This comic includes three short stories: "Back in the Fight", "Walls", and "Sanctuary".
Back in the Fight
At the headquarters of The Daily Bugle, editor Robbie Robertson rallies the staff. Even though the Darkforce Dome has closed over the entire island of Manhattan, the Bugle headquarters included, Robertson is adamant that they make their deadlines and publish the next issue on schedule. An intern named Jenny Sheldon is excited by Robertson's pep talk as Robertson goes to talk with Ben Urich about the supervillain attack on the city, but at that moment an explosion knocks both men down. Sergei Kravinoff, called "Kraven the Hunter", bursts in and demands information on Spider-Man's whereabouts so he can hunt the superhero. Robertson protests that they don't have a lot of information on Spider-Man anymore, and haven't since former editor J. Jonah Jameson lead the paper. Kravinoff demands Jameson's whereabouts while Sheldon, who is Jameson's niece, rushes off to warn him.
Sheldon runs down the street and is mugged by a thug who wants her expensive camera, but the thug is immediately beaten down by Jessica "Spider-Woman" Drew. Drew tells Sheldon to get inside, but Sheldon says she has to go help someone, and adds that she has a flare gun, rape whistle, and mace with her so she can handle herself. She hurries away and reaches Jameson's apartment; he doesn't want to see anyone but agrees to let her in once she reveals that she's the daughter of photographer Phil Sheldon and thus his niece. Jameson muses that Phil was the best photographer he ever had except for maybe Peter Parker and Sheldon tries to warn Jameson about Kravinoff, but before they can talk more Kravinoff bursts through an upstairs window. Jameson muses that Kravinoff must have followed Sheldon to his location and then rushes off to fight.
Jameson runs onto his balcony holding a golf club and bragging about his boxing prowess, but Kravinoff beats him down. Kravinoff then says he wants information on Spider-Man. Jameson tries to laugh this off by mocking Kravinoff's goofy outfit and pretentious manner, and he rants about how all 'costumed creeps' ultimately just bully civilians or settle scores with each other. Kravinoff cuts him off and yells that the events in New York City are just part of a global conspiracy, but before he can actually hurt Jameson he sees Sheldon. Sheldon shoots at him with the flare gun and misses, which Kravinoff mocks, but then Drew sees the flare, swoops in, and knocks Kravinoff out as Sheldon photographs the fight.
Jameson gripes that he was rescued by a spider-themed superhero and wishes Steve "Captain America" Rogers were there to help him. He then says they need to go to the Bugle to report on the global conspiracy Kravinoff mentioned, indicating to Sheldon that Jameson had been baiting Kravinoff for information. She helps the injured Jameson make it to the Bugle, where he sighs that his fight for the truth cost him everything. Sheldon smiles at him and says he didn't lose everything. Jameson then approaches his staff, including an injured Robertson who welcomes him back with open arms.
The next issue of the Bugle has a front-page article on Drew beating up Kravinoff.
Walls
Onboard Alpha Flight's satellite, Kevin "Star Brand" Connor watches members of Alpha Flight try to find a way through the shield surrounding Earth. He muses to himself that he isn't even supposed to have powers but only got them by accident; moreover, his powers are about defending Earth but he can't actually get to Earth to defend it because of the shield. Sighing at the irony of the situation, he watches as Carol "Captain Marvel" Danvers, Monica "Spectrum" Rambeaux, and Peter "Star-Lord" Quill talk about how a Stark Industries engineer named Hopper found a few weak areas in the shield. Connor then thinks that even though Danvers and her team don't know what to do, they're not letting that stop them from trying to find a path to victory anyways. He's then shoved aside by medics taking the injured Marcus "Hyperion" Milton for treatment and whines that he's just in the way. He doesn't know how to use his powers, which means he's effectively useless. However, when he hears Danvers say to find a way that the weak points can be broken open, he gets an idea.
Connor flies to the shield and tries to use his powers, which let him sense how molecules and atoms bond, to feel for weak points in the shield. However, he finds he can't feel anything at all past the shield, which means he can't help break through it.
Sanctuary (Part 3)
Namor's guards tell him that the rebel faction set off some bombs as a diversion, then freed their allies from Namor's prison. They also freed the two former Invaders, Jim "Inhuman Torch" Hammond and Thomas "Toro" Raymond. Now the rebels are heading towards the armory to seize a very powerful weapon.
Namor bursts into the armory with his troops and yells for Aquaria "Namora" Neptunia, the rebel leader and his cousin, to stop. Neptunia, standing in front of a control panel along with Hammond and Raymond, tells Namor that he's too late and that he shouldn't have imprisoned dissidents who objected to his neutrality with HYDRA. She boasts that her forces will seize the weapon. Hammond objects that he thought they were just destroying the weapon, but Namor says that Neptunia knows he will never negotiate about this. Hammond then destroys the control panel. Neptunia and Namor immediately call him an idiot, and while Hammond protests that he just destroyed the control panel so the weapon could be used, a gigantic jellyfish monster—no longer constrained by the controls—emerges from the bottom of the room and begins attacking them.
Everyone begins to fight the monster, though Namor orders that the monster not be harmed more than necessary but instead be pushed back into the pit. Raymond decides to lure it back in and dives into its pit; the monster pursues him into its depths and he quickly heads back to the surface. Netting is dropped into the pit but Raymond manages to get out of the netting just before the monster reaches it; it's caught in the netting and thus subdued. Raymond, Hammond, and Neptunia are then arrested.
Neptunia says that she has committed treason and thus wants a public execution instead of just being unceremoniously killed in a ditch. Hammond and Raymond object, but Neptunia tells them to shut up, and Namor agrees with her request.
Tropes:
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hammond tries to destroy a 'weapon' but accidentally releases a gigantic monster instead.
