Claws II #1

Issue Date: 
August 2011
Story Title: 
Back and Forth
Staff: 

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Writers), Joeseph Michael Linsner (Artist), Dan Brown, Nick Filardi with Ian Hannin (Color), Jeff Eckleberry (Letters), Mayela Gutierrez (Production), Jake Thomas (Assistant Editor), Mark Paniccia (Editor), Axel Alonso (Editor in Chief), Joe Quesada (Chief Creative Officer), Dan Buckley (Publisher) Alan Fine (Executive Producer)

Brief Description: 

Wolverine and Black Cat are taking some time off at a restaurant after recently beating Arcade and White Rabbit. As they relax, a bunch of robbers enter the building and try and rob everyone. Black Cat and Wolverine defeat them and are given a free meal by the manager. Meanwhile, in the Savage Land, Arcade and the White Rabbit are fleeing some natives. They come across an alien ship and board it. The meet an alien named Civa, who tells them she was headed to Earth to tell them of a great threat coming their way, though she ended up crash landing. She shows the two her arsenal of weapons and a device that allows the users to travel through time and space. The villains knock Civa out and take the device. Back at the restaurant, Wolverine and the Black Cat finish “relaxing” in their private booth when the manager bursts in. He is stabbed in the back and they see Arcade and White Rabbit causing havoc. They engage the two in battle and the Black Cat takes the time travel device off Arcade. Before Wolverine can stop her, she accidentally triggers it and the two disappear… just like Arcade planned. They appear in the future to see a city in ruins and a group of people fleeing a robot. The robot kills some of the people so Wolverine attacks it whilst the Black Cat saves the people. He defeats the robot and the survivors say they need to get to a mysterious person who can help. They are set upon by three more robots but the mysterious person appears and is revealed to be Killraven.

Full Summary: 

(New York City)

Logan, dressed in a tuxedo, is on the balcony of a posh restaurant. Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat comes up to him and tells him he doesn’t get dessert if he doesn’t finish his dinner. He says he didn’t order dessert, to which she says that, if he plays his cards right, it will be a dessert he will never forget. He looks at her and she smiles back and says not to make her beg.

In the restaurant lobby, a group of masked men enter. One of them is wearing a skull mask and he tells the rest to follow his lead and it will be a piece of cake. The group member wearing a devil mask asks the one wearing the Spider-Man mask if he remembered they were going for a theme. They were supposed to be wearing Halloween masks. The guy in the Spider-Man mask tells him to give him a break, as it was the last one they had. They go up to the receptionist and point a gun at her. She tells them they cannot enter without a reservation and he asks if she is blind, as he waves the gun in her face. He hits her on the head with the gun and tells his group to split up to make sure no-one leaves.

At their table, Felicia tells Logan that this is better than brooding. After the business with White Rabbit, Arcade, volcanoes, the robot, the giant fish monster and the trip to the Savage Land, they deserve a little R&R. Eating his meal, Logan tells her he was there and to relax and enjoy the meal.

Just then, the armed robbers enter and point their guns at the guests. The lead robber says that if they do as he says no one will get hurt. Logan sneers at them and Felicia is annoyed as she just bought her dress. They stand up and Felicia asks if he wants her to handle this. Logan tells her to give him a minute, as it won’t take long. As the robber start accosting the guests, Logan spots the one in the Spider-Man mask and asks them if they decided on a theme. The one in the skull mask chastises the one in the Spider-Man mask but he is told to shut up.

As Logan rushes towards the gunmen, their leader says that they must be serving some strong wine here. He tells Logan to sit down or he will shoot him. Logan says that he doesn’t think the gunman has the guts to shoot him and then gets right up in his face. He dares the gunman to shoot but the gunman just stutters his earlier threat again. Felicia idly tells somebody to do something, as her pasta is getting cold. As she says it, the gunman shoots Logan in the stomach but Logan unsheathes his claws and slices the gun to bits. Felicia leaps into the action and kicks one of the men in the throat and throws a plate at another. After taking out the rest of the gang, they turn their attention to the guy in the Spider-Man mask. Felicia tells Logan that she’s got this one for personal reasons. Realizing he is about to get beaten up, the man edges backwards and accidentally falls off the balcony. They rush over to the balcony to see that the man has landed on a hotdog card umbrella.

Later on, the manager thanks the two heroes for saving everyone and tells them dinner is on the house, as well as any dessert they would like. Felicia orders one and he tells her that it will take half an hour to prepare, so they can have a seat in a private room. Logan, now shirtless after his tuxedo was ripped in the fight, and Felicia sit in a semi-circular booth with curtains around it. Logan starts bending a fork and tells her it figures she would order a dessert with real gold in it. She tells him to quit complaining and to enjoy the surroundings. When he complains about what they are supposed to do till then, Felicia tells him to use his imagination. With that, they close the curtains.

Meanwhile in the Savage Land, Arcade and the White Rabbit are being chased by some natives, who are throwing spears at them. Arcade blames the White Rabbit and says she was the one who stole a jewel from their god’s eye socket. She tells him she left one eye still in there. Arcade vows revenge on the Black Cat and Wolverine for leaving them there. The White Rabbit complains that the Black Cat stole her coat too. Just then, they come across a crashed spaceship and immediately start looking for the door. The white Rabbit notices that the natives have stopped following them and guesses they are afraid of the ship.

Arcade spots that the ship has some kind of glass weapon that’s giving off heat. The White Rabbit tells him it’s a death ray and it will kill them like it did everything else. She looks around the crater to see bones and the bodies of some natives strewn around. Arcade goes up to the ship and puts his hand out towards it. He introduces himself and says he is the most brilliant mind on the planet. He says if whoever is in there understands him, he would very much like to meet them. The White Rabbit calls him insane but he points out that anyone with technology like that would easily be able to distinguish them from the natives. Plus, since the ship looks damaged, they might be in the need of help.

A door opens from the underside of the ship and the two enter. Arcade shouts that they mean no harm and the White Rabbit says she’s got to pee. As they wonder further inside, the door slams shut. They come across a blue alien woman with bandages on her face, sat in a chair. She welcomes them and introduces herself as Civa. She was sent from her planet to recruit warriors to help her planet battle invaders. She says her ship has sustained heavy damage from the crash as well as the locals. Arcade says that their planet is quite primitive, so they won’t find much in the way of help. She finishes her story by saying her planet was lost to the invading forces and she came to Earth to warn them they are next. Arcade asks, if her planet had all the technology and they still lost, then what chance does Earth have?

She tells him she has weapons she stole from the invaders. For the past fourteen years, she has been travelling and developing new weapons. She brought them here as a gift so that Earth can fight when the invaders come. She has merged things from her race as well as the invader’s race to create things they wouldn’t believe. She escorts them to the armory where Arcade is amazed by all the weapons hanging up on the walls. He starts to inspect some of the devices and asks how long she’s been stranded. She says she’s only been there for a day but she’s still gathering things so that she’s ready to leave. White Rabbit says she’s sure Civa could contact the Avengers or the Fantastic Four to come give her a hand.

Arcade picks up a spherical device and asks what it does. Civa says it’s a teleportation device that can take someone back or forth through time and to any location. She was going to use it to get to a safer location once she was finished there. Arcade says he sees it has an energy source and a screen to help pinpoint time and location. Civa asks if he has a strong inclination towards technology. He tells her she could say that. He then asks if she has any food and she runs off to find some. With a sinister grin on his face, Arcade asks the White Rabbit to do him a favor. He tells her to knock out Civa, so he can program the device and they can get her coat back off the Black Cat for starters. White Rabbit picks up a wrench and smiles as she goes off to knock out Civa.

Meanwhile, back in New York. In their booth, Felicia is feeding the shirtless Logan some dessert. He tells her he must admit that was good. She asks what was good… the dessert or…?? He leans forward and says it was all good. She points out he still looks hungry and offers to call the waiter over or alternatively they could wing it. Logan says there’s no need for the waiter, he’s done with cake.

In the lobby of the restaurant, a bright light appears and Arcade and White Rabbit teleport in. Looking around, Arcade asks where they are. White Rabbit spots the coat check and realizes they are at a restaurant. She asks the coat check girl to get her a white fur coat. When the coat check girl asks if she has a ticket, the White Rabbit barges past her and grabs her coat. She smiles and hugs her coat and asks Arcade how he knew where to find it. He tells her he put a tracking device in it so he could keep tabs on her. She angrily turns to him and asks if he trusts her. Is she some kind of child or pet to him? He tells her that he loves her so much so not knowing where she was at all times would simply break his heart. She buys his lie and hugs him saying that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him.

He tells her they have other business to attend to. If the coat is there then Black Cat is too. They head off and she says she hasn’t killed anything in days and she’s getting a headache. Arcade offers her one of his guns he took off Civa’s ship. She declines and says she likes the simpler things in life. She grabs two knives from the kitchen as they pass through it.

In their booth, Felicia is giving Logan a massage when the restaurant manager suddenly bursts in, saying he is sorry to interrupt. Felecia turns to him and says it better be good. Before he can tells them what’s up, he suddenly lurches forward and collapses on the table with a knife lodged in his back. They look into the restaurant to see White Rabbit and Arcade. As restaurant guests flee, Arcade spots Logan and looks worried. Logan starts to ask how they got there but gives up and unsheathes his claws instead. He tells them it’s time to get rid of them permanently, as Felicia puts on her mask and takes out her claws to become the Black Cat.

Arcade shoots Wolverine in the chest with his laser gun, while the White Rabbit tries to stab Black Cat with the kitchen knife. The Cat dodges and swipes White Rabbit across the back with her claws. Holding his torso, Wolverine sneers at Arcade and tells him it hurt. Grabbing White Rabbit by the scruff of the neck, Black Cat asks how they got back from the Savage Land so fast. White Rabbit says they used a time travel thingy they stole off an alien chick. As Arcade tries to shoot Wolverine again, he misses as the mutant dodges. Wolverine grabs one of the circular tables and launches it at Arcade, hitting the villain square in the chest.

Black Cat grabs the time travel device off Arcade and says she knows a few people that would pay a bundle for this kind of technology. Arcade says that it’s his but Black Cat corrects him and says it was his. Wolverine spots the device and asks what it is, to which Black Cat replies that it’s the thing that’s going to make her rich. Arcade smiles and asks the White Rabbit what did he tell her? She excitedly replies that “predictable” was his exact word. Black Cat starts playing with the device and Wolverine yells for her to get rid of it. But it’s too late and the device activates and the both of them are teleported away. Arcade celebrates and says to say “hi” to the far future.

In the ruins of a city, a bright light flashes and Wolverine and Black Cat appear. Wolverine holds his hand to his nose and says the place smells of rotten flesh and death. Black Cat says it doesn’t look too pretty either. Wolverine tells her to be quiet and asks if she heard what he did. She says she did and suggests they find some cover till they figure out what’s going on.

Suddenly, Wolverine hears something coming and takes Black Cat up on her idea for cover. They spot a group of people running from something. One of the running men screams as a huge metal leg slams down on him. They look up to see a giant three legged robot with a flying saucer-like body. The robot fires a beam of energy at a woman and incinerates her. Wolverine rushes towards the robot and says he is going to put it down. He tells the Black Cat to get the others to safety. Wolverine climbs on one of the robot’s legs and slashes at it. The robot collapses into the ruins of a building.

As Black Cat tries to get the civilians to safety, the robot speaks and seems surprised a human has dared to challenge it. A small arms swipe out from it and slashes Wolverine across the back. Wolverine spins around and cuts the arm in two. He then head butts the cockpit of the robot and breaks the glass. He looks inside to see a green, one-eyed alien staring back at him.

Black Cat is crouching behind a damaged wall with the other survivors. When she asks them what those things are and where they are, a woman tells her they can’t stay there, they have to keep moving. Black Cat asks where they should go and the woman says only he can protect them. Wolverine finds them and says whoever he is he wasn’t much help out there. Wolverine tells them there isn’t any need to worry anymore but, as he says it, the wall explodes and rubble flies everywhere. They turn to see three more of the robots advancing on them. Wolverine says there are too many for them to handle. Black Cat says they need to find this person they’re all talking about. Wolverine says he is all for it, whoever the clown is. A voice comes from behind him and says he is no clown. He is Killraven and then tells them to come with him if they want to live.

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine

Black Cat

Arcade

White Rabbit

Civa

Killraven

M’Shulla

Carmilla Frost

Robbers

Hot dog cart owner

Off duty police officer

Restaurant manager

Restaurant staff and customers

Savage Land natives

Future aliens

Civilians in the future

Story Notes: 

Wolverine and the Black Cat fought Arcade and the White Rabbit and then left them in the Savage Land in Wolverine and the Black Cat – Claws.

“Come with me if you want to live” is a line used in (and made popular by) the Terminator film franchise.

Killraven’s exploits take place in the future timeline designated 691.

Issue Information: 
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