Since I deleted all my posts, I’m reuploading the few hauls I didn’t permanently delete in worse quality. Proud to say I l1fted over $150,000 in the three months I l1fted for. I will not be l1fting right now, but I don’t think I’m done for good.
In Captain America Annual #4, Mags and Cap clash for the second time. Someone put an ad in the paper needing a caretaker for a mutant, and both men arrive at the same time. No idea why Cap is invested in something like this - it feels a bit below his pay grade. Mags attacks him on sight, shooting lightning from his fingers. Fuck yeah.
Magneto is actually kinda right here, at least compared to his Silver Age shenanigans. He did attack Cap, but that's just a superhero hello. He doesn't explain it well, but his paranoia is justified as Cap plans to take the mutant to some government science facility. Mags is like 'don't fuck with me' and Cap is like 'you're a criminal.' Anyway, they meet the dude who placed the ad who's unimpressed with both of them.
The 'mutant' is a tiny little guy who lives in his watch - Mister One. They're actually a creature with two bodies and the second body is enormous. Mags steals Mister One with his powers, not noticing the huge Mister Two behind him. Too busy cackling.
Mister Two smooshes him for that and tossed him out the door. Mags talks a lot of shit and sixties histrionics but bails in his Magna-Plane. Considering Thor found his Magna Sub, I have to assume he has a fleet of vehicles named either after magnetism or himself. Cap takes both bodies to a government facility, which the mutant hates. It's really bizarre in that Magneto's villainy is almost informed, and Cap just surrenders the mutant to SHIELD captivity.
Why does Mags even want the tiniest person in existence you ask? Well, he got his hands on a tiny spaceship and needs someone small enough to get in there. He's convinced there's treasures inside. This is a different Brotherhood of Evil Mutants which he's much nicer to - including PEEPER! Peeper is a legend and I love how he and Mags were still buddies on Krakoa. Anyway, after Peeper scopes out the situation it's time to strike! To rescue the mutant from the clutches of SHIELD.
The Brotherhood create a diversion by attacking Cap so Mags can liberate Mister One. This guy shoots beams from his forehead that burns shit, Slither is basically a big snake - strangling is their game. Good for them. Lifter throws boulders at Mister Two, but it's not very effective. They do their job and bounce, revealing that Magneto took Mister One. Mister Two isn't happy about that.
While Cap is theorising about the mutant, Mags is delighted. He has THE SMALLEST MAN IN THE WORLD! Only the little dude isn't interested in helping him. Mags threatens him with a candle. I'm beginning to think that Magneto's characterisation wasn't all that consistent at this time. Still, it's funny, and PEEPER is here.
The troops want to know what they're fighting the government for, and Mags clues them in. Mister One says fuck this shit and bails to his other body. After some convincing, Cap lets him go and joins him on a raid of Magneto's base.
The Brotherhood put up a decent defence, with Cap somehow surviving Burner setting him on fire. Peeper has got fucking eye beams though, and regulates Cap with them. Sadly, Mister Two dies. Nice mutant solidarity, assholes.
Magneto joins the fray by hurling Cap around and flinging knives at him. He doesn't kill him, despite being able to very easily, and Cap punches the shit out of him. The Brotherhood are back in the game, surrounding Cap, however Mister One is about to die without his other body. He sets the tiny alien ship to explode and Mags bails on the situation. He gets away but his Brotherhood get captured, the mutant with two bodies is dead, and his base is blown up. Weird shit, and kinda dull if not for the presence of Magneto and PEEPER.
Funnily, Nova tries to arrest Magneto for the death of this being 50 years later. In a pretty slick retcon, Al Ewing made him a Shi'Ar Subguardian thus making it a space crime.
Cover Date: May 1980
On-Sale Date: February 26, 1980
At last we come to the end of the Tunnelworld tedium. Unlike last issue, the Earth-bound Defenders manage to slip in a appearance as well as the members of Mutant-Force who are being arraigned for their crimes. Sadly no action with these guys. Nighthawk continues his battle with U.S. Government forces in his civilian identity of Kyle Richmond. It's nearly over!!!! Now on to the Unnameable (sic)!
At the end of last issue, things seemed to be looking for our trio of Defenders. The possessed Hulk was trapped in the repaired Orb of Ommennon and Ytitnedion was knocked out by Namor and company arriving just in time to keep him from clobbering Doc's ghost form. Now Doc is heading back to his body that was abandoned in the citadel sewers. (YUCK!)
Doc makes his way up the levels of the citadel intending to rescue Xhooxh, only to discover he was killed last issue. Finally, Doc, bearing Xhooxh's body, makes his way up to the chamber where Namor and Ytitnedion are discussing next steps to handle the Unnameable.
The wingheads bring the news of their freedom to the populace. They are not exactly thrilled at the prospect. To be fair, there is still the Unnameable to deal with and the people don't think they can win.
Back on Earth, in the mythical state of California, we find the government is cutting a deal with Mutant-Force. I expect we will eventually find out what it is.
Back in New York, Hellcat, as Patty and Valkyrie engage in some retail therapy. Val feels a bit bad about spending Kyle's cash while he's under investigation, it can't be too bad as she also says she feels better than she has in weeks. Moving past that grammatical mess, the ladies stop at a yogurt bar and Patty brings up her mother, calling her a character but getting cut off before she can elaborate. This may seem a random remark, but in a few issues it will have more meaning.
Patty's motherly anecdote was interrupted by gunshots. Running outside, the ladies discover a bank robbery in progress. Val handles the getaway car while Patsy takes care of the ones on foot.
Val inquires how Patsy was able to handle the burglars without her costume and Patsy is just as surprise. The pair returns to the yogurt bar to find their packages have vanished.
Nearby, Kyle discusses his case with his attorney, noting that the attack on the Air Force base a few issues ago has been ignored by the press. Between that and the Mutant-Force getting a potential slap on the wrist seems to indicate Uncle Sam has some naughty things going on.
In Tunnelworld, the Defenders, wingheads and others proceed. They come to a narrow, very cold tunnel described as the end of the world. They decide to bury Xhooxh here. The Unnameable doesn't seem to like it and a blizzard pops up. Doc uses his All-Purpose Amulet as a flashlight. It unfortunately doesn't ferret out Ytitnedion, who slays one of the wingheads.
Doc draws everyone inside the orb. This keeps the blizzard from masking buzzard-man, but they are also at the mercy of the Hulk, who is inside the orb with them. Namor wants to kill the Hulk and Ytitnedion to end this once and for all, but Doc stops him. An image of the Hulk's face dominates the landscape and Defenders proceed through Hulk's eye to face the Unnameable inside Hulk's mind. (What there is of it.)
Inside the Hulk's mind, the Defenders find themselves face to face with lots of old enemies. Doc manages to manipulate the mindscape and sweep them all away. Next, the Unnameable tries a direct approach. The Hulk attacks Namor and Ytitnedion attacks Doc. Doc decides an attempt to strip away illusion is in order and this leads to a series of very difficult to read panels.
The Unnameable withdraws from all the other minds it occupies to shore up its strength for the battle with Doc. Doc fails to see reality and almost succumbs to the Name. Doc manages to hang on and the Unnameable hides in Hulk's memory. Doc finds himself inside Hulk's physical brain and needs to call on his skills as the world's greatest neurosurgeon.
Doc manages to isolate the Name from the rest of the Hulk's mind and passes out as he tries to cast a spell returning him to reality. Fortunately, everyone is returned to the physical world and the Hulk says his head feels strange. Get it?!
Ytitnedion can no longer remember the Unnameable's name and the Defenders allow him to be sucked into the vacuum at the end of the world. Doc says the real Ytitnedion ceased to exist ages ago.
It's time for Aeroika to return to his people and the Defenders to return to Earth.
Whew! It's done! I'm not sure that ending made much sense. I did like Doc needing to call on his neurosurgical skills for the final answer. Not seeing the Unnameable makes me wonder about its nature. Is it a conceptual being? Does it exist because others believe in it? Is that how Doc was able to whittle it down to just its name and trap it in a couple of isolated neurons? We will probably never know. As of this writing we never return to Tunnelworld. Nor do we ever learn of the Unnameable escaping Hulk's neurons. I'm a bit disappointed in Doc just letting Ytitnedion commit suicide. It seems out of character.
I'm just glad it's over and there are a few set ups for future storylines. Those seemed more interesting than the Tunnelworld finale. Except for a one off appearance in a few months, Mutant Force won't really return for quite a while. Patsy's mom will become a factor much sooner. Of course, Kyle's money always seems to be getting him in trouble.
Maybe it was worth it to see Hulk in other than purple pants.
