Issue(s): Avengers #160
Cover Date: Jun 77
Title: "...The trial!"
Credits:
Jim Shooter - Writer
George Perez - Penciler
Pablo Marcos - Inker

Review/plot:
The Grim Reaper attacks, demanding to know if Wonder Man really is his brother.

He defeats all of the Avengers fairly easily. The Beast is especially shown to be out of his league. I thought the reference to him being the strong-man of the X-Men was especially telling; he really doesn't have the power set to be in the Avengers.

The Grim Reaper imprisons the Avengers and holds "court", putting the Vision and Wonder Man on trial, in order to determine which is his real brother.

In the course of the "trial", Wonder Man reveals that he is also not entirely human any more.

The Vision realizes that he actually has a lot in common with Wonder Man, and they are able to rally and defeat the Reaper.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - developments for Wonder Man and the Vision.

Chronological Placement Considerations: As Pym and Janet leave the group after their fight with Graviton last issue, Hank says that he wants to go to the lab to enhance his powers again. That's a good segue into Marvel Team-Up #59 where Pym has boosted his powers. Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man also leave the group at the beginning of this issue, so they shouldn't have any appearances in between this issue and last. Iron Man also brings the Whizzer with him, even though the Whizzer didn't appear last issue.

References:

• The Grim Reaper offered the Vision his brother's body if he agreed to join him in Avengers #107-108.
  
• Vision and the Scarlet Witch married in Giant-Size Avengers #4.
  
• Wonder Man was created and died in Avengers #9.
  
• The Black Talon resurrected Wonder Man as a "zubembie" in Avengers #152.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Avengers Greatest Battles TPB

I really liked this issue, nice development from Wonder Man and Vision.

This is also the story that establishes the Reaper is a bigot, which comes back in the early issues of West Coast Avengers.

And is ignored in the majority of his other appearances too.

The Avengers really was a different book with Perez. The fill ins especially hurt on this run.

With a power drenched character like Eric Williams, it seems it is our Marvel birthright to see him lead an updated offering of the Lethal Legion. I can hear the melodic guitars of "Don't fear the Reaper" as I tap the keys.

That being said, the Beast REALLY should be able to beat the Grim freaking Reaper.

Should Ultron be listed as "behind the scenes"? As it is later confirmed that the Reaper's "Coma-Ray" here is a version of the "Encephalo-Beam" that Ultron uses next issue and that Ultron supplied him with it.

Also, there's the minor historical significance of the Reaper destroying Wonder Man's original (Kirby-designed) costume, leading to Wondy's new (but very briefly-lived) threads next issue.

A small typo where you refer to the Beast calling himself the strongman of the Avengers, when it's the X-Men he's comparing himself to, as seen in the scan. (I know, I should register for the forum and use the thread for that sort of thing there, but while I'm here…)

Fixed the typo.

Regarding Ultron, i'd only tag a character for being behind-the-scenes if their actions have to have occurred during the issue. In this case i think Ultron could have given Grim Reaper the tech at any point prior to these issues so i wouldn't count it. (I haven't re-read these issues so if i'm missing something let me know.)