Rick went from New York to Florida by hitchhiking before becoming Mar-Vell).
Anyway, Mynde bided his time, rebuilding his cybernetic body so he could face Captain Marvel in a fight. He reveals Lou-Ann and Benjamin Savannah are his prisoners to force Rick to aid him with his plot. Rick drives Mynde and Synn to the Pentagon and uses his Avengers ID to gain access to the building (it's amazing to think that as a teenager, Rick was given the same kind of security clearance which the Avengers held). Mynde keeps Rick walking ahead of him as they move to the weapons room. Mynde summons a drone strike to hit the Pentagon just then as his private army begins a frontal assault and Rick uses the opportunity to become Captain Marvel. Mynde isn't worried, as he felt sure they would have to fight eventually. They seem evenly-matched so far as strength goes, so Mar-Vell resorts to grabbing Madame Synn to use as a hostage; this is a terrible plan, which Synn proves by tossing Mar-Vell with a judo throw.
Synn suggests Mynde should simply end the fight and kill Captain Marvel. Mynde agrees and readies a blaster from inside his cybernetic arm. However, Mar-Vell starts to revive. Synn lunges forward to deal with him, just as Mynde squeezes the trigger; his blast kills Synn instead of Mar-Vell. Mynde's mind snaps and he places the blaster to his own head, so insane with sorrow that he doesn't realize he's killing himself. Mynde dies.
Thoughts: A mixed bag. Wayne Boring's art is quite lovely, much better than the last two issues, it feels as though he were trying to channel Gil Kane. As I noted above, the splash page was very well done. The character designs are nifty too.
But Wolfman's story...! Once again he resorts to odd coincidences to place his plot together, with Mynde not only an old friend of Professor Savannah, but also somehow watching Rick back when he and Mar-Vell were bonded? It's too contrived and Mynde is too much of a typical comic book super-villain. It would actually have been more interesting if Mynde were trying to manipulate Rick without knowing of his link to Captain Marvel, while Rick simply held Mar-Vell back out of stubborness... much as the story played out, in fact. The way Rick has begun to resent Mar-Vell makes him a fairly unpleasant lead character, while poor Marv has become a supporting character in his own title! Something had to change and that something was, of course, Jim Starlin...
Next: ...But we're not there quite yet. Another quick detour to Avengers #108 before the end!
No comments:
Post a Comment