The Mighty Thor #445 - Marvel Comics

THE MIGHTY THOR No. 445, March 1992

For those Thunder God fans not following the New York City-based publisher’s “Operation: Galactic Storm” multi-title event, Tom DeFalco’s opening to Issue Four Hundred and Forty Five of “The Mighty Thor” probably brought them bang up to speed with past incidents, courtesy of some fast-paced dialogue and a momentary “spacequake!” Indeed, the American author sets out this twenty-two page periodical’s stall rather nicely, and soon throws his audience into a truly titanic tussle between two of the Avengers’ strongest members and a disagreeably arrogant Gladiator; “For the safety and security of my people, I cannot suffer this interloper to live!”

One of this comic’s biggest draws however, is arguably the uncertainty surrounding Eric Masterson’s place within the supergroup’s roster, and his lack of belief at successfully wielding Mjolnir. This internal struggle really lies at the very heart of “The War And The Warrior!” by depicting Ron Frenz’s co-creation as battling both his own inner doubts and demons, as well as the formidable superhuman strength of the Shi'ar Empire’s egotistical Praetor of the Imperial Guard.

Likewise, there’s arguably a fair amount of satisfaction to be had in this book’s later stages by witnessing the utterly insufferable Kallark getting his clock well and truly cleaned by the titular character. Admittedly, some bibliophiles may well point out that the extra-terrestrial probably didn’t deserve the death which the new Thunder God momentarily had in mind for him - having allowed his towering rage to blind him from sound reasoning. But the Gladiator definitely deserves a good beating bearing in mind he completely refuses to listen to a surprisingly reasonable Wonder Man in the first instance, and then goes on to covertly conclude that Masterson must be executed immediately due to the human having too much power for the extra-terrestrial’s grand civilisation to permit.

Undeniably imbuing all this pulse-pounding pugilism with plenty of “KRAK!”, “TWAKK!” and “SPWATT!” are Patrick Olliffe’s pencils and Al Milgrom’s inks. Together, the duo make every punch thrown and hammer-blow landed reverberate within the readers’ minds, and help sell the notion that this tale features some seriously sturdy powerhouses trading shots with one another which would easily flatten an ordinary hero within mere moments.

Story: Tom DeFalco, Pencils: Patrick Olliffe, and Inks: Al Milgrom

Blood Hunt: Red Band #5 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNT: RED BAND No. 5, September 2024

Despite comprising of more tie-in issues and spin-off limited series than your average Marvelite can shake a pointy stick at, this final instalment of “Blood Hunt” probably still felt somewhat rushed to many of its readers in July 2024. True, the super-sized thirty-three page periodical does manage to pull many of its numerous plot-threads together for a sort of satisfying resolution. But, having an infected Miles Morales prove to be the improbable hero of the day, when the likes of the mighty Thor, invincible Iron Man and Captain Marvel appear disconcertingly impotent, is arguably a bit of a head scratcher; “I had only one weakness, Avengers. The girl. The bloodline. And she’s not here.”

Furthermore, it’s not entirely clear whether Stephen Strange’s “dread bargain” with Doctor Doom actually has any impact upon the final result. Having successfully stabbed a possessed Blade through the chest with a sword, many a bibliophile probably felt the battle was already won, and that once the Daywalker was free of Varnae’s malign influence the Darkforce surrounding our planet would return to its own dimension. However, before such an event can occur Victor casts his pre-fall Atlantean spell, supposedly brings sunlight back to the half the world, and diabolically solidifies his stance as” Earth’s new, Superior Sorcerer Supreme” – which somewhat cynically leads into another “Marvel Worldwide” major event “coming in November…”

For those onlookers able to ignore these quibbles though, Jed MacKay’s penmanship certainly still delivers a pulse-pounding experience, with much of this comic focusing upon the Avengers' fisticuffs against the dread Bloodcoven. These toe-to-toe confrontations between some of the publisher’s most popular protagonists is genuinely enthralling, especially when the God of Thunder manages to finally summon Mjolnir whilst battling the first of all vampires.

Equally up to the task of pencilling all this adrenalin-charged action is Pepe Larraz, who should genuinely cause a few painful gasps from those witnessing poor Vision losing a limb in a truly horrific manner to Bloodstorm One. In addition, ably supported by color artists Marte Gracia and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, the Spanish illustrator impressively manages to imbue the scenes featuring Doctor Strange with a noticeably different, though far from off-putting, ambience, which speaks of the ancient and powerful magic being depicted in the panels.

The regular cover art to "BLOOD HUNT" #5 by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Blood Hunt: Red Band #3 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNT: RED BAND No. 3, August 2024

Disconcertingly containing barely a punch in anger, Jed MacKay’s dialogue-driven and somewhat sedentary storyline for Issue Three of “Blood Hunt” probably didn’t live up to the expectations of an audience whose desire to read more about Blade’s vampire uprising made the title the “top advance-reordered comic book” in early May 2024 (at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”). True, the twenty-one page periodical does contain a savage attack upon the Avengers by a brainwashed Miles Morales inside the supposedly safe Sanctum Sanctorum. But this ferocious ambush is quickly quelled once Clea Strange traps the fanged fiend within the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, and her deceased husband rids Spider-man of his devilish influence via the Eye of Agamotto.

Instead, the reader is subjected to several grand speeches throughout the Canadian writer’s script, with Sam Wilson’s twelve-panel tour-de-force as Captain America being the longest and most memorable of them. This repetitious rhetoric certainly has its place within the narrative, most notably poor Brielle Brooks’ reaction to discovering that her own father is at the heart of the planetary problem and discovering that Count Dracula plans for the young girl to assassinate her parent. However, to simply plonk one word-heavy discussion after another into a single edition completely saps any pace out of this publication’s plot, and quite literally leaves any bibliophile desperately wanting events to considerably move on just so both opposing forces can once again battle one another; “Do not presume to lecture me, Spider-Man, I will not let my one hope of victory just run away --”

Desperately trying to inject some energy into this lack-lustre lethargy is Pepe Larraz, who pencils some excellent shots of the chaos being caused by Blade's minions whilst Wilson waxes lyrical about the Avengers saying “No” to the vampires' demands. These pulse-pounding pictures cover a variety of locations, from Halifax and Manhattan through to the Sahara Desert and Mexico City, so resultantly do a good job of depicting the violence stretching right across the world. Yet, any momentum which they generate is then swiftly scotched by Carol Danvers spending what seems like an eternity singing Sam’s praises, and Eric Brooks unconvincingly having a major hissy fit because he feels the super-group should “lie down and die.”

The regular cover art to "BLOOD HUNT" #3 by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Blood Hunt: Red Band #2 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNT: RED BAND No. 2, July 2024

Pitching the surviving Avengers alongside Count Dracula himself in a highly unlikely team-up against a planetwide invasion of vampires, Jed MacKay’s script for Issue Two of “Blood Hunt” certainly seems to strike a much brighter note as to the Earth’s future fate than this summer event’s deeply dark preceding instalment. In fact, the absolute beating the likes of Bloodstorm One and Megrim take at the hands of Captain Marvel, the Vision and Captain America probably caused the odd reader to leap to their feet in order to cheer the protagonists on; “Here’s our philosophy: We have a lot to avenge.”

Enjoyably however, this twenty-one page periodical’s plot doesn’t simply rely upon an insane action sequence packed full of face-pummelling fisticuffs to entertain either, as the Canadian author also pens some intriguing plot progressions into the comic too – most notably the fact that Doctor Strange is still alive as a wandering spirit despite being disembowelled by Blade. These ‘quieter’ moments are especially impressive as they both provide the writer with an opportunity to bring any bibliophiles unwilling or unable to peruse the almost overwhelming number of tie-in titles bang up to speed with the overarching narrative, as well as provide a modicum of spotlight upon some of the Marvel Universe’s lesser known characters, such as Hunter’s Moon and the Daywalker’s daughter, Brielle Brooks.

Of course, it’s the aforementioned rematch between the “broken” Earth’s mightiest heroes and the Bloodcoven which most Marvelites will probably enjoy though. Having previously defeated the “all-star” supergroup, the vampiric villains are quick to forget that they had a distinct advantage over their opponents in their first fight, courtesy of a thorough briefing and the element of surprise. This time round the creatures of the night have no such benefits, and resultantly their arrogance is quickly silenced by the Vision’s ability to harness the power of solar energy.

Equally as intrinsic to this mini-series’ storytelling as MacKay’s contribution are the lavish layouts provided throughout by Spanish illustrator Pepe Larraz and Mexican colorist Marte Gracia. Together, the two artists genuinely depict a visual feast for the eyes, with perhaps Carol Danver’s socking Vlad Dracula’s gigantic clone squarely on the jaw being this apocalyptic publication’s most noteworthy smackdown.

The regular cover art to "BLOOD HUNT" #2 by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Blood Hunt: Red Band #1 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNT: RED BAND No. 1, July 2024

Touted by its New York City-based publisher as “the bloodiest Marvel event ever”, Jed MacKay’s storyline for Issue One of “Blood Hunt” definitely lives up to its promise of vampires slaughtering nearly everyone that they can get their sinisterly sharp claws on. Indeed, whilst many a bibliophile might feel the comic’s ‘explicit content’ sealed polythene bag and repeated ‘mature reader only’ warnings are rather gimmicky, this thirty-two page extravaganza soon causes its audience to be up to their necks in severed limbs, torn-off heads, spilling intestines and literal rivers of icky human ichor.

Furthermore, for those onlookers able to withstand such a stomach-churning assault upon their senses, the Canadian author arguably leaves the best until almost last, by pitching the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against the “mysterious and deadly vampire faction” known as the Bloodcoven. This battle is as brutal as it is (perhaps somewhat) disappointingly one-sided, with the likes of Iron Man, Vision, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Thor and Captain America all getting their proverbial clocks cleaned by a strike force specifically designed to exploit each hero’s unique set of vulnerabilities; “Or was a match, I guess. This isn’t conjecture. The Avengers are down.”

However, it isn’t arguably the notion that Stan Lee’s co-creations are soundly defeated which comes as such a surprise. But rather the truly gruesome manner in which it all occurs. Whether it be as a result of a thousand cuts, a crystalline shaft straight through the brain, or a hand tunnelling its way through the stomach, these close combat conclusions are shockingly savage, and jam-packed full of gore-drenched innards. In fact, it’s probably difficult for long-term Marvelites to recall so much physical mutilation being on show this side of a “MAX Comics” imprint – at least until the attention shifts to Doctor Stephen Strange’s horrific evisceration at the publication’s conclusion.

Also presumably being constantly peppered by MacKay to add extra buckets of blood into his prodigious pencilling is Pepe Larraz, who does a stellar job of depicting the sheer scale of the voracious blood-drinkers’ assault across the world. Of particular note is the Spanish artist’s design work on the super-vampires, with Jed himself going on record to state it was the illustrator “who really brought these characters to (un)life, creating an extremely gnarly set of predators!”

The regular cover art to "BLOOD HUNT" #1 by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Avengers [2018] #11 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 11, February 2019

Considering that the high-point of Jason Aaron’s narrative for Issue Eleven of “Avengers” is arguably Thor snogging in the Savage Lands with the She-Hulk, it is probably a safe bet that many of this book’s 52,820 readers could well understand just why the title saw a disconcerting drop in sales of almost twenty five thousand copies in December 2018. Indeed, despite this twenty-page periodical featuring some of the most flamboyant international superheroes in the Marvel Universe, such as Captain Britain, Michael Twoyoungmen, Arabian Knight and Shiro Yoshida’s fiery alter-ego Sunfire, the Alabama-born writer’s plot doesn’t get any more exciting than having Ursa Major teleported back to Siberia for forgetting his table manners, and a deluded Phil Coulson apparently gunning down a mysterious victim in cold-blood simply because the bound figure refuses to denounce Captain Rogers as a traitor..?

Instead, this comic seemingly offers some nonsensical insights into Robbie Reyes’ homework memorising “Steve’s super villain recognition quizzes”, and the God of Thunder enjoying “turkey legs, mead and dinosaurs” whilst dating an utterly bored Jennifer Walters in Ka-Zar’s kingdom. Admittedly, there is some fun to be had from watching the Ghost Rider desperately plead his case to Captain Marvel that he shouldn’t need to study having “single-handedly defeated the Final Host”, and Jen’s suddenly realisation as to how deep Odinson apparently cares for her when he finally opens up as to his true feelings for the former member of the Fantastic Four. But, alongside the Black Panther’s ‘star-studded’ International Super-Summit, such interludes disappointingly provide the backbone of this book’s contents.

Frustratingly, this publication’s interior artwork doesn’t do much to help remove the impression that the entire comic was only printed as a ‘filler edition’ either. It’s clear, just from the first appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s former Supreme Commander and Thor’s riotous obsession with warring battle dragons, that both Ed McGuiness and Cory Smith are prodigious pencillers. However, there are only so many splash pages a bibliophile can surely peruse featuring either Coulson or King T'Challa, before it becomes abundantly obvious that Aaron’s script was distinctly lacking in content; “I apologise for the disturbance. But we should not allow this unfortunate business to derail our summit. We have much to discuss. Iron Men. Clean up this mess.”

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artists: Ed McGuiness & Cory Smith, and Color Artist: Erick Arciniega

Avengers [2018] #10 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 10, January 2019

Publicised as a “heroic 700th issue”, and shifting enough copies to make it the ninth best-selling book in November 2018, Jason Aaron’s narrative for “The Battle For The Right To Be Called… Earth’s Mightiest” certainly shouldn’t have caused much disappointment for its 77,715 readers. For whilst the oversized, thirty-two page periodical debatably plods along somewhat at the beginning as the Soviet Super-Soldiers are reformed under the leadership of Dmitri Bukharin - the newly appointed Minister of Superhuman Defence, and Steve Rogers makes it crystal clear to an agitated General Ross that “the Avengers don’t work for any [one] country”, its plot soon throws together a truly breath-taking roster of the Marvel Universe’s most formidable heroes and villains.

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a more crowded confrontation this side of “Secret Wars” or “Civil War” than that depicted at the international undersea biosphere known as Hydropolis, as King Namor’s Defenders Of The Deep, the Avengers and the new Winter Guard all cataclysmically collide with one another over the future sovereignty of the planet’s oceans. Admittedly, some of the Sub-Mariner’s troupe, such as the Piranhas, King Crab and Manowar, aren’t widely regarded as some the Marvel Universe’s biggest hitters. But a battle which incorporates at least three deities, the Avenging Son, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, She-Hulk and Captain America should not be treated lightly.

In addition, almost all of this impressive cast are given a moment to shine within the Alabama-born writer's script, whether it be Perun and Chernobog’s fragile alliance swiftly breaking down over which is to strike Namor's final blow, the increasingly intriguing Red Widow monitoring her team-mates’ performance so as to recommend any terminations, or Ghost Rider’s utter astonishment at facing zombie sharks. Perhaps unsurprisingly however, it is Atlantis’ monarch who receives the greatest share of the spotlight, with Aaron penning the underwater hybrid as a complete homicidal maniac who openly threatens to kill Black Panther in front of the biosphere’s scientists, and even momentarily looks set to lethally attack his old World War Two comrade, Captain America; “I’m right here. Come kill me. Old friend.”

Adding tonnes of tension to these sense-shattering shenanigans are David Marquez and Ed McGuiness’ layouts. The London-born illustrator pencils some wonderfully impactive panels reintroducing this book’s audience to the likes of an ever-eager Major Mikhail Ursus and the fatalistic former KGB operative Bukharin. Whilst the famed “Superman” illustrator takes on the lion’s share of the work, piecing together an incredibly fast-paced patchwork of punches, kicks, shield throws and explosions, the majority of which occur with the combatants waist-deep in water.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artists: David Marquez & Ed McGuiness, and Letterer: VC's Cory Petit

Avengers [2018] #9 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 9, December 2018

Whilst Bill Everett’s creation Namor has arguably always been portrayed as a holier-than-thou, pompous anti-hero, it is doubtful many within this comic’s 58,185 readers were expecting the paranoid Human/Atlantean hybrid to show quite such a lethal willingness to believe the worst of land-dwellers as he undoubtedly does in Issue Nine of “Avengers”. In fact, the King of Atlantis appears so determined to play the insane, homicidal arch-villain in Jason Aaron’s “The Defenders Of The Deep”, that it’s hard to reconcile the Alabama-born writer’s incarnation of the Sub-Mariner with that of the man who was once actually a well-respected member of this comic’s titular team; “This man is an invader in my realm. And invaders will no longer be tolerated. War Sharks. Finish him.”

Happily however, the Defender’s downward spiral into the darkest depths of his unstable personality provides this twenty-page periodical with some thoroughly memorable moments, including the truly sickening, cold-hearted murder of the hero Stingray, who was supposedly one of Namor’s “oldest friends from the surface world.” Walter Newell’s demise really is incredibly well-penned by the Inkpot Award-winner, with the hapless oceanographer being brutally beaten so mercilessly by the Scourge of the Seven Seas that even the horrifically savage Tiger Shark visibly blanches at its severity.

Somewhat less vicious, though just as surprising, is the Sub-Mariner’s apparent ability to hold off the latest roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes single-handedly. Marvel's First and Mightiest Mutant has always been one of the publisher’s more formidable powerhouses, especially when submerged, fighting beneath the waves. Yet his ability to withstand both Thor’s Asgardian hammer and Iron Man’s technologically-enhanced grip simultaneously is a stunning achievement, even if the underwater monarch’s strength has been additionally fuelled by “the power of righteous rage!”

Wrapping this tour-de-force up with a pleasing bow are David Marquez’s story-boards, which at times, such as Namor’s all-too brief tussle with the Black Panther, and the aforementioned gory demise of a hapless Stingray, are breathtakingly dynamic. Colour artist Justin Ponsor’s contribution to the murky ambiance of this comic’s deadly deep fathoms can also not be overstated, especially when the book’s sudden return to the bright daylight of the surface world will momentarily blind any perusing bibliophile whose eyes have become accustomed to the rich blue-greens of the Sub-Mariner’s domain.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: David Marquez, and Color Artist: Justin Ponsor

Avengers [2018] #8 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 8, November 2018

Lacking any notable action whatsoever, unless any of this book’s 58,060 readers felt Captain America’s all-too brief training exercise with Roberto Reyes qualified, Jason Aaron’s somewhat sedentary storyline for Issue Eight of “Avengers” may well have struck many in its audience as being a rather lack-lustre affair when compared to all the sense-shattering shenanigans the eight heroes had previously experienced whilst battling the Celestials for the very future of Humankind. Indeed, apart from an intriguing flashback to the creation of the super-group’s new global headquarters at the North Pole and an off-screen battle aboard a whaling vessel “on the other end of the world”, little else arguably occurs within this twenty-page periodical apart from plenty of wordy-heavy discussions, disputes and disagreements.

Fortunately however, that doesn’t mean for a moment that the Alabama-born author’s narrative isn’t an enjoyable experience, with T’Challa’s exploration of the “desiccated, armoured corpse of an Alpha Celestial who died four billion years ago” posing all sorts of intriguing possibilities for future predicaments in its own right. Doctor Strange’s research into Jennifer Walters’ rocketing “Gamma counts” also looks set to provide the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with some quite literal explosive exploits, especially if the increasingly strong She-Hulk continues to demonstrate her inability to keep her formidable strength in check as she does when angered by the Sorcerer Supreme’s suggestion to undergo “more testing before you return to the field.”

Of course this comic’s greatest hook though is the utterly barbaric killing of three Fish People who storm the aforementioned fishing ship in an unsuccessful attempt to reach its Bridge. Brutally gunned down for their impudence by the boat’s heavily-armed security team, and then distastefully suspended from one of its sides like any other dead catch of the day, the sudden arrival of a giant squid, alongside the “Avenging Lord of the Seven Seas” is such a truly pulse-pounding moment that it must have had any perusing bibliophile begging their local comic shop owner to pre-order this ongoing title’s subsequent edition with spirited sincerity.

Undoubtedly adding to the grand look of “Inside Avengers Mountain” is David Marquez’s artwork, wonderfully coloured by Justin Ponsor. The University of Texas graduate’s opening splash page depicting Ghost Rider driving up to Avengers Mountain is particularly well-drawn, and really helps put the technologically-advanced place’s sheer size into jaw-dropping perspective.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: David Marquez, and Color Artist: Justin Ponsor

The Immortal Hulk #8 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 8, January 2019

Any Marvelites with a queasy stomach who happened to peruse Al Ewing’s gruesome opening to Issue Eight of “The Immortal Hulk” were probably feeling nauseous within the comic’s first few panels due to its narrative macabrely exploring the dissection of the Green Goliath’s heart straight “through the interventricular septum” with an adamantium scalpel. But for those unsettled "Hulk-Heads" able to stomach such mutilation, the British author’s script actually only gets worse as the criminally-minded Doctor Clive surrounds himself with all manner of the founding Avenger’s body parts, including a miraculously sentient head which soon demonstrates an horrific ability to mobilise its various dismembered limbs into a truly terrifying weapon against his captors.

Indeed, “His Hideous Heart” really does demonstrate to any lifelong fans of Stan Lee’s co-creation just how different a version of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego the “2000 A.D.” writer has created for this “new series”, with the gamma-grown monster’s internal organs beating and breathing as “good as new”, even though they’ve been crudely cut asunder and pickled in giant specimen jars which litter the numerous shelves of Shadow Base’s central laboratory; “I mean, look at you. Trying to talk with no air in your lungs. No lungs.”

Disappointingly however, arguably far less successfully penned by the “Squaxx Dek Thargo” are his fleeting visits to Alpha Flight Space Station, and the readers’ subsequent opportunity to eavesdrop upon Carol Danvers as the champion of the Kree voices her concerns regarding the United States Government supposedly losing the Hulk amidst “a sea of deliberate obfuscation.” True, these scenes do herald the creation of Walter Langkowski’s new task force, Gamma Flight, but it’s debatably difficult to so quickly accept the non-powered Jacqueline McGee as part of this team, even if the secretly obsessed Arizona Herald journalist’s presence on the roster is explained away as simply being just “an embedded reporter.” 

Fortunately, Joe Bennett’s pencilling for this twenty-page periodical is predominantly up to his usual high standard, with only the artist’s line work seemingly suffering when used to depict the aforementioned dialogue-heavy conversational pieces concerning Captain Marvel, Sasquatch and Jackie. In fact, the Brazilian’s spine-chilling splash pages featuring the Hulk reassembling himself whilst simultaneously absorbing the panic-stricken Clive alive are a remarkable sight to behold and almost worth this “Rated T+” publication’s cover price alone…

First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 8 by Alex Ross

Avengers [2018] #6 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 6, October 2018

It must arguably have been hard for the majority of this publication’s 58,925 readers to work out just how Jason Aaron’s script for “Planet Of Pathogens” somehow managed to make this particular book the nineteenth-besting selling comic in August 2018. For whilst the Alabama-born author’s action-packed and undeniably pulse-pounding storyline ultimately brings to an end the super-group’s “final battle against the Dark Celestials”, it is debatable as to whether many within its audience actually managed to successfully follow just how “the new team of heavy hitters” were successful in winning “a battle a million years in the making.” Indeed, even the twenty-one page periodical’s heavily-narrated opening sequence debatably provides plenty of head-scratching puzzlement with its bizarre carousel of Man-Thing, Gladiator, Iron Fist and Odin all apparently somehow sensing “the Earth’s peril from afar… with a heavy heart” and bewildering deciding not to do anything about it..?

Dishearteningly, things do not get any better once the book focuses its sole attention upon the giant-sized Avengers fighting “somewhere in Russia”, as despite their enormously exaggerated strength and confidence, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Thor and Ghost Rider seem unable to overpower their silent opponents without resorting to some utterly unfathomable “Uni-Mind” mental merging. True, Jennifer Walters alter-ego, who disconcertingly seems to have developed a peculiar desire to both eat her foe’s bomb-tasting flesh and continue snogging the God of Thunder, does manage to knock Obliteron down to the snow-covered ground. But the blow is soon shrugged off by the blue-skinned Celestial, as the leaders of the Final Host increasingly demonstrate their superiority over the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes by slicing away one of the arms belonging to Tony Stark’s Godkiller Armor MK II and suddenly somehow resurrecting all their fellow dead extra-terrestrial cosmic beings into gigantic zombies.

To make matters even more indecipherable however, the conclusion to Issue Six of “Avengers” is based upon the premise that all of the planet’s super-powered inhabitants are part of “a live virus vaccine” against the Horde, and can therefore defeat the Dark Celestials simply by using “an ancient method the Eternals use to combine their energies.” Somehow united due to Doctor Strange’s incantations and some baffling rewiring by the Black Panther, the heroes inexplicably manage to imbue Robbie Reyes with their coalesced energies and in the publication’s final splash panel are pencilled preparing themselves for a final assault upon their enemies alongside the disconcertingly regenerated good Celestials; “So we’re right back where we started. Still trying to defeat the Final Host.”

Writer: Jason Aaron, and Artists: Paco Medina & Ed McGuinness

Avengers [2018] #5 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 5, September 2018

Sticking to its reasonably straightforward revelation as to “the startling secret of the Progenitor”, Jason Aaron’s script for Issue Five of “Avengers” must have provided many within its 55,850 strong audience with a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, which not only parades the increasingly irritating Loki trussed up like a chicken inside the trunk of Ghost Rider’s modified 1969 Dodge Charger. But also staunchly shows an entrapped Captain America bravely blindsiding the God of Mischief with an eye-watering head-butt and boot to the jaw despite being held captive some leagues beneath the icy waters of the North Pole; “You really love to hear yourself talk, don’t you? But who’ll be around to listen once we’ve all been fed to space bugs?”

Delightfully, it isn’t just the star-spangled World War Two veteran who provides “The Secret Origin Of The Marvel Universe” with plenty of punch either, as the Alabama-born author pens plenty of entertaining moments for Flag-head’s team-mates too, most notably Roberto Reyes, whose ability to resurrect a fallen celestial as a giant-sized fiery “All-New, All-Different” incarnation of Eli Morrow’s spirit really helps bring this publication to a jaw-droppingly good cliff-hanger. Indeed, the Inkpot Award-winner manages to imbue his narrative with several such stand-out scenes, like She-Hulk amusingly admitting that Thor and her were busy “smashing and kissing”, Ghost Rider’s human alter-ego having doubts as to whether he’s “more than a car”, Doctor Strange confronting Loki as “the [true] Sorcerer Supreme”, and Tony Stark demonstrating his vast wealth by summoning “the Godkiller Mark II” from where he keeps it “parked on Mars for eventualities such as this.”

Of course, none of these scenes would be anywhere near as fun or impactive if it wasn’t for the vibrantly dynamic artwork of Paco Medina and Ed McGuinness, whose intermingled storyboards are all superbly brought together into a beautifully blended feast for the eyes by David Curiel’s colours. Certainly, it’s hard to imagine a more moving death scene than that of “the first Celestial to ever set foot on the Earth” as the “omnipotent space god”, overcome by a “nasty infection”, pitifully sinks to its knees in its death throes and spews out a disgusting, oil-slick like substance from its maw, only to then have its submerged, partially decayed corpse be revisited four billion years later by Steve Rogers…

Writer: Jason Aaron, and Artists: Paco Medina & Ed McGuinness

Avengers [2018] #4 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 4, September 2018

Despite “Marvel Worldwide” clearly hoping this comic’s 61,897 readers would focus upon its pre-publication question as to just how the Avengers could “possibly defeat a crew of 2,000-foot-tall, nearly omnipotent Dark Celestials bent on annihilating the human race”, it’s entirely possible many within this twenty-page periodical’s audience were actually more occupied trying to make sense of Jason Aaron’s incredibly choppy and convoluted narrative. Indeed, the sheer number of sub-plots and secondary cast members which the Alabama-born writer crams into “A Battle That Was Lost A Million Years Ago” is bewilderingly breath-taking, with the likes of Agamotto, Starbrand, a swarm of cosmic locusts, Celestials, Eternals, Frost Giants, Proto-Humans and even the “Dragons of K’un-Lun” all getting at least a mention.

Of course, such a wide ensemble would be perfectly palatable if this book’s script actually tried to tie the different races and their fantastic locations together into a sensible, logical storyline. But any perusing bibliophile who casually glanced inside Issue Four of “Avengers” would instead have first found themselves being thrown back in time to the prehistoric Pleistocene Period, before arriving at Old Asgard, the Mountains of Greece, Alpha Flight Space Station, and the North Pole, all within the passage of a plethora of Paco Medina and Ed McGuinness’ perfectly pencilled panels.

Disappointingly however, few of these trips actually appear to make much sense, with Iron Man’s surprise visit to the Home of the Eternals proving particularly puzzling as Tony Stark’s alter ego discovers that Zuras, Sersi and Thena have all apparently killed one another “within the last few hours” simply because they were driven mad by “the deaths of all those Celestials”..? To make matters worse, Thor’s outing to see the All-Father is arguably even more bizarre with Odin refusing to help his son recover the Blood of Ymir, and She-Hulk deciding the best way to warm up an all-too conveniently faltering God of Thunder is to give the bearded warrior a huge kiss on the lips; “Thank you… For, Ah… Saving my life back there, my Lady Hulk.”

Fortunately, such debatably poor penmanship is entirely survivable thanks to Medina and McGuinness’ sumptuous storyboarding and this comic’s attractively lavish inking by Juan Vlasco (with Mark Morales). Ordinarily, any series “scheduled to release eighteen issues per year” would understandably prove too “large load for one artist to handle by himself”, so Executive Editor Tom Breevort’s decision to add Paco “in the mix” with his similar style to Ed, really seems to have paid dividends with the illustrations for this specific edition.

Writer: Jason Aaron, and Artists: Paco Medina & Ed McGuinness

Avengers [2018] #3 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 3, August 2018

Pausing only to provide its audience with incontrovertible proof as to what a “full-power jerk” Tony Stark is, Jason Aaron’s treatment for “Where Space Gods Go To Die” pretty much picks up with precisely the same pulse-pounding pace as its preceding publication by presenting a series of dramatic action-packed sequences involving She-Hulk, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange and the Black Panther. In fact, with the notable exception of Loki Laufeyson explaining to Steve Rogers just why the “naughty star-spangled boy” failed in his attempt to “murder a sorcerer of my calibre… by throwing said sorcerer into the Sun”, there probably isn’t a dull moment in the Alabama-born writer’s narrative until Colonel Carol Danvers finally informs the rest of the anxiously-waiting Avengers that the Alpha Flight space programme have confirmed Captain America is still alive and has been teleported away by the God of Mischief; “Of course he is. That old man will outlive us all.”

Such sense-shattering shenanigans, superbly pencilled by Paco Medina and Ed McGuinness, could admittedly have become a little wearisome for this comic’s audience if there was little plot progression to accompany it, but fortunately nearly every blow thrown seems to advance the story further on, especially Jennifer Walters and Roberto Reyes’ rollercoaster of a ride down towards the centre of the Earth, and subsequent rendezvous with a beleaguered Sorcerer Supreme and T’Challa. This disconcerting ‘rescue’ from an underground army of ferocious spider-sized robots is fantastically penned and provides both a genuine belly laugh moment as the Master of the Mystic Arts apologizes to his flaming-headed saviour for “throwing up so many times” in “his demon-possessed car”, and also finally brings the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” together just in time for Iron Man to demonstrate just why the character was only ranked twelfth on “IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes in 2011”.

Indeed, the founding member of the super-group really comes across as an especially dislikeable fool in Issue Three of “Avengers” as he arrogantly blames Captain Marvel for “the giant dead bodies” which have been falling from the sky, accuses the Human/Kree hybrid for having previously put him in a coma, and then rudely dismisses the man “who just drove to the centre of the Earth and back” simply because he doesn’t know “this Spooky and the Bandit guy.” Such utter condescending haughtiness on behalf of the new team’s armoured leader is incredibly infuriating, and alongside his subsequent disregard of the savage She-Hulk’s help, arguably must have sadly convinced a few disenchanted perusing bibliophiles to place this twenty-page periodical back upon the spinner rack.

Writer: Jason Aaron, and Artists: Paco Medina & Ed McGuinness

Avengers [2018] #2 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 2, July 2018

Shifting 66,646 copies in May 2018, “Still Avenging After All These Years” arguably doesn’t let its audience pause for breath until its final shell-shocker of a concluding cliff-hanger which reveals that Loki, “the greatest Avenger who ever lived”, has been aiding the Final Host of Dark Celestials in their bid to “correct the grievous mistake they made one million years ago.” True, Jason Aaron’s script does contain one quiet moment where a “surprised” Jennifer Walters encounters a tower-block sized dead giant which “fell from the sky”, but the lawyer is immediately forced to transform into the She-Hulk courtesy of an attack by a host of killer robotic arachnids, and subsequently sets about ‘squishing’ the extra-terrestrial life-forms with all the savage ferocity one would expect from Bruce Banner’s cousin; “Though I suppose the Avengers rainbow just wouldn’t look the same without the usual splash of green.”

Similarly as sense-shattering is the gamma-fuelled human mutate’s one-on-one with Ghost Rider, which entertainingly sees the former member of the Fantastic Four impressively wreck Roberto Reyes’ “demon-possessed car” with her bare hands and then battle the “skeletal superhuman wreathed in ethereal flame” in close combat. Sadly, the Alabama-born author’s rationale behind this titanic tussle is a little artificially penned, due to She-Hulk supposedly being momentarily mesmerised by one of the fallen Celestials. Yet debatably such a contrivance is easily forgivable, especially when such an exhilaratingly well story-boarded punch-up concludes with the “ghost of Eli Morrow” briefly encircling his enraged opponent with his sickle-ending chains and watching her being towed away by his fiery “black classic muscle car”.

Unfortunately however, this significant spotlight upon Stan Lee’s savage co-creation also means that the Black Panther and Doctor Strange’s struggle against a (second) wave of metallic spiders deep beneath the crust of the Earth is frustratingly relegated to just a single panel inside the twenty-page periodical, with an incredibly impotent attack upon the death-dealing Dark Celestials by “Marvel’s big three Avengers” occupying the vast majority of the publication’s remaining ‘screen time’. Such a disappointing visual disparity between the super-group’s myriad of members is then unhappily made all the more infuriating by Ed McGuinness’ disconcertingly poor pencilling of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, as the perturbingly square-headed, angular-looking trio desperately attempt to teleport their opponents into the molten centre of the Solar System using “omega-level warp grenades attuned to the coordinates of the Sun.”

Writer: Jason Aaron, Penciller: Ed McGuinness, and Inker: Mark Morales with Jay Leisten

Avengers [2018] #1 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 1, July 2018

Printed as part of “Marvel Comics” “revamping [of] its entire publishing line in 2018”, this Jason Aaron reboot sold an impressive 131,450 copies upon its release and certainly seemed to deliver on the Alabama-born writer’s double promise of it featuring “the biggest characters” and going “to the coolest, most exotic locations around the Marvel Universe.” Indeed, it’s arguably hard to think of a broader scope to a story than the one contained within Issue One of “Avengers” as the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” bravely battle both a downpour of “giant dead bodies falling from the sky… all over the globe” and a robotic arachnid army “miles below the surface” where “the pressure here would crush me into a puddle of goo and then the air would set that goo on fire.”

Alongside “Marvel’s big three Avengers”, the thirty-two page periodical even features “the popular stars of last year’s massive Marvel Legacy one-shot: the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.”, utilising the “group of powerful beings assembled at the dawn of man” as a sense-shattering springboard into its modern-day tale of the Final Host of Dark Celestials arriving to destroy the Earth. Such a massive cast admittedly means that few characters obtain much in the way of ‘screen time’, but even so the interplay between Doctor Strange and T’Challa deep beneath the Earth’s crust, as well as Roberto Reyes’ almost antagonistic relationship with “his demon-possessed car” genuinely must have made this book’s readers wanting to see more.

Unfortunately however, perhaps as a result of being so ‘super-sized’ this “fresh start” does sag in its story-telling from time to time, most notably when it focuses upon Tony Stark’s grating doubts as to the validity of reassembling the Avengers alongside “Hydra Cap” and “The Unworthy Thor”. It’s clear that having returned from “suddenly being clinically dead”, the genius engineer has his doubts about hurling his body back into the fray so soon, yet surely the American author didn’t need to spend quite so many panels, intermixed throughout this comic, laboriously depicting the business magnate’s negative view-point; “In the beginning it just happened. It wasn’t us. It was actually more Loki than us. And who says it has to be the three of us anymore at the --”

Rather agreeably though, Ed McGuinness’ clean-lined pencilling imbues even these boring bar room scenes with some semblance of energic urgency, through his clever use of Thor Odinson as an increasingly enraged advocate of the team embracing its ideals. In addition, the American artist also provides plenty of jaw-dropping visuals for the rest of this tome’s ensemble, such as the somewhat surreal, face-hugger egg-sack infested catacombs uncovered by the Black Panther, or the significantly sized “2,000 feet long” Celestials crashing amidst the world’s most populated civilisations.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Penciller: Ed McGuinness, and Inker: Mark Morales