Issue(s): Avengers #28, Avengers #29
Published Date: May-Jun 66
Title: "Among us walks... a Goliath!" / "This power unleashed!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Frank Giacoia - Inker

Review/plot:
We saw at the end of Avengers #27 that the Avengers had a message on their machine. It turns out that the Wasp has been captured. Henry Pym reveals his secret identity and rejoins the Avengers as Goliath, despite the health risk involved in growing. The Scarlet Witch has been sewing Pym, a man she's never met, a new costume in her spare time.

Hawkeye's upset because he's always planned to take over the Avengers when Cap retired, but now that Pym is back he doesn't think he has a shot.

The Avengers show up and kick the crap out of the Collector (when you're using an 800 year old catapult as your primary means to attack the Avengers, you might as well give up) and the Beetle, who manages to give the Avengers more trouble than he gave Hawkeye all by himself (no more bolo arrows?).

Unfortunately, Hank stays big for too long and winds up passing out.

With Donald Blake unavailable, Cap calls an old army doctor who discovers that Pym is now permanently stuck at ten feet - too big to be normal but too small to be of much use to the Avengers.

Meanwhile, the Black Widow has been released from her brainwashing session in the "far east" (i thought she was Russian? Maybe they mean Siberia?). She's still wearing her Victoria's Secret outfit.

The Widow recruits the Swordsman and Power Man to defeat the Avengers. Hawkeye hears that she was released and heads after her, with the Wasp tailing him. Hawkeye gets ambushed by the Swordsman and Power Man, but luckily the Wasp was there too! Oh wait: in the Wasp's saddest moment in comic history, first she realizes she forgot to "prepare" her wasp's sting, then she almost gets eaten by a sparrow as she hurries back to the Avenger's Mansion, then she rests on a tree branch at full height and it snaps and she falls to the ground and knocks herself unconscious.

Cap gets captured by the Swordsman and Power Man next after a nice fight...

...but he summons the other Avengers and they show up and release the whup-ass on the Black Widow's team. Despite his reduced height, Goliath still seems to be very strong. In fact Cap refers to him as the most powerful Avenger. However, Hawkeye can't pull a shot on the Widow, and they manage to escape. Then, as they are heading home, Goliath says "You go ahead... I'll catch up later! I wouldn't fit... in the car... anyway!". Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Here's some self-effacing humor from Stan:

This wasn't great, but the frantic pace - "we're fighting Attuma! But the Beetle shows up! Now the Collector's got Janet! There's something wrong with Hank! The Black Widow's back, and she's got the Swordsman and Power Man with her!" - makes up for the poor quality to a degree.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 6 - Henry Pym becomes Goliath and gets a new costume. Wasp and Goliath rejoin the Avengers. First appearance of the Collector.

Chronological Placement Considerations: See the Considerations for Monsters on the Prowl #1.

References:

• Donald Blake is unavailable because he's busy helping out Hercules in Thor #129.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Marvel Triple Action #22, Marvel Triple Action #23