Thursday, May 15, 2014

New Avengers #18

   The classic stories in the Justice League featured two worlds (usually Earth-1 and Earth-2) coming together (sometimes literally) as the team fought to fend off destruction (often while The Spectre grew to a titanic size and physically held the two worlds apart).

   That is what you're getting - without The Spectre - in this issue of New Avengers.

   A mysterious cosmic event has forced a series of incursions between the Marvel Earth and Earths from alternate realities. The only way to save "our" Earth is to destroy the other one first.

   The only ones who know about it are the members of the Illuminati. The challenge has been (more or less) easy on the conscience so far, because those "other" Earths - so far - have been either uninhabited or peopled with evil creatures.

   But this issue presents an alternate Earth protected by a team of heroes who seem remarkably similar to certain heroes at DC (just a coincidence, I'm sure) - so how to determine who will live, and who will die?

   It's a meaty challenge, and it makes this the ultimate conflict between worlds, far more serious and with higher stakes than those prototype stories in the JLA.

   As always, it's a sharp, intelligent story by Jonathan Hickman, with strong, angry visuals by Valerio Schiti.

   This story is moving into dark territory. Like a soldier at war, what actions are justified to save your loved ones? This story has been building slowly, but it's rich and has a powerful emotional edge. I can't wait for the next issue!

Grade: A-

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