Avengers Annual, The (1967 series) #19

Story continued from AVENGERS WEST COAST ANNUAL #5.

The gigantic Stage 5 Terminus is heading to the center of the North American continent, the better to drain all its energy at once. The Avengers West Coast are pursuing it from San Francisco while the Avengers (main team) are heading west from New York to intercept it. Reaching it first in St Louis, though, are the Great Lakes Avengers; they do their best but only serve to stall the creature until the other two teams arrive. The assembled Avengers give battle but none of the heroes seems able to put a dent in its armor, while the less-powered among them are hard put to rescue the citizens of the city from collateral damage. In space, the stranded Thor makes his way to a tiny planetoid and begins a prayer/chant to summon Mjolnir (locked inside Terminus’ body and powering it) to him. The monster is slowly drawn into space, several Avengers being carried with it in an air pocket, until it reaches the God of Thunder. While Thor distracts the giant, Quasar seizes its lance and quantum-jumps it out of the universe. This causes Terminus to shrink and implode, creating a black hole. Then out of the black hole comes Thor’s hammer, returning to its master. Thor then takes everyone (encased in a protective bubble by Quasar) back to Earth.

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Story #2

Media Watch: A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney...

Writer: Dwayne McDuffie.Penciler: Jim Reddington. Inker: Andy Mushynsky. Colorist: Ed Lazarelli.

Synopsis

60 Minutes’ curmudgeonly commenter Andy Rooney offers some rambling opinions about superheroes.

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Story #3

Acts of Vengeance! Epilog

Writer: Mark Gruenwald.Penciler: Vince Mielcarek. Inker: Bob Downs. Colorist: Dave Sampson.

Synopsis

In the wake of the "Acts of Vengeance," Captain America, Vision, and Thor meet in the basement of Avengers Mansion to review the events of that confrontation with a cadre of villains. They sort out the tangled threads of the adventure and determine to learn from the experience, to improve their weaknesses and continue to cooperate.

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Story #4

The Day the Strangers Came

Writer: Kurt Busiek. Penciler/Inker: Richard Howell. Colorist: Richard Howell.

Synopsis

Six-year-old Hubie Green is a major fan of the Avengers, it’s all he can talk about—to the disgust of this older brother Luke. One day, several strangers show up to take rooms at his parents’ Iowa hotel. He soon discovers that the strangers are five Avengers— Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Sersi, and Wasp—there to stop the Sons of the Serpent domestic terrorist group. Hubie delightedly follows the action on radio and TV—until he discovers that his brother Luke is a leader of the villainous gang, and he’s planning to launch bombs toward New York and LA. With a heavy heart, Hubie enters the strangers’ room and tells them what his brother is planning. The plot is halted and Hubie puts away all his Avengers memorabilia. He still likes them and wants to do the right thing—but no longer looks forward to it.

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Story #5

Clowning Around

Writer: Gary Barnum.Penciler: Steve Buccelatto. Inker: Mickey Ritter. Colorist: Steve Buccelatto.

Synopsis

A group of Avengers (Captain America, Falcon, Quasar, Sersi, She-Hulk) stop by Avengers Mansion to see how the repairs are going. As a nervous foreman shows them around, a couple of workers are concerned that the heroes’ presence could attract villains, leading to some mayhem and thus jeopardizing all their hard work. Sure enough, the Plantman shows up and the guys tackle him, managing to keep him out of sight of the Avengers. He’s followed by the Water Wizard, Stilt-Man, and the Wrecker, and the crew must resort to increasingly awkward actions to stop the threats. As the Avengers—totally unaware of any trouble—depart, Cap suggests that the workers would accomplish more if they stopped clowning around.