Synopsis
Hawkeye calls a team meeting to tell Wonder Man off for ruining the team's image by confessing to embezzlement on TV last issue. Tigra bites back that Hawkeye himself was originally a crook. As his original foe Iron Man protests that he was just misled by Black Widow, who was then a Russian spy. Mockingbird sides with Clint Barton, but she later says it was only because he's her husband.
Firebird, Henry Pym and Thing are excluded from the meeting but can hear every shouted word. Bonita Juarez has recovered from her fight with Master Pandemonium last issue and is just waiting to thank the team for their hospitality before leaving. Hank comments on her being the 1st Hispanic superhero, and she says she takes being a role model seriously.
The press besiege the West Coast Avengers Compound until the team come out to give a statement. Hawkeye says they stand behind Simon Williams' courageous confession, and hope that the people will take into account his later good deeds and forgive his 'youthful mistake'. WM says he's willing to take whatever punishment he's given.
Tigra follows him down to the beach where he tells her Hawkeye was right to criticise him for not consulting the team before his action. But the cat-woman is more interested in having the romantic encounter they missed out on last night.
In private Bobbi Barton tells Clint he was wrong. This triggers off a marital spat where Mocky thinks it was a mistake to become her husband's teammate, and Hawkeye agrees with her.
Firebird and Thing say they're leaving. She's going to hunt for Master Pandemonium. Thing is going back to his wrestling gig. He gives her a lift in his (repaired since last issue) 3-seater motorbike. On the way Ben Grimm explains that if he was to join any team it would be the WCA, but don't tell 'Cockeye' that. And Juanita wishes they'd ask her.
Bobbi is on the beach fuming when Tigra rushes up agitated. She says the cat side of her personality just made her sexually attack Simon. She reminds Mockingbird that she promised to help solve the problem. Bobbi says she'll go search the Avengers' database now.
Tony Stark finally gets round to apologising to Hank Pym about dating Jan Van Dyne soon after their divorce and while Henry was in prison. This has been eating at him since Av#224. But Pym just brushes it off.
But then Henry gets another threatening phone call from Ultron Mark 12 which he takes in private. And tells his 'son' where to get off.
And then Tigra rushes in and is all over him. She made up to him in #1 but since then he's backed off because she seemed interested in Simon. But she says Simon's all brawn and she prefers brains. They make out on a couch while oblivious and happy Wonder Man walks past the window.
Hawkeye consults with Iron Man, the only person who seems to think he was right about Simon. It's a basic Avengers rule that the members are all entitled to their private lives, but they should consider the group as well. Stark checks up on news reports, which indicate that public opinion is swinging in Simon's favour.
Bobbi joins them with news for Tigra who she can't find in her bungalow. She and 'Hawkypoo' kiss and make up. Tigra arrives holding hands with Hank, but lets go when Simon appears too.
Mocky summarises her research (for us really). Tigra wants to get rid of the cat side of her personality. Greer Grant Nelson was turned into Tigra (Giant-Size Creatures #1) by the Cat People to save her life after a battle with Hydra which later involved a werewolf. Hydra are difficult to find but the ex-Spider-Woman Jessica Drew met a werewolf named Jack Russell (in SW#6), and his address in Los Angeles is on file. Maybe he'll have some useful info. (Iron Man correctly wonders if it's the same werewolf he fought (in Werewolf By Night #42-43).)
Tigra licks her fur and strangely says she's not that interested really. She whispers to Bobbi not to tell anyone about her and Simon. The team head off leaving Henry in charge of the base.
Thing drops Firebird off at a mystic bookshop lit by candles. As she enters Juanita draws all the flames to her, and the proprietor finds he can't relight them. Then she manifests her bird energy form and asks the frightened man what he knows about Master Pandemonium. He denies all knowledge but says if she wants to know about demons she should consult the Darkhold. He doesn't have a copy of such a rare book but he's heard that Jack Russell does. (An editorial comment says that Dr Strange now has it since DS#62.)
When the WCA knock on Russell's apartment door it's answered by Michael Morbius. Hawkeye reacts by nocking a silver arrow. But Morbius says he's been cured, and anyway he was never a supernatural vampire so silver wouldn't have worked on him - he had a disease which made him act like a vampire.
Now Jack Russell is consulting him about his werewolf problem, but he hasn't been able to find a scientific cure. Most nights Jack can transform to a wolf at will and remain in control. But on the nights around the full moon, like tonight, he loses control. So he is currently shut behind the heavy door which Tigra is sniffing at ...
... and which is suddenly shattered as the wolf bursts through and grabs her, carrying her though a window. Morbius is confused because the wolf allegedly liked Tigra when he met her (in GSCr#1). He says the wolf is worse than he's ever seen, and more vicious than the recent fight with Moon Knight he's heard about (MK#29-30).
Iron Man and Wonder Man carry the other 3 down to the pavement where Tigra is doing quite well against her foe (who is more amorous than angry). IM gets some repulsor blasts in, but then the werewolf gets his claws through his eye and mouth slits. The slits auto-close on the fingers which makes the wolf howl with pain ...
... and leap away spoiling Hawkeye's aim with his only silver arrow. The werewolf still reacts by leaping at the archer so Mockingbird interposes herself and gets in some telling blows with her battlestaves. And Wondie knocks him down.
Iron Man is out of the fight as he flies away to check on the damage to his face where the crowd can't see when he takes his helmet off. Hawkeye fires a fire arrow and the beast runs off aflame. WM tackles him and hits him again. And sympathetic Tigra urges him to run away - saying she doesn't love him.
But then Firebird appears in the sky and rings the wolf with fire. Simon Williams hits the wolf down for the count. And the crowd cheer him. But Tigra's not so happy. And IM returns to say he'll needs some stitches but he should be OK.
When Juanita and the WCA compare notes they discover that they were after the same person, and FB is amazed to find that he's a werewolf. But when Morbius hears that the Avengers are after info on the Cat People he reveals that he's met them before. And he says that Jack Russell doesn't remember anything of his encounter with them because he was in full wolf mode at the time. So next issue they'll be using Morbius' help to contact the Cats.
Meanwhile Henry Pym gets another phone call from Ultron-12 who says he's realised that his anger against his maker was immature, and now he wants to have a real father-son relationship.