Spider-Woman #1

Somewhere in a green, lush, suburbia. Stanley Roberts, 55, waters his flowers. He smiles as he watches the water soak into the ground. He feels something bite the back of his neck. He reaches up and pulls a feathered dart out of his skin. Bewildered, his face freezes in the position. A man steps in front of him and identifies himself as the lone survivor of a convoy left in Vietnam. He calls himself Kraven and smiles as he shoves the hose down the submissive Mr. Roberts throat. Roberts lays on the ground behind Kraven with water gushing out of his mouth and nose. Kraven pulls out a list and crosses Lt. Roberts' name off of it. Jessica Drew is next. 

Later, Jessica Drew patrols New York City on her own. Finally having returned comfortably to her role as Spider-Woman. She perches herself on a gargoyle with a great view of the city. From her vantage she spots what looks like gunfire inside an apartment. Quickly she makes her way to the tenement to see what's going on. Inside she spies one man holding a smoking pistol. He is laughing and apparently he had fired through the roof. The family of the tenement is huddled in a corner and the man with the gun yells orders to two others that are going though the families belongings. 

Suddenly, Spider-Woman smashes through a window, knocking one of the thugs to the ground. She loves the exhilaration of leaping into melee combat, noting that her upper body strength is greater than most, as she knocks out a thug with one punch by accident. After taking out those two, only the leader - the gunman - remains. She can see it in his body language that he intends to shoot the family.

Thinking on her feet, she blasts the leader's wrist with her venom. Angrily, he tackles her, launching both of them out the window. He winds up dangling at her mercy in fear as she secretes a fear pheromone into his face, and she ties him to the balcony before securing the others and leaving the scene. Screaming for his life. 

That night, Jessica dreams of the past. She was once the Spider-Man's star pupil, but one night, she answered her door to find Cletus Kasady, he was going by Carnage at that time, standing there with a gun pointed at her. He shot her, and the bullet went through the first lumbar of her spinal cord, paralyzing her from the waist down for three years.

She wakes from her nightmare, and remembers where she is. Fortunately, she regained her ability to walk, since that night. She walks in on her father, James, enjoying a cup of coffee. He informs her that it is actually evening, and she has slept all day. She has plans to move out today; to move into her own place, and "stretch her legs."

Jessica's new place is in a building called Cherry Tree Hall, and her roommate is a bartender by night and painter by day. Despite her new roommate's quirky personality and penchant for activism, Jessica thinks they will get along well. She offers to help Jessica move in. At Sacred Hands of God Hospital, the thug that Spider-Woman injured with her Venom is receiving treatment, and remains under watch by Detective Stacy and his partner. In the same hospital, Kraven asks to see a Theodore Rankin before punching the receptionist in the face and shooting a security guard in the head. Stacy and his partner hear the shot, and prepare to face whatever awaits them.

Jessica has rigged her phone to receive her father's messages, so that she can follow up on any calls for police assistance. Discovering what's happening at the hospital, she gets her motorcycle out of her van, and rides to the scene. She rides her bike right into the building and onto the elevator.

As Kraven makes his way to their room, Stacy and his partner warn that if he doesn't get away from the door, they will shoot. In response, Kraven blasts through the door, shooting Stacy and his partner in the process. Stacy survives, but his partner is not so lucky.

Kraven approaches the injured thug, claiming that he should have fallen to his death during the altercation with Spider-Woman, and that has put him on the list. Jessica reaches the scene, and attempts to intervene, but Kraven aims his gun at her in just the same area that Kasady had when he crippled her. Lost in her memory, she freezes long enough for Kraven to shove the patient's bed out the window, into a long drop to the street below. Having watched the whole scene, Stacy accuses Spider-Woman of being a murderer as she stood there and did nothing to stop it. 

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Mighty Marvel Western #1

1868

Carter Slade arrives in Boston from a long journey on his horse Banshee. The entire town fears him and whispers about him behind his back. This is his curse. They talk about his disfigured face and his deals with the devil. He retreats into a Saloon/Inn in the middle of town. A small group of spectators watch him as he goes in. That was part of the curse too. Everyone knows him. They fear him. Especially his family. Especially his son. 

Across town, Dr. Amadeus Malus answers a summons from Detective Brooks of the Brooklyn  Police Department, to provide psychological consultation with regard to a recent string of murders. Unfortunately, Police Chief Brunder is on the scene as well, and takes less kindly to Malus's early theories on psychology than the detective.

The murder victim is a prostitute, and at each crime scene, the word "fear" is scrawled on the wall in another language with the victim's blood. In this case, the word is the latin "metus." Malus suggests that it is in the killer's nature to facilitate fear - and as yet, he has been quite successful. From the doorway, a voice suggests that perhaps the killer is afraid that he won't be caught. It is the voice of the Phantom Rider, who has been hired by the detective as a bounty hunter, to help catch the Boston Butcher. The Phantom’s demeanor and attire frighten the Chief and he attempts to throw the Phantom and Dr. Malus out of the room. However, Malus proposes that he and the Phantom conduct a separate investigation together, and present their findings to the police. The Chief begrudgingly agrees.

While the Dr. Malus and the Phantom Rider investigate the scene. Rider makes the remark that whoever had done this must have been really smart. A learned person. Malus agrees. He would have to be to write fear in all of these languages.

Later, Malus and Phantom head to a bar in one of the seedier parts of the city. After some coaxing Phantom Rider phases into the building and uses his invisibility until he spies Belle, a prostitute that he knows. He phases into the room and attempts to question her, but the man she's already with doesn't take kindly to his presence, and the resulting brawl is violent. From afar, Malus makes speculation as to what kind of history could lead the bounty hunter to such lifestyle. The Phantom Rider comes out relatively unscathed, ripping a gash across the chest of the man, who submits.  He then returns to his line of questioning.

Belle reveals that the killer is not known by name or face, but all the prostitutes know that he exists. The killer was seen taking his last victim on a carriage. He was a slender man. Malus takes the information and retires. The Phantom Rider gets back to his room and collapses he is confronted by Mephisto. Mephisto warns the Phantom personally to stay away from this case. The Phantom Rider scoffs and turns his back on Mephisto. Who then reminds him of his promise. The Rider nods. 

He is given a rude awakening when Detective Brooks and Dr. Malus arrive at his door with news of another murder. This time, the victim is Belle. At the crime scene, they arrive to find the girl strung up from a girder with her face disfigured. On the wall behind her is written "Phantom Rider Leave Boston." The bounty hunter takes it personally.

Two days later, Malus muses further on The Rider’s psychological profile, having witnessed the man carve a trail of blood through Boston, following clues to the killer's identity. Their mutual conclusion is that there are at least two men involved in the killings, one a man of wealth and intelligence, and the other being his helper, a strong man of limited intelligence.

That night, the pair of them attend a charity event being held by Mayor Dolan, hoping that they will encounter the killer there. Upon their arrival, Chief Brunder sees them and embarrassed, he tries to shoo them away. Brunder is interrupted by the mayor, who invited Dr. Malus in the first place, and is intrigued to meet The Rider.

Abruptly, The Rider decides it's time to leave, and drags Malus behind him. The psychologist protests, pointing out that they had likely found the killers. Warily, The Rider points out that nearly all of the attendees at the party are wearing the rings. He explains that it means that things are about to get a lot more dangerous for them. 

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Spider-Man #1

To say Peter Parker has gone through a lot is an understatement. His parents were murdered in front of him when he was six. This motivated him through life. His training in Japan and his vow to stop crime. When he returns home he inherits his fathers company from his Aunt and Uncle. Instantly he is the most recognizable billionaire bachelor. 

After he is unable to save his uncle from being murdered he forms the Spider-Clan a group dedicated to training young vigilantes like himself. The Spider-Clan hosts a variety of heroes including Scarlet Spider, Daredevil, Moon Knight, and Darkhawk. 

Spider-Man finds himself surrounded in Malus Asylum by a number of the villains he has since put away there. With superior fighting skills, he manages to hold his own until he winds up launched through an upper window. In the alley below, he prepares to go back inside, but Cletus Kasady sneaks up on him. They appear to have made some kind of alliance, and when they get back into the fray, they fight as a team in perfect conjunction to take down all of the escaped inmates.

Later, Spider-Man reconnects with Commissioner Drew on the roof of the New York City Police Headquarters. Spider-Man explains that this wasn't a breakout. He had been investigating a weak link at Malus - a guard named David Gallaher - who opened the cell doors on Spider-Man when he was coming for him. Drew deduces that Spider-Man had a man on the inside, and seems suspicious of security video showing Spider-Man and Cletus Kasady fighting together, but his friend reassures him briefly, before disappearing into the night.

In Peter Parker’s mansion, Cletus Kasady appears behind Peter. However, this doesn’t affect Peter at all. Kasady asks what he is doing and Peter responds that he is actually testing a new computerized contact lens, which can provide him with remote access to his supercomputers. Cletus Kasady reveals himself to be Ben Reilly in disguise. Ben had been the inside informant at Malus, disguised as Cletus Kasady.

They walk the mansion grounds where they encounter Peter's other pupils sparring at the dojo - Marc Spector and Chris Powell. Peter is hosting a gala, where he plans to reveal some big ideas for New York City's future. At the gala, Peter announces plans to invest in New York's infrastructure, including an improved public transit system and restoring some of the city's derelict architecture. After his well-received speech, Peter encounters Betty Brant of the Daily Bugle, who introduces him to mayoral candidate Lincoln Waters. 

Peter tries to convince Waters to invest in - or at least support - his plans for the future of New York, and Waters seems genuinely interested. They attempt to set up a date to further discuss their agreements, but Peter happens to notice that Commissioner Drew has received a work call. He uses his new contact lenses to lip-read Drew's side of the conversation, and overhears information about a fatal stabbing downtown. Casually, Peter makes his excuses, and heads out as Spider-Man.

He comes upon a crime scene being overseen by Detective Stacy. Inside the rundown apartment, they find the body of a middle-aged John Doe pinned to the wall in his underwear amid a number of paintings and a mess of painting supplies. The body has been fixed to the wall by several antique throwing knives of professional grade. Each knife has the symbol of an C emblazoned on the handle. Additionally, they discover some tissue under the victim's fingernails. Peter takes a sample to examine on his own. 

Spider-Man happens to catch a whiff of Linseed Oil - a common paint thinner. The smell is stronger than it would be through normal use in an artist's studio, though. Taking Stacy's lit cigar, Spider-Man ignites the oil on the wall, revealing a hidden message in the flames. The message reads: "Peter Parker will DIE tomorrow."

Together, Spider-Man and Stacy come to the conclusion that the victim anticipated his own murder, and further that whoever would find him would find him on this particular day, along with the message. Stacy predicts that whoever is targeting Parker must be close to him in order to bypass his high level of security.

Later, Spider-Man checks the DNA on the sample he collected. He finds that the DNA matches his own!

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Nova #1

Malik Tarcel is a former renegade Shi'ar Nova Corps member that lost his membership after he turned on the Corps and stole some of the Nova Force to fuel his own Force, the Shi'ar Force. Malik has been captured by the Watchers and has spent years in their custody. Today, on Xandar, the Nova Corp home planet, Malik stands before the Watchers of the Universe. They have decided to give him another chance. The Watchers of the Universe watch as he recites the oath of the Nova Force. Once the oath is spoken, Malik asks what they have planned for him. One Watcher explains they believe Malik receiving the Force is his chance for redemption and they allow him to leave and only telling him to protect his sector. Egma openly questions the wisdom of this decision. The other Watchers inform him that they are tired of his emotional responses and claim they must be of one mind before attacking him with their mental energies.

In his Boston apartment, Richard Rider is hounded by his landlord for overdue rent. As he looks out the window, Richard notices a woman in the building across the street being threatened. He jumps out his seventh story window, crashes through the window of the woman's apartment, and subdues her attacker. Only then does he look up to see the room filled by a camera crew and realize that the woman and her attacker are actors. Some time later, Lindy Nolan arrives to bail Richard out of jail. She tells him its time to move on with his life and offers Richard a job at Nolan Air. Thinking it over, Richard asks Lindy out on a date.

Elsewhere, Malik has returned to his home planet of Aerie. From orbit, he watches as members of his Shi’ar Corps torture the population. Suddenly, he is attacked by one member who mistakes him for a Nova Corps member. Malik angrily asks him why they were disobeying his command to protect the planet. The corpsman counters that Malik has betrayed them and tries to contact Eric the Red. Before he can reach Eric the Red, Malik strangles him to death.

Back on Earth, Richard and Lindy are dining in a fancy restaurant. Richard tells Lindy he will accept her offer for a job and then says he has something else to ask her, he needs her to co-sign a car lease for him. Lindy throws her drink in his face and stomps off. Richard chases after and tries to apologize, not realizing Lindy was expecting a proposal. Thoroughly mad, Lindy drives off leaving Richard stranded in a growing rainstorm. Soaking wet, Richard finally arrives home only to find an eviction notice attached to his apartment door. The night is not over, however, as Malik is waiting and offers Richard a chance to regain the Nova Force.

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Young Avengers #1

In Los Angeles, a quick moving superhero, Speed, interrupts news coverage of a fire in an abandoned mansion. The fire department has the blaze under control, but Speed is adamant that he needs to help. The reporter on scene introduces the 'hero' as Speed a notorious and flamboyant member of many small super-powered vigilante groups.

When he overhears that one of the fire marshals is trapped on a balcony, Speed rushes into the flames to save him. Unfortunately, in his haste, he forgets about back draft, and opening the door to the balcony causes a massive explosion of fire that brings the whole blaze to an uncontrollable peak. The back draft causes an explosion that sends Speed flying back onto the pavement, and a fireball up into the air. Most of the crowd starts yelling at Speed. Fire crew members yell at him to leave.

The newscast continues, and discussion ensues regarding the recent up-cropping of super-powered teens. From his hideout in a Fisk Towers penthouse, former Spider-Clan member Matt Murdock watches the news coverage and worries about the apparent pattern in the disappearances of several of these teen heroes. Thinking back on his own tenure as Daredevil, he wonders what his mentor Spider-Man was thinking when he brought a teen into crime fighting.

Suddenly, Matt senses someone behind him, and turns to find a man in dark glasses and a team of gunmen waiting. Matt, as Daredevil, has been expecting them to come for him. The man suggests that he has been authorized to give Matt clemency if he agrees to use his talents for his employers. In response, Matt warns that he has rigged the building to explode, and when they realize he's not bluffing, everyone struggles to escape. Leaping off his balcony, Daredevil grapples onto the building across from his and swings to safety.

In Malibu, Pre-law student Jennifer Walters drives a stolen car down the Pacific Coast highway. A police officer pulls her over, and she turns on the waterworks, pretending that she's just joyriding in her mother's car. Suddenly, the policeman grips her by the throat and lifts her to her feet. Fortunately, Daredevil appears, knocking the cop unconscious. 

Daredevil says he knows that she is the person the media are calling She-Hulk, and informs her that an organization is after superhuman teens like her. Jennifer denies having any powers, but when a chopper shows up and begins opening fire with machine guns, she turns green and shows her hulk side. 

Angrily, Jennifer transforms into She-Hulk, leaping onto the chopper, and smashing it to pieces until it crashes into the ocean. As she crawls back up, she reminds Daredevil that she doesn't want to be called She-Hulk, and he renews his efforts to get her to join him. 

Elsewhere, the man in glasses demands that Doctor Childs release their experiment: Sentry. 

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Avengers #1

Spider-Man is pursuing a demon across the rooftops of Brooklyn, while the NYPD pursue and fire upon both of them from helicopters. He thinks that it might be one of Mephisto's. Or at least someone want's him to think it's one of Mephisto's.

Spidey tries to catch the Demon with his webs but misses when Helicopters shine their lights in Spider-Man's face. Frustrated, Spidey blinds the police in the helicopters with smoke bombs, and successfully webs the Demon to the roof of a nearby building. Spidey then attempts to interrogate but it lets out a burst of flame, burning the webbing and forcing Spider-Man to release it. As Spidey and the Demon face off again, Nova shows up and interrupts the fight by shooting the Demon with Nova beams. Knocking it off balance. Spidey and Nova jump on it.

Demon

The NYPD continue firing on Spider-Man, Nova, and the Demon, but Nova blocks the bullets with the Nova Force. As Spider-Man and Nova talk, the Demon recovers and destroys two police helicopters. Crashing them into each other. Nova saves as many as he can with the Nova force freezing them and then setting them down with the wreckage. Spider-Man catches the rest in a web as they fall. 

Nova blocking the fire from the police!

As they follow the Demon into the streets of Brooklyn, Spider-Man suggests that Nova return to Boston, since "Brooklyn is mine. Boston is yours." Nova responds by saying that the entire space sector is his and he was alerted to an "unauthorized extraterrestrial presence" in Brooklyn.

Nova and Spider-Man move underground in pursuit of the Demon. Nova asks Spider-Man whether he has any powers. Spidey replies "No. But I have some cool toys!" Spider-Man then points out the Demon attaching an explosive to a sewer wall. With a shout of "For Thanos!", the Demon blows itself up, attempting to kill Spider-Man and Nova in the blast, but Nova uses the Nova Force to protect Spider-Man and himself from the blast. They inspect the wreckage of what was left of the explosive. Spider-Man says the box looks like “Alien-tech not Demon-tech", and the two agree to go to Manhattan to ask Hyperion about it.

Tony Stark is an twenty-four year-old early graduate from New York Academy. He is giving an Osborn Talk to a large group that has come to watch him. He has gained a reputation recently after his unconventional behavior. His presentation is on new forms of energy to power America. The group gives Stark a standing ovation. After the presentation he looks for his father who didn't show up. He calls his father Howard Stark, who doesn't pay attention he is despondent and distracted. He says that he and Obadiah are in the middle of something huge. A breakthrough for weapon tech. Then he hangs up. Tony hesitates and puts his phone away after a sigh. Someone runs inside and tells everyone that Nova and Spider-Man are flying over. Tony, along with most of the group, runs outside to excited shouts as Spider-Man and Nova fly overhead thanks to the Nova Force. One of the people in attendance asks Tony if his dads weapons are ready for the super-humans, and he says that he hopes so.

After landing in Manhattan, Spider-Man criticizes flying to the city. He says he gets a better feel from webbing around. A moment later, Hyperion, using super-speed, knocks both into a pair of parked cars, apparently knocking Nova unconscious. As Spider-Man begins to rise up from the ground, Hyperion looks at him and says "I don't handle easy. So...what can you do?"

The Alien Warrior King - Hyperion

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Marvel Comics #1

Having newly arrived in New York, this mystery hero had been stopping criminals for the past seventy-two hours straight. The police are puzzled to his existence and how he has solved a years long investigation in the matter of a few days.

Currently, Hyperion gives chase to a gangster in a car across New York City. The gangster, Hammerhead, shoots at Hyperion while swerving around other cars and pedestrians. The bullets bounce off Hyperion as he nears the car’s bumper. Just when Hyperion is about to grab the bumper he is shot at from behind by NYPD. He turns his attention to the police and is met with a large spotlight in the face. The gangster turns the car into the parking lot of an abandoned high rise and runs inside. Hyperion gives chase and flies inside the building. 

 

The two emerge on a balcony and Hyperion threatens to throw him down from the tall building unless he confesses to his crimes. Apparently someone has been caught paying off police officers and moving heroin. Hammerhead scoffs and says that he can’t make him talk. The police surround the building and threaten to shoot Hyperion, in response, he simply dives off of the balcony with Hammerhead in his arms.

Hyperion doesn't hit with Hammerhead. Instead he uses his power of flight to land safely. Hammerhead in his arms, finally confesses his crimes and the police take him into custody. Hyperion turns Hammerhead over to the police.  Despite this, a policeman shoots at Hyperion but he dodges the bullet quickly, then makes his into the air. 

Elsewhere, Senator Kelly worries that this Hyperion who showed up six months ago in New York seems to be getting stronger. He wonders how long it will be before it cannot be stopped. He is accompanied by Wilson Fisk, who he has hired for an an exorbitant consultancy fee in order to capture the hero by 8p.m.

While running across the city Hyperion notices a building full of people in trouble. The building is about to be demolished. Apparently the construction crew doesn't realize. Hyperion flies into the building and helps get as many out as he can. Suddenly, several military tanks appear in the square and trap Hyperion with an electrical net. But he breaks free and uses a wrecking ball to smash into the tank's metal exterior.

Another tank appears and fires on Hyperion, but before the tank can fire again, the people he had rescued help him get back to his feet. Then, in protest, they stand in the way of the tank. The police send remote-controlled helicopters to attack Hyperion, but he flies off faster than the helicopters can follow.

Hyperion arrives at the rooftop of his apartment building and changes into civilian clothes. He ponders for a moment and watches the stars before heading inside. He receives a visit from Mrs. Baxter, his landlady, who asks about his injuries. Mark Milton tells her that he was injured by some drunk dock workers, and they didn't take kindly to him being better looking then they were. Mrs. Baxter demands the rent, and Mark complies, unexpectedly, given that she usually has to deal with the "professionally unemployed." After Mrs. Baxter leaves, Mark calls his friend Ben Urich on his cellphone.

Ben is with Norah Winters, following a lead on the subway. Mark tells him not to get on any train, as they were all sabotaged by Hammerhead and his crew. Norah ignores Mark's warning, knowing that he works for a rival newspaper. Norah and Ben get on the train, trailing a criminal called Maxwell Dillon. Suddenly, the train increases its speed, just as Dillon turns and pulls his guns on the young reporters. Fortunately, Mark receives a message that Norah and Ben ignored his warning, and as Hyperion, he stops the train with his bare hands. The sudden stop allows the passengers to take Dillon down.

With two minutes left until 8PM, Senator Kelly  and Wilson Fisk watch as Hyperion is pinned against a wall by the crashed train. Although Norah is upset that Fisk put his daughter's life at stake, Fisk justifies this by saying that he did manage to deliver Hyperion.

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