AVENGERS #366

"THE FIRST RULE!"
An adventure of the mighty Avengers brought to you by:
Bob Harras/Steve Epting/Tom Palmer
Letterer: Rick Parker | Editor: Ralph Macchio | Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: At Avengers Mansion, Sersi warns Black Widow and Captain America that the Black Knight and his team are being tortured. Vision arrives to confirm the story, explaining that he witnessed his teammates' capture and watched as a Kree ship rose from beneath Galen Kor's farmhouse headquarters. The ship left, ferrying the nega-bomb, and Vision was unable to keep up with it, so he returned to the Mansion. Sersi immediately flies off, her mental bond with the Black Knight leading her to him. Leaving the injured Vision behind to coordinate operations, Captain America, Black Widow, Giant-Man, and Magdalene follow.

On an island in the South Pacific, Galen Kor's soldiers finish torturing the Black Knight and Crystal, then turn their attention to Deathcry while a captive Hercules watches helplessly. Galen Kor speaks with someone over a comlink about delivering the captive Avengers to a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Black Knight continues to try to reach Sersi. The Avengers approach the island and are intercepted by two Kree Sentries. Sersi takes one out while Giant-Man defeats the other. Vision informs the group that the nega-bomb will soon detonate. Inside the Kree ship, Galen Kor orders his troops to execute Deathcry -- but Hercules finally breaks free of his bonds and attacks, at the same time the rest of the Avengers burst into the ship.

The nega-bomb's final ignition begins, allowing Kor and his men to beam away. The Avengers move to the bomb, where Vision directs Sersi to transmute its energies. She manages to to mostly do so, but Vision realizes the bomb will detonate before she can finish. The Avengers retreat, and the bomb takes out two hundred square miles of uninhabited ocean. Elsewhere, Kor apologizes to his benefactor for his failure to deliver the Avengers, and the mystery man is revealed as the Collector, who vows that he will someday capture the Avengers.

AVENGERS ANNUAL #22

"BLOOD WRAITH"
Writer: Glenn Herdling | Penciler: Mike Gustovich
Inker: Ariane Lenshoek | Letterer: Steve Dutro | Colorist: Gina Going
Associate Editor: Pat Garrahy | Editor: Ralph Macchio | Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Note: This annual also features a backup story spotlighting new characters called the Anachronauts. It has nothing to do with the Avengers' ongoing saga and I have opted not to cover it here.

The Plot: A group of mystics invades Avengers Mansion, in search of the Black Knight's ebony blade. The intruders gain the upper hand over the Avengers in residence, Crystal, Hercules, and Vision. Meanwhile, at the Black Knight's castle outside Washington, D.C., the Knight spars with his squire, Sean Dolan. But when an Avengers priority alert comes in, the Knight mounts his steed, Valinor, and takes off for New York. Back at the Mansion, Black Widow arrives and helps Crystal against her opponents, while Sersi shows up to aid Vision and Hercules. Outside, Black Knight confronts the final invader, Le Sabre. Le Sabre tells the Knight that several wizards are engaged in a race to collect various artifacts, and the ebony blade is one of them. Le Sabre says that someone is surely already at the Knight's castle, seeking to claim the blade.

And back at the castle, two more villains break inside. They are confronted first by the castle butler, Catherwood, and then by Sean. When the castle's caretaker, Victoria, appears, one of the men takes her hostage. Sean grabs the ebony blade as is transformed by its magic. He maims one of the invaders and kills the other, then, overtaken by the sword's blood curse, lunges for Victoria. The Black Knight arrives and stops him, with the Avengers showing up soon after. The battle moves outside, where Sean draws Hercules' blood and knocks out Vision, then proves immune to Sersi's powers. Black Knight engages Sean again, and during their fight, the former squire christens himself Blood Wraith. Eventually, the Avengers all recover -- but the Black Knight wants to face Blood Wraith alone, so he allows him to leave for the time being. Blood Wraith mounts Valinor and takes off for parts unknown.

AVENGERS #352, #353, & #354

"SON OF DARKNESS" | "TO WAKE THE DEAD" | "THE CONQUEROR WORM"
Writer: Len Kaminski | Penciler: M.C. Wyman
Inkers: Tom Palmer (#352), Ariane Lenshoek (#353-354), Steve Alexandrov (#354)
Letterers: Rick Parker (#352), Chris Eliopoulos (#353), Bill Oakley (#354)
Colorists: Tom Palmer (#352), Ariane Lenshoek & Rob Tokar (#353), Mike Thomas (#354)
Editor: Ralph Macchio | Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: (Issue 352) The Grim Reaper appeals to the dark god Lloigoroth for supernatural powers, and they are granted him. Soon after, the Reaper causes an airliner to crash, killing everyone aboard. He leaves a calling card in the form of a large stone skull beside the wreckage. The Avengers are summoned to investigate, and take the plane's "black box" back their mansion. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper next tranports a subway train into another dimension. He then appears at Avengers Mansion and tells the heroes to come to the caverns where he first died. The Avengers travel there and descend underground, battling supernatural creatures conjured by the Reaper. The Reaper himself appears again and transports the Avengers to another realm.

(Issue 353) In a Hades-like world, the Avengers battle the souls of those killed by the Grim Reaper. As the heroes search for their enemy, the Reaper gloats over several living humans he has captured. The Avengers soon find the Reaper's hideout, while within, the Reaper uses his magic powers to turn his prisoners into a new Legion of the Unliving, composed of super-villains who died battling the Avengers. The Avengers enter the Reaper's home, but are attacked by the Legion, and seemingly defeated in the darkness.

(Issue 354) The Grim Reaper watches as his Legion battles the Avengers. The heroes all appear to have met their matches in the various villains, but Vision slips away and confronts the Reaper in his inner sanctum. There, Vision, reminds the Reaper that the Avengers did not kill him -- the Reaper took his own life when he realized how much evil he had done. When the Reaper is forced to acknowledge this, he loses his control over the villains' souls. They attack him, and then Lloigoroth appears, telling the Reaper he is disappointed. Lloigoroth consumes the Reaper, and the Avengers are transported back to their home dimension. They emerge from the caves and return to their Quinjet.