The Avengers have grown into one of Marvel’s biggest superhero teams, more than earning their title as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. Yet the team seems to struggle with anniversary issues. Avengers #300 saw Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman join the team, and Avengers #400 launched a battle with ties to their origins; on the other hand, Avengers #600 felt more like a footnote than a celebration, and Avengers #200 has aged extremely poorly. Thankfully, Avengers #34 – which also doubles as Avengers #800 in Legacy numbering – actually stops to consider what the Avengers mean.
The main story is titled “Heroes,” and throughout the story, Jed MacKay and Farid Karami keep returning to the question of what defines a hero. In the case of the Twilight Court, they were crafted to be heroes, but now have the chance to live up to the name as they join the Avengers in the ruins of Battleworld. For Hyperion, it’s his chance to prove that he really is a hero following the events of Heroes Reborn. And for the Avengers, it’s their last chance to stop Kang from rebooting the universe with the Missing Moment.
Avengers #34 zigs where other anniversary issues might zag by having the Avengers battle Kang with their words rather than their fists. It’s an unorthodox approach, but as Captain Marvel wisely points out, they can’t actually beat Kang in full-on battle thanks to his time travel abilities. MacKay also uses this moment to touch on key aspects of his run, from the Avengers’ battle against the Ashen Combine to the events of Blood Hunt and One World Under Doom. Even their other victories, like forming an alliance with the X-Men and Black Panther, liberating the Meridian Diadem’s prisoners, are touched upon. Rather than being a lengthy recap, it’s a testament to what makes the Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes; no matter the challenge, they’ll rise to it and meet it.
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Karami doesn’t let up for a minute in “Heroes”, delivering splash pages and action-packed moments galore. The opening alone is impressive, as it pairs each member of the Avengers with their respective counterpart from the Twilight Court in a battle against the zombified heroes wandering Battleworld. When recapping the Avengers’ previous victories, Karami also fills the page with the biggest moments from each storyline, reminding readers of the sheer scale MacKay has brought to his run. It’s all rendered in bright, vibrant color by Federico Blee, making this comic feel truly superheroic.
For all the good stuff that “Heroes” does, the ending feels rather abrupt – or rather, as a moment that should have been saved for the following issue. I say this mainly because there’s a page that would have been the perfect ending, as it serves as the cap to the Avengers’ unorthodox battle against Kang. That being said, it makes me even more excited for what this creative team has in store for the final two issues of their run.
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The biggest draw of Avengers #34 is a massive 14-page backup by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, a standout for many reasons. It marks Bendis’ return to Marvel after eight years, and a fitting return as he was the writer who helped transform the Avengers into the blockbuster franchise; ironically, his run started in Avengers #500 with the landmark “Disassembled” story. It also reunites Bendis and Bagley, who’ve proven themselves to be a dream team with their iconic run on the original Ultimate Spider-Man. Finally, it’s a story that actually takes place on the Avengers’ anniversary, where they unite to battle Hydra and reminisce about their history.
Bendis’ gift for razor-sharp, rapid-fire dialogue is on full display, especially in the moments between Captain America and Iron Man. Even if this is your first Avengers comic, you’d realize that the duo shares that rare friendship where they’ll always have each others’ backs. As for Bagley, his artwork hasn’t lost a beat; the battle between the Avengers and Hydra is pretty damned epic, as is a page featuring nearly every hero who’s joined the Avengers’ ranks.
Avengers #34 is a celebration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in more ways than one, as it showcases what exactly makes them worthy of that title. The fact that Jed MacKay can write this kind of story is what makes his Avengers run so epic, and it’ll be bittersweet to bid it farewell.
