Synopsis / Summary / Plot
War Of The Realms: Journey Into Mystery #3 Synopsis by
Rob Johnson
The team are still on a road-trip in Wonder Man (Simon Williams)' RV to keep baby Laussa Odinsdottir out of the clutches of the agents of Sindr, daughter of Surtur. To keep the kid amused Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Sebastian Druid create action figures of themselves (from old Wonder Man figures?) and stage a fight. Meanwhile Miles gets Druid to explain his coat which seems to have infinite pockets from which he can produce a wide variety of magic items. He says that after his Secret Warriors gig he'd been given the task of cataloguing all the magic artefacts SHIELD had accumulated, including a Shadow Cloak which could create a portal to other dimensions. When SHIELD fell apart he appropriated the Cloak and hid all the other items within it. He was also able to turn it into a coat.
Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) is still the only 1 who can drive the RV. Death Locket (Becca Ryker) suggests a pit stop because Thori the Asgardian dog looks like he needs a bathroom break. Indignant Thori says he can ask for his own break, but then whispers to Kate that he does need 1. So she pulls over into what turns out to be a disused Western theme town called Six-Gun Territory. Simon and Becca take Laussa for a stroll and to search the town for ghosts. Miles and Thori go for a walk, though there's some confusion over who needs a leash.
Meanwhile at their last stop, the Bide-A-Wee RV campground, Ares is 'interrogating' the Skrulls who live there. He was sent after our heroes by Sindr, and wants to know where they went. The Skrulls claim not to know who he's talking about. (This may be an effect Laussa had on them last issue. Either she inspired great loyalty in them, or she made them forget our pals had been there.) Ares also wants to know why there are only 4 Skrulls here when there should be lots more. The last remaining Skrull wants to know how he knows that. Ares enigmatically replies that "She told me you would say that."
In Six-Gun Territory Wonder Man and Death Locket are arguing about Western movies. Simon only likes modern ones while Becca dotes on old classics. In #1 we saw that Becca lives with a group of SHIELD LMDs. The Dum Dum Dugan LMD has a collection of old Westerns in his data file which kick-started her obsession. (She implies that this LMD is the 1 that used to *be* Dugan when he was alive in the 40's and 50's.) However they don't notice a 'body' in a coffin being taken over by a spirit.
Thori is trying to catch up with the the above 2 and Laussa, with Miles running behind him. Miles asks why Thori refers to Laussa as the 'demon child'. But they are interrupted by a cowboy on a white horse. The man is dressed all in white, including a cape and facemask. (This is actually the spirit that manifested in the 'dead body'.)
Kate Bishop finds the Asgardian Balder practising sword strikes in a barn. We are reminded again that he died and was much later resurrected (Thor (2018) #4). He comments now that his resurrection cost the life of his love (Karnilla). Kate wants to know if he minds her acting as leader of the troop he recruited. Balder says he has been a leader in Asgard and in Hel (when he was dead), and he wasn't any good at it. That settled, Kate asks him to teach her some sword moves. But another ghostly figure is watching *them*.
Sebastian is practising cowboy-speak in front of a saloon bar mirror when 3 more ghosts come out of the glass and ask him where the demon is.
Thori and Miles discover that they can't touch the white ghost but the bullets from his ghost guns seem real enough. Spidey thinks he must be Ghost Rider because he's a ghost on a horse, but Thori thinks that name belongs to somebody else. However Balder proves capable of kicking the foe to effect, and Kate thinks that's because Balder's been dead himself. Then Hawkeye almost gets hit by an arrow. The ghost who was watching her and Balder is a Native American female with a bow.
In the saloon Druid threatens his 3 ghosts with a shotgun he claims belonged to Ulysses Bloodstone, which theoretically can kill supernatural beings. But nothing happens when he pulls the trigger.
Back outside Kate uses her archery knowledge to keep dodging arrows and saves Miles and Thori too. Then then ghost hurls a throwing axe which phases through Spidey's reaching hand but seems to embed itself in Thori's haunch.
Becca and Simon (carrying Laussa) run up, and Becca reveals her knowledge of (Marvel) real Western characters as well as movie ones. She identifies the Indian woman as the Apache Kid and the mounted ghost as Phantom Rider. But suddenly there are more Western ghosts attacking them. The magic bow Druid gave Kate last issue holds off a spectral Samurai sword and Balder can still punch ghosts in the face, but no-one else has any effect on them. But the ghosts keep trying to say something which no-one can understand.
Then gunshots ring out and halt the fray. Druid has arrived with *his* 3 ghosts who Becca recognises as Rawhide Kid, Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones. Sebastian says apparently his abilities include understanding ghost-speak, and all these ghosts are here looking for a powerful demon. Thori says that's what he's been trying to tell them - Laussa is related to Sindr as well as being Asgardian. And we now see the baby with horns and a tail and fiery eyes.