Wonder Man (vol. 2) #3
Eye of the Beholder
Gamma-Burn — a woman mutated by gamma radiation — is trashing a Los Angeles gym as part of her one woman war against societies’ obsession with beauty.[1] When the cops show up, Gamma-Burn easily trounces them before bounding off for her next target.
Meanwhile, Simon Williams — aka Wonder Man — is helping Ginger Beach move into her new house.[2] After he is finished lugging in the heavy furniture he asks Ginger to give him a ride back to his apartment since he still doesn’t have a car. Ginger — like many who hear this — question how Simon can survive in LA without one. When they arrive at his apartment, Simon is greeted by his landlord Gloria Angel. She is deeply upset and tells Simon that he needs to get rid of the young man who is in his apartment. Williams has no idea what she is talking about. Seconds later a young man claiming to be Wonder Man’s sidekick comes flying down the stairs on a skateboard.
Elsewhere, Gamma-Burn arrives in another part of the city and is disgusted by all the beautiful people down there. This makes her think about the events that led to her sudden rampage against attractiveness. Gamma-Burn was once a normal woman who underwent a new experimental treatment for PMS using gamma rays. Rather than being a cure the treatment mutated her into this cringy one-off character. Shunned in Phoenix, Gamma-Burn bounded west hoping to find someone who would accept her for who she is. She has fallen in love with an actor named Philip Phillips the star of a soap opera called The Children of Our Lives and has convinced herself that he could love her despite her appearance. She managed to find Phillips out in public romancing two beautiful women at once. When Gamma-Burn approached him he was shocked by how ugly she was. This was the final rejection that Gamma-Burn could stomach and this kicked off her crusade against beauty. Recalling this all again makes her so furious that she makes like a wrecking ball and leaps into the side of a fancy hair salon, wrecking it.
At that same moment, Wonder Man demands answers from the teenager in his apartment claiming to be his sidekick. The kid, who calls himself Spider, was hired by Simon’s agent Neal Saroyan to be his new sidekick. Simon wants nothing to do with this because his life as a superhero is dangerous enough without a kid hanging around and decides to haul Spider back home.[3] Spider tells Wonder Man that he lives in Venice down by the beach.
As it so happens, Gamma-Burn has decided to set her sights on the beach as well, considering it to be the “biggest meat-market in the world”. Wonder Man happens to show up just as Gamma-Burn is spiking volleyball players around the beach. That’s when Gamma-Burn spots Wonder Man and Spider and leaps up to attack the hero. Simon quickly dumps Spider on the ground, but allows Gamma-Burn to think that she beat him into unconsciousness, mostly so the teen doesn’t get hurt in the battle. When Gamma-Burn takes off again, Wonder Man follows after her and ambushes the gamma-spawned brute at a tanning salon. As the two slug it out, Gamma-Burn makes a comment about the tanning beds using gamma rays to give people a tan and this gives Simon an idea to use them against his foe. However, he doesn’t know how he could pull something like that off. That’s when Spider arrives and suggests that Simon use his jets since they get their power from Simon’s ionic energies.
While Spider distracts Gamma-Burn with insults, Simon quickly wires his jet pack into one of the tanning beds.[4] The gambit pays off and Simon is able to blast Gamma-Burn with a powerful burst of gamma radiation. However, the process causes his jet packs to blow up. Luckily, he doesn’t need them anymore because Gamma-Burn has been reverted back to her human form. The former gamma mutate is overjoyed to have her old body back. Then, as fate would have it, Philip Phillips has come looking for Gamma-Burn. In a twist of irony, when Gamma-Burn reveals to him that she is back to normal, he rejects her once again. As it turns out, he suddenly found himself attracted to her mutated form and now that she is an attractive woman he finds her boring. Suddenly, the woman starts trying to figure out how to bombard herself with gamma rays again so she can become Gamma-Burn again.
With the battle over, Wonder Man wonders how he is going to get around without his jet belt as it will take a while for him to get a replacement.[5] Spider then brags about how Wonder Man couldn’t have won the fight without his help and how this proves his value as a sidekick. Simon, on the other hand, isn’t interested in the slightest and tells Spider that once he gets him home he never wants to see the kid again. Spider relents and finally tells Williams where he really is. He is shocked when they arrive outside the house of Ginger Beach. As it turns out, Spider is Ginger’s little brother, much to Simon’s chagrin.
Recurring Characters
Wonder Man, Ginger Beach, Spider Beach, Gloria Angel
Continuity Notes
Gamma-Burns’ real name is not given in this story. World War Hulk: Gamma Files #1 identifies her as Ethel Gaxton.
Ginger’s previous home was trashed by Goliath in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #1.
Wonder Man mentions his previous battles with Goliath (in issue #1) and the Enchantress (last issue).
Simon comments that wiring up his jet pack to a tanning bed should be simple because he was once an inventor almost as skilled as Tony Stark. Indeed, prior to becoming Wonder Man, Simon operated Williams Manufacturing until he was caught in an embezzlement scandal. See Avengers #9.
This marks the end of Wonder Man’s use of a jetpack. He’ll get around by leaping tall distances (in a single bound, even) until his death in Force Works #1. When he is resurrected in Avengers (vol. 3) #2, he will gain and retain the ability to fly via ionic propulsion.
Topical References
Spider compares Wonder Man’s jet belt to the jetpack used by the titular character in the Rocketeer. The Rocketeer started off as a indie comic book character that paid homage to serial matinees from the 1930s. Specifically the serials King of the Rocket Men and Commando Cody. The comic was adapted into a movie in 1992 and it’s likely this film that Spider is referencing here. This wouldn’t necessarily be considered a topical reference since the Rocketeer film is owned by Disney, who now owns Marvel Comics. Brand synergy and all that.
When witnessing Gamma-Burn’s rampage through Venice Beach, Wonder Man quips that she is tossing people around like Frisbees. Frisbee is a brand name closely associated with one of its most popular products a discus toy. Normally, a real world product would be considered a topical reference. However, in this case the Frisbee name has become a proprietary eponymy due to its frequent usage.
There is a billboard advertising the TV show Maverick. This was a popular western series that ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962. Since this show had been off the air for decades by the time this comic was published in 1991, it’s reference here wouldn’t necessarily be considered a topical reference. One could assume that the TV network promoting the show specializes in air re-runs of older television programs.
Gutwrencher Magazine (part 3)
The final part of a three part mock interview between Wonder Man and Gutwrencher magazine. This serves as a primer to readers to explain Wonder Man’s backstory. In this installment, Simon talks about his career in showbusiness: His early start on the Uncle Elmer Show, a job where he got fired.[1] His big break in the movie Arkon IV.[2] His confession to his past crimes on a late night talk show.[3] He also mentions his recent failed romance with the Scarlet Witch and the resurrection of his brother the Grim Reaper.[4][5]
Continuity Notes
When Wonder Man began his acting career he got his start on the Uncle Elmer Show a children’s program where he played the dimwitted Mister Muscles and was the butt of every joke. When he couldn’t stand the humiliation any longer, Simon embarrassed Elmer on camera and got fired. Simon got the job in Avengers #194 and was fired in issue #201.
Simon got his big break to star in Arkon IV in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #6.
Prior to the Arkon IV gig, Simon went on an evening talk show to confess to his past crimes in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #4. He mentions that Hollywood had to stop making Arkon films because the real Arkon wasn’t happy about them. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #31.
Wonder Man discovered that he had feelings for the Scarlet Witch in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #44. After she was abandoned by her estranged husband in Avengers #312, Simon and Wanda began dating around Avengers West Coast #63. Wanda broke off the relationship in issue #69 because she felt that they were better off as friends.
The Grim Reaper committed suicide in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #2. However, he has been resurrected as a zombie on a few occasions. The most recent time was in Avengers West Coast #65.
Continuity Notes
Because Wonder Man is talking show business, he makes a lot of pop-culture references that were relevant at the time this comic was published. They should all be considered topical references. These references are:
He states that re-runs of the Uncle Elmer Show play on Nick at Nite. Nick at Nite is a TV-channel-within-a-TV-channel. It shares the airwaves with Nickelodeon a channel that caters primarily to children’s programming. However, in the evening — when most children are asleep — the channel changes to Nick at Nite where it plays re-runs of older TV shows (mostly sitcoms) aimed at an older audience in the need of a nostalgia hit.
The talk show that Simon confessed on is identified as the Tonight Show on NBC. The Tonight Show has been NBC’s flagship late night talk show since 1954.
When talking about actor Arnold Schwartzberger, the interviewer doesn’t recognize the name. Simon says “that’s what we call him in the business, you know who I mean.” This is a nod to the fact that Arnold Schwartzberger is based off real life actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the time this comic was published Schwarzenegger was best known for his role in action films like Conan and the Terminator. As I write this in October 2022, Arnold is now 75 years old and has mostly retired from doing the roles that made him famous in the 1990s.
Simon ends the interview by saying that he recently got passed over for a role he would have been perfect in, stating that he lost it to Michael Keaton. At the time this comic was published, Michael Keaton was best known for landing the role in the 1989 Batman film direct by Tim Burton.