BLACK KNIGHT: EXODUS

Stan Lee Presents: Dane Whitman, Master of the Ebony Blade
"THE BOND"
Writer Ben Raab | Penciler: Jimmy Cheung | Inker: Andy Lanning
Lettering: Richard Starkings and Comicraft | Colors: Tom Zuiko
Editor: Kelly Corvese | Editor in Chief: Bob Harras

The Plot: In another dimension, Sersi attempts to open a portal to bring herself and the Black Knight home. They're both enveloped by light and then awaken in the twelfth century, where the Black Knight inhabits the body of his ancestor, Sir Eobar Garrington, in Egypt searching for an "Eternal Pharaoh" alongside his best friend, Bennett du Paris. Sersi catches up with the Knight and he recognizes her. That night, one of Garrington's men informs him that Paris has left. The Black Knight and Sersi head out to find him.

Meanwhile, Paris battles a humanoid/insect creature in the desert, and he unleashes his mutant power to defeat it -- then he vanishes. Sersi, meanwhile, fills Garrington in on her past with his descendant, Dane Whitman. Garrington realizes that he must turn his body over to Dane, and so allows his spirit to depart. Dane assumes control of Garrington, then he and Sersi are attacked by one of Garrington's former allies, Sahreed -- who reveals himself as a mutant in the service of the Eternal Pharaoh. Then a gigantic citadel appears, from which emerges the Eternal Pharaoh himself, Apocalypse. Apocalypse says that he has rewarded Paris with great power, and then later inside the citadel's dungeon, Paris -- now calling himself Exodus -- visits with Sersi and the Black Knight. He challenges the Knight to a duel and takes him away, leaving Sersi behind. But she immediately breaks free of her bonds and follows the pair.

As Apocalypse watches, the Black Knight and Exodus begin their fight. Exodus outmatches the Knight, but Sersi appears and mindblasts him. He overcomes her power and takes her down, and Apocalypse orders Exodus to kill them both -- but Exodus refuses to serve his new master and attacks Apocalypse instead. The villain then vanishes, and Exodus disappears with him. But six months later, the Black Knight and Sersi, along with two of the Knight's crusaders, find Exodus in suspended animation inside a tomb created by Apocalypse. The Knight's allies swear to guard the tomb with their lives forever, then the Knight and Sersi embrace and disappear, apparently bound for home at last.

AVENGERS #382

"OFFERINGS"
Writer: Bob Harras | Breakdowns: Mike Deodato | Finishes & Colors: Tom Palmer
Letterer: Bill Oakley | Editor: Ralph Macchio | Chiefs: Tom DeFalco/Mark Gruenwald

Note: AVENGERS #379 - 382 were published as "Double Features" with a GIANT-MAN limited series included as a "flipbook" within those issues. I will cover the GIANT-MAN serial in one post after issue 382.

The Plot: Crystal, Quicksilver, Bova, and the High Evolutionary emerge from the wreckage of Bova's cabin as some of the Evolutionary's New Men approach. But the mutated Fydor, now calling himself Rakkus, kills the New Men. The Avengers and the Evolutionary battle Rakkus, who continues to evolve. Bova tries to reason with the beast, but it grabs her -- so the Evolutionary blasts its chest, killing it. Rakkus, who was actually a mutant inhabiting and changing Fydor's body, retreats, and Fydor reverts to normal, dying in Bova's arms.

Continuity Notes: At Avengers Mansion, Black Widow finds Captain America asleep in an easy chair and notes how unusual that is for him. She recalls meeting him during World War II in Madripoor (and note the little jab Ralph Macchio takes at the UNCANNY X-MEN issue which featured that meeting in his editorial note, indirectly calling out the fact that Widow was presented as a child in that story, which circa 1994 -- or even 1990, when the UNCANNY issue was published, would've been pretty hard to reconcile.

The Widow also suddenly finds herself attracted to Cap and reaches out to touch him as he sleeps, but is interrupted when Jarvis wanders into the room. In the aftermath of this moment, the Widow thinks to herself that she's entertaining some "very dangerous thoughts" about Cap. (Notably, in the backup story, covered below, when Cap radios the Widow at one point, she replies by calling him "Handsome.")

AVENGERS #375

"THE LAST GATHERING"
Writer: Bob Harras | Penciler: Steve Epting | Inker: Tom Palmer
Colorist: John Kalisz | Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editor: Ralph Macchio | Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: The Avengers head out into Manhattan to face Proctor and the Gatherers, who have appeared in the city with the imprisoned Sersi and Ute, the near-dead Watchter. The Avengers attack, working to protect civilians and take out the Gatherers, while Proctor severs the barriers between dimensions, causing various buildings in the city to be replaced with alternate versions of themselves. While his teammates battle the Gatherers, Black Knight engages Proctor one-on-one. Proctor reveals that he carries the Ebony Blade of his dimenson, and the duel continues.

Thena and Sprite arrive to help the Avengers, while Proctor gains the upper hand on the Black Knight and then begins to "gather" him, which would merge them together. But Quicksilver intervenes, , knocking the pair apart. Thunderstrike and Crystal take Proctor down with a lightning bolt, which also knocks out the Gatherers. Sersi and Ute break free of their imprisonment, and Sersi picks up the Ebony Blade, which she uses to kill Proctor. Then, as Ute dies, he expends the last of his power restoring New York to normal. He also opens a portal to a pocket dimension, where Sersi can go to be free of the madness consuming her. As she prepares to go, the Black Knight declares that he will join her. As the Avengers watch, the pair vanishes together into the portal.

UNION JACK

"TRADITION" | "FAITH" | "FATE"
Writers: Ben Raab & John Cassaday | Artist: John Cassaday
Colors: Dave Stewart | Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft/OS
Editor: Tom Brevoort | Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
With Acknowledgment to the Work of Roy Thomas & Frank Robbins

In the final few years of the twentieth century, Marvel put out several mini-series which read like "pilot episodes" for revivals of various series. There was a WARLOCK series by Tom Lyle. Two MOON KNIGHT series by his creator, Doug Moench. But the brightest gem among these, so to speak, was UNION JACK by Ben Raab and John Cassaday.

Raab seems to have a rep as a typical hack writer from the nineties. While I was not enamored with his one ongoing series, EXCALIBUR, I found his numerous limited series and one-shots to range from good to great. His dialogue is fine -- I would go so far as to say a cut above some of his contemporaries from this era. And the trait I value most in any comic book writer -- his knowledge of past continuity and/or developments in concurrent series, coupled with a great ability to use that knowledge for springboards to new stories -- is outstanding.

UNION JACK AND THE DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON

(No, sadly this is not the title of an upcoming Marvel team-up style series. But could you imagine...?)

Remember the other day when we covered CAPTAIN AMERICA #254, in which young Joey Chapman took on the guise of Union Jack? Well, that was in 1981. Not much came of Union Jack for several years afterward. He made some appearances in the Marvel U.K. comics, where he joined the super-group called the Knights of Pendragon, and he popped up in John Byrne's NAMOR series in the U.S. for a two-parter involving Spitfire and a reunion of the Invaders. But overall he was dormant for quite some time.

Then in 1998, Ben Raab and future superstar artist John Cassaday produced a limited series titled UNION JACK, which served as a sequel to the original Roger Stern/John Byrne origin. Jack remained relatively low profile in the years that followed, with only occasional appearances in CAPTAIN AMERICA and a brief stint as one of Chuck Austen's NEW INVADERS, until he again popped up to headline a mini-series in 2006.