The Voice of the Wasp

Captain America has summoned the Avengers in order to show them the new messaging system installed by Tony Stark. The new system has a two-point authentication process that involves voiceprint identification and a password. While Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch listen intently, Hawkeye is easily bored and begins goofing off. This leads to a squabble with Quicksilver until Captain America breaks it up. He then forces the two men to shake hands. Having had his fill for one day, Hawkeye decides that he is going to go out on the town, but not before Cap warns Hawkeye that the Avengers can easily replace him.[1]

Meanwhile, on an exploration ship on the Atlantic, Henry Pym and Janet Van Dyne — formerly Giant-Man and the Wasp — have just survived an encounter with the Sub-Mariner.[2] With Namor heading to New York, Janet becomes the Wasp again in order to fly to the mainland and warn everybody. Along the way, she has to return to normal size to rest by floating on her back in the ocean. Her presence is detected by the Atlantean barbarian known as Attuma, who captures her and takes her aboard his ship. Attuma reveals to his captive that he has built a device that will increase the tides across the Earth in order to flood the surface world.[3] When Janet is locked in a glass tube that has air she can breathe. When her guard falls asleep, Janet changes into the Wasp and escapes from her cell. She fights the thick, humid air to operate a nearby radio to call the Avengers for help.

Luckily, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are monitoring the radio when the Wasp’s distress call comes in. They are wary of responding after they were recently tricked by Doctor Doom, but Captain America needs no reason to doubt the Wasp’s distress.[4] Cap tries contacting Hawkeye, but the archer doesn’t hear the call because he is busy showing off his communication ring to a bunch of showgirls at an East End nightclub. The call comes in just as one of the girls accidentally drops the ring under Hawkeye’s table. Getting no response, Captain America and the others leave Hawkeye a message and leave without him.

Taking their rocket-jet, the Avengers arrive at the source of the Wasp’s distress call, some 300 miles due east from the coast of Cape Hattaras. Their ship is detected by Attuma’s scanners and snatched from the sky by a massive claw that rises out of the ocean. Taken aboard Attuma’s ship, Captain America and his team try to fight back against their captors. However, just like the Wasp, they succumb to the heavy humidity that allows Attuma and his men to breathe without water. With the Avengers defeated, Attuma’s men question his strength, suggesting that he only won due to the humid air. Deciding to prove his might, Attuma has the Avengers fitted with helmets that will allow them to breathe so he can defeat them. This time around, the Avengers have a fighting chance against Attuma. However, the Scarlet Witch makes a grave error by using her hex powers to knock down a pillar as this causes the room to begin flooding with water, Attuma’s natural element.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye finally returns to Avengers Mansion and finds it deserted. When he goes to check for messages he doesn’t remember what the password is because he was goofing off earlier. However, he remembers that the Avengers have a subliminal recall-inducer device and straps himself into it so he can prod his memory for the passcode. The process puts the user into a coma while it scans their mind leaving Hawkeye vulnerable to an intruder that has just appeared in the mansion.[5]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch), Attuma, Henry Pym, Wasp, Beetle (unidentified), Sub-Mariner

Continuity Notes

1. Mention is made of the original team of Avengers — Iron Man, Thor, and Giant-Man — who have been on a leave of absence from the group since Avengers #16.

2. This sequence takes place after the events of Tales to Astonish #78. Namor attacked their vessel because he was under the control of the Puppet Master at the time. The Avengers never deal with the situation because the Sub-Mariner manages to free himself from the Puppet Master’s control by Tales to Astonish #80.

3. Janet hopes Attuma doesn’t recognize her. She, as the Wasp, battled Attuma alongside Giant-Man in Tales to Astonish #64.

4. The Avengers were lured to Latveria by Doctor Doom last issue.

5. This intruder is revealed to be the Beetle next issue.

Topical References

• Dated pop-culture references: Mr. Novak