Avengers #116Avengers #116
Title: "Chapter 2- Betrayal”
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Mike Esposito
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Thor places his hand on Dr. Strange’s doorknob and the Avengers are blown into the sky away from the house. Scarlet Witch says that she guesses Strange doesn’t want visitors. Cap says that he wouldn’t either if he had taken the Black Knight from his castle. Iron Man says that he doesn’t trust anyone who claims to work magic. Thor starts pounding on the door. Wong answers the door and asks how he can help them. Thor tells Wong to go tell his master that they want to talk to him right away. Thor says that their reception so far has tried their patience. Wong apologizes but says that Dr. Strange is doing vital research and has asked not to be disturbed. Wong says goodbye and closes the door. Thor smashes down the door with his hammer. Wong says that if magic and conversation will not stop their intrusion then he will. Mantis steps forward and knocks Wong into a door. The Avengers look over and spot the outline of the Black Knight through a doorway. Suddenly they are blown out of the building again. Cap says that if he had any doubts before that he no longer does. Thor shouts at the house and says that they know that they cannot fight his spells but that when they figure out how that they will return.
In another dimension, Dormammu tells Loki that they have done it, and that the Defenders really believe that the Evil Eye will cure the Black Knight’s condition. Loki says that he is happy that Dormammu is happy, but asks if it isn't time for Dormammu to cure him of his blindness as he promised. Dormammu blows Loki off and says that he will in due course, but that the Defenders have not yet gathered the pieces of the Evil Eye. Loki thinks to himself that Dormammu treats him like a whining child, and that maybe it is more than his eyes that have been blind.
Inside Strange’s home, the five Defenders and Hawkeye gather around the Eye of Agamotto. He says that whatever the disturbance was that he got rid of it by placing a mystic seal around them. Strange says that they have no time to investigate anything else except the task before them. Strange tells them to all be quiet and watch and listen to the Eye of Agamotto as it tells them of the history of the Evil Eye.
The Evil Eye belonged to Prester John, sole survivor of the wizard-isle called Avalon, who was awakened by Human Torch and Wyatt Wingfoot. Torch took the Evil Eye after discovering its great limitless power. Torch took off without knowing that the Evil Eye was about the reach critical mass. Wyatt managed to shoot the Eye out of Torch’s hand with a polarized cannon designed by the Black Panther. Seconds later the Evil Eye explodes into six parts that were spread out across the world. One to Osaka, Japan, one to Rurutu, French Polynesia, one to Ft. Wayne and one to Los Angeles in United States, one to Monterrey, Mexico, and one to Sucre, Bolivia.
After revealing that the orb stops. Strange commands it to go back to its Cask of Concealment. Strange says that six is the mystic number of Avalon and that is why it exploded into six pieces, and that there are six of them. Hawkeye says that they will go get the pieces, but that he doesn’t have a quinjet and will need a lift. Valkyrie says that Hawkeye can ride with her, and that they can talk the southern lands. Namor says that he and Surfer will head to the furthest points. Namor tells Hulk that he knows that Hulk doesn’t like them, but that for the Black Knight they need his help. Hulk agrees to help. Strange tells Hulk to go to Los Angeles. Strange says that he will mystically guide them to the proper locations, and stay behind the guard the Black Knight. He says that when one of them returns that he will go to the closest location in Indiana. The Defenders take off.
In Dormammu’s dimension, Loki says that he has been a fool. Loki says that when Dormammu gains the power to conquer Earth that he would also gain the power to conquer Asgard. He says that even though he has been thrown out of Asgard more times that he’d care to remember that he is still an immortal. Loki adds that no one but him must take power from Odin. Loki says that he needs to find aid to thwart this plan. He thinks how Asgard has been denied to him by Odin and that much as he hates to admit it that he needs the help of Thor.
In Avengers mansion, an illusion of Loki appears before Captain America. Loki addresses Captain America and says that whoever he is that he must take him to his brother Thor or he might not have enough time to warn them. Thor says that Loki’s trickery is too well known by him for him to have success fooling them. Vision points out to Thor that Loki cannot see and says that they should hear him out. Loki actually considers telling the Avengers the truth, but then figures that it would lay blame with him and decides not to. Loki tells them that he has discovered an evil plot by a group of villains called the Defenders. Loki says that they are lead by Dr. Strange and Thor speaks up and says that they know of his perfidy. Loki says that the other members are Valkyrie, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer. Loki says that worst of all however is that they are joined by Hawkeye. Thor says that they have to stop this. Loki brings the Avengers up to speed, at least according to his lie. Cap says that since Loki didn’t know which Defender was going where that they will have to take their chances. Cap says that he hasn’t seen Japan since the war, and that he will go there. Vision says that he and Scarlet Witch will take a quinjet to Rurutu. Swordsman says that he and Mantis will head to Bolivia since he owes a debt to South America. Mantis says that she wants to go with Swordsman, but that she senses that Black Panther will need her more. Swordsman says that he has come to trust her hunches. Thor chooses Los Angeles because it is closest to the center of the other locations in case someone needs his help. Iron Man says that he will be heading to Mexico then.
In Rurutu, Surfer says that his board got him there instantaneously, but that since then he has searched the island several times and not found the Evil Eye. Surfer decides to ask the natives since something as odd as the Evil Eye must have caused a commotion when it appeared. As Surfer descends the people start to bow before him. Surfer says that he is not a god, but the elder of the tribe asks if he is not the god of the volcano. Surfer realizes that the volcano is the one place that he didn’t look and takes off for it. The people decide to follow him. Surfer wades right into the volcano and starts blasting lava to look for the Evil Eye. Seconds later, Scarlet Witch and Vision are arriving in the quinjet. Vision tells Wanda that despite the evidence of Black Knight being at Dr. Strange’s house that Loki’s story still doesn’t sound right to him. He says that he is going to scout ahead to try and talk to their opponent.
After Vision takes off, Wanda says that sometimes the Vision is too logical. She says that they saw the Black Knight at Strange’s place. She says that the Avengers have already fought Hulk, Namor, and Valkyrie. She says that the Silver Surfer has attacked humanity as many times as he has helped, and that Hawkeye feels that he has been slighted by the Avengers. Suddenly Surfer’s blasting within the volcano causes an eruption. Lava shoots into the sky and destroys the quinjet. Scarlet Witch is blown clear of the destroyed craft. Vision freaks when he sees Wanda falling, but then realizes that if he acts instead of standing stunned that he can save her. Vision catches Wanda. He checks her out and sees that she has some second-degree burns, and that her lungs were seared by the heat. Silver Surfer rises out of the volcano. Vision sees Surfer and freaks out again. He says that Surfer attacked them when they came in peace. Vision tackles Surfer and the two of them fall into the volcano together. Vision tells Surfer to try his cosmic power on him and Surfer asks Vision what his problem is, but the eruptions of the lava make it too loud for them to hear each other. Vision keeps on attacking Surfer until Surfer summons his board and has it strike Vision. Surfer blasts Vision down further into the lava so he can leave. Surfer bounces off the volcano wall because of the thick fog obscuring his vision.
At the base of the volcano, the people have gathered and decided that the volcano god is going to destroy them all. The elder instructs the others to move Scarlet Witch into place so that she can be their sacrifice to appease the god.
Inside the volcano, one of Surfer’s blasts uncovers the Evil Eye. Both Surfer and Vision lunge for it. Surfer wonders if Vision is insane and can’t figure out why he would be opposed to Surfer helping one of his fellow Avengers. As they both grab the Evil Eye their thoughts activate the Evil Eye with “unfriendly” reactions. Surfer and Vision are blown into the sky. Surfer and Vision are both diving for the Evil Eye when Vision spots Scarlet Witch in the path of the lava. Surfer swoops down and grabs the Evil Eye while Vision rescues Wanda. Vision says that they are stranded there, but that if the radio works that at least he can warn the other Avengers that the Defenders are out for blood and should be met with full force.
Surfer flies
away and says that he must return to Dr. Strange so that he can
warn the other Defenders that the Avengers are after the Evil Eye
for their own purpose and that they attack without cause. Surfer
says that they must be ready to fight them to the death.
Avengers Files rating: 6 out of 10
The writing gets four out of the six points because of the cool concept of the Avengers vs. Defenders scenario. The stage is set and the battle lines are drawn. The Vision/ Silver Surfer fight is a lot closer than I think it should have been. I also tend to think that Surfer is much faster than Vision. Vision’s display of emotion however is pretty cool. The art on the other hand kind of rots. It tells the story alright, but the style is pretty lousy as far as I’m concerned.