TALES OF THE THE TEEN TITANS #48 & #49

"THE RECOMBATANTS!"
Co-Creators/Co-Editors: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez | Writer: Marv Wolfman
Guest Penciler: Steve Rude | Guest Inker: Al Gordon
Penciler (epilogues): George Pérez | Inker (epilogues): Mike DeCarlo
Letterer: Todd Klein | Letterer (epilogues): Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy

The Plot: A group of genetically engineered artificial teenagers named the Recombatants escape from a Dayton Industries facility near Las Vegas. In New York, Cyborg mulls over some new procedure S.T.A.R. Labs is developing which could change his life, but is soon summoned to Titans' Tower.

Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, and Jericho head to Nevada to round the Recombatants up. The Titans bring the Recombatants back to the lab, where the scientists who created them explain their intention to destroy these "prototypes". The Recombatants make a run for it and the Titans pursue, but the teenagers choose to take their own lives, destroying the power core that would have allowed the Dayton scientists to create more Recombatants, in the process.

Back in New York, Changeling shows Jillian around Dayton Manor and is reprimanded by his stepfather over his offering Donna and Terry the use of the house for their wedding. Meanwhile, Terry receives word that his ex-wife wants to speak with him and worries about her intentions. At Titans' Tower, Jericho attempts to visit Raven but she forces him to leave.

TALES OF THE THE TEEN TITANS #46 & #47

"SHOWDOWN!" | "FINAL CONFLICT!"
Co-Creators/Co-Editors: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez | Finisher: Mike DeCarlo
Letterer: Bob Lappan | Colorist: Adrienne Roy

The Plot: (issue 46) The Titans, along with Aqualad and Aquagirl, attack the H.I.V.E.'s undersea base and break inside. Raven briefly succumbs to Trigon's influence during the fight, but regains her self-control.

Meanwhile, Cyborg returns to his apartment late at night following a fruitless search for Changeling, to find his grandparents waiting for him. He chastises them for missing his father's funeral, but ultimately the family makes peace. Elsewhere in the city, a woman reports to the authorities that a man who attempted to mug her was brutally assaulted by a green lion.

Back under the sea, the Titans infiltrate the H.I.V.E. base, but the organization's leader has them lured into a trap and jettisoned into the water aboard a pod which subsequently explodes.

(issue 47) Raven's soul self rescues the Titans and they re-enter the H.I.V.E.'s base. Too weak to continue the fight, Raven teleports away. Meanwhile, at Titans' Tower, Cyborg tries to level with Changeling when Changeling's ex-girlfriend, Jillian, shows up.

Underwater, the Titans split up. While Nightwing and Aqualad stop a torpedo from destroying Atlantis, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Jericho, and Aquagirl go for the H.I.V.E.'s leadership. But upon their arrival they find the full H.I.V.E. council dead, their leader having killed them and then herself to avoid capture.

The H.I.V.E. defeated, the Titans head home. In outer space, the mysterious Monitor updates his files to list the H.I.V.E. as inactive.

HULK! MAGAZINE #17, #18, & #20

”NIGHTS BORN TEN YEARS GONE” | “SHADOWS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY”
”A LONG WAY TO DAWN”
Script: Doug Moench | Art: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Klaus Janson (#17-18) | Colors: Olyoptics® | Editor: Rick Marschall

The Plot: (issue 17) A serial killer called the “Hatchet Man” buys a hatchet and mask and murders a nurse, the ninth in a string. Jake Lockley learns that the latest victim had a note pinned to her body, threatening “Lisa and her lover” and realizes who the Hatchet Man is. Later, Steven Grant explains to Marlene that ten years ago Marc Spector found himself hunting an unstable fellow mercenary named Rand who killed a nurse. Spector beat Rand, but caused him some brain damage in the process.

Marlene insists on helping Moon Knight draw out the Hatchet Man and dresses as a nurse. She walks a path proscribed by Moon Knight and sure enough, the Hatchet Man assaults her. But the police arrive and open fire, winging Marlene. Hatchet Man escapes with her and Moon Knight gives chase into Central Park, where his quarry delivers a hatchet to Marlene’s back. As the Hatchet Man escapes, Moon Knight vows vengeance on him, invoking his real name: Randall Spector.

(issue 18) Leaving Marlene with the police, Moon Knight pursues his brother deeper into Central Park. Hatchet Man kills a wino and takes a nurse’s assistant hostage. Moon Knight saves her, but is injured in the process. Hatchet Man then escapes into a rocky ramble. Moon Knight unmasks himself to appeal to his brother, but the Hatchet Man charged madly at him. Unable to properly counter the attack due to his wound, Moon Knight dodges instead. Hatchet Man is impaled on a gnarled tree branch.

Moon Knight travels to the hospital, where he is informed that Marlene is in critical condition and may not survive the night.

TALES OF THE THE TEEN TITANS #45

"H.I.V.E." a.k.a. "OLD TIMES, OLD FRIENDS"*
Co-Creators/Co-Editors: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez | Finisher: Mike DeCarlo
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy

*Note: This story has no title listed with its credits in the NEW TEEN TITANS OMNIBUS volume 3. The DC Wiki and Comics.org both list the title as "H.I.V.E." while the Omnibus table of contents lists it as "Old Times, Old Friends".

The Plot: A dehydrated Aqualad and Aquagirl, on the verge of death, arrive at Titans' Tower to find no one home. Meanwhile, Changeling breaks up an arms deal but nearly kills the criminals present before Cyborg stops him. Elsewhere, Cyborg's grandparents arrive at his apartment and pick the lock to let themselves in.

On Long Island, Terry Long's brother hosts his bachelor party with Dick Grayson in attendance, while on Paradise Island, Wonder Girl (accompanied by Starfire) requests Queen Hyppolyte's permission to marry Terry. At Manhattan College, Raven finishes class and brushes off her would-be suitor, Steven, before being picked up by Jericho. But when she senses trouble at the Tower, Raven teleports ahead.

At Titans' Tower, Aqualad and Aquagirl are in a water tank, having been discovered by the visiting Wally West and Francis Kane. After Nightwing cures them, Aqualad explains that the pair was out swimming when they found a H.I.V.E. base and came under attack. They were poisoned and retreated to Titans' Tower.

Nightwing declares that it's time to finish the H.I.V.E. and leads Wonder Girl, Starfire, Raven, Jericho, Aqualad, and Aquagirl out in the Titans' submarine.

TALES OF THE THE TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #3

"THE JUDAS CONTRACT BOOK 4: FINALE"
Co-Creators/Editors: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez
Embellishers: Dick Giordano w/Mike DeCarlo
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy

Note: This issue does not have credits in THE NEW TEEN TITANS OMNIBUS volume 2. The above credits are pulled from the DC wiki.

The Plot: At the H.I.V.E.'s base in the Rocky Mountains, the captive Titans are hooked into a machine which will drain their powers for the H.I.V.E.'s use. Deathstroke observes and reveals to the Titans that Terra is on his side. Elsewhere, Adeline confronts Wintergreen, who describes to her the day Slade Wilson became Deathstroke, rescuing him.

Meanwhile, Nightwing and Jericho break into the complex and find their way to the Titans in disguise. But they're forced to reveal themselves and are defeated by Terra; however Jericho soon possesses his father and frees the Titans. A battle ensues in which the majority of the H.I.V.E. operatives are defeated, Deathstroke is captured, and Terra is killed.

Later, the Titans and Outsiders hold a funeral for Terra, and the Titans keep her villainy a secret from the world at large.

My Thoughts: I said before that "The Judas Contract" was an intentionally created classic, and I think, having finished the storyline, that it's safe to stand by that assessment. The saga of the H.I.V.E. and Deathstroke's contract with them dates all the way back to the series' earliest issues, and it finally comes to a conclusion here. Deathstroke is at last captured and the H.I.V.E. suffers what is almost certainly a crippling blow.

AVENGERS BY KURT BUSIEK & GEORGE PÉREZ OMNIBUS VOLUME 1

Some months back, I railed against Marvel's decision to include the 12-issue AVENGERS FOREVER mini-series in their then upcoming AVENGERS BY KURT BUSIEK & GEORGE PÉREZ OMNIBUS, but I went ahead and pre-ordered it anyway, selling off my old AVENGERS ASSEMBLE hardcovers to subsidize the purchase. And, as it turns out, I'm quite happy I did.

This AVENGERS run, by writer Busiek and artist Pérez, was really my first time reading the series -- or at least the mainstream Marvel Universe version of it -- on a regular monthly basis. I knew of the Avengers; I'd seen them plenty of times in guest-spots in other series I read. I had even read a handful of issues from the period when Bob Harras was the series' regular writer. But it was actually Busiek's THUNDERBOLTS, which launched around the time the Avengers were rebooted via "Heroes Reborn", that got me to pick this series up. I loved that first year of THUNDERBOLTS, and when I learned that its writer would be handling AVENGERS and IRON MAN when they returned to the mainstream universe, I made plans to follow those titles as well.

HULK! MAGAZINE #15

“AN ECLIPSE, WANING” | ”AN ECLIPSE, WAXING”
Script: Doug Moench | Art: Bill Sienkiewicz & Bob McLeod
Colors: Steve Oliff | Editor: Rick Marschall

The Plot: (story 1) Steven Grant pays a visit to his friend Jason, an amateur astronomer, at Jason’s estate on the night of a total lunar eclipse. But as they prepare to view the eclipse, Grant catches sight of three hoods approaching the house. He excuses himself, changes to Moon Knight, and finds one of the thugs, incapacitating him, but is unable to locate the others. After a fruitless search, Moon Knight is knocked unconscious by a lumbering behemoth during the full eclipse. Eventually he comes around and returns to Jason’s home as Steven Grant.

(story 2) Bruce Banner has traveled to upstate New York to keep the Hulk away from populated areas on the night of the total lunar eclipse. But Banner unknowingly wanders into the grounds of an estate, where he comes across three men preparing to rob it. The men chase Banner into the woods but he transforms into the Hulk and takes two of them out. The third escapes and Hulk goes looking for him but instead, at the height of the full eclipse, he runs into a caped figure and slaps him unconscious, then walks on, pleased to see the moon returning to normal.

Continuity Notes: Grant notes that Marlene was unable to come to Jason’s because “…she's free to live her own life” and goes on to imply that she's on a date. Up to now we always saw Marlene lounging about in Grant’s bedroom, dressed and otherwise, and they were clearly a couple. But based on these thoughts, apparently they have what’s sometimes called an “open relationship”.