Marvel Team-Up (1972) 83

Marvel Team-Up (1972) 83

Jul 1979

Slaughter on 10th Avenue!

by Chris Claremont, Sal Buscema, Steve Leialoha, Joe Rosen, Ben Sean, Allen Milgrom

Spider-Man wakes up the next morning on the rooftop where he was shot by Nick Fury. He is surprised that he is still alive but takes that as an indication that Nancy Rushman must also still be alive.

Nick Fury suspects that someone is trying to destroy SHIELD from within. He received a warning from the Black Widow before she lost her memory. He talks to SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell about what he knows of the situation while the doctors try to revive the Black Widow.

Peter Parker turns to Daily Bugle reference librarian Maggie McCulloch for help in locating SHIELD. She tells him to check the phone book and track the number back. He finds the building and arrives just in time to help Nancy Rushman escape.

The villain behind whatever is going on is aboard the SHIELD heli-carrier as are two of her super powered minions: Silver Samurai and Boomerang. She sends them after the Black Widow who is now asleep in Peter Parker’s apartment. Nancy wakes up confused to see Peter Parker but then the Black Widow starts to remember things. She was captured, tortured, and interrogated by a woman. The memory is too much and Nancy passes out again.

Nick Fury shows up at Peter’s apartment. He found it thanks to a tracking device that he had placed on Black Widow while she was in SHIELD custody. He doesn’t know it but he is being followed by Boomerang who attacks just as he is ordering Peter and Nancy to get in his car. Peter changes clothes and joins the fight in the confusion after Boomerang blows up Fury’s car.

The heroes are a little too much for Boomerang but then the Silver Samurai shows up. He is under orders to retrieve Boomerang and that’s exactly what he does as he uses his teleportation ring to whisk them away from the rooftop of Peter’s apartment building.

Thoughts

Nancy Rushman has recovered some of her memories but she still isn’t sure who she really is. Clearly my guess about her being an LMD must be off the mark. I think she was just brainwashed. Nancy Rushman, according to Nick Fury, was the name that the Black Widow used when she first came to the United States.

The villain behind it all in this story has yet to be fully revealed but it is pretty clear to me that it must be the Viper.

There is a brief reference to the fact that Nick Fury has some backup coming but there is no indication of who that is. Presumably it is the guest star of the next issue: Shang-Chi. I don’t think that it is a reference to Clay Quartermain who shows up very briefly in this issue.

I’m still enjoying this story. I like the way it is drawn and the way that Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema are layering the various parts of the story together.

Stan’s Soapbox

Stan continues to tease that there will be a new comic book magazine coming from Marvel in the near future without revealing very much about it.

Bullpen Bulletins

Conan the Barbarian 100, Star Wars 25, Defenders 73, Amazing Spider-Man 194, Daredevil 159, Marvel Fun and Games 1, Archie Goodwin is getting married,

Web-Zingers

There are more complaints or requests for changes on this letter page than there are words of praise. The first letter is very complimentary about the story from Marvel Team-Up 76 & 77 in which Spider-Man teamed up with Doctor Strange (76) and Ms. Marvel (77). The second letter takes Chris Claremont to task for the way some of the characters were portrayed. The third letter is a demand for the return of Arcade. The final letter is filled with more complaints, this time the writer wants more team-ups that spill over into other books like X-Men and Avengers.