Hawkeye
is summoned to the hospital at the request of filmmaker Aaron “Dollar Bill”
English, who was hoping for Daredevil. Bill shows him a videotape of his cable
TV show featuring the demented menace Madcap; while Madcap was going into his
act, creating chaos and preaching that life is meaningless, he was kidnapped by
the hoods known as the Power Tools who beat up Bill and got away. Bill wants
Hawkeye to rescue Madcap because they have a syndication deal in the works….
Hawkeye
traces the license plate on the baddies’ truck (clearly visible in the
videotape) to a punk bar called Scuzz. He is dropped though the floor into the
basement where he finds the Power Tools guarding the captive Madcap. The two
heroes beat up the bad guys and Hawkeye reveals the villain behind the scheme:
Dr. Karl Malus, who really wanted Daredevil so he could learn his secrets along
with finding the source of Madcap’s invulnerability. Malus sets the
self-destruct timer and flees, along with the other bad guys. Hawkeye flees but
Madcap is still in the building when the bomb detonates. Hawkeye is sad—until
Madcap comes rushing out, unharmed and looking for Dr. Malus, whose torture
device he wants more of….
“Tales
from the Vault (Conclusion)” 4/5
Writer:
Dwayne McDuffie. Pencils: Dwayne Turner. Inks: Chris Ivy. Colors: Mike
Rockwitz. Letters: Rick Parker.
Synopsis:
Iron Man is at the Vault, training the Guardsmen in the use of their new
Stark-designed armor, replacing the failed Stane version. The Avengers and
other heroes are returning captive bad guys from the mass escape some time
earlier. When the prisoners are locked up again and the heroes have left, the
Wizard is brought in; Iron Man falls prey to a trap, as the Wizard is there to
help Klaw escape. Klaw creates a pair of giant rhinoceroses out of sound waves
to clobber the hero. Shellhead takes a few minutes to broadcast the right
frequency to dispel the Rhinos—and then Klaw. Guardsman Prime asks to take on
the Wizard and, using all of the defensive weapons built into the new armor as
well as his fists, he beats down the baddie and unmasks to reveal himself to be
Frank Ensign, whom Wizard nearly killed during the breakout in issue #26. And
now the Vault is secure again….