Man Trap

Summond to Madripoor to rescue Diamondback from Crossbones, Captain America falls into a trap. With his leg pinned in a bear trap, the Avenger is left open to attack. However, despite Crossbones getting the drop on him, Cap manages to free his leg and fight his opponent to a stand-still. With Crossbones at his mercy he demands to know where Diamondback is.

The woman in question has just escaped from the brothel that Crossbones had her tied up in. She is desperately trying to find a bar called the Brass Monkey so she can warn Captain America that he is walking into a trap, unaware that she is already too late. This task has been much harder since the brothel’s bodyguard — Mister Phun — is relentlessly pursuing her through the streets and across the rooftops of Madripoor.

Meanwhile, Crossbones has led Captain America to an abandoned building, claiming this is where he has Diamondback tied up. Breaking free from Cap’s grasp, Crossbones runs inside and lures Captain America into yet another trap. This time, the Star-Spangled Avenger is stuck on a weight triggered explosive. If he moves off that one spot on the floor, he will blow himself to smitheries.

As Captain America assesses the trap and tries to figure out a way to escape, Diamondback is continuing to be pursued to Mister Phun. The chase leads them to a factory that makes knock-off action figures. Defending herself over a vat of molten plastic, Diamondback knocks Phun into the vat after narrowly avoiding falling in herself.

At that same moment, Crossbones contacts his boss, the Red Skull. He reports that he failed to recover the Bloodstones, but to make it up to him he has Captain America trapped.[1] However, the Red Skull is furious that Crossbones has gone after Captain America against his orders and orders him to be set free, as the Skull wishes to choose the time and the methods of Captain America’s demise. Crossbones complies, however before he can disarm the explosives Captain America tries to leap off the weight trigger while standing on his shield, hoping it will bear the brunt of the blast. When the building explodes, Crossbones is amused that Captain America did himself in.

However, Cap survived the blast and when he finally finds Diamondback she is happy to see that he is still alive.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Diamondback, Crossbones, Red Skull

Continuity Notes

1. The Bloodstone saga was chronicled in Captain America #357-362.

Wristy Business

Pricilla Lyons — aka Vagabond — is being forced by Karl Malus to get the handprint of his former boss, Curtiss Jackson — aka the Power Broker. This is because Jackson is under police protection while recovering in the hospital after his own strength enhancing process make him an immobilized mass of muscles. Although she feels terrible about it, she gets a copy of Jackson’s handprint because she has been tagged with an explosive tracking device and a microphone that prevents her from fleeing or asking for help.

After she is finished doing Karl’s dirty work, she tells him that he has come into the hospital alone and remove the tracking device in order to get the handprint. Convinced that Lyons isn’t a threat, Malus agrees to these terms and heads in with a syringe of deadly poison.

He meets with Pricilla in the hospital lobby, but she refuses to take him to the hand print until he removes the tracking device and microphone. She then leads him into the ladies room to get the handprint. However, when Malus tries to inject her with his needle, she easily evades the attack and knocks him out. After telling the nurse at the front desk that there is a man passed out in the women’s washroom, Pricilla runs out to the nearest payphone. As she calls US Agent to tip him off on Karl Malus’ activities she destroys the sample of Jackson’s handprint.

Recurring Characters

Vagabond, Curtiss Jackson, Karl Malus, Bludgeon