Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Frigeri
Color Artist: David Curiel
Cover Artists: Javier Garron & David Curiel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Avengers are under attack by a new iteration of the Masters of Evil – the Multiversal Masters of Evil! Led by the darkest version of Doctor Doom, the Doom Above All, these new Masters of Evil have attacked the Avengers to hunt down Deathloks sent by the mysterious Avenger Prime. Now, Avengers #54 brings this death hunt to a close.
Review:
So, Jason Aaron got to show off this new iteration of the Masters of Evil as they fight the Avengers to kill some Deathloks that came to warn them. And….it’s okay. To be honest, this isn’t the worst story from Aaron in his Avengers run, it’s actually a step up, but it’s only slightly above average. This series still has a long way to go before I’d say it’s good enough to purchase each issue.
The comic is mainly a wrap-up issue resolving the conflict between the Avengers and the Multiversal Masters of Evil. It also concludes various plot points that were previously established in Avengers #50 and other issues when the story started so it can put a rushed bow on everything. Some things wrap up fine, some story elements are resolved for better or worse, others are far more rushed than others, while some serve as setup for conflicts later down the line.
As ever, the art, colors, and action save the day for this comic book series. The art by Juan Frigeri with David Curiel’s colors continue to be the saving grace as we see the fights between several Avengers and Masters of Evil wrap up. Mind you, the fights are not all that spectacular, but the comic is still good to look at with each character, both heroes and villains.
There’s also the matter of the synopsis promising some details about the multiversal Deathloks’ mysterious leader, Avenger Prime. Here’s a quick spoiler: you don’t learn anything at all about Avenger Prime. This is part of the problem with sweeping up a story so quickly, you don’t get to cover everything that was advertised for the comic book. On top of that, the comic ends on such a dour note for the Avengers that they feel more defeated than victorious as the comic’s narration would suggest.
One small spoiler: the Masters of Evil are not defeated. We will definitely see them again, but how, where, and why remains to be seen. This wouldn’t be the first iteration of a classic Marvel team that Jason Aaron introduces only for other writers to use them in ways he didn’t envision, e.g. the Winter Guard series. It’s possible Aaron is saving them for another big story later in the series, or they’ll be used elsewhere in the Marvel universe. Who knows at this point, they might get their own series for all we know.
Final Thoughts:
Avengers #54 concludes the fight between the Avengers and the new Multiversal Masters of Evil. The issue is mainly wrapping up some of the leftover fights and plot points from previous issues. It ends on a bittersweet note of victory for the Avengers, while promising bigger things to come later down the line.