Avengers Versus JLA - The Brave And The Bold!

The greatest team-up in comic book history reaches its climactic enc with this fourth installment. It has been a ferociously wild ride as we have seen two Earths explored in the first part, two super-teams clash in the second and imaginary worlds galore in the third.

Now as Krona makes his final move to destroy two universes so that he can find the "truth", the Avengers and the Justice League of America work together at last to defeat this most fatal of threats.

The teams begin by bringing their powers together in remarkable ways. They first agree that Captain America will lead the combined forces as they plunge into battle.

They use one of Aquaman's undersea craft as the basis for a vehicle to pierce the barriers between them and Krona. They use the Vision as the command center and Iron Man and Green Lantern among others work tirelessly to give the ship both the power and the navigation to find Krona's hidden lair. Once all the work is done, Cap gives over his shield to Superman since he will reside in the command seat using the mental telepathy of the Martian Manhunter to mentally order his forces into their respective tactical roles. With everything prepared the jaunt to Krona's fortress.

They are shocked to see that Krona has built his fortress on the bones of Galactus who he has killed to plumb his secrets. That information has allowed him to capture the avatars of the two universes and he proceeds now to destroy them out of revenge for being denied his "truth" for so long. Metron, who has been a hidden player in the game leaves Krona to watch the drama play out.

The Avengers-Justice League attack Krona and his assembled forces which draw from the broad array of enemies of both teams from across the years. Hydra forces, Kobra soldiers, AIM agents all attack. Later we see enemies such as Amazo, Attuma, Despero, the Masters of Evil, the Royal Flush, and countless others.

Surprisingly the time waves which have plagued both universes in previous installments continue and the ranks of the assembled Avengers-Justice League teams change and change again and again as the battle rages. Always they move forward directed by Captain America and led by Superman with Batman and others performing different missions.

Heroes arrive fight and then disappear. Costumes change and identities alter but always the heroes press the fight as more and more enemies appear to stall the effort.

Even the loss for a time of the Martian Manhunter and his mental contacts don't stop the battle. Clint Barton and Barry Allen fall, but the battle continues.

Then it all goes smash as Krona emerges empowered by the assembled might of the twelve objects collected so long ago now it seems. He seeks finally to destroy the two universes and rip from their corpses that which he relentlessly seeks. But just as victory seems to be in his grasp Hawkeye and the Flash reappear and literally throw a bomb into the works, destroying his instrumentality at that critical moment. It passes and Krona is defeated at long last.

Galactus begins to re-emerge as the very ground beneath the heroes erupts. The Spectre appears to push the two universes apart for the final time as the two teams pick up their wounded and exchange kudos over the outcome. With the universes now apart for seemingly all time, the teams bid one another farewell as they fade away and return to their homes.

Then the scene shifts to Metron and a revived Grandmaster who reveal that they have been the gameplayers all this time and that bringing Krona into the mix was merely a gambit to see what would unfold, including the seeming death of the Grandmaster himself. Now they congratulate themselves on a game well played and go their separate ways, leaving Metron to keep an eye on the "Chronal Egg" which now contains the energy once held by Krona and which seems contained...for now.

And that's a wrap for this outstanding four-issue run. Was it worth the wait? Hard to say, but it was certainly a stunning story, and it was a ton of fun to read it again after all these years. The epic yarn is fantastically illustrated by by the great George Perez, the best possible choice to do the book. The story is a rich resource, composed by people who have a supple and complete understanding of the two teams. We get beats for just about everyone we care about, we get to visit many of the hangouts, and we get to understand, maybe a little, the differences between these two stalwart groups of superheroes.

George Perez hard at work -- the greatest talent of two Earths.

It's that final point that seemed to be what Kurt Busiek most wanted to focus attention on, the way in which the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe, though both overcome with costumed types, are different worlds. The MU is a more rugged place, somewhat closer to the sometimes harsh realities of our actual world. The DCU is more idealistic, a haven for heroes who find ways to change their surroundings for good and ill. The MU is about flawed human beings who strive to be heroes in a world that is mostly indifferent to them. The DCU is about noble men and women who heroically strive to maintain ideals that elevated all around them, making the world a better place. Both art worthy, but they are different.

Rip Off

Avengers Versus JLA - Strange Adventures!

When we last left the two stalwart teams of superheroes they had finished with fighting one another and had assembled their might to confront the true enemy which they learned was Krona. But the Grandmaster had used the power of the mystical objects to change things utterly.

That change is reflected immediately as we meet our heroes again and again in a series of friendly meetings between the two teams. In this new reality the Avengers and the Justice League meet regularly and even exchange members from time to time as evidenced by the presence of Hawkeye as a member of the League.

 Even time frames seem to shift as different heroes appear such as Barry Allen as the Flash and Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. Also on hand are vintage regulars Martian Manhunter and the charming Elongated Man.

The heroes even share tales of past adventures including a weirdly familiar one involving Kang and the Master of Time. But things keep changing as one hero then another doubts the truth of the reality they are confronted with with. Eventually the friendly nature of the heroes is cast into doubt. Superman and Captain America reject this reality and suddenly things change again.

Some of the heroes from both universes find themselves stranded in the city of Metropolis amid destruction and powerful snowstorm.

Likewise other heroes of both worlds are fighting to save those they can in New York City as mighty fires rage. It becomes evident that things are even stranger as what appear to be two realities are crashing into one another.

That is in fact what is revealed to be the case as Iron Man and Superman behold the threat of Krona revealed as the enemy seems to be forcing the two worlds together in a violent way destined to destroy both.

The heroes are then led by the enigmatic Phantom Stranger to the weakened form of the Grandmaster

The Grandmaster reveals that his attempt to end Krona's threat by making his existence dependent upon the survival of the two universes has backfired as Krona seems willing to end himself to recreate the Big Bang in hopes he might survive to the other side as once did Galactus.

He tells them they must return the universes to their true natures despite the disappointments, shocks, deaths and madness which await some of the members of both teams.

 The Grandmaster then seems to die.

The heroes conclude that only their combined might might end the threat in spite of the pain it will cost some of them, and vow to do so as the story reaches its end. We note that Metron watches.

This is the issue, under a truly awe-inspiring cover, where this crossover separates itself from its predecessors. The sheer fanboy delight at seeing the League and the Avengers assembled on Hydrobase and the Mansion and most of all in the Satellite is too much. The members in this issue are the ones I'm closest to, the League of the Satellite and the Avengers with old Hank in his handsome yellow and blue togs.

The way this story becomes not about them fighting one another in a gambit for treasure, but becomes about how they can overcome their differences of worldview and the nature of heroism to work together to recapture the reality which has been taken from them is truly epic. That they know that recreating that one true reality will bring death and madness and pain makes this truly a story of heroes and not merely super-strong athletes in competition. This becomes war not merely conflict, and war has lasting consequences. And one thing these crossovers rarely have is a sense that they will matter for long or ever. This one feels different.

The end is in sight, but after this issue, I know it will not be what I'm expecting.

The final issue comes next week.

Rip Off

Avengers Versus JLA - A Contest Of Champions!

The greatest crossover in the history of comics continued in the second issue of the four-part epic. In the previous installment The Avengers and The Justice League of America learned of each others' respective universes thanks to the machinations of the Grandmaster, Metron and Krona. The teams were set to battle one another across the landscapes of both universes to gather up twelve mystical and powerful objects from both.

The battle rages as the two teams clash lead by Thor and Superman. The Batman and Captain America face off against each other as their teammates battle and after taking the measure of each other realize that they are pawns and decide to work together, but leave their compatriots in the dark as they steal off to the Batcave. Meanwhile the battle rages as the Scarlet Witch is suddenly infused with vast chaotic power, which she uses to instantly transport the Avengers to the sites of the hidden mystical objects. The Justice League realize what has happened and call in their reserves to go the locations and battle for possession on both worlds.

The Flash confronts Iron Man and Hawkeye in Manhattan who take the Green Lantern's Power Battery. Superman and Green Lantern battle Wonder Man and Ms.Marvel in Santa Rico to get the Orb of Ra.  Wonder Woman and Aquaman defeat She-Hulk and Hercules in Asgard for the Book of Eternity. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver battle Hawkman, Black Canary and Blue Beetle in Central City to win the Wand of Watoomb.

Meanwhile Batman and Captain America discuss the problem in the Batcave while Metron searches out Galactus. Cap then contacts the Fantastic Four who send Ben Grimm with a specially developed cycle from Mr.Fantastic to travel across dimensions and time.

A second wave of battles develops as Thor and the Vision are defeated by Firestorm and Red Tornado in Happy Harbor for possession of the Bell, Wheel and Jar. In Wakanda the Black Panther finds the Medusa Mask while Yellowjacket and the Wasp battle Martian Manhunter and Plastic Man. Iron Man and Hawkeye defeat Captain Atom and Green Arrow in Smallville for Casket of Winters and on Paradise Island Quicksilver slips by the Flash for possession of the Evil Eye. On the Blue Area of the Moon Wonder Woman Woman and Quasar battle while Captain Marvel slips away with the Spear of Destiny.

Cap and Batman arrive at the Grandmaster's elaborate other-dimensional headquarters and find the Atom still there and able to access the scene when the Grandmaster and Krona made their deal. The secret is that the Avengers are working on the behalf of Krona, and it is crucial that they lose or he will destroy a universe.

On Apokolips Darkseid has possession of the Infinity Gauntlet but casts it away when he realizes it will not work in his universe. The heroes gather it up and depart just before the Omega Effect can touch them.

Then assembled in the Savage Land all the heroes who have waged the fight confront one another for the Cosmic Cube.

The battle rages, especially between Thor and Superman with the latter defeating the former before his colleagues seek revenge. The fight is furious as the Grandmaster and Krona appear, but so do Batman and Captain America and through Cap's interference Batman takes possession of the Cube meaning the Grandmaster wins the contest.

But Krona rejects the outcome and attacks the Grandmaster, demanding to see Galactus, the one being who has survived the universe which preceded the Big Bang.

The titans battle, but the Grandmaster, still alive reveals that the twelve objects of power were gathered for his benefit and he uses their assembled might to cast all of reality into seeming nothingness. 

It's actually rather difficult to absorb this story as it unfolds. There are so many colorful characters, so many switches of evocative settings, and so much slam-bang action that I felt rather intoxicated after reading it through. Clearly the intent was to jam as much as possible into each panel of each page as imaginable. 

This is the story that gives us what we've been waiting for for many decades, a real and proper clash between the League and the Avengers, for real stakes. And if Kurt Busiek had wanted to rest on those laurels, then that's just what we might've gotten for the next two issues of this spectacular event. But he didn't and as we can see by the Grandmaster's endgame maneuver, there is something else entirely afoot for the next installment. I cannot wait.

But I will. More next week.

Rip Off