Written by Christopher Yost
Art by Patrick Scherberger; Scott Wegener; Sandu Florea; Jean-Francois Beaulieu; Dave Sharpe; & VC’s Joe Sabino
SUMMARY:
Published by Marvel Comics in 2011, this 112-page, 6” x 9” trade paperback reprints Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes # 1-4 (first published in 2010-2011). As a comic book companion to the animated TV series, the stories are:
- “Adaptation.” As the Wasp ponders how to welcome Captain America into the 21st Century, the newly-thawed Captain spends his day off trouncing Batroc’s Legion in Times Square. The team encounters the robotic Super-Adaptoid, which is capable of mimicking the Avengers’ powers.
- “Trust” (short story): Black Panther & Hawkeye bicker while pursuing the female Whiplash in a darkened warehouse.
- “Obsession.” In Switzerland, Iron Man’s grudge in reclaiming his stolen armor technology forces the Avengers into battle against Russia’s Winter Guard (Darkstar; Ursa Major; Vanguard; and Titanium Man) over which team gets to take the fugitive Crimson Dynamo into custody.
- “Mutual Respect” (short story): A bickering Hulk & Ant-Man team up to thwart the Mad Thinker; Quasimodo; and ‘Awesome Andy’ the android.
- “Savage.” Setting up a mind-controlled Thor vs. the Hulk, the Grandmaster bets the Collector over who wins the battle of the Mightiest Avengers. It’s up to the Hulk’s ingenuity to free Thor from the Collector’s ‘mind game.’
- “Courage” (short story): Protecting a semi-conscious and critically-wounded Captain America, an outmatched Wasp must fend off the monstrous Wendigo amidst a blizzard.
- “Team.” Zemo’s Masters of Evil deploys the gigantic Ultimo robot for their latest assault. Wasp takes some candid photos of the battle. A familiar Daily Bugle photographer who snaps the team’s portrait is a Marvel in-joke.
REVIEW:
Despite Christopher Yost’s fun scripting, the artwork is generally pedestrian. A sole exception is the candid ‘photos’ from “Team,” as they are the sole jewel of this book’s visuals. Curiously, the short story artwork proves far better than the longer stories — go figure. In terms of the complete package, Yost’s creativity makes this collection at best a decent read for the elementary school crowd.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The 16-page Character Profile gallery reviews:
- Iron Man; Captain America; Thor; Hulk; Wasp; Ant-Man; Hawkeye; Black Panther; Nick Fury; Black Widow; Baron Zemo; Kang; Baron Strucker; Zemo; Ultron; Enchantress; Crimson Dynamo; and the Abomination.
- Hawkeye’s arrows and sky-cycle; & Thor’s Mjolnir hammer;
- A quick quiz to identify four different villainous weapons;
- A simplified diagram of Iron Man’s interface.
A copy of each issue’s cover by Patrick Scherberger and Scott Wegener (for Issue # 4) is also included.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
