Ever since Jed MacKay took the reigns of Avengers, he’s been teasing an overarching story where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes went in search of the “Missing Moment”, a single piece of time that’s been sought after by Kang the Conqueror and the mysterious Myrddin. The Avengers have battled a vampire invasion, broke into an intergalactic casino, and had to fight a whole new Masters of Evil, but Avengers #29 finally reveals the secret of the Missing Moment and how it’s connected to…Reed Richards?!
Yes, it turns out that Mr. Fantastic has a role to play in this grand saga, and to MacKay’s credit, he comes up with a clever explanation of not just what the Missing Moment is, but why it’s so sought after. It also lets MacKay deliver a big reveal that hints at some big moments to come, especially with how he links his ongoing story to another major Marvel storyline.
Avengers #29 is also split into two different stories: as the Avengers talk with Reed about the missing moment, Myrddin speaks to his Twilight Court. Part of MacKay’s approach to Avengers has had him play with iconography, similar to Grant Morrison’s JLA run; the Twilight Court is a major part of this, as they were literally built to be a counterpart to the Avengers. It also plays into the underlying Arthurian tones, since each of them is named after a member of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. “My heroes,” Myrddin crows in a massive two-page splash. “Not truly Avengers, but instead knights.”
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Avengers #29 features what might be some of Farid Karami’s finest artwork, and also plays into the duality between the Twilight Court and the Avengers. Whenever Karami draws the Avengers, they’re at ease, no matter if it’s inside the Impossible City or at the Fantastic Farmhouse. It’s the perfect way to showcase that despite being Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, they’re as human as the people they protect. The Twilight Court, on the other hand, stands at attention like soldiers, or kneel before Myrddin as he holds court.
Karami also brings his A-Game to the aforementioned two-page spread, which draws the most direct comparisons between the Avengers and the Court. It lets him draw each character at their best, with Federico Blee delivering splashes of color to reflect Storm’s lightning, Scarlet Witch’s magic, and the light shining off of Iron Man’s armor. Karami and Blee also bring this energy to several splash pages throughout Avengers #29, helping readers who might be behind catch up.
The only issue I have with Avengers #29 is the ending, which feels a little abrupt. MacKay’s done one-shot stories in this run before, but with the big reveals delivered in this issue, a cliffhanger rather than a definitive end was needed.
Avengers #29 pays off two years’ worth of buildup, and forges a connection to a major Marvel storyline in the process. Now that the Missing Moment has been revealed, the quest is on – and hopefully MacKay can keep up the major momentum he’s launched in this issue.
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