Concussion? Fah! Who needs medical attention when you've got hot cocoa? Again, Marvel Team-Up #59, "Some Say Spidey Will Die By Fire. ..Some Say By Ice!" Written by Chris Claremont, pencilled by John Byrne, inked by Dave Hunt.
Since last time was spent more-or-less gushing about Yellowjacket, this time we'll hit the plot; which, as I prefer, hits the ground running. Within the first two pages, Spidey's swinging home and gets sucker-punched by a flame blast, then an Iceman-style icicle.
Just before Spider-Man starts his fall into the river, Janet Pym, the Wasp, is waiting for her husband, Hank "Yellowjacket" Pym, to drag himself out of his lab. Where he'd been for a week. I must say, if I was down in my basement or my work for a week and my wife didn't see me, let's just say she probably wouldn't be greeting me in her lingerie. Well, maybe.
Hank mentions that he's upgraded his powers, not a bad idea for a guy on a team with Thor, Iron Man, Hercules, etc. (How come Hank always doubted himself, yet Hawkeye was completely confident about his place in the Avengers?) Before things get too heated with him and Jan, though, he sees the flash in the distance that zapped Spidey, and flies over to fish him out of the river.
As Spidey recovers back at the Pyms' apartment, YJ (not much of a nickname there, so I don't think it's ever caught on) points out Iceman's currently in the Champions in L.A. and the Human Torch is out of town with the Fantastic Four, and if they didn't zap Spidey, who did? Spidey recalls a bad guy he may not have faced directly, but he had told the Torch and Iceman about, and they fought him: Equinox, the Thermo-dynamic Man. Even though the cover there looks like the Torch and Iceman spent most of the issue fighting each other; Equinox, who had both of their powers, gave them a hard time until they blew him up. Spidey figures he'll take care of it himself, when Equinox blows a hole through a wall, having followed YJ there.
At this point in Spider-Man's life, post-Gwen, he's more surprised if someone doesn't try to kill him.
Spidey gets thrown around a bit, and Wasp's stings prove useless against Equinox ("They're useless against just about everybody, buster.") Yellowjacket eventually zaps Equinox outside, and the fight relocates to the Queensborough bridge...I know nothing about NYC outside of what I've read in comics. Too many people there for me, and I don't think I'd be able to stand the traffic, crowds, subways. Unless I could fly, swing from building to building, or teleport, New York City would drive me up the wall. Besides, I'd spend all my time looking for Dr. Strange's house and get pissed if I couldn't find it.
Anyway...Wasp takes a hit that knocks her on her butt, but is more mad at Hank for amping up his powers but not hers. If Hank has any chores at the Pym household, it must be the weirdest 'honey-do' list ever:
Clean gutters
Talk ants out of kitchen
Invent better superpowers for wife
Hank tries to "But honey" his way out of that, but no time. Equinox nearly kills YJ with a car door (Yeah, why throw the whole car, when just the door seems pretty dangerous?) but Spidey webs it. Then, a woman with a science-fictiony looking rifle calls Equinox "Terry," and begs him to stop. In response, Equinox does throw the rest of the car at her, and Spidey saves her as well.
The cars explode, knocking out Jan. Hank is forced to go hand-to-hand with Equinox; while Spidey helps up Jan and questions the woman, Margay Sorenson, Equinox's mom. Before they can get back to help, Equinox forces Hank back against a fuel truck, and blows it up. Equinox walks out of the explosion, triumphant.
Wasp was shaken, but walks it off: She was an Avenger, and now, it's on.
The scene changes a little the next issue, but that'll keep, 'til next time.
Honestly, I'm not even positive I ever owned this issue as a kid. I may have read it in a store (for some reason, I'm thinking in a Ben Franklin store somewhere in northern Montana) but not bought it; or I may have read it until it dissolved into ink-and-paper particles still lodged in my internal organs. It was reprinted in Marvel Tales #193 and the conclusion the month after. I would recognize Yellowjacket the next Avengers appearance I saw him in, so I knew he must have survived, but it was a long, long time before I got to see how. Hopefully, I won't keep you waiting that long.
Thank God! Someone else who thinks Hank is the boy!! That makes two....cheers!
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