After two volumes of the Avengers doing their own thing, writer Jed MacKay makes sure to have the team check in with the goings on of the rest of the Marvel Universe. The first two chapters of this volume tie into the events of Fall of X which was inevitable since Iron Man has entwined himself with Emma Frost and the mutant cause. The rest of the trade deals with the events of Blood Hunt.
When Tony got involved with Emma Frost and the mutant cause, it was only a matter of time until the Avengers got involved too. And you know what? It’s about damn time. Why wouldn’t the Avengers be involved in helping the mutant cause (if their help is wanted)? This two-issue arc sees Tony pull the ripcord and call in his teammates for an all-out offensive against the mutant-hating organization Orchis. Although his motivations are nebulous at first, it’s good to see 3-D Man make an appearance in this story. I also loved the idea of the Avengers using team names based on their comics titles, with “Secret Avengers” being a covert team and “Mighty Avengers” being an overt strike force.
Art for the Fall of X tie-in is handled by Francesco Motarino with colors by Federico Blee. The two of them create an energetic feast for the eyes as The Avengers do some real damage.
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While the main team is completely tied up in Blood Hunt, Captain Marvel calls in another team to help the innocent people on the ground. The team consists of Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hercules, Quicksilver, and fan-favorite Hazmat. Although their efforts begin as aid, a classic Captain America villain rears his fanged head at this opportune time. That’s right, the cockroach that is Baron Blood is back to be a thorn in Cap’s side once more.
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This is a group of heroes we never really see interact and I was hanging on every panel. Between Quicksilver’s self-assuredness and Hazmat’s grumpier tendencies, it’s fun to see Cap wrangle everyone towards a main objective. Steve is so busy, in fact, that the inspiring speech you’d expect from him comes from another hero.
C.F. Villa is back on art with Blee on colors. It was fun to see this team that usually handles the main cast get to explore other characters.
My main gripe with the end of this tie-in is the end. Yes, this is comics, so we see villains pop back up again and again… but it felt anticlimactic. I would rather see a satisfying ending and a villain come back later than leave the ending up in the air (even if it leans towards an answer for what happened).
My favorite cover in the collection is the one used for the trade paperback. An alternate team of Avengers made up of fan favorites taking on Nazi vampires? What more could you want?
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