Hercules has talked the Avengers into letting him and
Eric Masterson have a Quinjet, with She-Hulk to go along as a companion. Herc
declines to explain to her what is going on or to tell her who Eric is. As Herc
flies recklessly through the skies, Eric recaps the previous issue for us….
In Latveria, Doctor Doom is aware that a craft has entered
his airspace and who it is—but this Doom isn’t the familiar one, it’s Doom’s protégé
Kristoff Vernard, who thinks he is the real Doom and has usurped the throne, driving
the real dictator to New York. Now the real Doom is back, landing in a nearby
clearing and setting up a Time Displacer, powered by Thor’s stolen hammer, to
reclaim his throne. The machine freezes time in the small country, the
inhabitants completely immobilized. He heads to the palace….
Herc, Eric, and She-Hulk land nearby and are beset by guard
bots. Herc is filled with an unexpected fear as in New York but he and Jen
engage the guards. Eric spies Mjolnir in the Time Displacer and tries to reach
it but he is blasted….
Doom enters the castle and finds Kristoff has anticipated his
attack and has protected himself against the Time Displacer. The two battle and
the real Doom comes out on top—but Kristoff reminds him that the real Doom
would never admit failure though that is exactly what the experiment with
Kristoff equals….
Outside, Eric uses a tree branch to vault over the time-bot
and seize Mjolnir, turning into Thor and destroying the robot and the Time Displacer…
…which means the castle guards are all awake and active
again so Doom chooses to leave his enemy to brood on his defeat and escapes out
of the window. Kristoff plans to execute the guards who saw him humbled while wondering
why the “impostor” spared him….
Seeing Doom flee, Thor decides the war is over and they should
return to New York. She-Hulk deduces she has seen Thor in his secret identity
but she never got a good look at his face….
Brooding at the Embassy, Doctor Doom is approached by a
mystery figure (spoiler: it’s Loki) interesting him in an act of vengeance….
“Volstagg the Lion of Asgard”
Writer: Tom DeFalco. Pencils: Herb Trimpe. Inks: Herb Trimpe.
Colors: Nel Yomtov. Letters: Richard Starkings.
Synopsis: In Asgard, Volstagg has too much to drink and says
farewell to his friends (Thor, Fandral, Hogun) to wend his way home. On the way,
he is accosted by a gang of brigands who demand his money and his boots. With a
combination of strength, cleverness, and drunken dumb luck he defeats the bandits
and goes home to his wife who doesn’t believe his tale of adventure. The
narration to the story is in rhyme.