Synopsis
Avengers, The (1963 series) #341 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
Video of teenaged Carmello Martinez being beaten by police in New York City becomes a sensation, polarizing the city and leading to protests over what is being called “The Carmello Clubbing.” A young man named Leonard Kryzewski is interviewed on television, expressing his contempt for minorities and liberals. Suddenly, Rage appears and confronts Kryzewski, taking and breaking his weapon. Kryzewski and his pals leave on a threat of the white minority taking back the city. Rage tells the interviewer that the cops have a lot to answer for. He is described as “Avengers spokesman” and his Granny Staples sees him on TV….
Meanwhile, Captain America is overseeing a training session with Falcon and Rage involving flying discs that sting when hit. Rage loses his temper and smashes the program controls so that Cap must leap in and shut the discs down manually. Cap asks Rage what is the problem. Rage wants to know what they are going to do about the Carmello Clubbing. Sam tries to explain that it’s more a job for social workers than superheroes so Rage walks out….
Leonard Kryzewski gathers his pals to reveal that the Sons of the Serpent will be operating again as a mystery “helper” has bought them uniforms….
At a Manhattan penthouse, Dwayne Turner and Andrew Chord discuss the Carmello Clubbing as they work out with staffs and Turner decides to call on his friends while donning his Night Thrasher gear….
Peggy Carter shows Michael O’Brien that she has done a computer search and identified Leonard Kryzewski as one of the Sons of the Serpent and decides this is something Cap should know….
Steve and Sam visit Rage’s Granny Staples to air their concerns about Rage and his reaction to the Carmello Martinez incident. She shows them a photo of two teen boys and points out that Carmello is on the right…and then realizes what they didn’t know: that the other boy is Eldon and that Rage is only fourteen years old….
The Sons of the Serpent, in their flashy new uniforms, appear in the Canarsie neighborhood and announce they will be cleaning up the city; a group of neighborhood toughs are there to fight back. The New Warriors are on the scene, assembled by Night Thrasher to maintain peace. Firestar and Marvel Boy leap into the fray and use their separate powers to create walls separating the two factions. The combatants hurl missiles over the barriers but Silhouette deflects them with acrobatic ease. Namorita jumps into the fray, taking down the biggest bruiser. Then Rage arrives and he and Namorita get into an argument that turns into a fight and Thrasher, insulted by a Serpent who realizes he is Black, nearly escalates the violence. They are coming under the spell of the Serpents’ “helper,” a new Hate-Monger, manipulating their emotions from a nearby rooftop. Then the Avengers, Cap, Falcon, Black Widow, and Vision arrive—and Hate-Monger is pleased….
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Andrew Chord, Marvel Boy (
Vance Astrovik), Michael O'Brien, New Warriors, Night Thrasher (
Dwayne Taylor), Silhouette.
Enemies
Hate-Monger (Animus), Sons of the Serpent.