Avengers Spotlight #33
The Circle-T Killings Continue
Hawkeye has declared to shut down the Stone Perfs whose bloody drive-by shootings have been terrorizing the streets of Los Angeles. However, his mission has drawn out a gun-toting vigilante called the Terminizer who has been murdering the gang members he has incapacitated before they can be arrested by the police. The spree killings have made the headlines, making the press wonder if Hawkeye is working with the Terminizer.
With a public funeral for the deceased gang members scheduled for the next, Hawkeye and his wife Mockingbird decide to attend in the hopes of preventing the Terminizer from showing up and taking more lives.
The following morning, Hawkeye and Mockingbird arrive at the funeral just as it is being crashed by members of a rival gang called the Mode Blanks. Their quick action prevents the Blank modes from gunning down the mourners. However, the Stone Perfs are less than grateful for the save and are about to attack themselves when Captain Zamora of the LADP arrives and gets the gang members to stand down. With the funeral resuming, Zamora tells Hawkeye and Mockingbird that he his investigation into the identity of the Terminizer hasn’t gotten any leads. As Zamora goes to get a wagon to pick up the Mode Blanks, Hawkeye and Mockingbird wonder if the Terminizer might be a cop and wonder why he didn’t strike the funeral as it could have easily allowed him to wipe out the rest of the gang.
Meanwhile, at the Beverly Hills office of Newmark Reality, Lotus Newmark’s right-hand-man Fernando Torres is being treated by Newmark’s private physician. The doctor tells Fernando that the wound to his stomach is a sign that Lotus trusts him, otherwise she would have killed him outright. Torres learns that Lotus rewards those she trusts, and that she gave the doctor a job after he lost his medical license doing an illegal surgeries for her and then didn’t rat her out when he got caught. After getting patched up, Fernando meets with Lotus’ lawyer Auggie Slater who tells him that Newmark sees potential in him and then takes him out to buy some fitting clothing for his new position in her criminal operations.
While at La Reina hospital, Monica Gutierrez is still recovering in the hospital from her gunshot wounds. Although she previously blamed Hawkeye for her injuries, she has come to realize that the Stone Perfs after her son Luis saved the archer’s life.[1] She tells Luis that she has been talking to Hawkeye and how the hero promised to take Luis for a ride on his sky-cycle when the street gang has been dealt with. A huge fan of Hawkeye, Luis can’t wait.
A few hours later, back in Beverly Hills, Lotus Newmark meets with Fernando and compliments his new wardrobe. She then gets down to business and tells Torres that they need to deal with both Hawkeye and the Terminizer. Since the Stone Perfs are attracting so much heat, she suggests that Fernando call a meeting of the gang in order to lure the hero and the vigilante to that location so they can be eliminated. Fernando is reluctant to put his fellow gang members in harms way, but Lotus seduces him into going along with the plan.
That evening, as Luis Gutierrez is heading back to the hospital to visit his mother he overhears members of the Stone Perfs talking about a meeting being called at a nearby rock quarry. When Luis tells his mother, Monica calls Hawkeye to tell him what her boy had heard. Hawkeye wants to go alone, but Mockingbird insists on coming along. Soon they arrive at the quarry and confirm that the entire Stone Perfs gang has gathered there and prepare to strike, little knowing that they are walking into a trap.
Recurring Characters
Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Lotus Newmark, Fernando Torres, Auggie Slater, Luis Gutierrez
Continuity Notes
When Hawkeye was shot by members of the Stone Perfs in Avengers Spotlight #30, Luis called for an ambulance, saving Hawkeye’s life. In retaliation the Stone Perfs did a drive-by of his house in the following issue. It’s later revealed in issue #36 that Luis is secretly the Terminizer.
The Xenophobic Man, Part Three: Beliefs and Callings
The US Agent has been dispatched to Texas to investigate a serial killer who has been murdering undocumented immigrants that have been crossing the border. Having learned that the killer is a member of the Border Patrol and that he took on guard duty over the survivors of the Xenophobic Man’s last victims, US Agent races to the hospital with Captain Hitchuck and his men. They arrive at a gruesome scene as the killer had murdered a trio of young children. The Agent learns that a nurse was forced to tell the Xenophobic Man the location of the Sanctuary Movement — a group that helps the undocumented set up new lives in America — and heads out to put an end to the killings once and for all. Wanting to help, Hitchuck offers a US Agent a helicopter so he can get to the church faster than he would by road.
Arriving at the church, US Agent hears gunfire coming from the barn where the Sanctuary Movement had been hiding undocumented immigrants once they cross over the border. Racing inside he finds that the Xenophobic Man has gunned down a number of the Mexicans living there and is about to execute the priest who has been sheltering them for being a “traitor” to his country.
US Agent’s arrival allows the priest to grab one of the injured and carries her outside. In the ensuing scuffle, the Xenophobic Man manages to slash US Agent’s calf with a knife. When he tries to run after his surviving victim, US Agent tosses his shield making the killer drop his machine gun. However, the Xenophobic Man still has a hand gun and presses onward. Getting to his feet, US Agent recovers the machine gun and races back up into the church where he confronts the Xenophobic Man threatening the priest and his victim again. When the Xenophobic Man threatens to shoot his hostages, the priest pleads with them not to commit murder in a house of God. This plea falls on deaf ears to the US Agent who is so furious he promises the Xenophobic Man that if he shoots the hostages he will be the next to die.
Recurring Characters
US Agent, Xenophobic Man
Topical References
This story refers to the Mexicans trying to cross over into the United States as “Illegal Immigrants” or “Illegal Aliens”, these are dated terms and their use should be considered topical. The current term being used now is “Undocumented Immigrant”, an effort to destigmatize people coming to America to find a better way of life.
