When Avengers #35 begins, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. They’ve found new allies in the Twilight Court. They’ve managed to find the mysterious Grail. They’ve handed Kang the Conqueror yet another defeat. That victory comes with a caveat: the Grail has been activated, and when it completes said activation, the universe will reboot!
Naturally, this, along with the events in Avengers #34/LGY #800 and Chip Zdarsky’s impending Armageddon storyline, has somehow convinced the internet that the Marvel Universe is heading for a major reboot. Without spoilers, I can say that’s not the case. (If I really wanted to split hairs, I could point out that Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic were given the perfect slate for a reboot with their take on Secret Wars, but that’s an article for another time.) The Grail’s activation is a chance for the Avengers to do what they do best: save the world against impossible odds.
Jed MacKay even gets to write a great moment in the opening pages of Avengers #35 that feels perfect for the Avengers. Kang is ranting that the Avengers won’t be able to stop the Grail, to which Captain America replies they’ll pull it off. “Impossible,” the Conqueror scoffs. Cap’s response? “Impossible? Come on, Kang. Look who you’re talking to.” Topping it off is a full page spread from Sergio Davila, featuring the Avengers and the Twilight Court in all their heroic glory. It’s moments like these that make you feel like the Avengers are truly Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
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If that wasn’t enough, MacKay and Davila have the Avengers and the Twilight Court pair off, concocting a plan to stop the Grail’s destructive force. It’s here that MacKay’s gift for character dynamics rears its head, as different groups fit together with ease. Iron Man, Black Panther, the Vision and Bedivere pair their impressive intellect; Storm, Captain Marvel and Lancelot put on a show of impressive force; Scarlet Witch and Mordred weave together their respective spell casting abilities; and Captain America and Galehaut form a truly impressive bond of god and mortal.
Davila really pops off with the artwork here, showcasing how each character’s different powers work. Golden energy from Captain Marvel and lightning from Storm combine, cascading down into the crimson vortex conjured by Scarlet Witch and Mordred. Finally, it funnels into the knight known as Parsifal, resulting in a visual display that has to be seen to be believed. None of it would work as well as it does without Federico Blee’s color art – the man knows how to make a comic book sing.
While the Avengers are victorious, I can’t help but feel that their victory was a little too easy. Still, Avengers #35 manages to pull off a very tricky balancing act, featuring strong character dynamics alongside the superhero spectacle that this title should have. The stage is set for the grand finale of MacKay’s run, and I hope it lives up to those previous issues – especially with the big swings he’s taken in this run.
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