The Mandarin watches via an elaborate viewing device as the Inhumans
(Black Bolt, Medusa, Triton, Karnak, Gorgon) come upon the villain’s digging
party in the mountains near the Great Refuge. The heroes unleash their odd
powers and scare off the Mandarin’s men; examining the area reveals their purpose
in digging, an underground structure of some kind. Mandarin arrives and has his
men hurl a gas grenade; Medusa snatches it out of the air with her hair so that
she is the only one affected. The villain orders his men to shoot the Inhumans
but the heroes fight back—and Mandarin takes them down one by one with the
powers of his mystical rings. He hurls Gorgon through the air, stuns Karnak,
freezes Triton, but when he faces Black Bolt, the Inhumans leader uses his
mental abilities to turn the ground under the Mandarin to quicksand which
quickly swallows him up. (But we learn that the Mandarin was merely a robot
double and Mandy’s scheme was to trick the Inhumans into opening the temple for
him.) Recovering from their injuries, the Inhumans open the underground vault
and discover an ancient temple. They find the idol of Yin and as they watch, its
closed eye opens….
“The Widow and the Militants!” 4/5
Writer: Gary Friedrich. Pencils: Gene Colan. Inks: Bill
Everett. Colors: ? Letters: Artie Simek.
Synopsis: The Daily Bugle runs a lead article about
how the Black Widow is allied with the militant Young Warriors. J. Jonah Jameson
crows about his scoop, the first to condemn the new superhero. Peter Parker
stops by to sell some Spider-Man photos but JJJ tosses him out as he is only
interested in pix of the Black Widow now….
At the offices of the rival New York Press, Natasha
expresses her concerns about the Bugle article, making it look like she hates
America. Columnist Paul Hamilton assures her that he will remind the public of
her heroic exploits with the Avengers and SHIELD to prove her patriotism. She
has her chauffeur Ivan Petrovich take her home; she changes into her jump-suit
on the way. Entering her building she is grabbed from behind and chloroformed….
At the “new” offices of the Young Warriors, the group
affirms their right to do what is good for their people and so they will refuse
to obey the order to vacate and fight for their Constitutional rights….
Nat wakes up in her bed and sees a masked crime boss who
calls himself “The Don,” accompanied by some hoods. He explains his plan to
keep her tied up until the police have arrested all of the Young Warriors and
the Don can spread the word that they were inspired by the Communist insurgent Black
Widow. She puts up a fight for four pages against the baddies but is ultimately
thumped on the head. She is tied up and a couple of hoods are left to watch her….
The Mayor of New York goes on TV to address the issue,
inviting the Young Warriors to a peaceful discussion of the issues. If they
refuse, however, the mayor will have them evicted by the police. Paul Hamilton
trusts Natasha to talk sense into the youth. Carlos and the Warriors are
committed to resistance, trusting Black Widow to support them. And the Black
Widow….