Synopsis / Summary / Plot
War Of The Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1 Synopsis by
Rob Johnson
We begin in media res with our heroes' RV being pursued by a fiery battlewagon.
Spider-Man (Miles Morales) looks out the back and reports they're being firebombed. He asks Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) to come back and fire explosive arrows in reply. But Kate is driving and reminds him that no-one else on the bus knows how to drive! This presumably includes Wonder Man, even though it's *his* van. Anyway he's too busy trying to secure a baby seat, with kibbitzing by Death Locket, for a baby goddess. They also have a self-styled god dog Thori, the self-styled Entrail-Gargler. And an actual god Balder, recently rescued from Asgardian Hel. Last in the mix is Sebastian Druid.
Now we go back to before the beginning. 4 Weeks earlier Freyja and and the other Asgardians are slumming it in the Bronx. Balder has just learned that he has a baby sister Laussa Odinsdottir. Thor says his birth-mother Gaea is looking after her in his Oklahoman castle. Balder swears to protect her with his life, and Freyja will hold him to that promise.
And this is where the story really starts (with apologies to the Goon Show Dishonoured). A few days ago in Times Square Balder and Freyja with Thor's dog Thori face Sindr, Queen Of Cinders, and some Rock Trolls. The War Of The Realms has come to Midgard. Sindr has figured out where Laussa is and threatens her life. While Freyja attacks Sindr she sends Balder and Thori to find help and go save her daughter.
In another part of the Square Spider-Miles saves Marvel cosplayers from Trolls who think they're the real deal. Balder and Thori help him. (Balder mistakes him for the other guy.)
Agent Of Wakanda Roz Solomon agrees to drive the 3 to Broxton where Thor left his castle. On the way Spider-Miles sets Balder straight about not being the Peter Parker Spider-Man, and tells him about all the other Spider-people he's met, such as Spider-Gwen and Spider-Ham. When they get there the place is besieged by firefly riders and the battlewagon. Roz goes to help defend the place while our trio go in search of the baby. They find Gaea and she hands Laussa over to Balder.
Skuld, 1 of the 3 Norns/Fates, is there. Normally she is silent and lets her 2 sisters interpret her visions to others. But she's alone now so has to speak for herself. She directs them west and predicts they will find more allies:- The brave archer who never misses (Balder thinks Hawkeye/Clint Barton). He who would be Sorcerer Supreme (Balder thinks Dr Strange). The half-machine warrior (Spidey posits Deathlok). The one of wonders (Balder's right about Wonder Man). But Skuld warns him that a lot has changed while he was in Hel.
In Amarillo PI Kate Bishop has tracked down mercenary Slaughterman. Dodging blasts from his 2 ray guns she pins him to a wall with 2 arrows through his loose trousers, and threatens him with another arrow more strategically placed. But she's not there to arrest him but to serve him with divorce papers. Our trio greet her and Balder begins to realise what Skuld meant.
In Albuquerque teenage Becca Ryker is at a large party talking to her father and Dum-Dum Dugan. In the background we appear to see others such as Tony Stark and Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff rescues Becca and sends her to dance with the younger set. But then Balder walks in and all the guests apart from Becca appear to have arms that morph into guns which they aim at him. He tells them he's looking for Deathlok the cyborg to join him on a mission. Becca presses a button on her wrist and all the guests power down - they are SHIELD LMDs. She introduces herself as Deathlok 2.0 (but actually Death Locket).
It's in a store in Flagstaff that we catch up with Sebastian Druid. He's working as a nanny for a screaming brat of a boy. He's trying to find his wallet and accidentally pulls out a magic wand instead, and equally accidentally trashes the place. Next we see him in jail. And next we see Balder and Thori breaking him out.
The final stop is Los Angeles where Simon Williams is in his RV describing to his agent Joel the latest pitch he sent him to consider. It had Wonder Man fighting the Apparition (they couldn't get rights to the name Vision). Simon pointed out to Gary that Vision is his brother, which confused Gary because he thought that was Grim Reaper. But now he was excited about the idea of a 3 brothers super-team beating up baddies together. But WM blew the whole thing out of the water by saying that he didn't beat people up anymore because he's a pacifist. Joel admits the project wasn't a good fit. That's when Balder & co turn up.
At last we've reached the opening scene where the goodies in Simon's RV are being chased by the hell-battlewagon along a conveniently deserted elevated freeway. Balder wants Wonder Man to fly out and attack the pursuers. This is the point where the Asgardian discovers WM is now a pacifist. Kate asks if he's allowed to beat up concrete. So indestructible Simon nips out and smashes a wide line through the highway between the 2 vehicles.
Kate stops the van and suggests they can now take the fight the fight to the enemy. But then the enemy steps out of the wagon and it's the Greek War-God Ares.