Captain America and his companions
Paladin and John Jameson have been shot down over the Atlantic by the
deadly MODAM. Cap rescues the unconscious Jameson while Paladin
shoots at MODAM, damaging her hover-chair so that she must rush off
to affect repairs….
Meanwhile on the cruise ship,
Diamondback, Black Mamba, and Asp are enjoying the ship’s pool.
They meet the lithe Impala who tells them of the forthcoming Pageant
of Power. A fight breaks out between Anaconda and Quicksand. A crowd
of lady baddies gathers round and they are so caught up in the action
that no one notices when Diamond is snatched away….
Cap, Paladin, and Jameson are safely in
a life raft and Cap contacts the Avengers asking for rescue. While
they wait they are attacked by Moonstone (Karla Sofen) and Blackbird;
they fight back but with the raft sinking and the villainess’
special powers they are quickly subdued. Cap is knocked out and
begins to drown….
Diamondback awakens to find she has
been abducted by Snapdragon who is seeking revenge for an insult by
Diamond back when they were in Taskmaster’s school. The two women
fight and Diamond is unable to keep up with her more skilled
opponent. She is soon knocked out and Snapdragon dumps her
overboard….
2. “Slaughterhouse” 3/5
Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Pencils: Larry
Alexander. Inks: Dan Panosian. Colors: Nel Yomtov.
Synopsis: Five graduates of the
Taskmaster’s school are sent to a private gym in the Smith Building
in Washington D.C. and told to don Captain America costumes and await
their employer. When he appears, they learn it is the Red Skull and
none of them shall survive this exercise session. The men fight for
their lives and four of them die quickly; a fifth deliberately holds
back. When the Skull assaults him, the “Cap” seizes the Nazi
villain and, before the Skull’s startled monitors can act,
teleports away with his powerful captive….
Characters: Hauptmann Deutschland, Red
Skull