Review - Avengers: Assault on Olympus

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-

Review - Avengers: Under Siege

Assembling a new incarnation of the Masters of Evil, Baron Zemo leads a devastating assault on the Avengers’ headquarters. As most of the Avengers fall at the hands of the Masters, the responsibility of stopping Zemo and his henchmen falls squarely on the pint-sized shoulders of the Wasp.

Avengers: Under Siege collects Avengers #270-277, written by Roger Stern and illustrated by John Buscema.

Often hailed as one of the greatest Avengers storylines of all-time, Under Siege is an absolutely brutal arc that is best known for portraying the crushing defeat of the Avengers at the hands of the Masters of Evil. The calculating and conniving Baron Zemo concocts the perfect plan to bring the heroes down. Upon putting together his team, he storms the Avengers Mansion while the heroes are away and methodically picks them off one by one as they return to their headquarters. It’s a visceral narrative that includes a lot of intense action and is unusual in its depiction of how easily (and pitilessly) the villains overcome the heroes. In some ways, it’s a precursor to what we’d see in the ‘90s with events such as The Death of Superman and Knightfall.

What is most impressive about Under Siege isn’t just its action, but rather its remarkable character work and its ability to weave it into the mayhem. The Wasp is arguably the star of the show. At the time of this storyline, she is the leader and chairwoman of the Avengers. This has caused some tension within the team, particularly from Hercules. He feels emasculated by the Wasp’s orders and childishly refuses to acknowledge her authority. His lack of respect for the Wasp ultimately plays right into enemy hands. Similarly, Black Knight’s apparent unrequited feelings for the Wasp make him an easy target for the Masters. Despite feeling inadequate as a leader and uncertain of her capabilities, the Wasp proves herself in a spectacular conflict against Titania and the Absorbing Man. With the help of Ant-Man (spoiler… I guess), she manages to take them down and this drastically turns the tide in the war between the Avengers and the Masters. Another character who stands out is Captain Marvel. Though she’s detained for a good chunk of the arc, once she manages to escape (on her own I might add), she returns to the fight with a fury and loses her cool as she chases down Moonstone. It’s a rather small moment, but it’s an important one. Thus far, Captain Marvel had been amongst the most levelheaded members of the team, so this brief spate of anger shows that she is as infallible as her teammates. On the subject of Moonstone, she too receives some attention when it comes to development. While most of the villains are fairly one-dimensional, Moonstone is notable for her attempts to undermine Zemo’s authority. It sets her apart as one of the more independent and intelligent members of the Masters.

John Buscema’s art is top-notch in Under Siege. Given the severity of what is going on story-wise, he manages to create really evocative panels. He errs on the side of subtlety during the more gruesome moments of the narrative (i.e. the scenes where the Masters assault Jarvis and Hercules). The action is superb as well, especially the sequence where the Wasp and Ant-Man take down Titania and Absorbing Man. However, what I recall most is the really gorgeous work that is put into depicting the emotions of the characters involved. Buscema really captures the fury and toxicity of Hercules’ character each time he bristles at being seen or treated as subordinate to the Wasp. Captain Marvel’s fury-filled pursuit of Moonstone towards the end is another great example of this emotiveness. However, the panel that is forever seared into my mind is the close-up of the Wasp after she’s taken down Titania and Absorbing Man. With her steely gaze and slight sneer, she declares that the Avengers will have their revenge on the Masters of Evil for what they have done. It’s absolutely chilling and my hat goes off to Buscema for creating such an unforgettable shot.

Of the Avengers storylines I’ve read, Under Siege is quite possibly the best of the bunch. It’s got everything you need – an epic (and brutal) battle between heroes and villains, intricate character work, and outstanding artwork. It’s also surprisingly quite accessible. You don’t need to have read every Avengers issue in existence to understand or enjoy it. Beyond that, it also puts its female characters front and center. The Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Moonstone (even Titania to some degree) all get to be multi-dimensional individuals who play crucial roles in this arc. Of course, as a Monica Rambeau fan, I’ll always be biased towards anything that features her.

RATING: A

Review - The Avengers: The Legacy of Thanos

While investigating one of Thanos’ abandoned spaceships, Captain Marvel encounters a band of mercenaries led by the enigmatic Nebula. In an effort to stay alive, she feigns interest in joining Nebula’s ragtag team and is taken in as a probationary member. To prove her loyalty, she must infiltrate a Skrull base. However, she may not survive long enough to accomplish her task.

The Avengers: The Legacy of Thanos collects Avengers #255-261 and Annual #14, and Fantastic Four Annual #19, written by Roger Stern and John Byrne. Art is by John Buscema and John Byrne.

This collection picks up in the aftermath of a dramatic incident in which Avengers mainstay Vision hijacked the world’s computers to enforce peace. He had sent Captain Marvel light-years away from Earth to keep her busy while he launched his plans. She ends up on Sanctuary II, a ship once occupied by Thanos and has since been taken over by Nebula’s forces. Captain Marvel bluffs her way into the group long enough to get an SOS message out to her fellow Avengers. Back on Earth, the Avengers are facing severe cuts to their budget and capabilities after the government pulls their support following the debacle with Vision. Before they can fully digest everything, they head off to the Savage Land to prevent the gigantic Terminus from destroying it. Once the conflict is resolved, they speedily head off to space to rescue their teammate. To say that the events presented in these issues are dense would be somewhat of an understatement. It’s continuity heavy and requires its readers to have a working knowledge of the Marvel Universe. We’ve got the Savage Land (which means we’ve also got Ka-Zar and Shanna), space hijinks (Skrulls, Thanos, etc.), the Fantastic Four, and even a cameo from Spider-Man. It also doesn’t help that the narrative is forced into tying in with Secret Wars II by including the Beyonder at one point. Since the cast is more eclectic (meaning that it’s Captain America plus several lesser known heroes), this could be a barrier to some readers too.

Since my working knowledge of Marvel is pretty decent, I wasn’t too lost. However, the story itself didn’t quite flow as well as it should due to its divergent narratives. Captain Marvel’s subplot (which eventually became the primary one) was the backbone of this particular collection of stories. The others were vignettes that varied in quality. The jaunt to the Savage Land was brief and felt derivative of X-Men stories set there. The brief appearance of Spider-Man offered little to the plot aside from facilitating Firelord’s temporary alliance with the Avengers. These elements really pulled focus from what was the most engaging part of these issues, which was the conflict between Nebula and the Skrulls. Captain Marvel and the Avengers get caught in the crosshairs, lending their support (hesitantly, I might add) to the Skrulls. This means we get some passing references to the Kree-Skrull War, which is kind of neat. Seeing the Avengers off in space is fun as it’s not something they do often and it provides a rich history for them to take part in. Writer Roger Stern smartly inserts an emotional component by zeroing in on the differing opinions regarding this conflict, as well as the varied approaches to resolving it. However, what strikes me as the most interesting is that each character feels distinct. They each have their own voice and bring a special something to the table. I especially find his treatment of Captain America and Captain Marvel to be quite engaging. Hercules is a standout as well. If I had one complaint for his character work it would be that he has Wasp as the team’s chairwoman, but she does little in the way of actually leading them. Captain America seems to fill that role (and even he remarks on that himself).

The bulk of the art is provided by Stern’s collaborator John Buscema. Buscema’s style is quite unique within the realm of Avengers’ artists. It has a more whimsical quality to it and is certainly a style I associate with fantasy comics (Buscema’s lengthy tenure on Conan the Barbarian and The Savage Sword of Conan is probably why I think that way). There’s a rougher texture to his art and his anatomy falls on the more realistic side. As such, reading these stories gives you a slight sense of watching an old movie. It’s truly quite nifty. Of all the characters he draws, Captain Marvel and Hercules are the standouts for me. There’s this sense of confidence and unadulterated exuberance that he provides Captain Marvel. From her posing to her usage of her powers, she draws the focus in every panel she’s in. Similarly, Hercules’ impressive form is hard to miss given how little clothing he actually wears. It allows the reader to truly observe how dynamic the body can be due to Hercules’ musculature. John Byrne provides some art as well, but is filtered through the hands of others via finishers. As such, the art lacks his characteristic style and ends up looking quite generic.

The Avengers: The Legacy of Thanos fits neatly into the storied history between Earth’s heroes and the Skrulls. This arc sees a détente in their usual conflict and instead features them working together to fight a common enemy. It’s refreshing and thrilling at the same time. Given the amount of issues collected here, it’s understandable that the quality varies. Overall, the tone is consistent and there’s plenty of action to enjoy. However, it’s tedious at certain points and doesn’t quite fulfil its potential (which I blame mostly on the imposition of Secret Wars II).

RATING: B-

Review: Avengers - The Private War of Doctor Doom

Following their recent victories against Kang and the Squadron Supreme, the Avengers return home and are faced with the task of settling on a new roster. No sooner do they announce their line-up than the once-dead Wonder Man returns to the fold. Then, they must face off against Atlantean menace Attuma in his latest plot to best Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Avengers: The Private War of Doctor Doom collects Avengers #150-156 and Annual #6, and Super-Villain Team-up #9, written by Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway and Bill Mantlo with art by George Perez and John Buscema.

This collection follows the events of The Serpent Crown and almost immediately sees the departure of Hellcat and Moondragon (boo!), as well as Avengers mainstay Thor. With their new roster, the Avengers must investigate the circumstances behind the resurrection of Wonder Man. At the same time the Living Laser is busy plotting his revenge on the Avengers and intends to use the unstable Nuklo to do so. After that, the Avengers are captured by Attuma and are forced to attack Namor’s Hydrobase. When they arrive, however, they discover the base is being run by Doctor Doom and they are swiftly bested by the Fantastic Four foe. In order to defeat Attuma, they must form an uneasy alliance with Doctor Doom.

As a trade, The Private War of Doctor Doom is densely plotted and is continuity heavy with plenty of references to past events. It lacks excitement and depth, as it falls into the rather generic box of “supervillains trying to take over the world using some kind of experimental device.” The collection begins with a tedious re-telling of the Avengers’ rosters’ various origins and then transitions into the re-introduction of Wonder Man. Understandably, his return creates conflict between Scarlet Witch and the Vision since the latter’s brain patterns were based off of Wonder Man’s. While there may be a smidgen of tension between the newlyweds throughout this trade, that’s about it for character development. The dialogue for the Beast is strong and we get some really great action scenes involving Scarlet Witch on a solo mission, but everyone else feels depressingly generic and they all fade into the background over the course of the collected issues. It also feels dated, given the fact that these stories occur during a time period when Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were canonically viewed as the children of the Whizzer and Miss America.

The highlight of this collection is the art done by George Perez and the late John Buscema. Perez delivers dynamic work that features an active expressiveness, while also showing off his skill at drawing the male form (we get a rather strong panel of Namor flying through the air towards the end). Buscema, meanwhile, has a distinctive moodiness to his style that emphasizes some of the more emotional aspects to these characters. Notably, there’s a series of panels in which the Scarlet Witch is distraught and turns for comfort from the Wasp when she’s given the cold shoulder by her husband.

Avengers: The Private War of Doctor Doom isn’t the most impressive collection of stories featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It’s an awkwardly plotted series of stories that follow on the heels of Steve Englehart’s remarkable run on The Avengers. Where his stories often included social commentary and soapy interpersonal drama, The Private War of Doctor Doom restores the status quo of paint-by-numbers supervillain conflicts. Attuma and Doctor Doom make for great opponents for the Avengers, but the narrative never attempts to do something new with them. It’s also mildly irritating that Hellcat and Moondragon were written out, since both had been standouts in the preceding trade Avengers: The Serpent Crown. Though we get some notable art from Perez and Buscema, The Private War of Doctor Doom is skippable.

RATING: C-