For some reason, I have two copies of Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #2, and am missing another issue of that limited series. Not that I'm running out to fill that hole in my collection, it's just weird.
It's also weird that War Machine, Thunderstrike, and USAgent get teamed up like their counterparts, the big three Avengers, and it's not like they're the next generation, or anyone is passing the torch or anything. On the other hand, it's not quite like off-brand knockoffs or generic medicine, either...how can I put this? The replacements? They aren't really the second-string, although you have to figure citizens would feel more secure knowing Cap or Iron Man is on the case, rather than their angry, angry, palette-swapped imitators.
Come to think of it, Thunderstrike was often portrayed as vaguely pissed-off all the time as well. Moreso than Thor, at any rate. And Thunderstrike at least looks passably different than Thor in silhouette.
We're getting off-topic, but that's better than trying to piece together the plot for this one. It involves Ravonna, who I remember as Kang's lost love and relatively innocent; except thanks to Marvel's bifurcating time-travel rules, there's multiple versions of her now. Nebula, who claimed to be Thanos' daughter and almost wrecked the Avengers with Dr. Druid (she wrecked the sales anyway) is one version. Immortus, the old man version of Kang, explains to Ravonna there are six intermediary aspects of her, one of whom will go on to great enlightenment, presumably outside of this comic.
This one's also got the Council of Cross-time Kangs, a fun idea that's never had a great story, yet: with a myriad of alternate realities, each timeline or universe has a Kang. Or, sometimes someone or something would kill a Kang and then decide that time-travelling in a purple hat and blue mask would be just kicking, which gives the artist license to go nuts and draw lizardman Kangs, robot Kangs, dinosaur Kangs, whatever. So, all the Kangs get together in a big committee and...really never seem to accomplish anything. Like at all. (Any scene of the Council will remind you of the Galactic Senate scenes in the Star Wars prequels, and the Council is just as ineffective as that august body. Still, the Council actually appeared first.) The Council of Cross-Time Kangs, not unlike fellow Marvel supergroups the Captain Britain or Nova Corps, get exponentially more useless the more members they have.
Meanwhile, the collected Avengers...fight some garbage robots. Really tough garbage robots, though. Yeah. They talk it out a bit, and cease hostilities until they figure out which group, if not both, is being manipulated. (Cap's group definitely was.) Look, for Marvel heroes, that's a pretty substantial peace accord there.
OK, now I have to see which issues I still have. From Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #2, "On the Side of the Angels" Written by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Mike Gustovich, inks by LaRosa and Martineck.
There was the time Death's Head killed a couple of Kangs.
ReplyDeleteThat was fun.
Also: Whenever possible Beta Ray Bill should be used as replacement Thor.
because we all love Beta Ray Bill.
You're talking the good, pointy-fanged Death's Head, right? Not Death's Head 2 with the horns? Man, I think I have to dig up the issue where the Doctor calls him out...
ReplyDeleteAnd damn straight: Beta Ray Bill, always awesome. Even though I would have preferred it back in the day, I'd love to see Bill if not on the Avengers, hanging out. I always love that he appears during the Wraithwar in ROM, like he's the Thor on duty.