#dr demonicus

She's pitched out of the Quinjet, almost drowns in the river, but then is saved by someone.

Back at Dr Demonicus' secret lair, he tells Living Lightning that Miguel's father and the Legion of the Living Lightning dreamed small, scheming to conquer one nation. While Dr Demonicus, the big brain genius man that he is, plans to conquer the entire Pacific Rim! And, then, the world!

Living Lightning asks him just what is his big plan. If they're going to be working together-

Well, point of order. Living Lightning is working for Dr Demonicus. Not with. If he plays his cards right, benefits. Like a high-tech suit that allows Miguel to keep his human form instead of being a man-shaped electrical being.

Lightning still tries to wheedle details out of Dr Demonicus but the supervillain tells him all in good time and wanders off to go take care of some stuff.

Kuroko sneaks up on Living Lightning to warn him that Dr Demonicus doesn't trust him at all. He's given him a long leash but only because the suit that lets Lightning stay human could be turned off remotely if he gives Dr Demonicus a reason to.

So. You know. Stay in line.

Meanwhile, Sydney, Australia.

When Team Scarlet Witch, Dr Pym, and Wonder Man land at the factory where some of Dr Demonicus wax museum secret base equipment was created, they're confronted by a seemingly deserted factory and also a whole bunch of security personnel.

Tony Stark was supposed to call ahead to get permission for the Avengers to investigate the factory but the security dudes claim they don't know anything about that.

The security guy tells Wonder Man to put his hands up so Wonder Man puts his hands up, while grabbing the car the guards rode in on, tipping them all out.

Wonder Man: "If that's the way you want it!" -throws car- "Okay if I put my hands down now?"

Oh, Simon, you scamp.

Scarlet Witch: "That's just great! We come here to ask their C.E.O. about some equipment they sold Demonicus -- and you turn it into World War III!" Wonder Man, having the time of his life: "Hey, they started it!" Scarlet Witch: "There's a mature response, if ever I heard one!"

Thankfully, Hank is here with his quick thinking and ability to spritz Pym Particles out of his hands.

He just shrinks Wanda and Wonder Man so they can sneak out of this ridiculous situation and go investigate the factory.

With Simon taking just the briefest moment to hurl a metal washer like a discus at one of the guards out of spite.

Wanda calls him out on his behavior and says he's acting out because she didn't want to date him. Simon denies that's the reason and says he just didn't like this Australian security guard's dumb stupid face.

Sure, Simon.

Anyway, while Hank was shrinking the two, he apparently also passed Wanda the tracer the Avengers have been using to track Demonicus' tech. So the two follow the signal to a vent in the factory wall and the two teeny-sized Avengers slip in through the bars on the vent grill.

Inside the factory, the signal leads them to the CEO's office. The Pym Particles wear off just in time for Wanda and Wonder Man to confront the guy in the office.

But he's not the CEO. He's CYBERTOOTH! Another member of the Pacific Overlords!

What gets me is that to prove his (cyber)teeth can bite through nearly anything, he takes a metal lion statue and chews it up into a ball.

What also gets me is that Dr Demonicus also made a baby huge and gave him seismic powers, gave a woman fire powers, and gave her husband wind powers. And then you have a guy with metal teeth.

I guess Dr Demonicus really liked The Spy Who Loved Me.

Wonder Man isn't intimidated by the statue chewing. As an actor, he already knows a lot of people who chew scenery. So he grabs Cybertooth and tells him that if this is an ambush, then he's about to lose all his teeth.

That's when it turns out that Jawbreaker, another one of the Pacific Overlords, is here.

Wonder Man easily dodges Jawbreaker's first telegraphed punch but then he notices that Jawbreaker has knocked out Wanda. That's how the guy snuck up on him without Wanda saying anything. And Wonder Man is so distracted by seeing Wanda sprawled unconscious that Jawbreaker gets him with the second punch.

Wonder Man is sent flying across the room and leaving a massive dent in the wall.

Jawbreaker gloats that Wonder Man ain't so tough after all. But Wonder Man springs up and rips off Jawbreaker's jaw brace and then punches him through another wall.

Wonder Man: "A name like Jawbreaker -- and a brace over your chin! Why does that make me think you might just have -- a glass jaw?!"

By the by, the wall that Jawbreaker flew through was the outside wall. So there's a quick scene cut to outside where Jawbreaker lands on the security guy that Wonder Man earlier nailed with that washer.

This just isn't that guy's day.

Back inside the factory, Wonder Man demands again from Cybertooth what the Pacific Overlords are up to.

Cybertooth responds by trying to bite him.

Cybertooth: "These cyberteeth have turned steel into mangled shards -- glass into crystal splinters! Surely you can picture what they will do to -- human flesh!" Wonder Man: "Who said my flesh was human?"

And, yup, Cybertooth's cyberteeth bounce harmlessly off Wonder Man's 'ionized organic matter.' Man is made of energy.

Wonder Man responds by slamming Cybertooth into the wall and then shoving him across the room.

Unforrrrrtunately... he shoved Cybertooth right towards where Scarlet Witch was lying unconscious. And right where Dr Pym was checking on Wanda after sneaking away from the guards.

Cybertooth wastes no time taking Wanda Witch hostage by putting her entire head in his mouth.

Gross yet effective.

Wonder Man surrenders rather than risk Wanda's safety and then a returning Jawbreaker nails him in the back of the head with a big I-beam, seemingly knocking out Simon for reals this time.

Jawbreaker and Cybertooth steal the Avengers' own Quinjet to return to the Pacific Overlords HQ.

Appropriately enough, given their group name, the base is unda da sea. Although, Jawbreaker didn't know that, considering he freaks out when Cybertooth dives the Quinjet right at the ocean.

But Dr Demonicus has a whirlpool tractor beam dealie going on so instead of smashing into the water and breaking, the aircraft is gently swirled into the base.

When Wanda comes to - the last to do so- she discovers that the Avengers have been stuck inside tubes.

Because when villains capture heroes, they love to stick them in tubes.

And these aren't just any tubes. They're power negating tubes. So Wonder Man can't punch free, Iron Man can't repulsor loose, and Wasp can't sting.

Dr Demonicus introduces the Avengers to his Pacific Overlords, since Wanda only briefly met two of them.

Irezumi the tattooed man whose name means tattoo, Pele the fire goddess, Kuroko the dark one, Living Lightning, Cybertooth, and Jawbreaker.

Iron Man asks why Dr Demonicus is the only Pacific Overlord who is masked. Since the Avengers already know that he's Dr Douglas Birely.

So Dr Demonicus removes his mask to reveal that his face has been mutated to be like his mask. Horns on his head and strips of flesh across his mouth like the grill of a mask.

The Pacific Overlords are shocked by his appearance and Dr Demonicus yells that he didn't want to be spurned or pitied. BUT SOON NONE WILL DARE TO DO EITHER TO HIM!

Because of his master plan. That thing he's been working on? He's not just ambushing Avengers for shits and giggles. If Spider-Woman hadn't gotten the Avengers involved, they wouldn't even be in tubes right now.

(Thanks, Spider-Woman.)

The undersea base starts shaking so Dr Demonicus explains his plan. Or the vague science behind his plan.

The Hawaiian islands were formed when volcanic magma burst through a 'hot spot', a thin place in a tectonic plate. So Dr Demonicus has used his equipment to create a hot spot artificially with ultra-sonics, to create his own island. And he's going to claim it before anyone else can and call it the nation of Demonica!

Yes, his evil plan is to create an island so he can have his own country.

I don't know that that's an evil plan. Scientifically immoral, probably, because messing with tectonics on purpose can't be ethical. But is there a law against it? Is he hurting anyone?

I mean, besides the superheroes he's kidnapped and also that happy family he kidnapped and mutated.

By the way, Pele has come to her senses and is now big mad that Dr Demonicus turned her baby son into a giant.

So Jawbreaker just punches her in the back of the head.

So much for Pele's revolt.

Living Lightning gets upset at this. I guess chivalry or spotsmanship are one of his good qualities. But Dr Demonicus says he deals with his enemies as he pleases and Living Lightning better watch his mouth or else find that out personally.

So Living Lightning glares but shuts up.

Demonicus' island starts rising up from the depths as magma gushes forth from the holes the Pacific Overlord base has been drilling through the tectonic plates. And since the island is forming right under the base, things are shaking around and everyone is getting knocked off their feet.

Dr Demonicus assures everyone that the base was designed to withstand an earthquake but the tubes holding the Avengers weren't. Scarlet Witch's tube breaks, setting her free.

She assesses the situation but quickly determines that instead of trying to fight the Pacific Overlords on her own, there's a bigger issue in that all the shaking has caused the walls of the base to rupture and seawater is pouring in.

Scarlet Witch focuses her powers to try to seal the breach but then Kuroko hits her in the back of the head with a pipe.

Wonder Man yells that Wanda was just trying to save everyone but Kuroko scoffs that Dr Demonicus clearly didn't need help. He's got this. Definitely considered all the variables.

And I guess he did. Because water stops pouring in because the Pacific Overlord based has been raised to above sea-level. The island/nation of Demonica has been created.

Dr Demonicus: "... Our new island-continent of Demonica -- which will soon by the most powerful nation-state in the entire Pacific!" Jawbreaker, whispering: "Uh, Kuroko -- you think Doc's already got his secretary of state picked out?"

-laugh track-

History will remember Jawbreaker as the funny Pacific Overlord.

I have no idea where this story is going from this point. Because, again, I'm not sure if Dr Demonicus is doing anything illegal, except for all the kidnapping.

But, also, Demonica isn't one of the fake Marvel countries I've heard of.

So who knows where things are going! Except you of next week, when the post on the next issue posts! Future you is so lucky.

US Agent is suddenly paralyzed. Because tattoo man Irezumi had formed the image of US Agent in his tattoos.

Apparently, paralyzing people is something he can do now.

His powers are a bit inconsistent.

Mockingbird realizes this and also noticed Klaw was about to sound-blast her. So she jumped out of the way so Klaw sound-blasts Irezumi, freeing US Agent.

But that doesn't give them any breathing room. Morning Star immediately gets on US Agent's ass, blasting at him with fire, pinning him down. Leaving Mockingbird left dealing with everyone else.

And it's tough enough dealing with superpowered brutes like Jawbreaker without also having to contend with Kuroko invisibly lurking and waiting to take cheap shots.

Huh. It'd be funny if that's what Sue Storm would have done back in the day. Just hang around invisibly and then hit the villain in the head with a hammer.

She doesn't need to do that now. She has force fields that she uses to explode people's sinuses. She missed her time to just be cheap shotting left and right.

Meanwhile, US Agent plays cat and mouse with Morning Star uhh it looks like he escaped the cave and now he's running around a facility with soldiers and civilians.

All former felons from foreign countries.

Someone who seems like an office worker goes out of his way to trip US Agent while he's running past. Agent realizes that since literally everyone in the country is a supervillain or former prisoner, "I'm the only person on the whole island that's on my side! So what else is new?"

Oh, and he's got to be running around slash away because Morning Star is a little much for him. He may be Captain America + Super-strength but she's the Human Torch + Russian.

Annnnd US Agent kind of left Mockingbird to face everyone else alone so odds are he's about to be massively outnumbered as soon as the rest of the Pacific Overlords show up.

Too late to do anything about it, US Agent realizes that Morning Star is herding him. And she herds him right into a corner.

US Agent: "All right, comrade, ti's just mano-a-mano now -- more or less. Let's get this over with, one way or the other!" Morning Star: "Nothing would delight me more, Agent -- but I drove you here so we could have our own private summit conference." US Agent: "Huh? Then you were missing me on purpose? What's the catch?" Morning Star: "There is no 'Catch-22,' as you Yankees say. I want the two of us to join forces -- AGAINST DEMONICUS!"

Dun dun DUUUUUUN!

That would have been a good cliffhanger. But we're not even halfway through so its just a good early story hook.

Anyway.

Remember how those demons were swarming Hawaii?

They attack a military base at the north of Oahu and swarm the fighter jets that scramble to attack them.

The demons chew their way into the jets and then chew up the pilots when they eject.

So if you're wondering how big a deal it is that a bunch of demons have been unleashed on the world?

A moderately big deal.

In a superhero setting, probably about a 6 or 6.5 on the 'oh shit!' scale. The universe has exploded enough times that a demon invasion is not quite apocalyptic in the same way it used to be.

Anyway, the Avengers West Coast and also Darkhawk were in Oahu, watching the planes go down. The planes they warned the authorities not to send up to fight demons.

Because this? This: looks like a job for Avengers.

Darkhawk: "Think you and I can stand off the whole swarm, War Machine?"

War Machine: "If we don't, Darkhawk, then Demonicus -- or else that devil he worships -- gains a strangle hold on the entire mid-Pacific!" Darkhawk: "Looks like it's time to play white knights, Avenger -- even if we're not color-coded for it!"

Military jets stood no chance against tiny, bitey demons but the advanced armor of War Machine and whatever-Darkhawk-has-going-on-hasn't-been-fully-revealed-at-this-point can fight the tide. But it's still two men against a swarm. WITH A SECOND SWARM WAVE COMING IN TOWARDS SOME PILOTS ON THE GROUND.

This looks like a job for the patented Clint Barton, Hawkeye and/or Goliath, bad decision making.

See, he knows they eat flesh. But what if - and bear with him for a second - what if a lot of flesh? What if so much meat it takes a long time to eat? What if he grew really, REALLY big and stood in the demons' way so Scarlet Witch and Spider-Woman could evacuate the pilots to somewhere safer?

God damnit, Clint Barton. You mad lad. You complete and total bad ideas factory.

Your plan to throw yourself into a meat grinder worked. You're getting eaten alive but it's taking a bit longer than if you were a normal sized person.

Also, growing that big is hell for your health but if you wouldn't have lived long enough to worry about that if Scarlet Witch wasn't a convenience factory.

Wanda tries to hex the demons, not sure if her powers will even work on them. And instead, the hex forces Goliath to shrink to Ant-Man size. Leaving the demons chewing on thin air.

Not one to look a gift hex in the mouth, Micro-Sized Goliath scrambles for safety behind a psi-web barrier Spider-Woman whipped up.

Goliath: "By the way, thanks for shrinking me back there, Wanda." Scarlet Witch: "I only wish that was what I'd been trying to do!" Goliath: "HUH?"

By this point, the rescued pilots, Goliath, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Woman are all behind the web barrier. And Spider-Woman dissolves the side closest to a cement bunker so everyone can hide out in there.

But but but: the demon swarm gives up on trying to Get Them and starts to head South towards Honolulu.

Dammit. If the Avengers were just random civilians, they could go 'wow, glad we're safe. Hope they have concrete bunkers in Honolulu.'

But superheroes have to be concerned about demons swooping down on a population center. That's one of the big superhero rules. Be concerned about that sort of thing.

Back on Demonica, Morning Star returns to Dr Demonicus holding US Agent's steaming shield as proof that she totally reduced him to ashes and he's entirely and totally dead for reals.

By the way, US Agent is the worst partner for a ruse like this.

Morning Star starts working on Klaw. Trying to convince him to defect from Demonica and join her. He's the only other member of the Pacific Overlords that isn't under mind control. So he's actually able to give a serious consider to whether he wants to work for a guy that's working for a demon.

Morning Star: "Can you hope for a place of prominence on an Earth dominated by a demon?"

But Morning Star doesn't get a chance to see whether Klaw would go for it because US Agent jumps down from... somewhere? The cave ceiling? and boots Dr Demonicus in the head.

Morning Star: "You fool! Could you not have delayed another moment -- till I had perhaps gained us another ally? Well -- it is too late now!"

US Agent doesn't answer her. He just moves to cutting Mockingbird loose from the sacrificial altar and asks her wryly if she's going to give him grief about jumping the gun.

She is not. She is a fan of being cut free now rather than later.

Kuroko does one of her patented sucker punch someone invisibly from behind things on US Agent.

He is - however - a bit more durable than the other people she's tried this on. He immediately turns around and swings blindly where he thinks she might be and manages to shield bonk her.

US Agent then gets into big buff abrasive jerkass fisticuffs with Jawbreaker.

Irezumi starts to form tattoos of US Agent and Morning Star to paralyze them but Klaw actually did decide to switch sides. He sucker sound blasts Irezumi. Because Irezumi is too OP for group fights.

Klaw is not. The biggest fan of losing his sweet gig as Vice-President of Demonica but also. The world is where he keeps his shit and he doesn't want it to get demon'd.

And since the demon swarm that is already out will fade if Dr Demonicus can't resummon Raksasa, the best play here is to stop that from happening.

So when Demonicus starts chanting the chant and bringing forth Raksasa, Klaw sound blasts to interrupt.

Kain uses his TECHNOKINESIS to take over Klaw's vibranium claw, which starts blasting sonic blasts everywhere.

Kain: "Let them tear the temple apart -- even tear us apart -- but they mustn't touch Dr. Demonicus or Raksasa!"

US Agent grabs Klaw's claw and forces it to the ground, to try to muffle the blasts where a stray shot isn't likely to wing someone.

But US Agent is not a good ideas person today. This was a very bad idea.

Before Dr Demonicus can finish the chant uninterrupted, the island starts shaking.

Remember that Demonica was raised from the ocean floor? Iiiii don't think it was actually a very stable island. Demonica is apparently the tip of a very thin underwater mountain. And Klaw's sound blasts have cracked that mountain peak and the island has started to shake apart.

Which Klaw correctly blames on US Agent and which Mockingbird seconds.

US Agent yells for Morning Star to blast Jawbreaker and Klaw out of the way. Which Morning Star has a Concern about since Klaw joined their side. But she does do it, giving US Agent a straight shot to nail Dr Demonicus with his mighty shield.

Preventing Demonicus from finishing the chant which causes the demon swarm in Hawaii to turn on itself and eat each other to death.

To shreds, you say?

Back on Demonica, various Demonican guards are watching the hostages and not enjoying watching the hostages.

The hostages keep asking questions like 'hey it feels like the island is shaking apart, are we just going to stay here until the building collapses on us?'

So the guards decide they're just going to shoot the hostages. Then they won't have to listen to their lip!

The captain of the guard tells the guard to chill out and to just let the hostages go. Whooooo carrrrrres at this point? The island is going to fall apart!

And it's good that the captain stopped them because the Avengers just showed up and the Avengers hate when people kill hostages.

The Avengers get all the hostages back on their airplane, which takes off shortly before the runaway is torn apart by another earthquake.

The Avengers and the two defectors are trying to figure out what to do next but Klaw jumps in that he's definitely not going with the Avengers. Because the Avengers will just throw him in jail and he has business with Johnny Storm, the Human Torch!

And then a rockslide buries Klaw so I guess the point is moot. He'll show up the next time he's needed but we don't need to figure out his transportation.

Meanwhile, in the cave temple, the Pacific Overlords gather around Dr Demonicus. Most of them are still under the mind control effects of the little devices Demonicus put on them but Kuroko isn't.

But she chooses to stay. BECAUSE SHE HAS ALWAYS LOVED HIM.

Dr Demonicus: "And I -- betrayed your love -- !" Kuroko: "Doctor! They are destroying Demonica!" Dr Demonicus: "No, Kuroko, I destroyed it when I let Raksasa seduce me with visions of total power. I doomed my dreams of an empire -- even as I have doomed all of you! Please -- forgive me."

And then the cave collapses, burying the Pacific Overlords.

Kind of a shame. The Avengers West Coast having a rival supervillain group that wasn't a Masters of Evil style anti-group but the rulers of a crime island was a concept that had legs but we expended it after two entire stories.

Granted. Granted. Avengers West Coast only has so many issues left to its name so we don't have time for a long-standing rivalry between the Avengers West and the Pacific Overlords.

Anyway.

The Avengers that were in Hawaii show up in the Quinjet to rescue Mockingbird and US Agent.

US Agent, somewhat uncharacteristically, extends a fairly polite offer for the Avengers to give Morning Star a ride back to Russia.

Morning Star refuses because she's a true Soviet loyalist and she'll always hate America and the West no matter what the new government in Moscow says!

That said...

She's got complicated feelings about excessively American man US Agent. She spontaneously makes out with him a little and then flies off hoping to see him again, even if it be as enemies.

Perhaps frenemies with benefits.

What an odd lady.

If Marvel Wiki is to be believed, she doesn't show up again. Shame. Kind of wanted to see US Agent grapple with feeling feelings about a lady who his jingoistic ass should hate.

A lot of fun stuff happening in this Thomas run of Avengers West Coast but the book ending on issue #102 makes it unlikely for these ideas to come back and get explored more.

Anyway. For the next while, the liveblog is covering the stretch of Avengers #360-366 before getting into Infinity Crusade. A big ol event that thankfully only ties into Avengers West Coast.

I thought there was an Avengers West Coast Annual before Infinity Crusade but Clint has already switched back to mainly being Hawkeye in the Annual, which is a decision that happens in the Infinity Crusade tie-ins.

Woo, Avengers!

In a flashback, Doctor Demonicus addressed the UN General Assembly, reiterating his pledge to share Demonica's sea floor mineral wealth with all nations and thanking the UN for showing acceptance to a world leader so facially disfigured.

Annnnnd things started off well. That's why we haven't heard from the Pacific Overlords since their arc. The Overlords weren't happy about Demonicus giving shit away but decided not to question him as long as they got plenty of shit too.

But one day, Doctor Demonicus wandered off to explore a newly discovered cave and when he came back hours later, he had changed.

He began to push the work crews harder to open Demonica International Airport so people could start emigrating to the island. Doctor Demonicus was apparently accepting mostly criminals? I think that's what's implied. And the UN had some Concerns about this but Doctor Demonicus got pissed that the UN was criticizing how he grew his population so renounced his minerals pledge.

And then Demonica got more aggressive with recruitment.

A Demonica aircraft tracks down and attacks a UN airliner. Pacific Overlord Kain uses his technopathy to take control of the other airplane so it can't get away. Then the Pacific Overlords storm the plane and fight the Wakandan guards.

And it turns out that this plane is carrying Klaw (master of sound) who Doctor Demonicus really, really wants to recruit for Demonica.

In fact, Doc Demonicus appoints Klaw Vice-President of Demonica.

To Kuroko's chagrin.

I mean, it's weird, innit! First of all, the rest of the Pacific Overlords have been loyal henchmen this entire time. Shouldn't they get a nod before Doctor Demonicus goes headhunting outside Demonica? But, also, in addition, Jawbreaker and Cybertooth are way too cool with this development. When Doctor Demonicus promised to share Demonica's mineral wealth, they had muttered that their better be enough left for them to get wealthy. So why would they be cool with some outsider etting the second banana job?

Also, Jawbreaker and Cybertooth have started wearing little devices on their foreheads and Kuroko thinks it's related.

Kain agrees that the two are too ambitious and resentful to be cool about things. But then Doctor Demonicus calls him on an errand.

To the mysterious cave.

Kuroko invisibly follows in secret.

Inside the cave, Doctor Demonicus and Klaw bring Kain to a strange altar, do a strange ritual, andp lace one of those strange devices on Kain's brow.

This place was a chunk of the sea floor not so long ago. How does it have strange lore? Or does that make it more likely for it to have strange lore?

Anyway.

Doctor Demonicus commands an entranced Kain to be totally subservient to him but to otherwise act as he did before. Then the doctor turns his attention to Kuroko, who he totally knew was there. He gave her powers. Of course he has a way around them. And she is the last Pacific Overlord "not yet initiated."

Doctor Demonicus sends a weird dragon-y snake-y creature to attack Kuroko (that's why she looked so beat up last issue) but she manages to smack it away and run to one of the airplanes.

The dragon-y snake-y creature pursued Kuroko even after she took off. It latched onto the side of the plane and started trying to chew through the hull.

Kuroko pitched the plane up to ascend to where the oxygen is thin until the creachur peeled off and fell to Earth.

Then, Kuroko passed out from her injuries after managing to set the autopilot to take her to Cali-for-ni-i-a to get help from the Avengers West Coast.

Because! They're the only ones Kuroko knows that have the power to bring Doctor Demonicus to his sense. Presumably through punching.

Scarlet Witch says they'll need to verify the story with the UN.

And Spider-Woman also has made some moves! She brought in a ringer! Not about this situation. Just because the Avengers West are low on muscle with Wonder Man and Iron Man off the team.

Spider-Woman doesn't have the contact info of a lot of other superheroes. She hung out with them in Secret Wars and she was a member of Freedom Force but in the former she didn't get contact info and in the latter they suck.

Buuuut. She did meet someone during an Annual issue! And they've kept in touch.

ITS CHA BOY, DARKHAWK!

Spider-Woman booked a plane ticket to have him flown out to California from New York.

Iiiiiiii'm not sure how long term this is going to be. Chris has a life back in New York. School and family. He can't exactly commute cross-country every day.

But still: guest-star, guest star!

The roster of Avengers West Coast has been somewhat more static than the Avengers East Coast because there's just slimmer pickings in California.

Anyway, Darkhawk mentions that Spider-Woman said that Iron Man is inactive but that he saw Iron Man on the news when he was at the airport. He's fighting Battledroids or something.

The Avengers rush over to the communications center (because it has the biggest screen, I guess?) and turn on the news.

Iron Man is indeed on the news (in issue #290 of his own book), fighting Battledroids. Red and gold Iron Man. The news also announces, hey, Tony Stark was announced Not Dead a short time ago.

I guess the Tony is dead plot wrapped up pretty quickly off on its own.

Kuroko asks what any of this has to do with the subplot that she's concerned with.

And then Kuroko is hit by, she's struck by, a surprise ambush.

GET BETTER SECURITY, AVENGERS.

Specifically, new Vice-President of Demonica Klaw and Morning Star, formerly from the Bogatyri.

Morning Star: "We too are here on a lawful mission to take a Demonican citizen back to her homeland." Klaw: "Stand aside -- or there will be a very nasty international incident -- which your heirs will learn about via television."

Darkhawk leaps into action... but doesn't really get the context of what's going on here.

US Agent: "Klaw's an old sparring partner of the Fantastic Four -- and the gal is Izvestia Sandinista -- that's Russian for 'Morning Star'!"

He got her name almost completely wrong. It's Zvezda Dennista. She has to correct him but he just Uno Reverses that correction into claiming her name is MUD before tackling her.

Spider-Woman psy-webs Klaw but he just calls them cobwebs and sound blasts through them.

So in terms of pokemon-style typing, Sound beats Psychic.

Darkhawk swoops in to save Spider-Woman from getting sonic'd by chest blasting Klaw.

And Morning Star really wants to kick US Agent's ass.

Morning Star: "You are the one I most wanted to battle, U.S. Agent -- to prove that a Soviet super-being can defeat one symbolic of America!" US Agent: "If we'd gone one-on-one the first time we met, 'comrade' -- you'd have learned how our personal Olympics would turn out -- way back in the wilds of Northern Canada!"

US Agent is talking a lot of shit for a guy that almost got drowned by the Bogatyri.

Agent throws a rock at Morning Star but she just energy blasts it away.

Meanwhile, Darkhawk gets off-paneled by Klaw. Alas.

Klaw: "That should show you, you armored buffoon -- why I have been called the 'Murderous Master of Sound'! The source of the 'master' sobriquet, you have just witnessed. Now, with regard to the 'murderous' part..."

Spider-Woman returns the earlier favor Darkhawk paid her by telling Klaw to get away from the guest-star.

Klaw basically goes 'pfft' because her webs are no match for his cool sounds.

But it's cool. She's not going to use webs. She's going to use a Mortal Kombat special move.

She kicks him in the face and then grabs his neck with her legs and does him a flip slam.

But, alas. Morning Star was actually staying on task and while everyone else was fucking around, she managed to grab Kuroko and jumps into the escape airship.

Klaw grumbles that he didn't get to smash Spider-Woman. Presumably in the 'defeated in battle' sense but jumps to the ship and the Demonica team takes off.

US Agent decides Fuck This. They don't have any Quinjets? They'll just go and grab one from Stark International and to hell with the red tape! The Avengers aren't allowed to invade a UN member nation because of their charter? Fuck the charter! Laws mean nothing compared to US Agent really, really wanting to beat up a Russian woman.

Scarlet Witch convinces him to at least wait until she can contact the UN in New York on the hotline the Avengers have for contacting the UN directly.

Phone: "Good afternoon. Bonjour. Dobri dyehn. Ni hao. Kennishi wa. Buenos tardes. Buon giorno. This is the office of the Secretary General. Can you hold?" Scarlet Witch: "No! I'm afraid I can't! This is --" Phone: "Thank you. Merci. Spasheeba..." Scarlet Witch: "I can't believe it! An answering machine just put me on hold!"

US Agent's way it will be then.

Agent, HawkGoliath, and Mockingbird borrow the Rover airship that Dr Pym left behind and fly off to Stark International.

Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman, and Darkhawk stay at the Avengers Compound so Wanda can continue to not get anyone on the line.

I thought hotlines were supposed to be direct lines. Geez.

Over at Stark International, many things are on fire. The buildings are on fire. And Rover is under fire by the Battledroids. A stray shot hits the ant-brained airship and sends it crashing to the ground.

Also, US Agent continues to be a dick. Specifically at Hawkeye/Goliath and specifically about Hawkliath bringing his bow and arrows despite having the power of big currently.

When Rover gets shot down and the Battledroids start coming towards the Avengers, US Agent says that Hawkeye should wave his bow and arrow because that will really scare them. And when Hawkeye doesn't immediately shoot any arrows, US Agent asks if he's waiting until he can see the whites of their eyes. Because, y'know, they're robots. They don't have eye whites.

What HawkGoliath was waiting for was for the Battledroids to be close enough to get a bunch of them with an electro-arrow to confuse their robot brains.

Mockingbird reminds Clint not to grow too big. Remember how that didn't turn out well during the Goliath on Goliath fight?

Goliath: "Yeah, hon -- but if I don't go full-size this time -- there may not be a next time!"

And he grows big enough to cross the Battledroids under his fist.

Dammit, Clint. You're going to end up with one of those Hank Pym specific health problems from staying big too long.

Mockingbird tells him to just be careful. And she's so busy worrying about him that a Battledroid almost gets the drop on her. But she wrestles its blasting arm to make it shoot itself.

Pretty cool, Bobbi.

US Agent, decapitating a Battledroid: "'Battledroid', huh? Well, we took care of Ultron and his seven-foot War Toy -- and you clowns aren't even made out of adamantium! There! Now let's see what happens when you lose your head!"

And then he promptly gets shot by the decapitated Battledroid and has to be caught mid-air by Goliath.

Goliath: "You had to ask, huh, glory boy? Go on -- say it!" US Agent: "Okay. Thanks." Goliath: "You're welcome."

And with that grudging politeness and the Battledroids out of the way, the Avengers go to steal/borrow a Quinjet.

Meanwhile,

Kain and Cybertooth hijack an airliner that strayed too close to Demonica airspace.

Apparently a significant airliner because Dr Demonicus cryptically states "It is begun!" when he gets news of the capture.

And the next time box teases "Operation: Pacific Storm!" before calling it a joke.

I guess that the then current consensus had Operation: Galactic Storm as something tiresome? Similar jokes were made about Maximum Carnage after it was published.

ANYWAY.

We're sticking with Avengers West Coast until the end of this Demonica story. Infinity Crusade is coming, alarums, but we have the rest of this arc, an annual, and a bunch of Avengers East Coast to get through before that.

The Pacific Overlords fight over who gets to kill them. Cybertooth wants to chew them up with his cyberteeth. Kuroko is, relatively, more civilized. She offers to cave in their heads while they're unconscious so they die without excess pain.

The Avengers in the tubes protest but there's nothing they can do to stop it.

But Living Lightning can. And he transforms into his electrical form in a blinding flash which dazzles the other Overlords.

Jawbreaker racisms at him and demands he turn off the light show. Which Living Lightning does.

Living Lightning: "I signed on to be a Pacific Overlord, Jawbreaker -- not to stand around and watch some no-brain bigot -- or anybody else -- murder defenseless women!"

Telling him he can't murder is fighting words to Jawbreaker but Dr Demonicus tells everyone to stop ruining his big day with their bickering.

Living Lightning doesn't want to watch women die? Fine, whatever! He can be in charge for making sure they don't cause any further trouble! Including killing them if it comes to that, right, Miguel?

Living Lightning is saved from having to answer that by Hawkeye, US Agent, Sunfire, and Spider-Woman showing up.

Hawkeye even comes in with a line responding to the situation, despite jumping out of a jet.

Hawkeye: "Not to worry, kid -- you're not going to get the chance!"

And then there was a big superhero braaaaaawl!

The Tube Avengers are confused why Sunfire is there. That's because they missed out on Hawkeye's Hawaii adventure.

Sunfire heads right for the equipment but gets blocked by Living Lightning.

Living Lightning: "Keep back, mutant! I don't want to kill anyone -- but por Dios, if I have to, I will!"

He keeps winding up fighting fire guys.

Meanwhile, US Agent winds up fighting both Jawbreaker and Cybertooth and loudly yells at Spider-Woman that he's clearing a path for her.

She takes the opportunity to dash towards the equipment and try to turn off the power dampeners but she gets whapped in the noggin by Kuroko.

It's a bad day to be a spider themed hero without spider-sense, I'll tell you that.

US Agent yells over that he'll come over and help the Avengers. Y'know. If they apologize for voting him out of their "little private club."

Point of order, US Agent. You weren't voted out, you just didn't get the votes to be on the active team. Because nobody liked you because you were a dick.

And you're being a dick even here and now. But you are here and now so that'll probably earn you points even though you're being a dick about it.

Cybertooth tries to cyberchew on US Agent but gets a shield slammed into his chin, nearly dislocating his jaw. But US Agent also faces chin based pain when Jawbreaker kra-KOOM!s him in the face to demonstrate why he was named Jawbreaker.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye winds up facing Irezumi, the guy who has bullshit tattoo powers.

I guess even sonic waves bounce off of him and stick to you when his tattoo reflects his opponent.

He really is the odd man out of the Pacific Overlords in terms of powers.

Jawbreaker and Cybertooth are cybernetically enhanced bruisers. Nothing outlandish about that. Taifu, Pele, and Big One were imbued with elemental powers. A bit more fanciful but within the bounds of reason for what comic book mad scientists can do. Kuroko can turn invisible but its not clear if that's an innate power or tech. Either way, not outlandish.

Then you have Irezumi, who can Uno Reverse any attack IF he's had time to form a picture of his assailant on his chest first. Feels more magical compared to the others.

Back over by the controls, Kuroko continues swinging her bo staff at Spider-Woman, who manages to keep just ahead of getting smashed in the head.

Julia is also forming her slow webbing in the air and despite Kuroko thinking its meant to ensnare her, really Julia forms a web dome around herself. Kuroko can't slip into the dome without giving herself away. It gives Julia some breathing room.

Then the fight between Sunfire and Living Lightning heats up. Ha ha.

Sunfire wants Dr Demonicus because the man hypnotized him and used him. That makes Sunfire very mad.

But a big burst of fire and lightning hit each other, causing a massive explosion that knocks out both elemental supers.

The explosion also knocks Spider-Woman for a loop and weakens her web dome. Leaving her hoping that "Sue Richards's Japanese pen pal" isn't still nearby to take advantage.

(She is.)

Living Lightning lands near Dr Demonicus, Scarlet Witch, and Pele.

The bad doctor tells him to take Scarlet Witch hostage because the battle could easily turn against the Pacific Overlords.

Chivalrous Lightning continues to be and refuses to endanger innocent people.

Dr Demonicus threatens him with the kill switch that will turn off the stabilizers that keep Miguel from dissipating into electricity.

But he took out the remote right in front of the man with lightning reflexes.

You can see how that's a bad idea, right?

Scarlet Witch, who has been regaining consciousness, quickly takes advantage of Living Lightning seeming to heel face turn.

She probabilities that the tubes will turn off and the tubes do turn off, freeing the rest of the Avengers.

And Dr Pym has used his genius brain to concoct a plan while he was tubed up. Everybody? Pick a Pacific Overlord and kick their ass.

That is the plan.

Wasp snarks "That's what I like about you, ex-hubby. Always a detailed plan up your rolled-up sleeve!"

But the plan of 'pick someone and get them' starts off very well.

Irezumi clearly has some bullshit powers so it requires equally bullshit powers to defeat and what's more bullshit then comic book science bullshit?

In this case, Hank tricked Irezumi into Uno Reversing an Uno Reverse and cancelling out the negative with a little psychology.

He said he was going to shrink Irezumi and shot Pym Particles at him. But he really shot 'shrink Hank Pym' Particles. Which Irezumi reversed and that made them into shrink notHank Pym Particles?

This doesn't really make sense but it is acceptably bullshit to counteract the bullshit tattoo power so it works for me.

I mean, the obvious weakness of Irezumi would be just blindsiding him with an unexpected opponent. Change dance partners kind of strategy would get him if it was fast enough that he couldn't switch tattoos. But this works too.

I think the reason this does work for me is that the element of risk. Hank can't shrink anymore due to the deleterious health effects on specifically him. If this hadn't worked, it could have killed him.

But it was worth it to trick a man into shrinking himself by reversing a self-inflicted attack. Or something!

Despite obviously being the most tricksy to deal with, Jawbreaker and Cybertooth didn't have a lot of respect for Irezumi. They're straight-forward brutes and believe in punching things and chewing things.

Cybertooth finally gets to show off his cyberteeth in battle by biting right through the Iron Man armor.

Then Wonder Man kicks his ass.

Jawbreaker tries sneaking up with a big, heavy thing to smash Wonder Man but Scarlet Witch makes him slip n' slide and Wonder Man punches his stupid face.

Wow, Wonder Man could solo most of the Pacific Overlords.

He doesn't really have an answer for Irezumi but in a straight fight, he can easily handle the muscle of the group Jawbreaker and Cybertooth. Kuroko couldn't do a lot to Wonder Man besides waste his time. Annnd Living Lightning defected. So, yeah, Wonder Man could handle most of the Overlords by himself.

Iron Man takes over keeping Jawbreaker busy so Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch can clear the air.

Wonder Man: "Thanks for the hex save, Wanda. Like I said before, I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk about you dumping me." Scarlet Witch: "I didn't 'dump' you, Simon. We're exactly what we always were -- friends and co-workers, all right?" Wonder Man: "You got it." Scarlet Witch: "Then let's get the rest of the Overlords!"

I'm glad that subplot is resolved. I mean, kinda. The romance between Simon and Wanda never truly goes away. Busiek's Avengers had it and Uncanny Avengers had it.

Anyway, off panel, Kuroko knocked out Spider-Woman by thrusting her bo staff through the gaps in her web dome. It wasn't an airtight defense.

But Kuroko goes from one designated girl fight to another. And an interesting counter to her.

Wasp tiny-sized is hard to spot and hard for Kuroko to hit with a staff. And Wasp can't find Kuroko when she's invisible. So they basically counter each other and it becomes a test of whoever's perception is best.

Well, it could have if Jawbreaker hadn't been fleeing from his fight with Iron Man and Wonder Man and crashed right into an invisible Kuroko.

Real clown show right here.

Running low on Overlords, Dr Demonicus asks his head technician, Kaine, to stop the Avengers.

Yeah, there's been a recurring technician character. I don't remember if I've mentioned him before. He felt like a really incidental background character and I was wrong in that assessment.

Kaine replies that even a hundred more men wouldn't be enough and suggests they try... THE CHANGE.

So Dr Demonicus starts pressing buttons on his glove. US Agent asks what he's doing but since Dr Demonicus doesn't explain, Agent punches him in the head.

US Agent: "Whatever it was, pal, it didn't stop my fist!"

Heh. Sometimes I can't hate you, Walker.

But then Kaine starts glowing and US Agent realizes that maybe that's what Dr Demonicus was doing.

Giant-Size Kaine.

Dr Demonicus' secret back-up weapon if the Pacific Overlords completely fuck up.

And Kaine isn't just big large huge. He's also immune to Pym Particle shrinking. Annnnd can take control of machines in his vicinity.

He takes control of Iron Man when the armored Avenger tries to attack him and uses him to blast Sunfire and keep the other Avengers at bay with repulsor blasts.

This is comic book control over machines so it works even if it doesn't make much sense.

Kaine also controls some power cords to tangle up Scarlet Witch, although Wonder Man tears them off of her.

Wonder Man mentions to her that he wants to fly up and join the fight but he's afraid that Kaine will take care of his jetpack. Scarlet Witch mentions that her powers might be able to cancel out his control (so why haven't you done that for Iron Man, yet?). So she protects Wonder Man's jetpack from takeover but nothing protects Wonder Man from his own stupidity. The guy flies right at Kaine and gets smacked out of his predictable trajectory.

Living Lightning tries next.

He's worried that Kaine will be able to take control of the fail-safe that Dr Demonicus put in his costume. But it seems that when he converts to his lightning form, so does the costume and the mechanisms in it can't be controlled when they're electro-plasma.

So dats good. But Living Lightning also isn't having much of an effect on Kaine. Dats bad.

Dr Pym laments that he can't become Giant-Man and just wrassle with Kaine at his own size. But mentioning that gave Wasp an idea.

Wasp: "Anybody who goes Godzilla like that probably has the same problems [Hank] did at first. For instance, overextended arteries that don't quite get enough oxygen to the brain fast enough!"

The Pym Particles growth effect has long been something that stressed the body. When Hank was Goliath, he could only become tall for so long or risk getting mode locked. Which was what happened. Wow, it's been ages.

POINT BEING, Wasp is betting that Dr Demonicus isn't quite the genius Hank is in the field of size-changing so Kaine will have the vulnerabilities of early Giant-Man.

So she shrinks down, goes into his ear, and zaps him. And the pain is so great that Giant-Size Kaine immediately falls over, passes out, and shrinks back down.

Good job, Wasp.

Also, Iron Man called Hank Hank because he's done pretending he's not Tony Stark to his Avengers buddies.

Remember how that was a thing? I know there was a Yakuza attack and also an entire Collection Obsession since then but that's kind of a big deal.

Anyway, the fall of Kaine leaves Dr Demonicus with no more cards to play.

Just kidding, he has one more card to play.

He turns his computer monitors to the UN channel, where one of his lackies is appearing, disguised as an unmutated Dr Birely, to announce the founding of the nation of Demonica.

The UN has quickly recognized the new country thanks to 'Dr Birely' promising to trade its bounty of ocean floor mineral wealth with the world.

Also, Demonica is going to be open for immigration!

Living Lightning: "Avengers -- isn't there something you can do? That guy's a menace!"

Ha, unfortunate juxtaposition.

Anyway, remember when I kept wondering whether any of this evil scheme was actually illegal?

Yeah, I guess not.

And the Avengers can't do crap about Dr Demonicus if he's a fully recognized world leader and member of the UN because the Avengers work for the UN.

Taifu and Pele might do something as independent and angry citizens but HA joke's on them, Dr Demonicus cured their enormous baby and will reunite the family. They have no leg to stand on!

And as legally recognized overlord of Demonica, Dr Demonicus is kindly asking the Avengers to get the fuck out of his country.

So the Avengers do.

I mean. They've already punched every inhabitant of the country at least once. What more can they do here?

As the Quinjets quinjet out of there, apparently US Agent has been reinstated onto the team. At least partially because Hawkeye didn't tell them about Agent breaking into the compound and kicking his ass. And also because they need the help since Hank and Jan are going off to do other stuff.

Oops, the Avengers just got a call from Tigra. She's decided to stay in Australia, for reasons. She met some cool Aborigines that I guess she wants to hang out with?

Clearly, this is a roster shake-up issue. And Hank and Jan have been talking for a little while about wanting to take some time off from Avengersing. But Tigra calling to quit after she crashed a Quinjet out of the plot is some Quicksilver tier arbitrarily leaving the roster.

That's Classic Who level of 'we have to write out this companion and it doesn't matter how' arbitrarily leaving the roster.

Anyway, she says Spider-Woman can have her spot.

Mighty kind of her considering they didn't seem to be getting along for the brief periods where they interacted.

Since the Avengers are now down three people, US Agent says he's going to be a regular member or nothing. And Hank agrees that US Agent can have his spot on the team.

Y'know. If he and Hawkeye can keep from killing each other.

Wasp says that if they do kill each other, it's not their problem anymore. And since we're just naming replacements that we barely know... Wasp nominates Living Lightning.

He really impressed her by having morals and turning on the bad guy.

Living Lightning: "If you'll take a chance on me, Vengadores -- I'll take a chance on you!"

Hey, hey! Considering that when his origin story was happening to him, he wanted to take over the country or whatever, this is a good step for Living Lightning!

I'm happy for him.

Also happy for Hank and Jan since some messages Hawkeye took in previous issues give some hints about what the two will be up to after they leave the team.

Janet's agent loved her spec screenplay and Dr Jennie Palk from UCLA called about Hank missing their date because he was kidnapped.

As a story, the Pacific Overlords uhhhh well, it's very funny that if the Avengers hadn't gotten involved, things probably would have shaken out much the same way. I don't know, I think the Avengers at least saved Taifu and Pele and their enormous baby. I think Demonicus magnanimously letting them go was more about undercutting any cause the Avengers would have to stick around causing trouble rather than out of the goodness of his heart.

So at least there were some interesting new characters, some dumb moments, some fun moments, and a last hurrah (for now) for Hank and Jan. While Tigra gets to crash a jet and disappear for most of the plot. This isn't as good a last hurrah for her, considering she's been with the team since Day 1.

Still, I am excited to see how the new roster dynamic will shake out. Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Iron Man, Spider-Woman, US Agent, and Living Lightning.

A lot of personality.

But next time, back over to Avengers for issue 340. And then Infinity Gauntlet. And then Subterranean Wars. And only then back over to Avengers West Coast.