Issue(s): Avengers #114
Cover Date: Aug 73
Title: "Night of the Swordsman"
Credits:
Steve Englehart - Writer
Bob Brown - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
The Scarlet Witch is still mad at the world over the reaction to her and the Vision's love, and she winds up getting into a fight with a construction worker.

A strange barefoot lady with (fake?) antennae shows up and helps her out using martial arts.

She's called Mantis, and the Scarlet Witch takes her back to Avengers Mansion. Somehow, letting her into the Mansion (over Captain America's prissy objections)...

...causes the Swordsman to show up as well.

We've seen the pair in the past two issues, always in shadows, talking about their plans, and in this issue Swordsman announces that he'd like to rejoin the Avengers. Mantis isn't interested in formally joining the team, but she asks and receives permission to hang around anyway.

Over Cap's objections, everyone agrees to let the Swordsman back on the team. Poor Cap, who was nearly killed by this guy a bunch of times. This is in the days before Henry Gyrich and the security clearance, of course, when anyone could join the Avengers.

We're shown two quick panels of some Avengers missions, with Thor and the Swordsman hanging out and fighting monsters and robots.

But then things get more suspicious, and Mantis summons the ridiculous Lion God that recently went after the Black Panther.

The Swordsman and Mantis start off on the Lion God's side (with Mantis even disabling Thor with her martial arts). Then they switch sides again, and the Swordsman generates some hypnotic lights while Mantis dances seductively, mesmerizing the Lion God so Iron Man can trap him in a cylinder of impenetrable adamantium that he just happened to have laying around.

The Swordsman and the Mantis claim they were on the Avengers side the whole time, but they sensed the Lion God and needed to go forward with the ruse for a while to trick him.

The whole thing is incredibly tenuous. And the dialogue is just awful, with everyone just shouting everything that's on their mind. The art is equally unsubtle.

Mantis is not yet talking in her "this one" dialect yet (e.g., "This one humbly wishes that she could help."). She uses the proper pronoun "I" throughout this issue.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first full Mantis. Swordsman rejoins the Avengers

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Avengers catch a news bulletin of Hawkeye and the Hulk fighting Zzzax, so this takes place concurrently or soon after Hulk #166.

References:

• The Scarlet Witch compares her relationship with her brother's, and surmises that Quicksilver was attracted to Crystal in part because she is unable to leave the Great Refuge to live with humans due to her inability to handle human pollution. Quicksilver and Crystal's relationship was shown in Avengers #110 and Fantastic Four #131.
  
• The Swordsman has "popped up time and again" ever since Avengers #19. He was briefly a member of the Avengers in Avengers #20, but it was part of a ruse.
  
• The Swordsman returned to the Avengers for a short time in Avengers #100 when all ex members were called upon, but he says they gave him the cold shoulder.
  
• The Swordsman and Mantis have been "lurking through the past two issues" starting in Avengers #112. That's also when the Lion God first appeared.
  
• One of the times the Swordsman returned was in Avengers #29, right after Henry Pym became Goliath.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Mantis' antennae never got used for anything, so I think they're just weird hair.

What, you don't have cylinders of impenetrable adamantium just conveniently laying around? Weirdo.

I hate it that Hawkeye has left the team, and that the Swordsman has taken his place. I wish Black Widow had stayed, but instead we have Mantis thrust upon us.

Don't know if I'm the only one here, but I've always loved Mantis. I kind of like "weird" characters... and sexy Asian women ! :)

According to Steve Englehart, the costume & visual look for Mantis that are first seen in this issue were designed by John Romita.

Maybe Mantis is sporting a double ahoge?

I like the movie version of Mantis more than this one.