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Avengers World #1

Jan 2014
Jonathan Hickman, Stefano Caselli

Story Name:

Avengers world


Synopsis

Avengers World #1 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4.5 stars
This issue begins with a voiceover on top of 4 panels containing:- Some AIM agents. A pair of bloody hands. A stone block with round protrusions. What looks like a mechanoid version of an AIM agent. The captions basically say that the Avengers promised to protect the world.

Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner attend the 1st Avengers liaison meeting (in the new working arrangement between the Avengers and SHIELD set up in Point One) with Maria Hill on the SHIELD Helicarrier. Steve has brought Bruce along because he's familiar with working with Hill (in the current Hulk series). They discuss threats on the incident board.

There's activity in the Origin Bomb site in Regina, Canada (see Av#10). (But this won't figure in the rest of this issue.)

There's a lot of extreme weather and seismic events on the US East Coast, which doesn't look natural. Captain Marvel, Hyperion and Thor are already there to assist. Captain America details Dr Banner to assemble a SHIELD scientific team to track the source of the problem.

Madripoor has descended into chaos and mob rule. Black Widow, Falcon and Wolverine are there. They decide the situation is beyond control and start thinking about who they can save. Shang-Chi is supposed to be with them, but he has slipped away on his own business.

Another group of Avengers have been sent to Velletri in Italy where the population has disappeared. Hawkeye, Nightmask, Spider-Woman and Starbrand discover the stone block from page 1. Starbrand touches it, triggering black tendrils and a burst of light which cuts off communication with SHIELD.

Meanwhile Banner's team have traced the origin of the East Coast disturbances to AIM Island, which is getting bigger and changing in other ways. Cap sends Cannonball, Smasher and Sunspot to investigate.

In Madripoor Shang-Chi infiltrates a Hand temple and witnesses Gorgon (with the bloody hands from page 1) performing a mystical rite to wake the Beast. There is a legend that the city was built on the back of a very large dragon. Which turns out to be true as the animal raises itself from within the ground.

SHIELD reestablish contact with the team in Velletri, who have been transported to an underground city of the dead, where Starbrand hears voices in his head.

The trio at AIM Island discover a large techno-city/fortress, and are confronted by the mechanoid being from page 1 who blasts them from the sky.

The issue ends with the same voiceover as page 1, over 4 new panels:- Cap, Banner and Hill. The Madripoor dragon. The Velletri city of the dead. The mechanoid figure. It is that figure who speaks the voiceover, adding that he will take the world from the Avengers.


 

Review / Commentaries


Avengers World #1 Review by (January 12, 2014)
Madripoor is a SE Asian island usually run by criminals of 1 form or another, eg Hydra. Wolverine has a long association with the place. This Gorgon is also connected to Wolverine. He is involved with both the Hand and Hydra. He was killed at the end of his initial appearances within Wo#20-31, but was resurrected to take a major role in Secret Warriors. The Hand have always worshipped a Beast, but that is a demon and unlikely to be the dragon being awakened here. Velletri is a real Italian town. I harbour a slim hope that the event here is related to Hickman's wonderful SHIELD series. AIM Island must have metamorphosed since Cannonball and Sunspot visited it in the prelude in Point One.

The Avengers organisation chart looks similar to the 1 in the latest Avengers #24, but with significant differences. The inner circle has lost Iron Man and Manifold (both missing completely), and Captain Marvel (relegated to the outer circle), replaced by Hyperion and Smasher (both promoted from the outer circle), and Wolverine (not dropped from the team as he is in Av#24). The static inner circle members are Black Widow, Captain America, Falcon, Hawkeye, Hulk (listed as Bruce Banner) and Thor. Stationary members of the outer circle are Cannonball, Nightmask, Shang-Chi, Spider-Woman, Starbrand and Sunspot. So Captain Universe has also disappeared from the roster of Av#24. She and Iron Man join Av#24's exiles Abyss, Ex Nihilo and Spider-Man. I don't know whether this diagram represents the regular team of this title, or just who's in this issue. (CU and Shellhead aren't in this issue despite being on the cover.) The inner circle certainly don't all play a large role this time.

1 of the reasons given for this new title is that Nick Spencer relieve Jonathan Hickman of the burden of *having* to write 2 issues of Avengers every month (as well as some new Avengers) as he's done for the last year. Except that Nick is only co-writing. And he co-wrote Av#12-17. And the 1st thing they do is give us 2 issues of Avengers World in the 1st month. At least Nick wrote the prelude in Point One by himself. Coincidentally new regular artist Stefano Caselli was also on board for Av#14-17.


> Avengers World comic book info and issue index

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Stefano Caselli
Stefano Caselli
Frank Martin
John Cassaday (Cover Penciler)
John Cassaday (Cover Inker)
Laura Martin (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos.
Editor: Lauren Sankovitch.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Adam
Adam

(Nightmask)
Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel

(Carol Danvers)
Falcon
Falcon

(Sam Wilson)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clinton Barton)
Hulk
Hulk

(Robert Bruce Banner)
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman

(Jessica Drew)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Wolverine
Wolverine

(James Howlett)

Plus: Gorgon (Tomi Shishido), Hyperion (Marcus Milton), Smasher (Isabel Kane), Star Brand (Kevin Conner).