Marvel Team-Up #125

On her way to a job, Tigra dashes across the city but is halted when she sees a police officer warning a group of teenagers about drinking and disturbing local businesses. One of the punks grabs a tire iron to assault the cop but Tigra swoops down to seize the kid while the cop judo flips another attacker. The kids flee and the cop declines to follow them because he knows where to find them; besides, he was once like that and doesn’t see jail as helping them in any way. Impressed, she kisses him and invites herself to dinner when he finishes his shift….

Tigra shows up for her job a little late; she will be a celebrity spokesperson for Kwikkee Burger, a fast-food chain. She is surprised to find Spider-Man there. The boss Bickey explains that his superiors insisted he team Tigra with a better-known hero for the commercials. Spidey changes his mind and departs and Tigra films the commercials as originally intended. When she is leaving, Spidey is waiting and asks her for a date but she brushes him off. An embarrassed Spider-Man realizes he was attracted to her because she reminded him of the Black Cat, recently dead. Then his Spider-Sense tingles, indicating a huge man walking along the street and he follows him….

Tigra is waiting outside the police station when her date, Officer Carl Kronsky exits, surprising him because he wasn’t sure she was serious. As they dine at a restaurant and Tigra flirts, the big man enters and smashes the table in front of them. He doffs his coat and hat to reveal Zabo, brutish henchman to villain Malcolm Donalbain, whom she thought dead. But he isn’t and he’s stronger than she remembers. Spidey arrives and tries to fight the villain. Tigra leads them all into the street where she tries to contend with the vengeful brute but Spidey and Carl keep getting in her way—and each other’s—as they try to rescue her. They end up crashing into a Kwikkee Burger and wrecking the place. Zabo reveals that he is seeking revenge for the Cat’s having killed his master Mal Donalbain while Tigra tries to explain that Donalbain killed himself. And then Zabo goes one step further to reveal Mal Donalbain was his brother. Spidey leaps on Zabo and Carl arrives with a force of police officers while Tigra tries to explain to them that Zabo is a victim of Donalbain’s manipulation. But Zabo thumps Tigra, knocking her out. Spidey makes the decision to believe what Tigra has been saying so he webs up the cops. Tigra revives and, at the big guy’s mercy, groggily pleads with Zabo to realize that Mal was lying to him. Zabo pauses…then crashes out of the place, tears in his eyes….

As Tigra and Spidey makes all the explanations to Carl Kronsky, including an assurance that the webbing will soon dissolve, freeing the cops, Daily Bugle photographer Lance Bannon arrives to snap some photos of Spidey. Then Kwikkee Burger big shot Bickey arrives and throws a fit over the damage to the store. He fires Tigra from being the company rep; she makes a smart remark and takes off, also telling Carl that maybe she won’t be seeing him again either. Bickey continues ranting so Spidey webs up his mouth and takes his leave, too….

Cross Fire

Synopsis

By Peter Silvestro
Rating:

A movie studio is shooing a film on the occult; the problem is the writer copied a mystic incantation out of a genuine magic tome so that when the words are recited by an actress, it conjures up a real monster. The huge reptilian beast, wreathed in flames, smashes its way out onto the street where Wanda Maximoff is shopping for a gift for her husband. She sees the monster attacking a man on the street and casts a hex which causes a water tower to burst engulfing the monster in water and allowing the victim to get away. She follows the man to the Sanctum Sanctorum where they are greeted by Doctor Strange who reveals that the man is his servant Wong and Wanda is the Scarlet Witch, as he casts a spell that dresses Wanda in her familiar red outfit. Wanda wants Strange to help fight the monster but he just calmly sits them down to discuss the matter while Wong serves tea. From Wanda’s account, Strange identifies the creature as one of the Fire-Beasts of Beliath. By now the Beast has reached the Sanctum and the heroes go out to meet it. The Fire-Beast launches a flaming attack at Strange but Wanda casts a hex that causes a billboard to fly from a rooftop and shield Dr. Strange from the flames. Strange uses the Eye of Agomotto to bathe the monster in the Light of Truth, revealing that the Beast is scared and just wants to go home. Strange opens a portal, sending the creature back where it came from. Wanda is embarrassed at so readily assuming the monster was evil but Strange comforts her, noting that she never tried to hurt it. As Wanda departs, she thanks Strange by casting a hex that fills his home with flowers….

Characters
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