Prince
Namor, the Sub-Mariner, strides down Park Avenue in New York, causing great
consternation among the police, the media, and the citizenry. No one knows his
intentions. Hulk spies him from the top of a nearby building and leaps down to offer
his help to his old pal. Namor, in no mood for nonsense of the Hulk variety,
swats him away and thus enraging Hulk who starts throwing punches while all
witnesses flee….
In
Russia, Dr. Tania Belinsky is taken to the bizarrely futuristic lair of
Codename: Sergei, the real power behind the Soviet leaders. She is told to don
a Red Guardian costume and await her host. Instead, she tries to escape,
fighting her way out through massed hooded minions but she is eventually
overpowered and a control cowl placed on her head, sapping her will; she is
then led into the presence of…The Presence. Sergei Krylov explains to the
spaced-out heroine how he intends to make her his bride and then to undergo
nuclear transmogrification with her so they can be reborn into a higher form,
with the chief side effect of the operation being to nuke half of Europe….
As
Hulk and Subby hammer away at each other, laying waste to some real estate,
Patsy Walker is visiting Kyle Richmond at his office when they hear the report
of the super-battle on the radio. Changing into Hellcat and Nighthawk they race
to the scene. More havoc is wrought and Namor shows he can discharge
electricity like the eel (last done in FF #6) on his huge foe. The FF and
Avengers are out of town and Peter Parker is stuck in a crowd. Then ‘Hawk and
‘Cat arrive….
At
the movie theater with Dollar Bill and Ledge, Valkyrie is watching THE MAN WHO
FELL TO EARTH (pic of David Bowie onscreen!) when another patron’s pipe smoke
annoys her. She asks him to put it out and he refuses so she smashes the pipe
and Ledge tells her that guy is the drama professor at ESU. Later, the three
are noshing at a donut shop when Professor Turk enters. He is impressed by her
attitude and apologizes. They get to talking about the campus crazy man
Lunatik, a topic of much interest….
Hellcat
and Nighthawk intervene in the fight between Namor and Hulk and once they can
convince Namor they are fellow Defenders and there to help, Namor explains the
situation. He had hoped to reach Reed Richards but the Defenders may do.
Radioactive leakage from Soviet underground nuclear tests has contaminated a
portion of Atlantis, rendering it too dangerous to visit. Kyle suggests that
Hulk could enter the contaminated zone safely and the big green guy agrees to
do so; they depart….