Story #2Media Watch
Writer:
Rob Tokar. Penciler:
Richard Howell. Inker:
David DaySynopsis
A late-night news program interviews three guests about the
Terminus battle in
San Francisco earlier that day. They are scientist
Peter Corbeau, minor government official
William Contana, and crackpot
Dirk Keefmeyer, who runs a hotel for aliens. Corbeau theorizes wildly in the absence of any real evidence, the politician Contana tries to say nothing and succeeds, and the UFO nut Keefmeyer tries to find a conspiracy in the statements of the other two. Nothing is illuminated.
Story #3Tanks for Nothing
Writer:
Gary Barnum. Penciler:
Jim Sanders III, Brad Vancata.
Synopsis
The killer whale show at
Marine World is invaded by the
Atlantean group
SURF (
Sharkskin,
Eel,
Undertow), there to liberate the oppressed sea creatures. In the crowd is
Bonita (Firebird) Juarez who slips out and contacts her fellow
Avengers;
Hawkeye,
Wasp, and
Hank Pym soon arrive at the stadium. While the three costumed heroes engage the villains, Hank miniaturizes the whales and pops them into a plastic beaker for safety. When the Atlanteans realize that the humans are as concerned for the safety of the whales as they are, the fight stops. When their mutual concerns are sorted out, the SURFers, with some disapproval of marine shows, agree to allow the humans to protect the captive whales while they will watch out for the welfare of those in the wild.
Story #4Don't You Daaare Miss It!
Writer:
Dwayne McDuffie. Penciler/Inker:
Grant MiehmSynopsis
Iron Man,
Hawkeye, and
Vision are hanging around the compound watching
USAgent try to break his own weight-lifting record.
Wonder Man arrives to ask a favor: he was scheduled to make a personal appearance today but he’s been called back to a movie set for retakes and he asks the guys if they could fill in for them. Iron Man is reluctant but Hawkeye talks him into it in the name of team spirit. Turns out the appearance is at a monster truck rally, and the four mortified heroes gamely put on a show for the customers. At the rally however, is the villainous
Dr Goodwrench whose mutant ability is to converse with machines. He steps forward and announces he is the world’s first mechanical rights activist and the machines are about to get even for their mistreatment by man. He turns various vehicles against the crowd with the Avengers racing to wreck the marauding machinery. The villain seizes control of Iron Man’s armor and uses him to fight his teammates. Vision informs Dr Goodwrench that machines are incapable of communication—and the villain realizes he is deluded and breaks down in tears. They promise to get him the psychiatric help he needs—after they protect him from a seriously annoyed Iron Man.
Story #5Honey, I Shrunk the Hyperatomic Anti-Proton Cannon
Writer:
Carrie Barre. Penciler:
James Fry. Inker:
Chris IvySynopsis
Avengers Compound is in an uproar:
Hank Pym has miniaturized his
Hyperatomic Anti-Proton Cannon and now he has lost it and is searching frantically for it lest the sensitive device detonate and cause a disaster. Hank won’t let
Wonder Man move so that his density doesn’t trigger the device, so Simon is standing still in the center of the room munching chips out of a large bowl. Hank orders the
Scarlet Witch out of the room to prevent her hex power from detonating the weapon. He enlists
Hawkeye,
Wasp, and
USAgent in the search but all it turns up is his
Non-Euclidean Geometric Protractor, similarly miniaturized and lost. As they bicker over their next step, Simon dumps the crumbs from the bowl into his mouth—along with the Anti-Proton Cannon. It discharges in his stomach, ending the search but leaving him with a monstrous case of indigestion.