Today's Lunchtime Reading West Coast Avengers #22 Lost in Space-Time, Part 6: The Time of Sands!

West Coast Avengers #22 Lost in Space-Time, Part 6: The Time of Sands!

Published:

July 10th 1987

Writer: Steve Englehart Penciler: Al Milgrom Cover Artist: Al Milgrom

In 1876, Mockingbird, Two-Gun Kid, and Rawhide Kid ride into Lordsburg looking for Lincoln Slade. The Phantom Rider is already onto them, however, and lures them out into his territory where he can fight them using all his illusory tricks. Mockingbird sees through all of them easily and together with Rawhide and Two-Gun, they force Phantom Rider to run.

In 2940 BC, the Priests of Khonshu direct the revived Avengers to a hidden path to Rama-Tut's base. Inside, they catch a glimpse of Doctor Strange, also visiting the time frame for dubious reasons, but they're soon too busy fighting Rama's guard robots to help Strange deal with his own robots. They also spot monitor screens showing Rama tormenting a young Fantastic Four.

With their fellow time travelers just out of reach, the Avengers instead focus on what they came for, time machine parts to help them return to their own time. Unfortunately, they're so besieged by Rama-Tut's defenses that they're unable to gain anything useful before the concurrent adventures end with the facility being destroyed and every other time traveler leaving without noticing them.

In 1917, Mexico, a much older Isabel Ramirez shows her grand-daughter, Chita the family bible she had hidden in a tree after stealing it back from the local church. While she's revealing the bible, a nearby rope bridge collapses, endangering a boy named Benito Juarez.

Isabel pulls the boy to safety, though the strain causes her own heart to give out. Chita decides to honor her grandmother by cherishing the bible that was her inspiration.

And in the present day, Hank and Bonita return to Avengers Compound from taking Rover out for a spin only to greeted by a trespassing Moon Knight. Hank takes the opportunity to try out his combat skills using the re-sized gimmicks in his pockets, but Moon Knight isn't there to mess around, he's there to point them to the conspicuous note hidden between the pages of Bonita's family bible.

 Finally realizing that the other Avengers are lost in time, they race to contact the FF, but find they're too late. Reed Richards explains that Dominus' Desert Dwellers had already arrived and destroyed their Time Platform.