Synopsis
New Avengers (2005 series) #27 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
This issue consists of an e-mail from Maya Lopez (Echo) to Matt Murdock (Daredevil), auto-sent because she's probably dead, describing events which we see as flashbacks.
It begins by reprising #11-13 where she was recruited by Captain America to infiltrate the Japanese underworld and pass information to him. She did that by posing as a party girl in the evenings, but also took direct action as the supposedly-male vigilante Ronin. (It doesn't mention the main thing she discovered which was a partnership between Hydra and the Hand.) But since then the Avengers were split by the Civil War event which left her hanging in the wind in Japan.
She mentions antagonising the Hand under their new leader, DD's ex-girlfriend Elektra and now they are hunting Ronin. She fears that they will overwhelm her eventually and she knows how they can turn captives to their evil ways. If he gets this message it means that has happened and she begs him to rescue her, or if she's been turned kill her.
We see her facing an army of Hand assassins led by Elektra which ends with a martial arts duel between the 2 and a sai through Ronin's chest. Elektra unmasks her as Maya and everything goes black. The villains take her to a Hand sorcerer who cures her wound and wakes her. Elektra says it was an honour to fight her, and it will be an honour to fight beside her when she's ready. And they throw her into a dungeon where her mind is twisted by drugs/magic and she sees a demon.
3 days later Elektra expects the ordeal to have done its job and orders her release. But the New Avengers (Dr Strange, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Spider-Man (in his black costume), Spider-Woman, Wolverine and someone in a Ronin suit) break in. Cue a big battle which includes lots of banter and Elektra trying to pierce Cage's invulnerable skin with a sai. He replies with a message from Matt Murdock which is a knee in the groin, and Spidey webs her up.
The Hand are defeated and SM retrieves Maya from the dungeon, but she believes he's another part of the ordeal trying to trick her. But he rescues her anyway and when she sees 'Ronin' she thinks it's Matt in the costume. Dr Strange magics the team away as Iron Fist smashes the building with his iron fist. And Elektra cuts her way out of the spider-web and sends more Hand guys to stop them leaving Japan.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Elektra (
Pagon), Hand (
The Hand), Ronin (
Maya Lopez).