Know The Classics, Issue 190

[Bored Yesterday]

Cover date: December, 1979
Title: “Heart of Stone”
Script: Steven Grant
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Dan Green
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Plot and Editor: Roger Stern
Roster: Iron Man, Captain America, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Beast, Ms. Marvel, Wasp
Foe: Mysterious space monster that turns out to be the Grey Gargoyle

Summary: At night a big meteor comes streaking down and crashes into the marshy Jamaica Bay, on the edge of Brooklyn. A big stony monster with glowing red eyes and a jet pack hatches out and heads toward Manhattan.

The next morning, the Avengers are defending their security clearance in court, in opposition to Gyrich and his pals. The Avengers have a team of lawyers: Jeryn Hogarth (Heroes for Hire), Emerson Bale (counsel for the Champions), and Matt Murdock (Daredevil). A SHIELD agent comes in and disparages Captain America's character, referencing events in Captain America issues 228-231. In the middle of the hearing, Jarvis calls up Iron Man (superhero technology of the modern cell phone head set) -- to tell the Avengers to get their asses in gear because that monster is tearing up Manhatten. Of course, the Avengers have their priorities straight and go off to face the menace, leaving their security clearance in jeopardy, but making their point at the same time. It's as if, "yeah, we can't sit around and argue with you suits, because we have to go save your asses."

The Avengers take off after the monster. Since Daredevil happens to be there, he goes too, but apparently takes his own car. Daredevil arrives just as the Avengers are starting to fight the monster. Cap is knocked back and Daredevil swings in to catch him. He references their last meeting in issues 234-236 of Captain America. Scarlet Witch uses her hex power to activate the thing's jet pack. It flies toward Iron Man and Vision, and they both punch him while it's flying at them. It shatters into a pile of rubble. They are so strong, but before you can say "hell yeah," Iron Man and Daredevil are suddenly turned into stone, and the Grey Gargoyle comes out of the rubble. People are losing their nuts. Continued next issue. Daredevil and Iron Man are both stuck in stone form.

Readers' Reaction: I rate this issue 4/5. This is an excellent issue. Classic lineup. Byrne can sure layout an action sequence. Don't know who this Steve Grant is, but he's got a good sense for story and characters. This comic totally kicks ass. The scene where the Avengers leave the hearing to go save the asses of their political enemies takes the cake. And I LOVED how Matt Murdock is representing them in the courtroom. I'm also a sucker for any comic that shows the heroes getting their asses handed to them, so I really enjoyed the fight scene. This is the first of a two-part story where the Avengers fight the Grey Gargoyle.

[asgardian]

Remember when Iron Man gets stoned it is only his armour that changes!

[Shiryu]

I've heard of this story, and I clearly remember the cover. If I'm correct, it's the one where Beast hands Gyrich a stick or something and tells him to go and fight the monster himself, showing how much Avengers are needed.

[Bored Yesterday]

Yeah, I love when he's staring out with his flesh and blood eyes, can't move to speak. Those earl y stories really play up his "man in armor" aspects. His reflexes and speed are that of a man encased in steel. That seems to have been dumped in the meantime somewhere.

[dlw66]

I went ahead and read the second of this 2-parter, "Back To the Stone Age". David Michelinie writes this time (although in both issues Roger Stern gets credit for the plot), and George Perez and Sal Buscema provide the cover. Interior art is by Byrne and Dan Green.

Nice finish to a nice, short (anyone currently writing Avengers hear that?) story. Major players again in Cap, IM, Vision, Wanda, etc. -- same line-up as above, although Iron Man and DD sit this one out as statues. Very interesting scene where the Vision gets clocked by the Grey Gargoyle, and as he is hurtling toward a building turns intangible. Later we see him lying half in and half out of the wall. I cannot remember another time where I've seen him unconscious in this state.

The initial downfall of the team is that they for the most part fight as individuals, although that lends itself to some nice screen time for Ms. Marvel. Wanda seems very unsure of herself throughout the story, and the Wasp is for the most part an afterthought, although she does lead the attack at the end of the story that eventually fells the Gargoyle. Cap is good, but Iron Man is chair at this time -- you can almost sense that, as Cap is not his usual self. The Falcon has a nice scene where he rescues a damsel in distress, and then takes on the Gargoyle solo. As is typical of this era, the Beast has some great lines, and Byrne does his usual super job of showcasing not only Hank's agility but also his strength.

A minor origin of the Grey Gargoyle is included in this issue, as is a recap of his then-recent battle with Thor (Thor is not actually in the story, seen only in a flashback).

Just good John Byrne storytelling -- great pacing, nice believable dialogue tailored to each character, and a solid line-up. The backstory of the Avengers testifying before a Senate subcommittee as to the future status of their security clearance was an ongoing plot thread at this time. References to Watergate and former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Rosie Grier (who was an American television celebrity at this time) date the story with a great bit of nostalgia.

Concerning Civil War, I'll quit with this comment from the committee chairman to Iron Man and Henry Peter Gyrich:

"However, the recent incident with the Grey Gargoyle seems to reaffirm that this group's prime concern is the safety of not only American citizens, but of law-abiding people everwhere. And that they require a certain amount of freedom to carry out that purpose seems indesputable. Therefore, it is the decsion of this committee that the Avengers' priority priveleges and security clearance remain intact and that the restriction on their autonomy be lessened considerable, as detailed in the committee's report."

And I would also like to add, borrowing from another thread, that the ads in the book are really cool. Star Wars was huge, Kiss was ruling the world, ROM Spaceknight was an up-and-coming Marvel property, there are the usual Hostess fruit pies ads featuring a Marvel hero ("The Human Torch in "The Icemaster Cometh"") and of course a proposal that you get off your lazy butt, sell Grit, and make a fortune...