It’s part 3 of this weird SHIELD story. Same creative staff. The first scene is on the SHIELD helicarrier, now completely under the control of our villains: Boomerang, Silver Samurai, and Viper, who is finally revealed to be Viper. I don’t know why she was kept in shadow last issue. They always hide the villain while also making it super easy to guess who it is, I don’t know. We devote a shocking 4 pages to seeing how Viper survived her apparent death in Captain America #182, and then how she was rescued by a dude from “The Japanese Red Army” (The what now?), went to Japan, got her life together, fell in love with the dude who saved her, and then developed a plan to destroy the entire United States Federal Government. Hey, aim high, you know? Her gang developed a “Hypno-beam” to brainwash SHIELD agents, and then she sent Silver Samurai, a goon of her lover, to steal the Cavourite Crystal way back in MTU 57 (To be seen eventually)! He was stopped there by Spidey & Black Widow. Man, Chris Claremont loves some long-running plot threads. The Cavourite Crystal was to power a teleporter, so when they couldn’t get that, she sent the Samurai to get that ring from John Belushi in MTU 74, because, as seen last issue, it’s a teleportation ring. So they hypno-beamed the whole staff of SHIELD’s New york office, got a bunch of plans and schematics and whatnot, then teleported onto the Helicarrier to take that over. And now she’s ready for her masterstroke. Exposition! What about the good guys, though?
So Nick Fury has to once again liberate SHIELD from the control of evil forces, which seems to be something he does every Tuesday, and to accomplish this, he has sent Spider-Man and… a woman suffering an identity crisis… I mean, I don’t know. Normally, Natasha would be way more qualified for this than Spidey, but right now? This is who you’re going with? Perpetually terrified “Nancy Rushman?” I guess that’s why I’m not in charge of SHIELD. As soon as they land, a SHIELD team appears on deck, and they avoid detection by hanging off the side of the ship. But then “Nancy” becomes terrified again, and Spidey goes to get her, and…
Peter Benjamin Parker! That woman is not in her right mind! When Fury’s greeted on the flight deck by longtime SHIELD Agent Clay Quartermain and some others, they all prepare to kill him. And that’s when the guy Fury called in last issue enters the picture. And also starts narrating the issue. They keep him hidden for a page even though you can see him on the next page as he mops up the SHIELD team.
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. He gets to work fighting Boomerang, who, as usual, is presented as a super tough enemy even though it’s BOOMERANG. I mean, seriously.
Shang-Chi wins the fight, but Boomerang sets off another explosion that seems to bury them both in twisted metal! But then on the next page, Boomerang is fine and Shang-Chi is laid out. Uh, ok. Boomerang reports to Viper that Shang & Fury are dead. And I’m sure they are. Meanwhile. Spidey and “Nancy” sneak into a porthole in the ship and are immediately discovered. Like, immediately. Viper comes to gloat as they’re executed.
(Buscema hand) And Boomerang turns out to be Nick Fury? What? Notice his shadowed face hides his eyepatch, but he had 2 eyes when he reported they were dead minutes ago. Ah, who cares? A surprisingly harsh and 100% accurate description of Shang-Chi, there, and they didn’t even spell his name right! After that, everybody was kung fu fighting. I’ll be honest, those cats were fast as lightning. Then Spider-Man gets knocked out a window by Silver Samurai. No, really.
Do your worst, gravity! Our guy falls from a great height 10 times a week! I mean, I guess this is it for Spider-Man. Shang-Chi, Nick Fury and 3rd grade teacher Nancy Rushman are just gonna have to bring this one home without him next issue.