Issue: Avengers 34
November 1966
The Living Laser
By Stan Lee and Don Heck
Line up: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp
Villains: Living Laser
Guest Stars: Bill Foster

So What happens?

While the Avengers are having their latest meeting the NYPD are being stumped by a bank robbery. Someone has cut their way into the vault and escaped through a freshly cut hole in the roof while the cops surround the place. From a nearby roof the thief throws the money he had stolen down onto the street, he just wanted to test his powers before moving onto bigger things.

The Avengers are called in but are a little upset to just be dealing with a bank robbery instead of something important. At the scene Janet meets a society friend, Lucy Barton, whose fiance is the son of the Bank's President. Lucy gets spooked when she notices her ex-boyfriend in the crowd that has gathered outside, Arthur Parks is a research scientist who got angry about her dumping him for the rich guy.

Jan tells her not to get worried but we soon see that not only was Parks the Living Laser but that as soon as he saw Jan he fell for her. He starts stalking Jan and follows her and Hank back to her house. When they get there they find that Bill Foster has realised that their sympathy for the Sons of the Serpent was a ruse and come back to work for Hank. The two scientists want to get down to work so Jan heads for the hairdressers.

The Living Laser cuts through the ceiling and attacks Bill and Hank. After buying time for Bill to run Hank draws the Laser outside and knocks him out. He calls the Avengers to come pick him up and Captain America and Hawkeye take him back to New York in the flier.

Mid journey he wakes up and cuts a huge hole in the wall of the craft before flying off as it crashes towards the bay. Hawkeye snags a nearby bridge with a suction arrow and he and Cap swing to safety. The Laser gets to work improving his weapons and goes on a rampage around New York. The Avengers go after him and track him down to an apartment building where he is shooting at traffic. As Cap and Hawkeye charge in on him they are caught in a cage of laser beams. Wasp backs them up and is caught in a suction blast and deposited in what looks like a jam jar.

The villain tells them that it was the Wasp he is after and gets ready to use the lasers to chop the other two into pieces.

So it is any good?:

Heck's self inked art is fairly distinctive in this issue. On a lot of issues his style got lost under the inks. He had some good inkers on Avengers and it often looked good but this issue is a lot closer to what I think of as Heck art. I liked it a lot but I know a lot of other people dont.

I liked the Avengers feeling that bank robberies were beneath them. It might not have shown them in the best light but it was quite funny and was a way of setting them apart from ultra-serious DC heroes.

Hawkeye getting to save Cap and Hank having no problem defeating the villain who later beat the others were also good moments. Lee shared out the action very well in this issue and gave everyone a turn in the spotlight.

Its a good introduction to the villain and the focus on the Wasp is welcome even if was just as the victim of a nutjob's crush.

Avengers Facts:

This is Stan Lee's last issue of Avengers, Roy Thomas would take over next issue.

Goliath is chairman for this story.

The shield cap was using in this story has been retconned into being a special replacement built by Tony Stark rather than the real thing.

Are there any goofy moments?

The Living Laser's rampage takes in buildings, planes and ships but Lee makes sure that the captions show that they were empty, the planes were 'obselete planes being sent overseas. I guess Don Heck got a little carried away for the codes liking.

Is it a landmark?

Just about, the Living Laser went on to become a recurring villain but not an especially major one.

Where can I read it?

Marvel Triple Action 26 but 2 pages are missing.