Random Happenstance

Sigh. I was going to blog a different book, that was just awful on multiple levels, but it turned out it was written by a known offender, which just sucked the fun out of it. So on to the next book in the pile. From 1983, Team America #11, "Challenges!" Plot by Jim Shooter, script by Tom Defalco, art by Dave Simons. 

The motorcycle racing crew Team America may be winning races, but they are not very team-like internally: among other things, El Lobo is getting a swelled head from his last checkered flag. Ditching out pack-up duties, El Lobo picks up...a very young looking girl, Mary-Michelle, from the back of her parents' car; while on his way to the carnival, since he saw a poster advertising champion rider Johnny Blaze! 

The rest of Team America catches up later, since Johnny's show is pretty impressive. But Team America is being watched, by HYDRA! Co-incidentally, the parents of El Lobo's pickup! The elderly couple maybe hadn't ton anything big for HYDRA, and they "have medical insurance for the first time in their lives." In fact, later we meet HYDRA middle management type, the remarkably chill boss Elsie, who has been researching Team America for the run of the series--and supports a partially disabled husband and two kids! Man, no wonder HYDRA always seems fully staffed. 

While Elsie was still curious about the mysterious Marauder, she gets an order from her higher-ups to eliminate Team America "Visibly and spectacularly!" Team America meets Johnny after his show, with some of the members trying to pretend they weren't impressed. Johnny doesn't care for them either, considering them blowhards and/or narcs, but he seems to sense something about them; possibly that Ghost Rider doesn't care for them either. El Lobo pays a monosyllabic goodbye to Mary-Michelle, who gushes that he's "opened her eyes so much in just a short time!" That night, she packs up and leaves--she says she's nineteen, I guess her parents don't correct her, so--as both Ghost Rider and the Marauder are out riding. 

Ghost Rider wants to know the Marauder's secret--is he a demon, or what? I don't think the Marauder spoke, so he keeps quiet; and Johnny manages to take control and return for a moment to warn him away. The next day, at the Unlimited class racing event (Marvel seemed to have a couple of those, like Unlimited class wrestling) the Rider compels Johnny to go, and manifests mid-race to start tearing up the place, hellbent on confronting the Marauder.

Even the riders of Team America seem surprised by the sudden arrival of the Marauder, who races against the chatty, chatty Ghost Rider. Playing chicken, they collide at 350 MPH, in a massive explosion. Watching the telecast, Elsie is impressed, but then hopes her assault team has the good sense to steer clear of that disaster. They absolutely don't, and HYDRA goons start shooting up the place! Mary-Michelle's dad pulls a hog-leg about the size of a howitzer, gunning for El Lobo. 

Tanks! Helicopters! Jet-packs! It looks an awful lot like an issue of G.I. Joe, except TA is somehow putting up a fight despite not having any guns. The Marauder lassos Ghost Rider with a fallen livewire, and has him on the ropes, but then has to save El Lobo from getting shot in the back. Realizing the Marauder was not "guilty," Ghost Rider turns his attention to HYDRA, stopping their massive assault cold...in like three panels? Boo! That could've been given some more space. 

On a bus headed for Phoenix, Mary-Michelle is overjoyed to hear on the radio that no riders were hurt during the speedway battle; while her dad is left crying in the wreckage. Elsie calls her family, knowing she was not going to make it home for dinner..."anymore!" And Team America finds the downed Marauder, who unmasks to reveal...to be continued!

I know I had the first appearance of Team America, from Captain America #269, but I had never read an issue of their series. This has to be HYDRA's lowest point: I don't think they were getting a lot of play at the time, and remember they took another L in Micronauts #26. Ghost Rider doesn't get used to his full potential here; mostly because they can't just have him walk all over the Marauder. And he should, walk all over the Marauder. The only reason their fight wasn't over in three seconds must have been that he was so happy to have another biker to play with...