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Amazing Spider-Man annual #26Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man annual #26 Review/plot: Artist Scott McDaniel pencils the first three parts, and he seems to be emulating Mark Bagley (who draws the covers). Which is great. I'd rather have artists emulating Bagley at this point in time than most other 90s artists. During some routine crime fighting, Spider-Man learns from a thief about an incident in Fortune, New Jersey where hundreds of people are going to be killed. ![]() ![]() Note that Thrasher has been absent from the New Warriors for a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if that were a late addition to the script to reflect the current Warriors status quo and explain why Thrasher appears in this story (i think it's great that they did that, by the way). While they are talking, Speedball is captured by some goons using a kinetic energy dampening field that was designed specifically to counteract his powers. ![]() Spider-Man heads to New Jersey, although he stops along the way to foil a purse snatching. ![]() The plot of this story involves the kidnapping of super-characters. Based on the way these two people are dressed, they are lucky they didn't get mistakenly kidnapped. Two characters that are kidnapped (and, as far as i can tell, the only two besides Speedball) are Auric and Silver, two minor characters from Gamma Flight (and i know that's redundant). The last we saw of them, they were planning on going back to China in Alpha Flight #90, but they're captured in Vancouver. ![]() In the small town of Fortune, Spider-Man finds a group of scientists planning to test a wave cannon that will operate like a neutron bomb, wiping out all the people but leaving the buildings intact. Spider-Man tries to stop them, and he's joined by a local cop, but the cop gets hit by a narrow beam version of the cannon, and is killed. ![]() Luckily some of the New Warriors show up and help Spider-Man. ![]() Most of the scientists manage to escape, but one guy was having moral doubts about what he was doing, and he stays behind and surrenders. He tells them that they are from a company called Target Technologies. Night Thrasher brought the Warriors here after receiving a tip, but for some reason he hasn't told them about Speedball getting kidnapped. So they part ways. ![]() Meanwhile, we see a consortium of David Michelinie style CEO bad guys, like Justin Hammer, Carlton Drake, and Jonas Hale, all working for a mysterious boss. ![]() I'd like to think that this is the same consortium that Hammer will be seen working with in Iron Man #280-283, but Carlton Drake didn't seem to be a part of that, and more notably, the representatives of Stane are mentioned separately from Hammer, while in the Iron Man story he's said to have been running Hammer. We also don't see any agents of Hydra or the Hand at this meeting. I suppose it could still be the same, or perhaps an overlapping organization, with different conspirators being around at different times. Continuity-wise, Hammer is definitely in control of Stane at this point, even if that's not explicit here. Spider-Man, Namorita, and Nova make it to Target (which is also in New Jersey) and wind up facing off against some Dreadnoughts. ![]() Namorita uses the powers of a true Sub-Mariner to absorb the electrical attacks of one of the robots. ![]() In general, these Dreadnoughts are not too hard to defeat. ![]() The heroes also happen to find themselves in a weapons lab, so they're able to use things that they find to help them in the battle, including the bulletproof shield that Nova uses above, and a ray gun that Namorita finds. The problem is that the Dreadnoughts above are an older variety (hey, they used to be a big deal, before Diminishing Threat Syndrome had their way with them), and after they are defeated, the people at Target release a new model. ![]() We also see Night Thrasher tracking Speedball's energy signal with a device he got from Genetech, but that's it for this chapter of Hero Killers. Also in this issue is the first of a three part Venom origin story covered in a separate entry. And there's a Solo solo story by assistant editor Eric Fein and illustrated by Scott Koling and Sam DeLaRosa. I mean, he kills some terrorists; what do you want me to say about it? ![]() They're really more like embezzlers and mobsters, but they massacre a bunch of people at an airport, so they qualify as terrorists. There's also another Top Villains feature like all of this year's annuals have and which i don't count for continuity purposes (although fans of the Looter may be interested since it's framed with Spider-Man telling the Looter about how much he sucks compared to all his real villains). The final story, also written by Fein but illustrated by Vince Evans and Don Hudson, begins a three part Cloak and Dagger story where they go up against Lightmaster. Lightmaster was being held by Genetech for study in return for a reduced prison sentence. ![]() Note that Lightmaster has said that he's lost his access to the Light Dimension after he fought Spider-Man and Quasar in Marvel Team-Up. I'm interpreting that very narrowly and assuming he still had some degree of powers available to him for his appearance in She-Hulk #24. Given that it was a She-Hulk appearance, i could even say that he just had a light bulb attached to a battery pack in his costume. I wouldn't want to push this Cloak and Dagger story before the She-Hulk story given that Cloak and Dagger are separated, missing, and/or blind for a long period until the end of their solo series, and in any event Lightmaster is (at best) a prisoner of Genetech at the end of this story. Lightmaster has had his powers restored by Genetech, and he reviews their computer files and decides to go after Dagger, and then escapes. He manages to capture Dagger. ![]() Quality Rating: C Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part one of Hero Killers. Part two is in Spectacular Spider-Man annual #12. This crossover takes place before Justin Hammer is defeated in Iron Man #280-283, and before Constrictor (who appears beginning in part two of this crossover) is taken in by SHIELD in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #36. In terms of the New Warriors, Marvel Boy is not around, so this would take place after his arrest, and Night Thrasher is not officially a member of the team. The MCP places this after New Warriors #26; i'm actually going to try to place it between #25 and #26 so that i can keep a back-up story in New Warriors annual #2 with the main entry (the main story in New Warriors annual #2 is part four of this crossover; a Silhouette back-up in that issue takes place before New Warriors #26). For Spider-Man, this takes place after Amazing Spider-Man #363 based on the first Reference. See above regarding Cloak and Dagger's placement. References:
Crossover: Hero Killers Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (3): showCharacters Appearing: Auric, Carlton Drake, Cloak, Dagger, Jonas Hale, Justin Hammer, Lightmaster, Namorita, Night Thrasher, Nova (Rich Rider), Silver, Solo, Speedball, Sphinx, Spider-Man CommentsFood for thought: the New Warriors Omnibus also places this after New Warriors #26. Posted by: AF | March 19, 2016 2:44 PM The problem is a few things in #26 need a shorter space between them to work (the Avengers booting out Rage, the New Warriors reactions to Justice's trial). Planting this inbetween raises issues where the Warriors seem completely uninterested in Vance's situation to suddenly being greatly affected by it in #26. I think I agree with your placement, however. Mostly because if this takes place after #26, Rage would be among the New Warriors. Furthermore, #26 shows Night Thrasher designing a new costume which seems clunky to follow with a 4 part crossover in his old costume. Posted by: AF | March 20, 2016 6:56 AM Quick power question (that's actually composed of two sub-questions): 1a) I think this is like the second or third time Namorita has attributed a her heritage as a "true Sub-Mariner" for a resistance agaist electricity. I found that curious because I don't recall Namor ever having that type of ability. Has that been established for him? 1b) Shouldn't this not work in any case, since, as we'll soon find out, Namorita is NOT a "true Sub-Mariner" after all? (Also, she can stop saying that now. We are well aware that she's Namor's cousin. We. Get. It.) Posted by: Jon Dubya | May 22, 2016 12:06 AM In the Golden Age, in Marvel Mystery Comics 6, Namor was was drugged and sentenced to be executed by electric chair. The electricity somehow neutralized the drug without harming him, no further explanation given. I don't know if Stan Lee read that story, but when he brought back Namor in the Silver Age, he had Namor possess the powers of various sea creatures, including the electric eel. An example is in the finale of Fantastic Four 6. It seems like Roy Thomas was dissatisfied with that, however, and he tried to walk it back during his run on Sub-Mariner... Still, Namor's electric powers have been used or referenced since then, although rarely. Posted by: Mortificator | May 22, 2016 7:16 AM Namor's electric-eel powers go back to the Golden Age, i believe; here are two citations on this site (there are at least a few more): http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/defenders_5254.shtml http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/fantastic_four_110.shtml Posted by: cullen | May 22, 2016 7:19 AM Beaten to the punch by the Mortificator! Posted by: cullen | May 22, 2016 7:20 AM Comments are now closed. |
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