THE EIGHTH DAY (1999)

The Eighth Day takes a very logical concept and turns it into a standard, logic-free popcorn crossover. The big question it asks is... how come Cyttorak has an avatar in the form of the Juggernaut, but the other mystical entities don't?

Tony Stark is tricked into helping Abner Little on his archaeological excavation of the Temple of Balthakk. The tetchy pilot who takes him to the excavation near the Arctic Circle, Samantha McGee, has major issues with working in the cold environment and either needs to find another job or quit bitching. The arrival of Little's fellow/rival members of the Council of Antiquarians causes such a disturbance that Stark dons his Iron Man armour to intercept them. While reasoning with Little, Princess Zanda and Count Andreas Zorba of the Council, McGee investigates an opening in the Temple where she approaches the Brazier of Balthakk. She becomes Balthakk's representative, Inferno, and gains a '60s-style Kirbyesque costume, one enlarged boob and a weird speech pattern. Oh, and the power to defeat Iron Man.

Peter Parker has been lying to his wife about being Spider-Man again and she's been lying about a stalker. But rather than get home and sort it all out, Peter swings around New York, dropping in at the Daily Bugle and stopping purse-snatchers. Mary Jane's stalker seems to be able to get into the Parker's apartment which causes MJ's managers to up the security, stopping Peter from getting into his own home. After stopping the Blob's attempt to rob an armoured car, Peter (as Spider-Man, obviously) rescues Mary Jane from a massive explosion set up by the stalker and swings her to safety, out of the hands of her friend Jill Stacy and her lame security guys...

Thor's raging, city-devastating battle with Enrakt of the Enchanters is interrupted by a raging, city-devastating, battle with the Juggernaut. Juggs is being drawn somewhere and can't stop himself heeding the call. Thor can't stop him, either.

On Asgard, Loki has infiltrated Odin's scrying pool deely and witnesses other avatars gain their powers. Bridget Malone gains the Kestral Key of Krakkan and becomes Conquest. Olisa Kabaki transforms into Bedlam when she discovers the Ivory Idol of Ikonn. Loki's presence is almost discovered by Tarakis.

Conquest and Bedlam teleport to New York and teleport back out with the Juggernaut. Leaving a battered thunder god, torn between rescuing his father, Odin, from the Enchanters and finding out what these mystically-powered beings are up to...

Yoshiro Hachiman becomes Decay when he obtains the Verdant Vial of Valtorr. Nicolette Giroux enters the Wonderous Waterfall of Watoomb and is changed into Tempest.

Iron Man's tussle with Inferno is ended when she senses the activation of the other avatars. Lucky for him. Inferno was kickin' his tin can.

Stark, Abner Little, Zarda, Zorba and archaeologist Dr 'Java' Mann rush to another excavation where Colonel Nigel Pigman has uncovered the Fearsome Fist of Farallah. This ends up turning Zorba into Carnivore. In the temple, the group discover the origin of these avatars. Here's where it gets really silly...
Eight powerful mystical entities wanted to decide who was the most powerful among them and set the Wager of the Octessence. Each entity would have an avatar who would control an eighth of the Earth and the planet would be at war until only one avatar, or 'Exemplar' was left standing. 

Juggernaut was the first. 

There have been six more. 

Iron Man and Thor need to make sure they never find the eighth. 

Fat chance.

Peter admits to his wife that he's Spider-Man again while stood there, on a rooftop, in his Spider-Man costume. Rumbled. Needing to protect her, he takes her to Arthur Stacy's home where the stalker would never think to look because it's only where Mary Jane's best friend lives. Jill takes care of MJ, but Arthur's missing. He web-swings to the Daily Bugle to see if he can get any clues as to where Arthur and his array of weapons might be. Instead, he discovers a bizarre-looking dude has built a machine under the Bugle building that's so big it actually makes minus sense. Turns out it's Stonecutter, the eighth Exemplar (Utama Somchart, powered by the Ringed Ruby of Raggadorr). 

Outnumbered by the Examplars, Spidey heads to Avengers Mansion where he finds Thor, Iron Man and Dr Mann (who is so shocked, he forgets his own surname).

The two Avengers race off, ordering Spider-Man to stay behind because they think he's crap. They do take the powerless human Dr Mann, though. Put out, Spidey goes back to the Bugle to phone Professor X (Charles Xavier - founder of the X-Men and Juggernaut's step-brother) which surely gives away the whole 'secret school for mutants' thing. Even a little bit. Last number redial, anyone?

Xavier is unable to send his X-Men to help as they recently disbanded (during The Shattering) so he sends his own astral form. They arrive back at Stonecutter's God-Machine where Thor and Iron Man are struggling to protect Mann and Stonecutter is about to finish the last piece of the machine. There's loads of blasting, webbing, slashing and general tom-foolery until Spider-Man nabs the final piece of the God-Machine and tricks Decay into destroying it.

Bedlam pulls Xavier's physical form into the battlefield (or 'techno-sewer war zone') and, rather than simply make a new bit, the Exemplars teleport the whole machine and their opponents to the North Pole. Smart.

The God-Machine floats above a mound in the North Pole with Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Xavier stuck to it with static electricity which must be playing havoc with Thor's hair. Xavier's alright though. Although he suddenly has his floaty wheelchair, which Stonecutter must have made for him. It's good that the Exemplars cater for those with disabilities.

The fact that the Juggernaut has stubbornly maintained his own personality over the years shows him to be the chink in the Exemplars' metaphorical armour. He's already fighting Cyttorak for control of his body, so Xavier enters his mind to help him out.

The whole thing goes on wayyyyy longer than it should until the heroes break free and fight the Exemplars again. The fight with them goes on way longer than it should, too, as the group buys the Juggernaut time to turn against his fellow avatars. Plus there are 38 pages to fill.

Juggernaut and Stonecutter struggle with each other for five pages, but before they get to kiss, Juggernaut chucks him into the God-Machine. With the machine destroyed, the Exemplars energies are cast out across the planet. No one's sure if any of them have survived, but they agree to prepare for their return.

For now, they really need to get out away from the North Pole before they catch a chill.

Follow the story in:
Iron Man #21 [2/2]
Amazing Spider-Man #11 (tie-in)
Thor #17
Iron Man #22
Peter Parker, Spider-Man #11
Juggernaut: The Eighth Day #1

Fallout:

• Amazing Spider-Man #12 (1999) Spider-Man, Mary Jane, Jill Stacy and MJ's stalker next appear; Arthur Stacy tries to assassinate Senator Ward during Another Return of the Sinister Six.
• Thor #18 (1999) Thor, Loki and Enrakt next appear.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #12 (1999) Spider-Man talks Arthur Stacy out of killing Senator Ward; the stalker fakes his own death during Another Return of the Sinister Six.
• Thor #19 (2000) Enrakt and the Enchanters are defeated.
• Fantastic Four '99 Annual (1999) Jarvis next appears.
• Thor #20 (2000) Tarakis next appears.
• Thor #21 (2000) Tarakis is revealed as an agent of Thanos during The Final Morning.
• Thor Annual 2000 (2000) Loki's plot to ruin Thor is put into action during The Final Morning.
• Fantastic Four #24 (1999) Iron Man and Professor X next appear.
• Iron Man #23 (1999) Pepper Potts next appears.
• Amazing Spider-Man #13 (2000) Mary Jane is killed when a passenger jet she's on explodes during Living in Oblivion.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #13 (2000) J Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson next appear during Living in Oblivion.
• Avengers #23 (1999) Carnivore, Conquest, Decay and Stonecutter next appear; the Exemplars begin to gather again to gain their revenge on the Juggernaut.
• Uncanny X-Men #375 (1999) Professor X brings the X-Men back together during The Shattering.
• Avengers #24 (2000) Juggernaut, Bedlam, Inferno and Tempest next appear; the Exemplars capture the Juggernaut.
• Avengers #25 (2000) The Avengers, Nova and Spider-Man oppose the Exemplars' next attempt at initiating the Wager of the Octessence; Captain America convinces Bedlam to disband the Exemplars, deciding that war between them all is pointless.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #14 (2000) Ben Urich, Betty Brant and Glory Grant next appear during Hulk Smash: World Tour.
• Uncanny X-Men #379 (2000) Blob next appears during Mutants No More.
• Amazing Spider-Man #28 (2001) Mary Jane is revealed to be alive, having never been on the plane, during Passages.
• Peter Parker, Spider-Man #29 (2001) The stalker is killed during Passages.
• Black Panther #41 (2002) Abner Little next appears.
• Black Panther #42 (2002) Princess Zanda next appears.
• Uncanny X-Men #436 (2004) A kid is briefly granted Juggernaut's powers by Cyttorak.
• New Excalibur #14 (2007) Cyttorak next appears.
• Uncanny X-Men #542 (2011) Cyttorak takes his power from the Juggernaut and Colossus becomes his avatar during Fear Itself.
• Defenders #7 (2012) Nigel Pigman next appears; Count Zorba is revealed to have lost his Carnivore powers.
• Defenders #8 (2012) The Council of Antiquarians (Princess Zanda, Count Zorba, Abner Little, Nigel Pigman and Silas Mourner) are killed by the Concordance Engine.