Cover Date: July 2018
On Sale Date: May 2018
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ed McGuiness
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Colorist: David Curiel
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Associate Editor: Alanna Smith
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
On Sale Date: May 2018
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ed McGuiness
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Colorist: David Curiel
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Associate Editor: Alanna Smith
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
Cover Artist: Ed McGuiness
During the year 1,000,000 B.C., the "Prehistoric Avengers" are led by Odin to confront the First Host of Celestials as they descend onto the planet. The collection of "Avengers", including the first Spirit of Vengeance, had previously killed a weakened Celestial and are now faced with more of them in a battle they cannot hope to win.
In the present day, three heroes meet in a bar to discuss the future of the Avengers. Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man have a conversation about all the events that have happened to them in recent times, and how what they need to is to reform the Avengers. Tony Stark is unwilling to commit to the idea until an emergency beacon alerts them to a threat coming from outer space. Meanwhile, Black Panther and Doctor Strange investigate an archaeological dig site in South Africa, finding the archaeologists dead and evidence of a magic spell that had held something prisoner for millions of years. They find tunnels bored into the cave and decide to follow them down into the center of the earth. In Hillrock Heights, Los Angeles, Robbie Reyes talks to his younger brother Gabe about problems he's been having with his car, neglecting to mention that it's actually possessed by a demon. In Manhattan, Jennifer Walters is able to fend off a would-be mugger without losing control and transforming into the Hulk. Finally, at the orbital Alpha Flight station, Captain Marvel goes out to investigate the energy anomaly in space, only to see a giant hand reaching through the portal.
Black Panther and Doctor Strange find thousands of eggs in the earth's core, noting that some of them have already hatched. Robbie Reyes talks to his demonic car, afraid of what's been happening to him, such as when he woke up in South Africa and fought the Starbrand. Suddenly, the ground opens up beneath him to reveal several large insect creatures. Robbie transforms into the Ghost Rider and starts fighting the insects, while the eggs at the planet core start to hatch around Doctor Strange and Black Panther.
In Manhattan, a giant alien Celestial has fallen into the East River, where Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America find Captain Marvel, who kept the dead giant from landing on the city. She flies back up into the sky, telling the others that there are 100 more dead Celestials falling around the world. When a different group of Celestials, the Final Host, arrive in New York the Avengers don their uniforms and Captain America lets forth the familiar cry of "Avengers Assemble!".
During the year 1,000,000 B.C., the "Prehistoric Avengers" are led by Odin to confront the First Host of Celestials as they descend onto the planet. The collection of "Avengers", including the first Spirit of Vengeance, had previously killed a weakened Celestial and are now faced with more of them in a battle they cannot hope to win.
In the present day, three heroes meet in a bar to discuss the future of the Avengers. Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man have a conversation about all the events that have happened to them in recent times, and how what they need to is to reform the Avengers. Tony Stark is unwilling to commit to the idea until an emergency beacon alerts them to a threat coming from outer space. Meanwhile, Black Panther and Doctor Strange investigate an archaeological dig site in South Africa, finding the archaeologists dead and evidence of a magic spell that had held something prisoner for millions of years. They find tunnels bored into the cave and decide to follow them down into the center of the earth. In Hillrock Heights, Los Angeles, Robbie Reyes talks to his younger brother Gabe about problems he's been having with his car, neglecting to mention that it's actually possessed by a demon. In Manhattan, Jennifer Walters is able to fend off a would-be mugger without losing control and transforming into the Hulk. Finally, at the orbital Alpha Flight station, Captain Marvel goes out to investigate the energy anomaly in space, only to see a giant hand reaching through the portal.
Black Panther and Doctor Strange find thousands of eggs in the earth's core, noting that some of them have already hatched. Robbie Reyes talks to his demonic car, afraid of what's been happening to him, such as when he woke up in South Africa and fought the Starbrand. Suddenly, the ground opens up beneath him to reveal several large insect creatures. Robbie transforms into the Ghost Rider and starts fighting the insects, while the eggs at the planet core start to hatch around Doctor Strange and Black Panther.
In Manhattan, a giant alien Celestial has fallen into the East River, where Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America find Captain Marvel, who kept the dead giant from landing on the city. She flies back up into the sky, telling the others that there are 100 more dead Celestials falling around the world. When a different group of Celestials, the Final Host, arrive in New York the Avengers don their uniforms and Captain America lets forth the familiar cry of "Avengers Assemble!".
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THE ROADMAP
Robbie Reyes last appeared in Marvel Legacy (2017) # 1. The event in South Africa where he fought the Starbrand happened in that issue, which also saw a shift in his relationship with the demonic spirit inside him and his ability to tap into the power of the Penance Stare.
The Prehistoric Avengers, including the first Spirit of Vengeance, were introduced in Marvel Legacy (2017) # 1, which detailed their battle with the mad Celestial. The Celestial's body was recovered from the dig site in South Africa by Loki in that same issue, was reanimated and used to threaten Odin in Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America # 1.
Odin met with Black Panther in Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America # 1 to warn him of the Final Host, which led T'Challa to investigate the dig site in South Africa.
CHAIN REACTION
The Prehistoric Avengers, including the first Spirit of Vengeance, were introduced in Marvel Legacy (2017) # 1, which detailed their battle with the mad Celestial. The Celestial's body was recovered from the dig site in South Africa by Loki in that same issue, was reanimated and used to threaten Odin in Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America # 1.
Odin met with Black Panther in Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America # 1 to warn him of the Final Host, which led T'Challa to investigate the dig site in South Africa.
CHAIN REACTION
Jason Aaron and Ed McGuiness relaunch the Avengers and bring Robbie Reyes along with them!
To say that this is a big deal would be a massive understatement, since the Aaron/McGuiness Avengers series is Marvel's biggest launch of the summer and the tent-pole book for their "Fresh Start" relaunch initiative. Following the lackluster returns of the "Marvel Legacy" relauch at the end of 2017, it's telling that we're getting such a back to basics approach for this series. Aaron and McGuiness treat this as a return for the Marvel Universe's big guns, which I appreciate after years of Avengers stories featuring rosters full of characters like Rogue, Human Torch, and Brother Voodoo. There's nothing wrong with those characters, but when I read Avengers I want the Big Three: Thor, Cap, and Iron Man. Having the roster filled out by more perennial team members like Black Panther and She-Hulk (even Captain Marvel, who I have a strong distaste for) really sells that this is the AVENGERS.
Naturally, every writer that's ever tackled the Avengers has brought in a new pet character to act as their lens into the team. Roger Stern had Monica Rambeau, Brian Bendis had Luke Cage, and Jason Aaron has Ghost Rider, a character he's well-versed in writing. Aaron's run on Ghost Rider was easily the highest point for the character in the last decade, so seeing him included on this roster was almost like a promise that Aaron was going to treat Ghost Rider like the big gun that he should be. It's a running joke now that every single Marvel hero has been an Avenger at one point, so it's amazing that it took this long for Ghost Rider to join (I guess the only holdout now is the Punisher).
Instead of Johnny Blaze (or even poor neglected Danny Ketch), Aaron chose to include Robbie Reyes as his Ghost Rider in this series. I know a lot of fans aren't thrilled by Robbie, which is a shame because he's got a lot of potential for greatness while maintaining a lot of room for growth. Following on from the work he did with Reyes in the Marvel Legacy one-shot from last year, Aaron seems to be skewing the character more toward an established Spirit of Vengeance instead of the backstory that Felipe Smith created. That honestly doesn't bother me much; Aaron said on Twitter that Robbie is still possessed by his evil Uncle Eli, but that it was too much to delve into during this opening arc. "Demon possessed car" is still technically accurate, after all, whether it's a serial killer's ghost or the Spirit of Vengeance itself. Aaron seems to have a handle on Robbie in this opening issue, even if he's a little chattier than normal (though I guess having a conversation with said demon car may not count as being "chatty"). We even get an appearance by Gabe, which is great!
The artwork by Ed McGuiness is solid superhero fare, he's a reliable go-to for big and bombastic superhero stories. He's known for work on Superman/Batman and Hulk, so he's perfect for those instantly iconic hero poses and group shots. The transformation sequence for Robbie looks great, even if a bit more traditional and brightly colored than we're used to seeing for Ghost Rider, and his action is immediately engaging and exciting. He's an artist that has little trouble selling the idea of giant space gods falling to the Earth while simultaneously showing a bug fight in an L.A. neighborhood.
Avengers is off to a solid start, there's an engaging mystery at hand with the Prehistoric Avengers (whom I'm glad to see make a return appearance) and plenty of action for anyone just looking for a tight superhero story. I'm anxious to see where Aaron is taking Robbie and just how he'll fit in with the traditional Marvel heroes.
To say that this is a big deal would be a massive understatement, since the Aaron/McGuiness Avengers series is Marvel's biggest launch of the summer and the tent-pole book for their "Fresh Start" relaunch initiative. Following the lackluster returns of the "Marvel Legacy" relauch at the end of 2017, it's telling that we're getting such a back to basics approach for this series. Aaron and McGuiness treat this as a return for the Marvel Universe's big guns, which I appreciate after years of Avengers stories featuring rosters full of characters like Rogue, Human Torch, and Brother Voodoo. There's nothing wrong with those characters, but when I read Avengers I want the Big Three: Thor, Cap, and Iron Man. Having the roster filled out by more perennial team members like Black Panther and She-Hulk (even Captain Marvel, who I have a strong distaste for) really sells that this is the AVENGERS.
Naturally, every writer that's ever tackled the Avengers has brought in a new pet character to act as their lens into the team. Roger Stern had Monica Rambeau, Brian Bendis had Luke Cage, and Jason Aaron has Ghost Rider, a character he's well-versed in writing. Aaron's run on Ghost Rider was easily the highest point for the character in the last decade, so seeing him included on this roster was almost like a promise that Aaron was going to treat Ghost Rider like the big gun that he should be. It's a running joke now that every single Marvel hero has been an Avenger at one point, so it's amazing that it took this long for Ghost Rider to join (I guess the only holdout now is the Punisher).
Instead of Johnny Blaze (or even poor neglected Danny Ketch), Aaron chose to include Robbie Reyes as his Ghost Rider in this series. I know a lot of fans aren't thrilled by Robbie, which is a shame because he's got a lot of potential for greatness while maintaining a lot of room for growth. Following on from the work he did with Reyes in the Marvel Legacy one-shot from last year, Aaron seems to be skewing the character more toward an established Spirit of Vengeance instead of the backstory that Felipe Smith created. That honestly doesn't bother me much; Aaron said on Twitter that Robbie is still possessed by his evil Uncle Eli, but that it was too much to delve into during this opening arc. "Demon possessed car" is still technically accurate, after all, whether it's a serial killer's ghost or the Spirit of Vengeance itself. Aaron seems to have a handle on Robbie in this opening issue, even if he's a little chattier than normal (though I guess having a conversation with said demon car may not count as being "chatty"). We even get an appearance by Gabe, which is great!
The artwork by Ed McGuiness is solid superhero fare, he's a reliable go-to for big and bombastic superhero stories. He's known for work on Superman/Batman and Hulk, so he's perfect for those instantly iconic hero poses and group shots. The transformation sequence for Robbie looks great, even if a bit more traditional and brightly colored than we're used to seeing for Ghost Rider, and his action is immediately engaging and exciting. He's an artist that has little trouble selling the idea of giant space gods falling to the Earth while simultaneously showing a bug fight in an L.A. neighborhood.
Avengers is off to a solid start, there's an engaging mystery at hand with the Prehistoric Avengers (whom I'm glad to see make a return appearance) and plenty of action for anyone just looking for a tight superhero story. I'm anxious to see where Aaron is taking Robbie and just how he'll fit in with the traditional Marvel heroes.
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