Issue(s): Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1, Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2, Vision and the Scarlet Witch #3, Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4
Cover Date: Nov 82 - Feb 83
Title: "Trick or treat!" / "Faith of our fathers" / "Blood brothers!" / "Please allow me to introduce myself...!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Rick Leonardi - Penciler
Ian Akin & Brian Garvey - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Editor

Review/plot:
This mini series stars the Vision and the Scarlet Witch after they've moved to the suburbs of Leonia, New Jersey.

While there was a lot of potential for stories about a mutant and android couple trying to fit in amongst suburban Americans, Mantlo goes the generic route and has the pair facing off against a barrage of unrelated super villains.

These issues also kind of serve as a history lesson, with lots of flashback references and footnotes.

Issue #1 takes place on Halloween and has the Scarlet Witch fighting the demon Samhain.

At the end of issue #1, Bob Frank, aka the Whizzer shows up. The Whizzer was previously thought to be Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch's father, but that turned out to not be the case. In issue #2, he's now hoping that the Inhumans will let him and his son, Nuklo, move to Attilan on the moon.

ISBISA, the silly Golden Age villain from the Whizzer's All-Winner's Squad days, shows up and steals Nuklo's powers.

In the resultant fight, the Whizzer learns that he's not really Wanda & Pietro's father, he dies, and Nuklo is de-powered.

Next issue, the couple receives a visit from the Vision's side of the family, with Wonder Man showing up to donate energy to help the Vision after injuries sustained in the battle against ISBISA...

...and then the Grim Reaper showing up to do the whole "You're not my brother" thing again.

Finally in issue #4, the Vision and the Scarlet Witch go to the moon to visit the Inhumans (note Michael's comment re:Black Bolt)...

...and see the Scarlet Witch's niece, Luna.

After visiting Bova the cow-nurse and injuring her...

...Magneto shows up at the end...

...to reveal that he is Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch's true father, and Luna is his grand daughter.

I guess some decent housekeeping comes out of this (getting rid of the Whizzer/Nuklo baggage, confirming the Magneto relationship) but it's just a poorly written series. Rick Leonardi's art shows potential...

...but it's not enough to save this book.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - some clean-up for Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch including the death of the Whizzer and confirmation that Magneto is their father

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Avengers #226-227.

References:

• The Scarlet Witch received a Druidic Tome from Captain America after the events of Captain America #256.
  
• Quicksilver moved to the moon with the Inhumans in Fantastic Four #240.
  
• Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver learned that the Whizzer was not their father in Avengers #185-187.
  
• The Whizzer's true son, Nuklo, was shown to be a monster in Giant-Size Avengers #1.
  
• ISBISA previously appeared in All-Winner's Comics #19.
  
• Wonder Man originally died in Avengers #9
  
• The Grim Reaper last went through the "Who's my brother?" routine in Avengers #160.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title to #4 is the first line in the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil".

Mantlo would later reveal that Black Bolt wasn't really Black Bolt in issue 4 of this series. In Avengers Annual 12, Mantlo reveals that Black Bolt and Maximus switched minds in FF 248, so it's really Maximus in Black Bolt's body appearing in issue 4. Looking at issue 4, though, it's clear that Mantlo didn't plan that in advance.

This book had a very long birth. First, the Vision was announced to have some issues of Marvel Spotlight in mid-1980 by Roger McKenzie & Mike Nasser. A year later, plans had switched to a solo Vision mini-series by Mantlo & Bill Sienkiewicz.

When #2 was announced, the villain was misidentified as Future man.

Why is the Whizzer being Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's father "baggage" yet replacing him with Magneto is OK?

Because the Whizzer (aside from his unfortunate name and origin) has no connection to Wanda and Pietro. Magneto, on the other hand, has a connection to Wanda and Pietro, and Pietro shares many of Magneto's character flaws (arrogance, bigotry towards normal humans).

Since Quicksilver has speed powers and so did the Whizzer, that was the original connection. It didn't hurt that his wife was Miss America (a hero who wore similar colours to Wanda) either. The big reveal that they were Wanda & Pietro's parents was in Giant Size Avengers #1. And ended up getting ret-conned later into the mysterious woman Magda & Magneto, with the bizarre red herring Maximoff story arc.

Let me rephrase- neither Wanda nor Pietro ever met the Whizzer or Miss America before, so the revelation that they were their parents lacked the potential for future stories. OTOH, Wanda and Pietro had a past with Magneto, and Pietro and Magneto are Not So Different.

Do you think the Whizzer's death should be mentioned in the Historical Significance section?

Sure, thanks Thanos.

As of Axis, Magneto is no longer the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. The second volume of Uncanny Avengers revealed that they are the natural children of the Maximoffs.

What a dumb idea.

It sounds like a "dumb idea," but it's really a case of the Marvel movies impacting the comics (just like introducing "Nick Fury Jr" so they can have a Nick Fury in the comics who looks like the one in the movies.

Marvel Studios doesn't own the rights to the X-Men (which includes Magneto). By some quirk, both studios have rights to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch - but Marvel Studios can't refer to them as "mutants."

So Marvel Studios had to come up with a different backstory for them that doesn't include Magneto. And the comics decided to follow suit, supposedly not to "confuse" anyone. This DOES give the Marvel movies more leeway to tell stories without tapdancing, but it's arguable that the comics don't need to follow in lockstep as they've been doing.

So yeah...dumb idea.

???
What, so does that mean that Magda isn't the twins' mother either? (Even though as this series states, Wanda looks just like her?)

Are the twins now "Inhumans" (which would render even MORE of Quiksilver's character arcs inert)?

Ignoring pointlessly synergistic retcons for the moment, did this story take place after Uncanny #150 where Magneto supposedly "turned over a new leaf?" This storylone wpuld tie into the long-running subplot around the time about him trying to "make amends" for his past.

No, the twins aren't Inhumans. And no, Magda isn't the twins' mother either. But they're not mutants either, rendering a lot of their character arcs "inert" as you put it.
As for what they are, first Remender revealed that they were the Maximoffs' natural children experimented on by the High Evolutionary. Then James Robinson confused things further by revealing that Wanda's mother was a witch named Natalya Maximoff (Wanda's adopted mother had previously been called Marya) and that Wanda's powers were inherited from her. (Don't ask me about Pietro's.)
But yeah, this story does take place after Uncanny 150- it came out about a year and a half later.

I love the art on these issues, reminds me a bit of the artist (dunno the name) that did a few issues for Cable and X-Man, around the Twelve saga

Mike S. Miller.

I've searched a bit, and I think I'm referring to Bernard Chang

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Cable_Vol_1_76

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/X-Man_Vol_1_60

Shouldn't it be made explicit in the Historical Significance Rating blurb that Magneto is Wanda and Pietro's father? No matter what the Axis retcon says, this is still kind of a timeless revelation. But more importantly, it allows for many stories based on that dynamic. Linking important characters together sounds pretty noteworthy anyway.

Updated the blurb again.