Avengers 33, New Avengers 21, Uncanny Avengers 22

Avengers 33
Hickman (w) and Yu (p) and Alanguilan (i) and Gho (c) and Petit (l)

In his continued time-travels, Captain America ends up 50,000 years in the future, where life has been exterminated and the world is run by something called The Worldcore. Spawned out of the death of Ultron, The Worldcore has recently started changing moments in the past despite the Herculean effort it takes. It's also been plagued by time-assassins (timessassins) of a sort (not entirely accurate but I wanted to write "timessassins" so we'll have to just pretend) and is now suspicious of any sort of time traveler. It intends to dissect Cap for further information about him but it finds and accidentally activate the bomb that was put inside him in the past, which targets and destroys The Worldcore. Cap is summoned again by the time gem but things seem a little different and he begins to fall through a crack in time, but he's pulled back by Iron Man, promising him that everything will be all right.

What I like about this time-travel story is that we can pretty clearly see that these futures, at least in some way or another, are connected. Occasionally superheroes will travel into the future and the entire future is fabricated in such a way that you can't really track how you get from one to another. Instead, it's just a cool idea that a writer and/or artist wanted to present. Sometimes, a book will jump so far into the future in one go that it will be kind of irrelevant to whatever story they're telling. This one jumps further and further ahead but shows hints of its interconnectedness, particularly apropos as it seems the time gem is jumping them intentionally to different futures. Still, time-travel like this tends to turn me off a bit, where I'd prefer instead to stay fixed in the present story. As such, the upcoming conclusion is a little more interesting to me as Iron Man and Cap meet again.

Total Score: 4/5


New Avengers 21
Hickman (w) and Schiti w/Larroca (a) and F. Martin w/Mounts (c) and Caramagna (l)

Dr. Strange unleashes his newfound powers, losing control as the monster inside him ages their foes into dust one at a time without mercy and without trouble. Black Panther and Iron Man adjust Tony's repulsors to knock Strange out before the monster can turn on them. Though the heroes of this other Earth are defeated, it still leaves the matter of the bomb and the incurring world. After returning to their own Earth, each man considers detonating the bomb (some longer than others) before Black Panther, urged by the ghosts of his ancestors carried within him, takes it. However, while he holds it, he decides he cannot use, shaming his ancestors who denounce him and disown him as a Black Panther, leaving him. He throws the detonator aside and falls to his knees. As the Illuminati begin to resign themselves to the idea that they won't be able to blow up the other world, home to billions of innocents, Namor takes the detonator and, insulting them all, uses it.

We all knew this day had to come, the day when the Illuminati would be forced to find a solution for an incurring world that was actually heavily populated. And of course, the heroes that represent the team are unable to pull the trigger until Namor proves his usefulness to a team like this. I really like everything about this issue. It's exactly as emotional and passionate as it needs to be without ever going too over-the-top with it. I also really love the focus this issue places on the makeup of this team. There's a scene between Maximus and Black Swan that highlights her penchant for finding the heroes of a world she wishes to save and how this world differs in that she accidentally picked a team full of kings, natural leaders who would do whatever it takes to preserve their kingdoms and who are willing to kill for their people. It's one of the things that draws me to characters like Black Panther, Namor, and Black Bolt and it's been extremely important but rather under the surface so far in this series. Hickman here brings it to the forefront to show how different this situation is from the typical Avengers-esque potential world-ending dilemmas. Really great issue, great job by artist Schiti on the emotions of the issue and the facial expressions of our heroes, which are paramount for an issue like this. Frank Martin also excels but, then, he always does (guys, read EAST OF WEST, it's so good).

Total Score: 5/5


Uncanny Avengers 22
Remender (w) and Acuña (a and c) and Cowles (l)

Kang has begun to drink of the Celestial's blood and his powers have increased an untold amount. Thor, weakened from Kang's immediate betrayal, is struck back down to Earth, leaving only Havok and Sunfire still in the fight against Kang at the edge of Earth's atmosphere. Their only hope is to attempt to absorb the cosmic energy Kang is using but both realize it could mean their own deaths and may still not work. As the only ones available, though (and perhaps the ones most at fault for trusting Kang, particularly Havok), they push forward, only to have Kang immediately stab Sunfire through the chest, disintegrating him instantly. He tells Havok to stop fighting, that it's the only way to see his daughter again, but Havok refuses to believe him. Instead, he turns all of Kang's power back against him in the hopes it will stop the conqueror. He manages to weaken and stall Kang enough to allow Sunfire, imbued with cosmic energy and no longer bound by his old form, appearing now as a figure of all blue and yellow, to rejoin the fight. Together, they force Kang to flee, taking his forces fighting on Earth with him, swearing revenge on humanity and particularly on Alex. The heroes all return to Earth to see the aftermath, including Sentry departing with the body of the Celestial, Wanda restoring all the powers Rogue borrowed to their rightful owners but Wonder Man inexplicably staying behind, and Janet's reaction to her lost daughter. Finally, Horsemen Daken and Grim Reaper emerge from the crashed Apocalypse Ship with the inert bodies of Uriel and Eimin in the Sahara Desert.

Geez, tons going on, which is what you'd expect and probably want from an arc that's lasted the better part of fifteen or so issues. Overall, it's been a really engaging story and this finale, certainly with plenty of questions left to answer and plenty of expectations attached to the finale of such a long story, lived up to it pretty well. All along it's been a full team story and we definitely get a sense of the whole team here and how much it means to everyone and how important a role everyone has played, but it's also felt particularly like an Alex Summers story, as he's been something of a catalyst for the team and certainly been the leader of the team. In that way, Remender makes sure to end things strongly, putting the focus on Havok as AVENGE THE EARTH ends. Strong work and, as ever, really great art out of Daniel Acuña, whose art and colors shine in this issue.

Total Score: 5/5

Avengers 11, Secret Avengers 4, Uncanny Avengers 8

Avengers 11

Hickman (w) and Deodato (a) and Martin (c)

Secret Avengers is the next book in this review (as you could tell by the title or by scrolling down) but it might as well be in parentheses at the start of this book too. Like "(Secret) Avengers 11," if you needed the visual. For the first time in a long while with this book, we're not overly concerned (but for tangentially) about Ex Nihilo and his plan of reshaping and evolving Earth. Today, we're concerned about AIM which we know has its own island and seems to have a piece of Ex Nihilo's puzzle all to itself. There's an arms deal of some sort happening in Hong Kong and a select team of Avengers (the best for the situation, as this book has promised) comprised of Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Shang Chi, Sunspot, and Cannonball are sent to figure out what it is AIM plans to sell. Captain Marvel comes up with a plan to pull the information out which involves her trying to get information out of AIM's lead negotiator, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, and Shang Chi trying to identify all the buyers, and Sunspot and Cannonball infiltrating the beekeepers (the AIM henchmen). Black Widow points out that it's a complicated plan that could be avoided if they just want her to torture the lead negotiator and there's a bit of a fun dynamic for this little team that revolves around that throughout the issue. They go with Captain Marvel's plan and set to work, with all being identified by their marks almost instantly but succeeding nonetheless. Only Shang Chi has success though, as he disables a newly formed assassin group out of Hong Kong and discovers that AIM isn't there to sell, they're there to buy assassins.

There are a lot of things to like about this issue. First and foremost, I appreciate that the team doesn't try to disguise itself and is instantly recognized. When reading comics or any sort of media in general that requires disguises or things of that nature you tend to find the plot going one of two ways. Either the disguises will work and no one will recognize Earth's mightiest heroes out of costume or the plan will seem to work before the heroes find out that the bad guys knew who they were all along and they've now been captured. Here, no one comes in a disguise and everyone is identified immediately. They don't need to keep up a charade or play along or anything, everything is out in the open. It's kind of refreshing in a weird sort of way and it allows the characters to be more free, including some nice scenes with Carol and with Bobby and Sam, who we haven't seen a ton from in this book. The other thing to like is that Carol's plan, more or less, seems to work but still leaves them with nothing until they find that Shang Chi has gone off on his own and taken down Chimera, the assassin group. As always, it's also cool to see Shang Chi in action. Fun issue, nice expansion of the story and brings us to an interesting new place for the book to go.

Secret Avengers 4

Spencer (w) and Ross (a) and Wilson (c)

Hulk has made his long-awaited debut into Nick Spencer's new Secret Avengers book. It's only issue four but, thanks to solicits and advertising early in Marvel NOW!, everyone's been waiting to see how Hulk would fit into the covert plans of Maria Hill. Of course, Hill has been working with Banner and Hulk over in Indestructible Hulk (hence how she convinced him to come to this mission) so there's a bit of a working relationship there right now. Still, he's needed more than ever as AIM has stolen the Iron Patriot, as well as taken control of an entire Iron Patriot manufacturing line, and, with the newly found technopathy of Mentallo, has managed to upgrade their minor AI into full-blown (if slightly low-level) sentience. This leaves SHIELD with more problems than it wants, especially as the fleet of Iron Patriots attacks known terrorist sites all over the world. The sites have all been targeted and monitored by the US but were deemed unsafe to attack because of the risk of high civilian casualty rates or because they were merely under suspicion of terrorism. Still, the government doesn't want to put the world on edge by saying their drones were hacked, so they claim responsibility for the attacks. Banner is brought in to help figure out how to proceed and he recommends, as the Iron Patriots are sentient, attempting to communicate with the bots. They put a plan in place to establish communication but they don't have time to talk one group of bots out of attacking as they make their way for Tehran. It they strike at Tehran, Iran will see it as an American attack and will likely respond with a nuclear attack, so Hill sends Hulk to stop the Iron Patriots. He does, then reverts back to Banner and is escorted away by SHIELD, who has to claim he was working by himself or under the influence of Mentallo. Meanwhile, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Mockingbird, and Nick Fury travel to AIM island to try to find a way to communicate with the bots and to try to assassinate the Scientist Supreme.

So yes, that summary was a bit long, particularly as a whole bunch happened. I said in my pregame this week that this issue was going to have to cover a lot of ground to try to prove itself as a legitimate contender and I think it's gone a long way to doing that. A ton happened and most of it was interesting. On top of the political intrigue and the look into the way SHIELD has to operate alongside the government and the superhero community, Luke Ross seems to have gone out of his way to try to distinguish Daisy Johnson and Maria Hill who look the same and hold similar positions within SHIELD. They appear side-by-side in this issue for a bit of time and it's never a problem telling which one is which, the first time that's ever been true. Little victory, I suppose, but a victory all the same. The real successes come from the continued interest in the Hulk's rebirth under Banner's direction and the carefully planned moves SHIELD is making that make them look like a halfway competent organization. So yes, lots happened in this issue that I would never have expected possible. If you told me a little over a year ago that I would be writing a review that said "Hulk is great, Maria Hill and Daisy Johnson look different, and SHIELD is successfully maneuvering an extremely delicate and interesting situation" I would have called you a liar and indicated that I don't even review comics. Take that, last-year-Tim.

Uncanny Avengers 8

Remender (w) and Acuña (a and c)

The plot is starting to become a little less muddled in Uncanny Avengers, thanks largely to the Apocalypse twins Eimin and Uriel cluing Thor and Shiro in on the plan. They were plucked from time by Kang to destroy the Celestial, ensuring no more Apocalypses rise after them, and then Kang attempted to destroy them by leaving them in Red Skull's onslaught (the word "onslaught?" The Marvel villain "Onslaught" formed from Charles Xavier? Who knows which it will be?) but it, instead, hardened them. Now they seek to promote the mutant race again while destroying humanity (like an Apocalypse do) as well as seeking revenge on those who have wronged them (including Kang and Wolverine). It's still a bit convoluted but it's certainly interesting and it's clearly going to make for a great series. They're incredibly powerful foes and will force the Unity Avengers to either work together or face annihilation. It may even require them to work alongside enemies, as Captain America may or may not be finding out right now. His escape pod landed in Sudan and he suspects that someone sabotaged it to send him there. His suspicions are confirmed as he finds himself in an abandoned church basement with a message waiting for him specifically. The sender of the message is unrevealed but don't be surprised if it's a villain involved with the plot (Kang is my bet, though I could see it being Red Skull. Of course, it could be anyone else too but whatever). Meanwhile, the other Uncanny Avengers are flying up to the North Pole, to the metropolis of Akkabar, a hidden city dedicated to serving Apocalypse. They bicker on the way and everyone feels that everyone else is hiding secrets. There is no easy unity amongst this team and it is that, the Apocalypse twins feel, that will doom them.

There are a lot of great pieces in this issue. As always, I'm impressed by the way it calls back to comic history in its narration and the idea of a team not meshing and in something as simple as sound effects. Sound effects (except for iconic ones like "snikt," "bamf," and the occasional "thwip") have mostly fallen out of comics today, which prefer not to risk breaking flow by putting in an onomatopoeia clunkily on the page. However, at separate points both Thor's hammer and Cap's shield return to them with a simple "Wap" and it feels right. Add to that the way it feels rather like the first few issues of the very first iteration of the Avengers in the way that the team bickers and doesn't quite know what to do with one another (albeit with a lot more history behind them now) and throw in a few great character pieces (Thor asking Sunfire if perhaps he needs a hug to sort out his disposition, Scarlet Witch sarcastically disbelieving that Wolverine is withholding information, etc) and you're reading a first class, ages-old book retooled for modern times. That feeling seems never to lose its charm and Remender's story and storytelling continues to impress, as does Acuña's art and sense of color, appropriately flashy and dark to match the verve and tone of the story. Another great issue.