The L.A.W. #2: The Way Of The Warrior

Bob Layton and Dick Giordano return to continue weaving the tale of how the world deals with a threat when the Justice League disappears...it turns to the L.A.W.

Captain Atom, captured last issue by the villain Avatar, attempts to escape his crystal prison, as the villain's demon minions taunt him. Avatar parades in, like the Pied Piper surrounded by children, and like a classic James Bond villain reveals his plan while encouraging Captain Atom's struggle. He's using the prison to drain the hero's energy to fuel his plans for reshaping the world. The more he struggles, the faster it works.

Meanwhile, the Question and Blue Beetle have arrived in India, having managed to track a group of Avatar's followers. The Question quickly finds himself outnumbered. The crowd is quickly distracted by a "leper", Blue Beetle in disguise, who uses the new "neuro-stunner" on his BBGun to aid the heroes in their escape.

At the headquarters of the Peacemaker Project, "Sarge" Steel is introduced to Justine Ramagas, head of their Global Communication Network. They discuss his inability to contact Nightshade, and trade some flirtatious banter...

Justine notices his missing hand (melted by demons last issue), and offers to get their medical team working on a replacement, then flirts some more before they get word that the communications team picked up a frantic call from Senator Eden (Nightshade's father)...and there's trouble!

Back in India, Blue Beetle and Question make it to the docks, only to find themselves cornered by another mob. As the thugs close in, a bald man steps off a boat and into the scene. "Pardon me, but of what crimes are these men guilty?" he asks. The response is a knife tossed at his chest...

He catches the knife and throws it at a cargo net, dropping bags over the mob of Avatar followers. The man is Rip Jagger, and Blue Beetle is impressed! The trio then runs down an alley, narrowly avoiding being trapped in a dead end, thanks to Rip, and just barely evading the mob.

In Bethesda, Maryland, Steel and Salt arrive at Senator Eden's home. What they find is Eve, trapped in some sort of temporal rift. Salt does what any clear thinking person would...he reaches into the void.

\

In India, Beetle, Question and Rip find themselves at the end of a pier, caught between the Avatar's men and the water. With no where left to run, Beetle taps a button on his glove and summons the BUG, allowing them to escape. They fill Rip in what has happened...Avatar destroying NASA's Mars project, disposing of the Justice League and their lunar base...but Jagger is confused, so much as changed since he went to Nanda Parbat. Beetle asks, "Rip...have you been frozen for decades in a block of ice...being worshiped by eskimos..." (is that a dig at Captain America? lol) and then alerts everyone of a change of course. They're being summoned by "Sarge" Steel!

At Peacemaker HQ, Mitchel Black talks prosthetics and women with "Sarge" Steel. Mitchel saw Justine flirting, and tells "Sarge" to stop worrying about age being an issue...it's the nineties! Steel hesitates on the prosthetic long enough for Salt to come in and announce that Nightshade is awake...and asking for Steel. Arriving in the infirmary, Steel finds Eve Eden...free of the succubus, but also void of emotion. 

She says she's free, and changed. She's just not sure how changed. 

When the BUG arrives, Salt drops to his knee, bowing before a "Master"...Rip Jagger. 

While Steel gets fitted with a new hand, courtesy of Dr. Bhattacarja, the head of the Peacemaker Project's advanced sciences department, Blue Beetle and Question pay a visit to Eve's room. Once there though, they find she's transformed into a new version of Nightshade. She seems unsure of what's happening but doesn't stick around, even when Blue Beetle offers to talk to her. She says she promised Steel she'd find the missing League...and she needs to get to work.

Then to wrap things up (in rapid succession) Mitchel Black gets his official promotion to THE Peacemaker, and plans to save the children Avatar has been hiding behind. Dr. Bhattacarja, reveals herself to be a mole, having a clandestine meeting with Avatar (via mystical gem communication). 

Steel and Justine have a little grown-ups behind closed doors with the lights out kind of meeting, while Beetle, Question and Peacemaker take to the skies in preparation of a surprise assault on Avatar.

Sweet baby James, this issue was packed with more action, character reveals, and romance than an episode of the A-Team! And who'd have pegged "Sarge" Steel to be "Face"? I'd have guessed Hannibal! Can't wait to see what's in store for issue #3!