Synopsis / Summary / Plot
This issue continues directly from #6 where neighbour Simone and her 2 kids came to Clint Barton's apartment to watch a cartoon special. Clint had agreed to it because he was responsible for wrecking her cable connection.
The bulk of the issue is a version of that cartoon show. In the opening page Simone falls asleep (her head resting on sleeping Lucky the dog), and Clint is left to watch the Wintertime Winter Friends Winter Fun Special with the kids. On the last page Simone wakes up to find the show over and Clint asleep on the sofa. She covers him up and her family leave. And Lucky goes back to sleep with his head resting on his master.
I guess Clint fell asleep very early in the show, and the version we see is probably his dream version because it contains analogues of many chars in his life.
Kids are enjoying winter fun when it suddenly warms up, and they call on the Winter Friends to sort it out:- Yaldog representing the Persian holiday Yaldog. Rama-In-Pajamas for the Hindu Diwali who's strangely a llama. Yuletide's Santalope. Samantha Hain, the pagan princess. Kwanzaagator. Menorable, the cat with 9 lives and 9 candles. But they too are all defeated by the heat generated by the Sun in human form sitting on a park bench. As they pass out they realise that their only hope is ...
... Steve the powerless dog back at WF HQ. He hears his name being called and drags his purple uniform (with an arrowhead symbol) from the costumes cupboard. But he's interrupted by Lil the li'l dog (in purple hat and scarf) and the big dog Herman who refers to Steve as his brudder, and they want to join in the adventure. However Steve insists that he can do this by himself! But they ignore that and follow him.
They are confronted by a pack of wolves (or maybe dingoes as they call themselves) whose fur has a set of 3 white stripes from front to back on either side. They pepper their sentences with 'dog' (instead of 'bro') and Steve hates these guys. (Marvel Fandom Wiki calls them the Tracksuit Dingoes.) The Dingoes attack and our dogs aren't doing well until 3 female super-dogs come to their aid. Spooky zaps the villains from her wristlets, Lady has a costume with 6 extra legs like a spider, and the 3rd is named Birdie with a familiar mask. Steve is still saying he doesn't need help as the Dingoes are seen off. But then the heat gets to the other dogs and Steve runs off alone to the Palace Of The Sun to rescue the Winter Friends. But the heat gets to him too as he approaches.
Inside the Sun is gloating over his tied-up Winter Friends. But then Steve hits him with a snowball (how did he get *that* there?) and gets him on the ground. But the foe blasts him with sunrays. Steve keeps dodging them and taunting him (and maybe getting the blasts to burn the ropes off his pals because) suddenly the WF are there with Steve's doggy allies (who maybe just undid the ropes). And the WF call on Mother Winter who comes and banishes the Sun from her time of year.
Back at WF HQ it's time for a party but Steve isn't in the mood. Lil comes to see what's up. He tells her he couldn't have done it without her and she thinks they make a good team. But they disagree about the billing order.