WRITER: JASON AARON
ART: AARON KUDER, DEAN WHITE, ED McGUINNESS, MARK MORALES, MATTHEW WILSON, VC’s CORY PETIT, LEININ FRANCIS YU, AND SUNNY GHO
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$4.99
Release Date: June 16th, 2021
Reviewer: Blue Fox
”THE WORLD OF NO RETURN”
THE PREMISE
Something’s rotten in the state of the world and the Squadron Supreme are determined to find out what it is. Maybe it’s these Avengers they keep hearing about or even the mysterious man in the ice? The Squadron knows something is up, something big, and something bad. As America’s greatest heroes, they will dig out the truth even if it kills other people. Let’s dive into this issue of Heroes Reborn and see what we uncover.
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STORY
As is common for event comics, Heroes Reborn #7 opens with recaps on earlier events to catch the readers up to speed. We are quickly walked through the first recaps and into a meeting between Squadron members, debating about the nature of the threat these so-called “Avengers” are possibly posing for the Squadron and whether they even exist.
Hyperion & Zarda voice their concerns that “something very strange is going on” while casually discussing with the team about the latest “bad guys” they have killed.
The meeting concludes with the ‘heroes’ agreeing to act on the concerns of their leader Hyperion and to look into the matter more closely.
SPOILERS
Flashbacks! There’s ironically almost nothing but flashbacks and recalls to past events in “The World of No Return”. The Squadron Supreme continues to be its deplorable self while conducting the investigation. Casually murdering a few more 616-heroes and villains while at it, and I mean casually. Hulk, Groot (again), and Norman Osborn get the literal shovel-talk, among others.
Now, I am okay with recaps and flashbacks just as much as the next guy but eight full pages? That is a bit much in a 20-page main story. It honestly feels like Jason Aaron is trying to pat the main issue with at least something when the actual story is rather thin and ends with the Squadron facing the Avengers team at Wakanda.
”THE PRESIDENT’S BEST FRIEND”
THE PREMISE
The backup story in Heroes Reborn #7 gets rolling right from where the main story ends. We are treated with President Coulson firing two of the members of his cabinet for blabbing too much.
STORY
The back-up is very short, consisting of a scene between Mephisto & Coulson which only highlights how much padding there was in the main story. These few pages convey more than what Aaron managed with his first 20-pages.
SPOILERS
Pandemonium cube… well, whatever, not exactly the pinnacle of originality but why the heck not? Heroes Reborn #7 was honestly a little jumbled and took way too long to get to the actual point. Additionally, the Power word “Avengers” & Pandemonium cube (the evil cousin of the Cosmic Cube), seems kind of hokey. However, it does offer Jason Aaron a somewhat plausible way out, an in-story explanation on why things are as they are, and how they could be rectified.
ART
Aaron Kuder’s art is as recognizable as ever. He doesn’t go ‘crazy’ with his art, but it’s certainly pretty and detailed. Kuder’s art is a bit marred in a few pages by the heavy-handed inking of Mark Morales. Still, Dean White’s colors work well with Kuder’s usual kinetic style. Plus, the shading is nicely done as well. As for the backup, Ed McGuinness doesn’t have too many pages to fill but he does deliver in his usual bold style.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, Heroes Reborn #7’s main story feels more like a filler than a story that stands on its own merits. It does its job as a penultimate set-up but has so little to give as a story that It could’ve been done in ten pages or less. And please Aaron, eviscerate Blur in the next issue. I just can’t stand another word from that braggart. Furthermore, the “back-up” seems to hold most of the meat in the overall story. Ultimately, readers get set up for the next Heroes Reborn issue.