Issue(s): Avengers West Coast #92
Cover Date: Mar 93
Title: " When Goliaths clash!!!!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas & Dann Thomas - Writer
David Ross - Penciler
Tim Dzon - Inker
John Lewandowski - Assistant Editor
Nel Yomtov - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue is about Erik Josten rehashing his actions from Power Man #21. He finds out that Hawkeye is using the name Goliath again, so now they have to fight.

Josten was actually being held, catatonic, in a cell until some reporters paid a guard to dress him up in his costume for an "interview" and then asked him about Wonder Man.

He then breaks out and heads to the West Coast Avengers' compound. Before he gets there, though, Kuroko, a minion of Dr. Demonicus, shows up to warn the Avengers about Demonicus. But she passes out before giving any information.

Josten arrives later, and quickly forgets his grudge with Wonder Man when he learns that Hawkeye is using the Goliath name.

Only Hawkeye and Mockingbird are on the compound at the time. It's initially mentioned that Hawkeye is at a disadvantage because he can only grow up to 30 feet without complications, while Josten can grow to twice that. But - and i think this is more important - it's later noted that Josten has ionic strength in addition to the Pym particles that give them both their size.

Mockingbird helps out with some science.

The effect of her arrow is only temporary, but Hawkeye is able to deliver a knockout blow.

Lots of little bits take on different meaning in light of the retcon that Mockingbird has been replaced by a Skrull by this point.

Meanwhile USAgent decides that he needs a girlfriend.

And Spider-Woman moves her daughter out of the Avengers compound, and Scarlet Witch thinks to herself that she needs to move on with her life now that she accepts that the Vision she knew isn't coming back.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 147,942. Single issue closest to filing date = 126,800.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This issue opens with the team having just returned from groundskeeper Carlos' funeral, surveying the damage done to their compound in the previous arc. But that arc ended by explicitly telling us that AWC character appearances in Wonder Man and Darkhold took place before this issue (and there's a reference here to the Wonder Man story), so we know that some time has passed (i.e., the funeral doesn't have to take place directly after the previous arc). This issue ends with Kuroko having a bandage on her head. That bandage is gone by the beginning of next issue. So it's possible that a little time passes between this issue and next, but probably not too much time. That requires this story to get pushed forward in publication time, especially due to how next arc interacts with the return of Tony Stark, which is pushed forward due to events in X-Force.

References:

• Wonder Man quit the team in Wonder Man #18.
  
• Josten was catatonic after Marvel Comics Presents #118.
  
• Now that they are reconciled (except she's a Skrull!), Mockingbird says that she should have leveled with Hawkeye after the business with the Phantom Rider in West Coast Avengers #17-24.
  
• The Avengers met Kuroko during the Pacific Overlords story from Avengers West Coast #70-74.
  
• Spider-Woman is taking her daughter Rachel to a place in Newport Beach to be looked after by Consuela after the death of Spider-Woman's ex-husband in Avengers West Coast #86.
  
• We saw that Josten hates Wonder Man in Wonder Man #1.
  
• Josten mentions how Luke Cage stole his Power Man name, which was in Power Man #21.
  
• Erik Josten became Power Man thanks to Baron Zemo's ionic ray machine (although it was the Enchantress who operated it) in Avengers #21.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I found the 'you stole my name' motivation to be ridiculous from the first time I heard about it. I think I even used it in a DC Heroes role-playing session.

I understand Roy Thomas's wanting to show off Mockingbird's scientific skills since her skills,like Baron Zemo's scientific skills, are often forgotten about since they're often of teams with members that are much smarter than they are. But her being able to defeat Goliath that way makes no sense- she and Clint have fought Goliath on what, 4 occasions before this? Why couldn't she do this on any of those occasions? The Skrull retcon actually makes these scenes make more sense, since a Skrull would have access to alien science.