ANAD Avengers

[Marvel Boy]

Last week saw the release of Avengers #0, a set-up intro issue for all the upcoming new Avengers-related titles.

The framing story involves the new Squadron Supreme, a team composed of multiverse-tossed members. In the 8 month gap, they have acquired a front company, Oracle Inc, to serve as their base of operations. Nighthawk's intentions are for them to protect their new home of Earth at any cost, by any measure, whether the other heroes and teams of this world agree with them or not. To that end, he analyses the other Avengers teams in preparation for the time that they may be faced to fight them.

First, we have a short featuring the Vision, who goes to see Wanda. Vision is having difficulties, his perfect memory is malfunctioning, giving him 'visions' of past events at the most inopportune times, which culminates in the death of a young victim in a bus crash when the Vision made the wrong choice after being unable to determine which 'victim' in his mounting memory visions was the real one. Wanda tries to comfort him, offering her help when Vision replies that he knows what is causing these visions now, his emotional attachment to those memories. He then begins to wipe his emotional core to the horror of Wanda.

Next, we have a collage of moments for the New Avengers, Sunspot's A.I.M. (Avengers Ideas Mechanics). Basically, it's an overview of the storylines coming up apparently within the first year, but we catch a glimpse of their first major villain, the Maker (the Ultimate Reed Richards) who has apparently gained sway over the remnants of the original A.I.M.

Next, we have Captain Marvel and her Corps, now charged with defending Earth against any and all cosmic/extraterrestrial threats. An energy being arrives at Earth, prompting a response from Carol. It's only with help from one of her new scientists aboard their space station that Carol is able to send this intelligent light being back to where it came from. (Shame, Alpha Flight is supposed to be aboard the station too, offering assistance and while their level was seen on the station, no Alphans are seen)

Next, we have Uncanny Avengers, in which we see how Deadpool joins the Avengers. Old Steve tasks him with retrieving an item that may help Rogue, who has fallen into a coma apparently caused by the Terrigen's Mists' effect on mutant physiology. Deadpool succeeds thus earning him a membership card.

Finally, we have the Ultimates, who will apparently tackle the real BIG threats. We learn how Miss America joins T'Challa's group though her intentions for joining may not be what everyone believes them to be.

All in all, a decent look at what's to come for the Avengers. New Avengers #1 and Uncanny Avengers #1 have already been released though I've yet to read either so reviews are forthcoming.

[starfoxxx]

Thanks for the update Marvel Boy....

Most of this sounds pretty lame, but it's nice to know Vizh and Wanda are interacting, and that Alpha Flight is still around.

I collected the last two volumes of Uncanny Avengers, but I won't be picking up Volume 3. I hate Deadpool.

[Marvel Boy]

Deadpool is a hard sell for me as well. He's over-used (and since I'm a reader and not a collector, I could care less about variant covers with him).

Still have his first appearance though, New Mutants #98 by Liefeld, bought right off the racks lo' those many moons ago.

[starfoxxx]

All-New All-Different! Recruits (2015-present)

Thor Jane Foster
All-New All-Different Avengers (May 2015)
Current members of the main Avengers team.
Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan
Spider-Man Miles Morales
Deadpool Wade Wilson
Avengers #0 (October 2015)
Current members of the Avengers Unity Division. Given membership by Steve Rogers.[43]
Synapse[44] Emily
Human Torch Johnny Storm
Songbird Melissa Gold Current field leader of the Avengers Idea Mechanics.[45] Given membership by Sunspot[43]
Squirrel Girl Doreen Green Current Members of the Avengers Idea Mechanics. Given membership by Sunspot.[43]
Wiccan William Kaplan
Hulkling Dorrek V

OKAY, I ripped this off of Wikipedia....

I'm sorry, this NEW membership drive is, IMHO.......... PITIFUL!

I can only hope that the world is not in danger, because I wouldn't want to put my hopes for salvation on these turds!

[Marvel Boy]

Okay, ANAD Avengers #1 by Waid and Adam Kubert.....


To start with, for those of you that were put off by the huge roster of Hickman's run, have no fear, there's little sign of that here. In fact, at the beginning of this issue, there is NO main Avengers team, a fact that Sam Wilson (Cap) points out to Tony Stark after the two meet up after Sam saves some civilians in danger. Yeah, Sunspot may be 'borrowing' the name for his group but Old Steve's team is more Unity Squad than Avengers. The pair discuss this as we learn that Tony has sold his Stark/Avengers Tower to a new owner.

Cut to the new owner removing the last of Stark's old equipment from the tower when a mysterious energy pulse strikes, materializing into a Chitauri warrior. Oddly, this doesn't bother the new owner, who knows of the Chitauri and offers to help the warrior in his effort to strike back at humanity after the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the new teenage Nova. The owner offers up a ancient artifact left from millennia ago by visiting Chitauri to help when they discover Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man eavesdropping on them. They lash at him, which ends up drawing the attention of SamCap and Tony. The three soon assail the Chitauri warrior, only to be repulsed and knocked out by the ancient artifact.

Then, we switch to a backup story by Waid featuring Ms. Marvel and Nova. The very first page of this issue features an outraged Ms. Marvel yelling at Nova over his being a jerk as the pair stand among vast rubble. This backup story tells of their first encounter and it provides some great characterization, of them being teenagers and yet their intentions and actions being misconstrued by the other. Nova has a bit of a crush on Ms. Marvel but his attempts at trying to impress her only push her away and confuse her to no end.

For me, this was the best part of the whole issue, Waid's characterization. Yes, the whole team is not brought together here in the first issue (Lady Thor and Vision have yet to appear) but I love that Waid takes the time to flesh out these characters some, give them solid identities for new readers, and makes you look forward to how these people will eventually come together as a team, as THE Avengers. There is no complex epic plotting here, just a fun intro issue.

My only quibbles would be the nods to the MCU. The Chitauri, Stark/Avengers Tower looks exactly like the movie version, it's fairly obvious that they're using movie references to hopefully draw in new readers who may be only familiar with the movies. I can't fault Marvel for doing that but at the same time....*sigh*

Oh, as for the new owner, who is never named here, based on his dress, attitude, and actions, my first guess to his identity would be Loki. Whom, if it is, is a fitting choice to be the source of the formation of a new Avengers team.

[Marvel Boy]

#2.....

Vision arrives to help CapSam, Miles, and especially Tony, recover from their fight last issue with Warbringer, the Chitauri warrior. They encounter Mr. Gryphon, Stark Towers' new owner, who immediately accuses Tony of engineering this whole scenario. Our heroes depart, intent on tracking down Warbringer.

Meanwhile, Warbringer is tracking down the remaining pieces of the artifact Gryphon told him about. Surprisingly, he finds one piece on display in a museum in Jersey. As he attempts to retrieve it, Ms. Marvel arrives. As does Nova, who saw Warbringer's acts of destruction on the news and recognizes his most recent foe. However, conflict arises when Nova, as he tries to subdue Warbringer, causes property damage to Ms. Marvel's horror, who wants to avoid that along with any potential civilian casualties. Nova's ignorance on such matters infuriates Ms. Marvel, leading to more discord between the two as witnessed last issue.

The rest of the (non)Avengers arrive, all ready to thrown down with Warbringer. Warbringer retreats underground, landing in a large sewer tunnel. Our heroes follow when Lady Thor arrives, who throws Mjolnir at Warbringer. However, Mr. Gryphon, who has followed our heroes unseen, apparently casts a spell, teleporting Mjolnir where the hammer instead strikes the wall behind Warbringer, to the shock of our heroes. The blow renders the wall asunder, releasing a tsunami of water towards our stunned heroes.

This was another good issue, as our cast of heroes slowly comes together against this dangerous threat. Again, I love Waid's characterization, the interaction and dialogue between our cast as certain members do not see things equally. Really, this book has been fun and entertaining to read.

[Marvel Boy]

#3....

...sees our heroes rescued from drowning in the flooded sewer tunnels. Nova is resuscitated after having dreams of the other Avengers beating on him for drawing Warbringer into this conflict. He clearly feels responsible for Warbringer's presence and resultant actions.

He's hesitant to speak up for this but before he can, Iron Man calls the group together. Tony is concerned over the youth and inexperience of Nova, Ms. Marvel and Miles. But with some sage advice from Vision and seeing their determination and enthusiasm, Tony relents and the team takes back off after Warbringer....

....whose has now found the last piece of the artifact he needs, thanks to the mysterious Mr. Gryphon. Located in a graveyard, Warbringer completes the artifact, opening a gigantic portal above NYC, full of raging Chitauri warriors. Gleefully exicted, Warbringer races off to summon his new army while Gryphon explains that he needs the artifact after Warbringer is finished with it. Warbringer notices something odd about these new warriors and before he can explain it, Gryphon vanishes as our heroes catch up to Warbringer.

A fight ensues, where it's apparent that Warbringer is still a powerful foe to contend with. Tony hatches a new plan. He wants Miles, who now has the artifact in hand after Warbringer dropped it during the fight, to open the portal and then, using his speed, to destroy the artifact the split-second after he does so. Confused, Miles carries out this plan while Nova, angered, catches Warbringer unawares, renewing their earlier vendetta against each other.

Meanwhile, Gryphon has secretly returned, watching Miles, Ms. Marvel, and SamCap in the graveyard. He then summons forth the zombie-like dead of the graves to attack this trio, for Gryphon is still intent on acquiring the artifact. Everything is going haywire, Miles opens the portal, Nova throws Warbringer through it and Miles is barely able to destroy the artifact before being overwhelmed by zombies, who then vanish along with the portal in the sky.

Impressed, Tony realizes that there still is no official Avengers team. Despite limited resources, he asks if any of them would consider joining a new team. All three youths eagerly raise their hands. Tony accepts, and now they are officially a group.

Meanwhile, Warbringer lands amongst the Chitauri warriors. The odd difference he noted before turns out be that these warriors are from a far future time, and they see Warbringer as some kind of archaic throwback joke. Shocked and dismayed, Warbringer vows his intention that he wanted to be a legend among his people for all time, when the others attack and kill him.

Also, Nova flies off with Vision, thanking him for his help. During the fight, Warbringer had called out his name of Nova, which drew the questions of some of the others afterward. Thinking the gig was up, Nova was about to confess when Vision offered the explanation that Warbringer had obviously encountered other members of the Nova Corps before and recognized Sam as such. Right? Yeah, Sam responds.

So Sam thanks Vision for the assist when Vision replies that's good as long as it's their secret and that Sam remembers that he is now in Vision's debt. Watching Vision race off, Sam is stunned to think that Vision, a long-standing Avenger, may now be blackmailing him.



Again, an other fun issue. Waid has a strong handle on these characterizations, the fight scenes were good, the plot moved forward at a good pace. The roster of this team may not be what you expect, but the kids and their interactions are making this a fun read.

What's odd is Tony's comment about the lack of an 'actual' Avengers team. Steve's Unity Squad over in UA is working with SHIELD so they seem to be the only officially recognized group (though they don't seem to be using the name) while Sunspot's team is at best seen as rogues and at worst terrorists. So it's definitely a different dynamic set up between these groups.

[Marvel Boy]

#4...

First, it's rare these days within the Big Two where a scene on the cover is actually within the issue itself. So far, Alex Ross has been contributing some fine covers for this series and with this issue, he provides an intimate close-up of Lady Thor kissing CapSam. What?! What's even better, this scene is actually in the issue. Further context upcoming.

We begin with the esteemed Edwin Jarvis, waking up and getting ready for work. With solid support from his mother, Jarvis drives to Jersey, to an abandoned Stark Industrial airfield/hanger, the new headquarters of the new Avengers!

Inside, we find the team busy repairing their only Quinjet and fixing up the place. Tony is upbeat about their new situation despite the low and limited resources. Jarvis is not impressed, with the place nor with the kids. But this is interrupted by the sudden onset of a hurricane in Atlantic City. Lady Thor rushes ahead and learns that she cannot quell the hurricane, seeing as how it's been artificially induced by a rogue superhuman named Cyclone. The danger was so sudden that everyone in the surrounding area was caught completely off-guard. So half the team responds by rescuing civilians while Miles and Ms. Marvel try and take down Cyclone, who admits that he's only a hired thug for some mysterious group called the Dynasty. They nearly succeed but it's only through intervention by the Vision that Cyclone is stopped.

Now, where does the kiss come into play, you may ask? In the aftermath, Lady Thor and CapSam overhear comments from a few of the rescued civilians where they question the validity of this team (as in "Where are the real Avengers at?"). Sam is bothered by this, over people questioning his and their legitimacy even after saving their lives. Lady Thor responds by telling him not to fret over such worries and then she simply kisses him. Shocked (but pleased), Sam asks why she did that. As she flies off, she advises him to live in the moment, act on your impulses for life's candle burns far too short.

This strikes both Sam and Tony as an odd thing for a supposed immortal to say, as they both begin to question just how much do they know about their new ally.

Another fun issue, seriously, the tone of this book is about as far from Hickman's grandiose cosmic schemes as you can get. The inclusion of the young blood may seem odd but their outlooks provide some interesting contrast to the veterans of the team. (For example, their differing reactions to Vision's cold nature). They seem eager to please which is helpful, but how long before that may turn harmful? Waid provides some solid characterization along with classic superhero fare and danger.

[Marvel Boy]

#5...


...where things begin to take a darker turn. We start seeing Vision testing his new ability to project hologram figures. After a successful test, he wipes the computers' records of his experiments clean.

Later, as the team tackles the Mad Thinker's latest scheme, (whom we sadly do not see here), Vision is assisting Ms. Marvel as she faces off against a large robot created by the Thinker. Using judo moves taught to her by SamCap, she's able to flip and throw the robot, crushing it.

But her victory soon turns to a failure after the team returns to their hanger HQ. Vision accuses her of putting innocent civilians in harm's way. Tony and Sam ask for proof, which Vision provides by showing them a holographic record of Ms. Marvel's fight against the robot, only this time, there's people in danger of being crushed when she flips the robot (people added in by Vision's new hologram ability). Despite her protests over that being false, Sam takes her to task, chastising her for her inexperience. Tony agrees and the two then kick her off the team.

She leaves, upset and runs into Nova, who's just arriving. When he learns what's happened, he becomes angry and upset too. Remember, Vision was blackmailing him over his connection to Warbringer and now Vision has engineered Ms. Marvel being kicked off the team. Enraged, Nova surges into the hanger, attacking Vision. The others restrain him and despite Nova's accusations, Vision convinces the others that Nova is too unstable and inexperienced as well which leads Sam to kicking Nova off as well.

A new threat emerges, another amped up superhuman similar to Cyclone last issue, Equinox is running amok and the team rushes to stop him. During that flight time, Tony discusses his concerns over Lady Thor with Sam that were raised last issue.

The attack quickly turns more lethal though, as portals start opening up and future versions of Equinox start appearing, all of them chanting the same theme, Respect the Dynasty. The nature of the portals and their chant clues Tony into the only True Dynasty they know of, that of Kang the Conqueror of Time!

At this realization, the mysterious Mr. Gryphon appears. Seeing him, Vision then blasts SamCap and Lady Thor through one of the open portals, trapping them on the other side in a future moment. It's worse for Lady Thor, who was about to retrieve Mjolnir but now cannot by being trapped. The time limit magic spell takes effect and as the pair are about to be attacked by more Equinoxes, Sam is startled to see the secret of his new ally, as the sickly form of Jane Foster appears before him!

This issue had a little bit of everything. For starters, there's Vision and what he accomplishes here. Why? What's his goal? Is he working for Gryphon or being controlled by him? It's scary to see Vision acting in this way with little reasoning as to why, especially since the young ones respect him as a senior Avenger and a legendary hero. But to see Vision twist that respect and use it against them is unsettling to see.

But then there's Sam and Tony's views on the young ones here, views that lead them to expel two of them from the team. They blame their inexperience and lack of proper training for putting people in unnecessary danger. Yet, the question then becomes, why did you let them join the team in the first place if you truly felt that way? Maybe they felt that they could mentor them in the right way but Vision manipulates Tony and Sam into seeing the young ones as a danger instead. It's an interesting dichotomy.

Another solid issue by Waid as the team starts to fracture from within.

[Marvel Boy]

Avengers #6.....


......features a nice riff cover by Alex Ross, imitating the classic cover of #57






Mr. Gryphon is indeed Kang or rather, a splinter of him. Something's happened (Bendis' 'Time is broken' again?) that has caused Kang to become splintered amongst his past and future selves. Gryphon is trapped in the 21st century and something is preventing him from leaving (though he can still manipulate objects and other people through time). His supporting these previous villains that the Avengers have fought have been efforts for him to rebuild his dynasty in the present (though he freely admits that these efforts won't bear fruit for centuries to come). He aided Warbringer in discovering the ancient Chitauri artifact because it had the ability to manipulate time as well as space.

But after the Avengers destroyed the artifact, Gryphon devised a new plan and realized he needed an insider on the team to achieve his goal. Thus he managed to implant hidden protocols in Vision's computer brain back in Avengers #0 and that's why Vision is currently helping him.

That goal? To gain access to Mjolnir, which is currently laying on the ground having been separated from Lady Thor by Vision's attack that propelled her and SamCap into one of Gryphon's future portals. Gryphon wants to access the hammer's ability to travel time.

Meanwhile, Nova is consoling Ms. Marvel, admitting that he too was booted from the team in trying to defend her and expose Vision. He admits to her that he thought Warbringer had come back to Earth for him and how Vision was blackmailing him over it. Realizing the team is in danger whether they know it or not, the pair race off to rejoin the team.

Only to find them still under assault by future versions of Equinox and now from the Vision himself. Meanwhile, SamCap recovers a recently changed back Jane Foster (whom he recognizes). She's frail because of the cancer but Sam has a plan. Gryphon's portal only projected them into the future by a few days and since Jane is the only one worthy of lifting Mjolnir, the hammer is still laying where she dropped it! Carrying her, Sam flies, seeing Mjolnir but before Jane can retrieve it, Sam is blasted by more Equinoxes.

Back in the now, Tony manages to dupe Vision into making contact with his armor, allowing him the chance to download a reboot of Vision's programming directly into him. Miles enacts a clever plan to take care of Equinox. He fakes changing sides to Kang's and 'attacks' Ms. Marvel and Nova. The future clones don't flinch because they 'remember' this but the present-day Equinox does flinch because he's caught by surprise by the move. Singling him out, Miles decks him and when he passes out, all the future Equinoxes vanish!

The team, with a newly reformed Vision, turn their attention to Gryphon, when they are joined by Lady Thor and SamCap! Jane just barely managed to retrieve the hammer and returned the pair to the present. The paradox of two Mjolnirs existing at the same time causes Gryphon pain and he launches a paradox assault on the team (causing them to fluctuate between their past and present selves) when the Vision, angered by his betrayal attacks him. This leaves Lady Thor the chance to unleash a powerful attack. Picking up the other Mjolnir, she slams both hammers together, causing a massive time wave that 'blows' Gryphon away.

Afterwards, Vision is ashamed on his actions and while thankful to the others for restoring him, he leaves for solace. Miles advises Lady Thor to leave the other Mjolnir laying there so in the future, she and Cap can find it there. (Cool, eh?) Tony is concerned, fearing that if Kang is able to sway Vision like that in the past, whose to say he can't do it to any of the others? He asks Sam about Lady Thor but Sam protects Jane's identity. At the end, he shows up at Jane's latest chemo treatment, wanting to know to why she wants to protect her identity.


Wow, a terrific issue. Full of timey-wimey stuff and some great character moments (from the kids to Sam and Jane and their bonding may be part of the foundation of the upcoming Civil War II). My only quibble, I thought Mjolnir's ability to travel time had been siphoned off, especially as shown in Avengers Forever.

Either way, another strong issue.

[Doctor Bong Crosby]

Continuity isn´t among current Marvel´s priorities. The threads of the tapestry are unraveling. In a way it´s like the real counterpart or mirror reflection to the fictional Secret Wars (the last one, I mean).

[Marvel Boy]

I was just about done writing the latest review for #7 when my finger nudged a key by accident. Next thing I know, my screen backs out to the main board and I lost everything I just wrote. And the wife just informed me that supper is ready.

*sigh*

Be back in a bit. :lol:

[Marvel Boy]

#7....

....tying into Standoff, we start off seeing Sam visiting Jane at the hospital. Their kiss still haunts them but Jane implies that it was more impulse than anything. Sam questions why she continues to change into Thor if doing so nullifies her chemo treatments. She replies that she feels as Thor, there are people that need her help. As Jane, her main purpose is to survive this cancer. Sam doesn't quite buy all of that reasoning, feeling that Jane subconsciously wants to die a warrior's death as Thor instead of wasting away from cancer. While he agrees to keep her identity secret, he vows that she won't undertake any suicide missions. He then departs, presumably to meet the Whisperer, Rick Jones.

Meanwhile, Kamala (Ms. Marvel) is having trouble in math class when she realizes that her teacher is actually Vision using a holographic disguise. Shocked, she meets him atop the roof where he tells her that he wants to make amends for the emotional damage she's suffered caused by his recent betrayals. And while that progress may be slow, he's there to offer a first step: a high-tech VR device. Through recorded footage and extensive usage of Avengers records, with it she's able to 'live' the history of the team from the very beginning as if she was a participant. Flattered, this moment ends when Tony suddenly summons the pair to help the rest of the team.

The team is facing off against an old foe that Tony has frankly forgotten, the Night Phantom. He's equally surprised to hear him ranting over being imprisoned and having his life stolen. Lady Thor manages to subdue him when Maria Hill arrives to take him into custody. Sam calls Tony and tells him what's he learned of Pleasant Hill. Confronting Maria about it, she agrees to take the team there.

Upon arriving, they see the Unity Squad atop a hill overlooking the town...along with another Maria. Confused, Tony starts to question their Maria when, as she's piloting their craft, Maria suddenly opens fire upon the Unity Squad. Seeing Tony's team as unauthorized upstarts, they need little motivation to attack so Cable orders Quicksilver and Rogue to take out the craft. Flying them aboard, Rogue seeks to gain control as Pietro starts to quickly knock them out. Lady Thor counters and as result, the craft spins out of control, crashing into the hilltop.

Tony and the others emerge carrying Quicksilver and Rogue. They don't want to fight but the Unity Squad gives them little choice but to defend themselves. Then suddenly it starts to snow. Then both teams notice a new force field erected over the town. Stopping their brawl, they attempt to combine forces in breaching this field to no avail.

Our vantage point pulls back as we realize why it's snowing and the nature of the force field; both teams have become trapped in a snowglobe being held and shaken by Kubik, the little cosmic girl. A bright light grows within the globe....

...and as it dies, we see Tony, in mechanic overalls, working in a garage on a car. He asks for assistance from his help, Miles also dressed in overalls. Miles reluctantly does, complaining over having a headache (as we see the familiar tingles of a spidey sense over his head). Outside of town, the Welcome to Pleasant Hill sign changes. The population number increases by the same number of members of both teams.....


While some titles included in this Standoff event may be read separately, Avengers and Uncanny Avengers seem to be crossing over with each other. Like all talented writers should do, Waid takes a crossover event and manages to include his own subplot points, making for another solid issue. Adam Kubert handles the art here well.

[Marvel Boy]

The last two issues being tie-ins with Standoff, we pick up with #9....



....where we find our heroes having some form of downtime after Pleasant Hill, Jarvis is trying to clean up around their new HQ, the Hanger. This is disrupted however by a sudden attack on the facility. The team tries to respond but can't quite detect who (or where) their foe is located. The attack suddenly stops as quickly as it began and Vision starts acting weird as well.

They do detect a new arrival, a mini someone who reveals herself to be the new Wasp. She says that she is stepdaughter of Janet Van Dyne which immediately stirs the fires of outrage of Jarvis who accosts her. Tony's attention is split between this revelation and how Vision has suddenly become immobile. The new Wasp goes on to say that she is the daughter of Hank and his first wife, Maria. Tony and Jarvis concur that, should this be true, she would be about the right age but Tony can't see how Hank wouldn't know that Maria was ever pregnant.

The new Wasp (Nadia) says that she doesn't recall her birth parents much, only a man with a red star on his shoulder (Bucky) who took her. She was then raised and trained in the Red Room till her talents for science appeared. She eventually was able to study, break down, and reproduce a Pym particle and escaped. Learning of her parentage, she assumed the identity of Wasp, hoping to live up to her parents' legacy.

Meanwhile, Vision is becoming more and more erratic, apparently suffering from a type of temporal breakdown (as it was his solar beams that caused the initial attack on the Hanger, having been fired in the future and traveled to the past). Having been recently controlled by Kang, Miles theorizes that this may a lingering effect from Kang's control. Eventually, Wasp is able to help save Vision by deactivating the leftover Kang tech, adamant about not wanting to lose this member of her 'family'.

Later, Jarvis intends on introducing Nadia to her family (the implication is Janet is still alive) while Vision starts planning to make sure Kang never uses him in this fashion (twice now) ever again.

Meanwhile, Nova contacts Tony, saying that he is going to absent for awhile as he is heading back into space to find and rescue his father. Tony offers him the team's help.....

It's a quick info dump on this new Wasp and she's willing and able. Frankly, I didn't know Hank had been married before Janet but leave it to a Silver Age comics geek like Waid to make use of that factoid. It'll be interesting to see how she fits in among the other members, both young and classic.

[Marvel Boy]

Okay, a bit behind here so I'll sum up the previous three issues #10-12.

Our heroes accompany Sam out into the reaches of space to help in his search for his true father. Soon, they are dragged off-course when they have to make an emergency landing on an alien planet where they discover many other ships have crashed, all due to a large tower whose energy weapon brings down ships and prevents off-world rescue. They also find these alien crews struggling to survive as they fear a storm that occurs once a day, every day.

Sure enough, the storm breaks and the Avengers are trying to stop it or at least save as many aliens from it as possible. When, they discover to their surprise, the storm is actually a portal between dimensions and our heroes are sucked into it only to find themselves stranded in the Negative Zone at the mercy of Annihilus!

It seems that Annihilus has discovered a way to open a portal between our universes using a pair of Nega-Bands (Yes, THOSE Nega-Bands). He wears one while it's pair is used as the power source for the tower on the alien planet. He is gathering the alien crash survivors as labor to work on his newest weapon of destruction which he plans to use against our dimension. Kamala, Miles, and Sam are able to break free, leading a slave revolt while Tony, Sam, and a weakened Vision ascertain how Annihilus is doing all of this so they can escape the Zone. Things seem to go their way as they are able to fend off Annihilus long enough (and steal his Nega-Band) to open a portal back home. Everyone gets back only for Sam to realize that Miles isn't with them. He's still trapped by himself in the Zone with Annihilus!

Next comes up some nifty trickery utilizing the switching ability of the Nega-Bands (Vision disabled the tower, acquiring it's pair). Using teamwork, they are able to stave off Annhilus, rescue Miles, and even destroy his newest weapon. But their ship is disabled and after repairing it, have to make for back home to Earth instead of continuing their search. Though not without spreading a message across the populace of crash survivors as they are rescued as well, Vision asks them all to be on the lookout for Sam's father and inform the Avengers of Earth should anyone spot him.

MEANWHILE, Nadia is still bonding with Janet who, apparently, is still active as the Wasp too as Nadia helps her in her latest mission. Then Janet wants to spend quality time with her, namely a day of shopping and dining. Nadia believed that Janet would be upset or offended by her or her actions but Janet seems content with her, asking that she simply not bring shame upon the name and tech of the Wasp as it is her father's creation.

Up next, Civil War II intervenes but as any good writer will do with a forced crossover, Waid intends to spend the next few issues focusing on specific characters and their current situations.

[Marvel Boy]

#13, the first of our upcoming Civil War tie-ins...



....finds the Vision at a logical crossroads. Having been corrupted and manipulated by Kang twice recently, Vision has decided something must be done. Kang's ability to time-travel and manipulate it gives him a huge advantage towards attacking the Avengers at their lowest points and frankly, Vision is tired of being on the defensive when it comes to his assaults.

Vision seeks out Ulysses, the Inhuman precog whose fueling the current moral debate between our heroes. He wants his insight into the age-old question concerning precog justice; If you could, would you kill Hitler as a baby?

Ulysses is taken aback by this question but Vision has reached a logical conclusion, to save the lives of millions, Kang as a baby must die.

But where or when to find such a child? To start off, Vision supercharges himself with solar energy, power he uses when he infiltrates the old Baxter Building (now the HQ of Parker Industries) and finds one of Reed's old time machine platforms. Charging it, Vision travels back to ancient Egypt, where he knows he'll find Kang when he first started out as Rama-Tut. Hoping to find his time machine without being discovered (and causing a paradox), Vision is surprised when a shadow being attacks him in his search. The being is unaffected by Vision's intangibility so he has to resort to his diamond-hard skin and strength to prevail. During the fight, Vision stumbles across Rama-Tut's time machine, when the shadow being retreats. Puzzled, Vision accesses the craft's systems, learning the exact date of Rama-Tut's departure from the future. Vision disappears into the timestream.

He arrives in the future a week before Kang sets out, finding him planning his journey. Vision seeks to learn more of his origin and birth covertly when suddenly the same shadow being attacks him again! There's no hiding now as the attack grows violent, forcing Kang to seek out his combat helmet and activate his warsuit. This inspires Vision, who reaches the helmet first and puts it on. From the computer memory installed, Vision learns of Kang's true origin point and vanishes back into the timestream.

Vision appears 22 years earlier, in the nursery room of a young couple, watching a baby Kang softly sleeping in his crib. Though his logic dictates that killing Kang will save lives, Vision wrestles with the emotional conflict of killing a child. When suddenly the shadow being appears again, only he doesn't attack Vision this time. Instead, he tells Vision that he's been protecting him and making sure he achieves this very goal. All of his attacks so far have allowed Vision the opportunity to reach this very room. To wit, the shadow being tells him that logic cannot give him a firm conclusive answer for logic doesn't know the whole truth.

The shadow being leans in and whispers a secret to Vision, something that will echo through history to affect the Avengers. Soon, Kang's mom comes up to his room and cries out. His father arrives to see that their baby is gone, vanished into thin air. They will file a missing person's report but will never know that a synthezoid from the 21st century kidnapped their child nor with whom that synthezoid has left their child in their keeping....


This was a very good story, Waid taking this nominal tie-in with this year's main event and using it to explore impacts and consequences of previous stories. Vision seeks a measure of vengeance for how Kang manipulated him and yet also wants to save the countless lives that have suffered from Kang's despotic reign. He knows that he may end up causing numerous and perhaps endless paradoxes from taking out Kang but Vision struggles throughout this issue with this dichotomy of conflict, logic vs. emotion. The surprise twist at the end seems in fashion with Marvel's methods of late (yet ANOTHER secret to wonder about) but still in this case, Waid has done well with this character-driven installment.

[Marvel Boy]

#14, the second of our Civil War II tie-ins...



....Waid shows a different perspective on this moral debate here through Nadia Pym. Her and Jarvis are still visiting with Janet van Dyne when they see on the news about the recent split forming among the superhero community over the Inhuman Ulysses' visions. Janet is concerned over this but Nadia reacts more strongly, clearly upset as she feels that superheroes, representing the best of humanity, should be above this type of quarrel and dissent.

She decides that the best way to solve this is to solve the source of the problem, Ulysses' visions. Thus, she shrinks, retreating into a lab that she has built within the Microverse that is stored within a jewel of a necklace that she wears. Concerned over her reactions, Janet quickly follows.

Even it's only been a few minutes since she followed Nadia, time flows differently within the Microverse so Janet finds Nadia in her lab, gleefully excited though tired after working for nearly a week on her latest invention, a device that supposedly alters probability, an effect she hopes will strengthen the accuracy of Ulysses' vision and thus halt the heroes' indecision over whether to trust him or not. Janet is shocked and starts to talk Nadia out of this idea when the device starts overloading. Janet barely has time to rescue both herself and Nadia before the device explodes, taking most of the lab with it.

In the aftermath, Janet tells Nadia that problems such as this have no scientific solution, it's a human problem and that, for better or worse, it needs to play itself out to it's resolution. If Nadia wants to be part of this community, she needs to accept this consideration. Nadia reluctantly agrees.

Later, Jarvis marvels over how much Nadia resembles Hank in her thinking. He's fearful that she may end up making similar mistakes as her father did. Janet doesn't believe so (even though she agrees with Jarvis that the less she knows of Hank's previous faults, the better off she may be). She feels that Nadia's optimism and genius will be an asset to herself and to the overall superhero community and thus she may not fall victim to her father's darker obsessions. In short, Janet believes that Nadia can become 'unstoppable'...

So far in these issues, Waid has shown the personal effects of this split on members of the team, foregoing any real debate on the justification of following Ulysses' visions. Previously, Vision sought out Ulysses for his own reasons and here, Nadia seeks to help him become more accurate and thus halt this moral debate which she sees as the bigger picture here. Jeff Robinson was co-writer of this issue. He's also the upcoming writer for Nadia's new solo title so this was a nice way to set up some of the foundation for that. I'm kinda interested now to see how she does in her new title.

Overall, another solid solo story from Waid. Up next, what the Lady Thor thinks of this new crisis...

[Marvel Boy]

#15...This is The End, my only friend, The End.


This last issue of this latest volume (or season considering how one wishes to view Marvel's publishing model these days), finds the Lady Thor contemplating her acceptance and possible role in meting out predictive justice through Ulysses' visions. She seeks out advice from Heimdall, whom is able to see both the present and future.

Heimdall confesses that she is not the first Thor to seek such advice. He then relates a tale of the early Avengers (Thor, Cap, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp). Through his munitions contacts, Tony learns of a new devastating war weapon created by a new threat, Doctor Doom, who plans to use this weapon to annex a neighboring country of Latveria for their unique mineral resource. While the FF may have gotten the better of Doom recently, Tony is confident the Avengers can take this new threat out while Cap believes they can use a legal loophole to come to the aid of this poor country. Hank and Janet think they are overstepping their bounds and authority by getting involved in a international incident.

Thor, needing assurance, takes the team to Asgard to ask Heimdall to look into the future about this conflict, who ultimately says that while the Avengers will win this battle, they will lose the war. Heedless of this potential fate, the team asks Heimdall to transport them to the battlefield.

Once there, the team works out their doubts through battle, quickly giving this country's harried forces a chance against Doom, his army, and his weapon. Finally, the team, through teamwork, is able to destroy this new dangerous weapon but in doing so, they played right into Doom's plans. Doom rigged his weapon with a fail-safe that upon destruction, would release a reaction that would destroy any and all of the unique mineral of this country. Since the majority of this country's economy was based on this mineral, they are facing imminent financial collapse. In the end, the country has no choice but to ask Latveria to intercede and annex them in order to stave off collapse. Heimdall's vision came true...

...which is what he offers the Lady Thor, trust in her own judgement and wisdom in these matters. More buoyed, the Lady Thor departs back to Earth.

Again, Waid provides a unique insight into this new conflict dividing the superhero community through some terrific characterization with the early Avengers. Frankly, after all the Secret Wars event, it was great reading an old-style Doctor Doom again. His fight and witted barbs against Cap was terrific.

And so ends the latest volume, onto to the next...