In the aftermath of the Masters of Evil’s assault on the Avengers’ Headquarters, a comatose Hercules is spirited away to Olympus at the behest of his father. Zeus chooses to blame the Avengers for the condition his son is in and declares war on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Faced with doing battle against actual gods, the Avengers must find allies within the pantheon itself in hopes of surviving the wrath of the Olympians.
Avengers: Assault on Olympus collects Avengers #278-285, written by Roger Stern and John Buscema, with additional work done by Bob Harras and Bob Hall.
Assault on Olympus picks up where Under Siege left off. Some of the Avengers are in critical condition following their battle with the Masters of Evil, with Hercules in the most precarious position. The Wasp has resigned and the Avengers must elect a new leader. Issue 279 focuses largely on Captain Marvel, who has been offered the position. She consults her parents on the subject and then proceeds to aid in the Avengers in a rescue effort. It’s a gorgeously written (and drawn!) love letter to Monica Rambeau as it summarizes much of what makes her such an intriguing, multi-dimensional character. Her interactions with her parents, which emphasize the warm and open dynamic they have, help to distinguish her from other heroes who have either strained relationships with their parents or been orphaned. We also get to see her insecurities and vulnerability as she struggles with accepting the fact that she’s truly a great hero, while the cave rescue sequence cements her as a symbol of hope and as a hero who can be depended upon. This singular issue stands up well and is mandatory Monica Rambeau reading.
The bulk of this collection, however, focuses on Zeus’ abduction of the Avengers and his plot to eradicate them for their perceived culpability in Hercules’ comatose state. Much like Under Siege, this arc sees the Avengers facing seemingly impossible odds and it forces them to get creative in their approach to defeating their enemy. In this case, it’s decided that they must turn the Olympians most likely to disagree with Zeus’ actions to their side. It’s a brilliant choice on their part. It’s a storyline filled to the brim with fantastical action and it takes our heroes through various mythical locales, which gives John Buscema plenty of room to show off his skills as a veteran sword and sorcery artist. With that said, it’s a little light on character work. Aside from the occasional shady thought bubble from Doctor Druid, this arc doesn’t do much to develop the characters. It’s a bit of a shame considering it’s Captain Marvel’s first big hoorah as the leader of the Avengers. It’s a fantastic “The Avengers kick ass” read, but it’s not as soapy or dramatic as it could be.
Avengers: Assault on Olympus is yet another victorious collection of stories from the superstar team of Roger Stern and John Buscema. The majority of the stories are perfectly tailored to Buscema’s style and we get to see some of his best work on the Avengers in those issues. From his portrayal of the Olympian Gods to the various mythical realms we get to see, it’s packed full of fantastical imagery. Issue 279 is a standout for me and is quite possibly the best story within this trade, but what follows is exciting and bursting with action. It’s a worthy of any Avengers essential reading list that’s for sure.
RATING: A-
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