Issue(s): Power Man & Iron Fist #102
Cover Date: Feb 84
Title: "The Scarlet ruse"
Credits:
Kurt Busiek - Script
Kurt Busiek & Richard Howell - Plot
Richard Howell - Penciler
Richard Howell - Inker

Review/plot:
The credits for this issue say Kurt Busiek & Richard Howell: writer/co-conspirators/artist. UHBMCC gives Richard Howell co-writing credits for this issue; i'm assuming it plays out as i've written it above.

Power Man & Iron Fist are contracted by a mystery woman called Wonderly...

...to guard a package. After she leaves, Luke's movie buff friend D.W. shows up and informs them that Wonderly was the pseudonym used by a character in The Maltese Falcon.

The party after the package is a wheezy demon who has the power to animate inanimate objects.

After fending them off, the Vision shows up.

It turns out that Wonderly is actually the Scarlet Witch. At first i thought that maybe Wanda was having one of her dissociative episodes, but it turns out that she's just play-acting.

The four heroes wind up in another dimension fighting demons over the mcguffin in the package (called the Idols of Zor).

When they're all done, they all go out for a fancy dinner.

Not a great story from Busiek. I imagine it might be better if you're familiar with The Maltese Falcon, but i am not.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Vision is obviously up and about in these issues. The MCP places this way back in the past, almost a year earlier, before the Vision is injured in Avengers #233 (and the lettercol in issue #107 confirms that was the intent). But it seems a lot easier to place this after Avengers #242, after the Vision is back on his feet. The Scarlet Witch goes to Power Man & Iron Fist for help because the Vision says Dr. Strange is unavailable and "contacting the Avengers would tip our hand", but i also like to think that it's due to the fact that at this point the main Avengers are off at Secret Wars.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Besides Richard Howell's other Marvel work, he was well known for his independent comics(usually for Eclipse) and his faux-romance stories. His art tended to look rather flat and he wasn't too good on women's faces, though.

I love Iron Fist's expression - "Heart Of The Dragon!"

It feels like every PM/IF issue ends with them walking away with girl(s) on their arms.