Review by Ian Keogh

In principle a story about founding Avenger Hank Pym’s prolonged decline into mental instability and criminal activity is a viable idea, and certainly innovative for 1981 in building on earlier incidents. Sadly, the execution is woeful, and this collection hardly helps matters by featuring a long Avengers run including multiple fill-ins by multiple creators with no connection to the title story.

The idea originated with Jim Shooter returning to write a series whose continuity he’d previously graced with some thrilling material. This, though, was a different Shooter, now Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief and seeing the Avengers as an instructional template for other creators as to how he wanted Marvel’s output to look. It’s a method that over-explains everything and strangles innovation in favour of absolute clarity. Any new reader picking up one of these stories in the early 1980s would never have wondered who Pym was as it’s explained to death every time he appears.

Likewise the method stifles artistic dynamism, the very foundation of Marvel’s 1960s success. Large illustrations are out and uniform panel grids rule the day in a system encouraging the dull stability represented by Bob Hall’s sample art. Hall’s exaggerated sensationalism also shreds any credibility the collection’s most shocking moment might otherwise have. It’s intended to show the extent of Pym’s insecurities culminating in a breakdown where he hits his wife, but is drawn by Hall with all the bombast of a superhero battle and with the Wasp in her nightie. As the years pass it’s ever more appalling.

The only hint of the Shooter whose Avengers were once so enthralling comes in a two-parter featuring the Molecule Man, able to do almost anything he wants, but possessing a really low IQ. Despite the art restrictions the finesse of Alan Weiss makes this best looking story also.

It’s only when Shooter departs entirely that the quality level begins to climb as Roger Stern takes over the writing. Larger panels return and a consistent scripter results in plots that build, some not completed here, more consistent interactions and improved characterisation. It’s decided that Pym’s problems have extended far enough, and Stern twists the knife by having old villain Egghead take advantage. There’s no subtlety to Al Milgrom’s art, but based on his pencils inked by other artists, Joe Sinnott puts in the time to correct Milgrom’s deficiencies, and his layouts have never been the problem.

Pym’s story concludes surprisingly and well, with Stern throwing in further complications ensuring the final three issues reprinted are the best.

There’s so much material here that it’s spread over three Marvel Masterworks collections of the Avengers, Vol. 20, Vol. 21 and Vol. 22, while Court Martial features other material and cuts off just before the Stern issues.