Avengers

New Avengers #18

/ / Comics

new-avengers-18-coverNorman Osborne has escaped from prison and united H.Y.D.R.A. and A.I.M. under H.A.M.M.E.R. Next up for Osborne, reforming his Dark Avengers.

Norman’s new team consists of Barney Barton, Gorgon, Skaar, June Covington, the Thor clone Ragnarok, and the Decapitator. Although I’m not sure which is less believable, H.A.M.M.E.R. and A.I.M. agreeing to work together for Osborne or Skaar joining this team, I enjoyed the Dark Avengers the first time around and I’m curious to see how they’re going to be used here.

I have to say I am more than a little disappointed that Moonstone (by far my favorite member of Osborne’s previous team) isn’t re-enlisted to be Ms. Marvel. The unnamed brunette (Superia?) has a lot to live up to.

The issue works well in introducing most of the members of Osborne’s new team (even if it is the second straight issue that fails to give us the promised new team of New Avengers with Daredevil). Without Moonstone, Venom, Bullseye and Daken the team is missing its more amusing characters, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Annihilators: Earthfall #2

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annihilators-earthfall-2-coverThe fight that was promised to us at the end of the first issue is delivered in full here as the team of Annihilators (Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill and Ikon the Space Knight) throw down with the Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Valkyrie, and the Thing) who have shown up to stop the alien invaders from leveling a Colorado town… by creating more violence and further leveling the Colorado town.

On the plus side the huge amount of property damage eventually reveals the Universal Church of Truth‘s secret base. The teams come to a temporary ceasefire as they are attacked by the Church’s zealots and warriors protecting a secret deep within their once hidden base.

It’s a little cliche to see two groups of heroes get into a brawl over a misunderstanding but the action is pretty good here as the Avengers give it their all but still can’t stop the cosmic guardians. There’s also a humorous moment between Spidey and Quasar when the Web-Head meets Quasar’s space girlfriend.

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Secret Avengers #18

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secret-avengers-18-coverThis month’s issue is a fair bit better than last month’s disappointment as Steve Rogers, Sharon Carter and Shang-Chi travel into a Bad Continuum (a malformed dimension of a Multiverse) trying to stop agents of the Shadow Council from removing transmatter from the dimension which could be used as a terrible weapon in the Marvel Universe by transforming the Earth into a sun.

Aside from feeling far more like an Authority story than an Avenger story, the comic is pretty good including a well-designed M.S. Escher like world for our heroes to battle the members of the Shadow Council.

Writer Warren Ellis even gives us an appearance by Arnim Zola (a perfect villain for this type of story), the return of the Beast (who is given most the of monologue necessary to explain the situation), and a fun cameo by Reed Richards which allows the comic to end with Steve Rogers delivering a joke. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Annihilators: Earthfall #1

/ / Comics

annihilators-earthfall-1-coverAfter a successful first mini-series the Annihilators (minus the Silver Surfer) earn their second mini-series revolving around the cosmic bad asses taking on The Universal Church of Truth.

A discovery in deep space leads the team to learn the Church has a secret base on Earth, and unless they are stopped, the entire galaxy could be at risk. And that’s how Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill and Ikon the Space Knight find themselves destroying what appears to be a legitimate business in the middle of Colorado.

In the comic’s final panels the Church’s agents re-activivate their holo-displays to make them appear as innocent victims of an attack from a group of insane aliens just as the Avengers arrive on the scene. Next issue should give us a super-sized throwdown we won’t want to miss.

Although we do get a Rocket Raccoon/Groot back-up story it’s far shorter than what was included in the first Annihilators mini-series. And that’s really too bad because less Rocket Raccoon is never a good thing. Best of the week.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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