Today's Lunchtime Reading West Coast Avengers 32 Buried Monsters!

 West Coast Avengers 32 Buried Monsters!

Published: May 10th, 1988

Writer: Steve Englehart Penciler: Al Milgrom

Cover Artist: Al Milgrom

The Wasp visits the West Coast Avengers compound to help out in lieu of the recent absence of Iron Man (who is off fighting the Armor Wars). There is a lot of tension in the air at the HQ, but everyone welcomes Janet with open arms. Mockingbird suggests that what everyone needs is a vacation to help wind down from recent events. She arranges for everyone to make a field trip to visit the Grand Canyon.

But Mockingbird has an ulterior motive for this. She knows that this section of Arizona is the last known appearance of Hamilton Slade, the Night Rider. She has not told Hawkeye the truth about what happened in 1876, nor does she tell him about her recent fight with the modern Night Rider the evening prior. Everyone dresses in their civilian attire (with costumes underneath) and goes to the Grand Canyon. Bobbi leads them on a trail that takes them past a very specific geographical location. While nobody is watching, she drops a mini-bomb down into the canyon which awakens the huge cave-beast known as Yetrigar.

The Avengers snap to attention and begin fighting the savage Yetrigar. Mockingbird sneaks off to go find Hamilton Slade. Moon Knight takes note of Mockingbird's exit and follows her.

She finds Hamilton Slade and accuses him of being the Night Rider. Hamilton seems to have no idea what she is talking about. Flying into a rage, she lunges at Hamilton and begins ferociously beating on him.

Moon Knight arrives and has to pull her back. He offers to pay for any damages that may have been caused by Mockingbird's attack and brings her back to the Yetrigar fight. He asks her the nature behind her attack against Slade. As the two leave the archaeological camp where Hamilton had been working, the spirit of Lincoln Slade takes control of his descendant and begins laughing mockingly behind Bobbi's back.

The rest of the team (along with the Wasp) makes short work of Yetrigar. The Wasp zips around him distracting him with her bio-stings while Hawkeye hog-ties him with some harpoon arrows. Hank Pym places a miniature device in Yetrigar's ear, which forces the lumbering creature to fall over unconscious. He then shrinks him to a more manageable size.