Issue(s): Team America #3
Cover Date: Aug 82
Title: "Dial M for Mayhem!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Luke McDonnell - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker
Linda Grant - Assistant Editor
Tom DeFalco - Editor

Review/plot:
I opened this book up, found this....

...and had to close it and walk away for a while.

Ok, ok. Get it together, fnord. You've made it through Silver Age Ant-Mans. You calmly covered Ten-For, the Mean Machine. Mr. Fish, the Hypno-Hustler, Turner D. Century... these guys didn't even phase you. So you can handle this.

The *ahem* Mayhem Organization has been hired, presumably by Hydra, to capture or kill the Marauder. And their leader, Mister Mayhem, has boldly concluded that the Marauder is one, all, or none of the members of Team America.

That is or isn't, or perhaps partially is, the most definitive statement i've ever heard.

Ok, so Mister Magic powers Mister Mind's Erg-Cannon to trap Team America in the Nullagon. Mister Muscle contributes by carrying it.

After Mister Mind suggests that, in some unfathomable way, the Marauder is Team America (fathom it, baby! If you can use an Erg-Cannon to zap people into a Nullagon, you ought to be able to fathom quite a bit.), the Marauder shows up.

They lead him to Mayhem Central.

And say what you will about the Mayhem Organization, but Mayhem Central is a sweet set-up.

It almost makes you wonder what they were doing before this issue, and why now they have to start taking jobs from the remedial Hydra group that wants the Marauder.

Anyway, the Marauder makes his way through Mayhem Central's hazards, displaying attributes of all the members of Team America ("Marauder avoids them as daringly, as dramatically as Reddy would!", "seems to anticipate and evade each menace with the instincts of a secret agent born", "peppers his dialogue with the words 'amigos', 'gringo', and 'caramba' with such repetitiveness that even Wolf would be taken aback")(i might have made that last one up).

After fighting through Mister Mind's death traps, he faces Mister Magic, who clearly is a big Gil Kane fan.

And then Mister Muscle. That part's actually kind of boring.

When it's down to just Mister Mayhem, the Marauder frees Team America and disappears.

And when it's all over, the possibility is still left open that the Marauder is still one of them. Or all. Or none.

Well, i asked for crazy super-villains, and i got them. So i can't complain. Honestly, give me this madness over boring driving around dealing with a human Hydra contractor any day. And Luke McDonnell is a step up on art.

By the cover dress, this is technically the first part of a series of solo adventures of Team America. But this is an anomaly because the focus is on the Marauder. And that really requires that the rest of the Team be around. Here they are, and they've clearly been practicing their elevator speeches describing their motivations.

So it reads like a regular issue. We'll introduce the solo character period properly with issue #4.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed back in publication time to account for a sober Iron Man's appearance in Team America #9.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A