An unstoppable super-villain attacks New York City–and the Mighty Avengers fall before him! Where did Anti-Man come from? And who can stop his overwhelming rampage?! Now Iron Man races to find the only man who’s ever defeated Anti-Man–THE BLUE MARVEL…a hero the world hasn’t seen since 1961! Will Tony Stark uncover the truth behind Blue Marvel’s disappearance…and will Blue Marvel ever recover from it? Kevin Grevioux (NEW WARRIORS) and Mat Broome (The End League) join forces to create Marvel’s newest powerhouse super hero!
Summary
The Mighty Avengers (Iron man, Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Yellow Jacket are getting their asses handed to them by a man in a strange costume who on the verge of killing them dissipates.
In the past we see the Blue marvel defeat Anti Man and get ousted as a black man thanks to a tattered costume. In the present the team analyzes Blue marvel extensively, who he is, his past etc. He’s called in by the president who asks him to retire the Blue marvel identity.
The Good
The artist and colorists use of light and dark was particularly well down. The battle between anti-man and the mighty avengers looked well thanks to the light and dark contrast.
I also enjoyed the trip back in time to “racist” America something that you can easily take for granted if you’ve never been a minority your whole life. It was also an interesting read about the retirement of the blue marvel since it will be a very polarizing event to readers. Some will think him a coward for stepping down. Other will think how patriotic he was in doing it since he could have easily “lead” his people and “inspired’ them to rise up even sooner than they did. The effects of a “black superman” on this time in America’s history would true have been “polarizing indeed”.
For the first issue it showed us the gargantuan power of our hero and set things up for his return in the issues to follow.
The Bad
Depending on the reader Blue marvel is either a “coward” or a “hero” take your pick! Others with scoff at another “black superman/black sentry” others still have issues with the writer which will prevent them from giving the story a try.
The Ugly
An average read all around with a poignant reference to racism that gives it an edge over the typical comic 3/5
I have always wanted to know when Blue Marvels powers would be needed again. I’m digging this arc and I truly hope more fanfare comes from this old hero of yesteryear that truly belongs in the limelight again!
I agree man! Time for Blue marvel to get some love!
All things considered, I think that Adam Brashear’s decision to be forced into retirement when his racial origins were revealed to the public at large was porbably the most sensible decision around- one tends to forget just how UNCOMFORTABLE the America of 1962 was with superheroes( even unambiguously white ones like the Fantastic Four, Thor and Spider-Man). True other black superheroes would appear shortly afterwards such as the Black Panther, Falcon, Storm, Bishop and War Machine, but with the exception of WM none explicitly denied or diavowed their heritage)