Comic Book Classics Revisited continues the Ultron Handbook with the third Ultron story that starts with today’s The Avengers (1963 Series) #66!  Previously, we’ve seen Ultron first appearing as the “Crimson Cowl” who gathered together a new Masters of Evil to take down the Avengers.  We’ve also seen Ultron try to take out his hated foes by creating an android, later named The Vision, to infiltrate and lead the Avengers to their doom.  It wasn’t until the last issue (#58) where we get a backstory of where Ultron came from – he was an experiment gone bad (really bad) for Hank Pym.  So, now we’re all caught up.  It’s time to jump into the third Ultron story!

Our story begins with the Avengers acting as lab rats in a S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory.  They are trying to test the molecular stability of a new metal alloy created by scientists – Adamantium.  Despite Thor and Iron Man’s most ferocious attacks, the cylinder of the alloy is still undamaged.  Unknown to the Avengers, the Vision is experiencing some attacks on his mind that is giving the android something of a migraine.  Meanwhile, Goliath (who I should mention is now Clint Barton, formerly Hawkeye, and Hank Pym is now using his Yellowjacket alter ego – more on that later), tries to give the adamantium cylinder a good, old fashioned punch, but it nearly breaks his hand in doing so. As the creator of the alloy, Dr. Myron MacLain, exclaims his concerns about the use of adamantium by an enemy of the Avengers or the United States, Vision disappears.  While the Avengers search for him on board the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, there is some major concern about his disappearance while discussing adamantium.

Confused, the Avengers have no idea where Vision could have gotten off to, but they don’t realize that the android is still tortured over his synthetic existence.  He’s back on Earth visiting the grave of Simon Williams, the former ally of the Avengers known as Wonder Man, and the person who has supplied the Vision with his “humanity”.  Suddenly, the Vision realizes who is calling out to him and he takes off to answer that call.

Elsewhere, Hank Pym is having a real hard think about what’s going on with Vision.  His concerns aren’t exactly unfounded.  They don’t know the newest Avenger all that well.  If he turns against the team, they may not have the might required to take him down.  Jan, now married to Hank (more about that later), saunters in to hang out with the troubled Hank and tries to offer some positive spin on the issue of the Vision.  At Avengers HQ, Iron Man seems to be imperiled at the mercy of the training room’s guns.  Even Goliath and Thor seem concerned, but trust that the systems are still programmed to not be fatal in its attacks.

Miles overhead, the Vision invades the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.  Vision engages a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and uses his powers to force himself and the agent into the same space at the same time, leaving the agent’s mind addled and his senses racked.  It appears that the Vision is going to depressurize the room the ailing agent is in.  Back at Avengers HQ, Hank Pym realizes something really fishy is going on when he finds Iron Man weakened by the simulated attack in the training room.  Goliath and Thor swear it is just a freak accident in the programming of the HQ systems, but Pym still believes Vision is not who he claims he is.

Upstairs, the Vision attacks Jan the same way, by pulling her into the weird, nothingness of occupying the same space as Vision.  The team comes face to face with the android.  The damaged Iron Man takes Jan to safety as Hank looks to take on Vision, but is quickly overcome by the coldness of the Vision’s touch.  In jumps Thor who gains the upperhand but is temporarily blinded by Vision’s gem on his forehead.  As the Avengers continue to try to apprehend the betrayer, suddenly the entire HQ begins to quake.  Vision said he needed only to keep the Avengers from searching the mansion while the systems completed the most important task…

The creation of the now adamantium-clad ULTRON-6!!!

Most fans of the Avengers know Ultron is made of adamantium.  Most fans of Marvel know adamantium as being most closely associated with the X-Man Wolverine.  Many of the fans of either don’t realize that Ultron wasn’t always made of adamantium, nor do they realize that this was not only the first time the villainous death-robot was made of the alloy, but also the first appearance of adamantium in Marvel comics period!  This is one of those obscure issues that holds a very important piece of Marvel trivia.  I sincerely doubt you’d get many correct answers from even big-time comic book know-it-alls (except Mark Waid – Waid knows everything about everything comic book related) if you asked them, “What issue contains the first appearance of adamantium?”

Aside from that, we’ve got some other things going on with the Avengers.  We’re less than a year since the last Ultron story and the Avengers look very different.  Clint Barton is now Goliath.  During a very important battle while a member of the Avengers, his bow breaks.  So he decides to take the mantle of Goliath as Hank Pym was transitioning to his Yellowjacket persona.  And speaking of Hank, this change in his persona as the cocksure Yellowjacket has some effects on his life.  First, it finally pushes Jan over the friend zone line and they get married.  Second, and most importantly, it would serve as a first indication down the line that he’s suffering from some pretty serious mental illness.  This subplot and characterization of Hank Pym would go on for, literally, decades.

I want to take a moment to talk about Janet Van Dyne too, but first, let’s talk about the creators for this issue.  Roy Thomas is still writing the series, but this issue’s art is supplied by Barry Windsor-Smith.  This would be early in the artist’s career.  In fact, at this time, Windsor-Smith was better known for being a slightly inferior Jack Kirby.  However, Stan Lee and Thomas still liked his art enough to assign him to this and the following issue of the series.  I will say that his style is most certainly inspired by Kirby, and while it would not be as good as he would later be known for (particularly when he takes on the pulp classic character Conan the Barbarian), you can see the start of his style and appreciate it in a raw form.

That brings me back to dear Jan.  Don’t get me wrong, over the years, Jan was always drawn as a flirty and cute lady.  I LOVE her (for a lack of a better comparison) Mary Tyler Moore look that George Perez gave her in the 70s.  I’ll also admit that I’ve long had a crush on Jan.  I’m always hoping artists keep her good looks while still keeping her looking mature enough to be a formidable female character – not some flippant “girl”.  In this issue, my lordy, Jan is looking sultry.  I think it’s Windsor-Smith’s style, but, yowza, Jan’s just lookin’ hot in this issue.  As you can see below, if Hank is going to turn down the chance for his “lonely” wife to hang out with him, I’m sure she wouldn’t remain lonely for long.

There’s something else that happens in this comic that is entirely on Windsor-Smith and is entirely awesome.  Now, I’m a long time Avengers fan.  I don’t want to brag, but I know A LOT about the team.  Additionally, if you remove Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (aka the “holy trinity”) from consideration, I name the Vision as my favorite Avenger.  I look at him like many DC fans look at Martian Manhunter in terms of importance to the JLA.  So, add all this up, and I know a lot about the Vision as well.  Those of us in “the know”, if you will, are not unused to seeing the Vision shift his density in a way where he may put his fist through a bad guy and slightly become tangible again to incapacitate the foe.  That we’ve seen him do many, many times.  But, this?

So this seems like a horrible thing he can do.  He forces a person into the same space as he is which basically is like tossing them into the great beyond of, I don’t know, eternity…?  This is not something you see him do anymore.  In fact, I’m not sure how often he’s done this after this.  It seems pretty violent.  However, that illustrated representation is freakin’ awesome.  It’s like the love child of the styles of Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko.  It’s just gorgeous.

That should do it for today.  We’ll be back on Friday with part two of this Ultron story and get the answer for Vision’s betrayal of the team!