New Avengers Annual #1: Review

Apr 2006

Brian Michael Bendis, Olivier Coipel

Story Name:

Happily ever after

Review & Comments

Rating:

New Avengers Annual #1 Review by Rob Johnson (May 7, 2014)

This issue was published before the Sentry limited series wherein Rob Reynolds learns that his enemy the Void is part of him, and throws him into the Sun. But here Sentry seems fully aware that the Void is inside him. There isn't really space for this to occur within the climactic events at the end of that series. So, as the OI says, this happens *after* that series. The Void has obviously returned, and will be seen in later Sentry appearances. The sequence of panels suggest that Sentry *caused* the Void to surface in Belova's mind, but the dialogue doesn't say so. However his claim that he can send the Void away adds credence to this idea. Yelena Belova will reappear none the worse for wear as part of vigilante group Vanguard in Marvel Comics Presents vol 2. During Dark Reign Norman Osborn will have her in stasis while Natasha Romanova impersonates her in Thunderbolts. Then in 2013's Secret Avengers AIM will rescue her from stasis and turn her back into Super-Adaptoid. The guy officiating over the wedding looks suspiciously like Stan Lee. Guests at the wedding include Foggy Nelson, Iron Fist, Jeryn Hogarth, Misty Knight and Thing. Jessica Jones' parents are probably also depicted.

Spider-Woman is still actually a Skrull here, as is butler Jarvis. Maybe Spider-Woman isn't attracted to the human baby because she's a Skrull imposter. Or maybe she's imitating a real dislike of babies on Jessica Drew's part. The splash page and the Official Index still don't list Ms Marvel as a team member. (Assuming this is after #20) she's been here almost continuously since she dropped in in #15, but she didn't want to join the team. Ms Marvel says she's going to absorb her powers back from the Adaptoid (giving her double powers). MM can absorb energy, but not powers. Can this be a confusion with Rogue who once *completely* absorbed MM's powers and *memories*, taking them away from her. We have yet another version of the Wolverine fastball special, which originally involved Colossus throwing him at an enemy but has since evolved to feature anyone with the strength to do it.

This issue is placed by the Official Index and the Marvel Chronology Project between the end of the Collective story in #20 and Civil War in #21. However MCP's Calendar disagrees and puts it before #16. The story starts with a reprint of the cover illustration for Avengers #45, their 1st time up against the Super-Adaptoid. Jessica Jones was a teenage superheroine Jewel. Then she quit. A flashback in Pulse #14 revealed that she briefly became a darker costumed character Knightress, and that's how she met Luke Cage. We 1st met her after that as a PI in Alias. During that series she worked with Cage and started a relationship with him, which resulted in her pregnancy and then them starting to live together. Jessica switched from PI to journalist in The Pulse. In P#13 Luke proposed, and in P#14 Jessica eventually decided to accept, but we don't see her tell him. This issue she does say yes. But Cage's comment suggests she also said yes after P#14, and then changed her mind. Spider-Man has the armoured costume Tony Stark gave him in Amazing SM#529-531.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

New Avengers Annual #1 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

In a flashback a Hydra agent offers the disfigured and hospitalised Yelena Belova (the 2nd Black Widow) a chance to strike back at the Avengers for what they did to her in #6. Hydra have hired AIM to transform her into a new Super-Adaptoid. The agent says he doesn't want Spider-Woman harmed, if possible, because she's working for them.

In the present the Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Sentry, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Wolverine) are having some downtime in Avengers Tower along with Ms Marvel, Jarvis, Lindy Reynolds and Mary Jane and May Parker. A frazzled Jessica Jones arrives with baby Danielle in tow. The other women coo over the baby, except Jessica Drew.

Jessica Jones quietly says "Yes" to a marriage proposal Luke Cage made earlier. Luke immediately announces it to the room (so she can't retract it like the last time).

Iron Man as Tony Stark takes Cap and Sentry outside for a meeting with the Mayor, to smooth ruffled feathers over the unsanctioned conversion of Stark Tower into Avengers Tower, complete with Sentry's Watchtower on top. But he's not helped by Belova showing up in Adaptoid mode.

Hearing the battle below, Ms Marvel leads the other Avengers into the fray. Cap hustles the Mayor to safety while the Adaptoid mimics Sentry's power, and that of Ms Marvel and the other arriving Avengers. She then goes in chase of Cap, who's driving the Mayor away in a car. Sentry gives chase, but Yelena easily bests him. Ms Marvel tries to absorb the powers from the Adaptoid, thus robbing her of them, but it doesn't work.

Battered Tony Stark recovers, suits up and joins the others. He explains about Super-Adaptoid's powers, but too late of course. Spider-Man wonders what would happen if the Adaptoid tried to adapt to multiple copies of the same hero. This gives Stark and idea, and he tells the others to keep the Adaptoid busy until he returns.

The team, including the returned Cap, repeatedly attack the villainess. Including Ms Marvel and Wolverine doing Logan's patented fastball special. But the Adaptoid shrugs them all off until she is confronted by an array of old Iron Man armours, remotely piloted by Stark. But nothing is enough against Cage's unbreakable skin, Wolverine's unbreakable bones and his healing factor.

But then a side-effect of Sentry's power manifests, as the Void appears in Belova's mind. And she hasn't the experience to keep it in check. Her absorbed abilities desert her. Sentry offers to take the Void away if she'll tell them who's behind her attack (although Logan says it's obviously Hydra). But AIM cause Adaptoid to self-destruct before she can answer.

After the fight Iron Man wants to know what Spider-Woman knows about all this. He's not happy about her double-agent role (which they learned about in #14). But SW protests her innocence.

Now we finally get to the cover scene as Luke and Jessica Jones get married. Jessica confirms that she really wants to marry Luke, despite all the baddies that keep attacking them. And anyway, no supervillan interrupted the wedding, so that's a good sign.