Synopsis
Avengers, The (1963 series) #159 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Last issue new villain Graviton defeated the Avengers. Now he turns to Judy, the woman he wants to impress but who betrayed him to our heroes, only to find her knocked out by Raquel who is vying for his attention now he has power (and she expects eventually riches). But he just turns on Raquel.
Frank Hall declared Research City his kingdom last issue and armed some guys who were willing to support him, imprisoning those who defied him. But it seems that the Avengers dealt with the armed guards before confronting Graviton himself. And freed the prisoners who now attack with their guards' weapons. Including Judy's husband Joe.
Graviton uses a gravity shield to deflect the bullets. He is also suspending the city in the air. Now he threatens to throw his enemies over the edge. Judy has woken up and agrees to be Frank's queen to save Joe. So Hall still throws his attackers and Raquel away, but lets them drift safely to the ground below.
Now Graviton flies the large chunk of land from the Canadian Rockies to New York. A gravity shield protects them from attacking jet fighters. He demands that the UN make him world ruler, or he'll destroy NY for starters. New Yorkers panic. Daredevil is helpless on the ground. We don't hear about the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, but Dr Strange and the Defenders are away.
Jarvis is worried about the missing Avengers when Black Panther and Thor turn up to help. They fly off to the flying city (BP on an Avengers sky-sled).
Graviton has the Avengers pinned by gravity on a slab of rock, and he gloats over them to impress Judy, who is now adorned in jewels and a cape, as befits one who will be queen of the world.
But then the Thunder God breaks through the gravity shield and attacks the villain. But he can't get past Graviton's personal shield, not with hammer or lightning. Graviton throws a building at him which Thor demolishes. But then Graviton causes a blast from Mjolnir to reflect back on Goldilocks, who falls to his own power.
Meanwhile Iron Man uses his boot jets and repulsors to gradually propel himself away from the slab and out of the restraining gravity field. As he falls free he sees Black Panther, who tells him he'll release the others using a field disruptor (designed by Tony Stark).
Iron Man flies to where Graviton is hammering the Prince of Asgard, and assaults his shield. The shield is battered but still holds, and the villain slams the Golden Avenger down again to join his powerful comrade.
Just then Black Panther and the other Avengers attack. But Frank Hall just encloses the whole team in a gravity shield dome.
Now he turns to share his triumph with Judy, but discovers she has gone. He follows a trail of discarded jewelry to the edge of the flying island, and realises she has jumped off!
Distraught with grief he blames the Avengers for distracting him, and determines to kill them all. He summons up all his power to attack them with. But he can't control it, and becomes a major source of gravitational attraction. His levitating lump of land starts to collapse in around him.
The flying Avengers just manage to carry their non-flying teammates to safety as the research city collapses into a large ball hovering over Manhattan. Then Graviton's power fails and the ball plummets to Earth. Only to be caught by the powerhouses of the team:- Iron Man, Thor, Vision and Wonder Man. Who heave it out into the ocean.
The Assemblers return to Avengers Mansion mourning the death of innocent Judy. Only to find her sipping tea with Jarvis. The butler had followed them on a sky sled to see if he could be of any assistance. And had rescued her in midair.
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