Broken Frontier

When we last saw our intrepid columnist, disenchantment over the cancellation of one of his favorite books had prompted him to turn his back on comics forever.

Or so I thought.

I don’t know what prompted me to step into the comic shop after an absence of several years.  Boredom?  Curiosity?  The fleeting hope that comics had improved in the past few years?  I couldn’t say for sure, but even as I opened the fingerprint-smudged, poster-decorated door, I had no intention of purchasing a comic.

The store was mostly empty.  A sleepy-looking clerk hid behind the cash register, but he barely acknowledged me, he was so engrossed in writing up his next Dungeons and Dragons character.  Walking along the aisle of new release comics, I felt a little uncomfortable, as if I was being unfaithful to my conviction to never again support a hobby that had let me down so completely. 

But, really, what could it hurt to browse around a bit?

I picked up a copy of Avengers, just to see which heroes filled the ranks of the team.  Nervously, I flipped through a story written by Geoff Johns (with whom I was unfamiliar) and illustrated by Alan Davis (with whom I was familiar because of his phenomenal work on Excalibur and the equally-as-good-as-Blackwulf-but-also-equally-doomed ClanDestine).

And I felt like a kid again.

Johns and Davis couldn’t have hooked me any more quickly if they’d been fly-fishing with Maxim models.

Avengers #63 was the final chapter in the three-part “Standoff” crossover, and I found it refreshing that I didn’t need to track down the other two books in order to follow the story.

When the rulers of a small Eastern European nation target the worshippers of Thor for genocide, the thunder god prepares to make war.  This, of course, threatens to plunge the rest of the world into the conflict.  The Pentagon has asked Iron Man to stop Thor, and obviously the two can’t reach an agreement, because this issue opens in the middle of a brawl between the pair.  Captain America is also on the scene, hoping to stop the fighting before World War III erupts.  What they don’t know is that Dr. Doom (from the neighboring country of Latveria) is watching from a secret control room, and plotting to make the nightmare of war a reality.

Fights, heroic dialogue, sneaky villains, amazing art—this was everything I loved about comics packed into one issue.

Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor—the “big three” of the Avengers—are the central characters in this story, and each gets a few moments in the spotlight to show off just why he’s worthy of being a core member of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Let’s break the trio down:

THOR

Essentially, this is Thor’s story.  He drives the conflict as he strives to be a hero—in this case, not for the world at large, but for those who have put their faith in him.  His divine anger has blinded him to the pleas of his one-time allies.

This chapter of the “Standoff” storyline opens with Iron Man (sporting some Asgardian-powered Hulkbuster-looking armor) and Thor going head to head.  Their battle has all the finesse of an atomic bomb.

Comic fans love to see good guys fighting good guys, and I’m no exception.  I wonder where the fascination with dueling heroes comes from.  Maybe it’s just a progression of the “my dad can beat up your dad” syndrome.  You know, “my favorite hero can beat up your favorite hero.”  Or maybe we enjoy a good clash between good guys because there’s really no telling how it will all end.  We know the hero more often than not bests the villain, but when two heroes fight, it’s anyone’s game. 

Even in his mystically-powered armor, Iron Man is no match for Thor.

“Look at you,” Thor says as he shreds Stark’s armor and tosses him aside like a rag dog.  “Cladding yourself in gold.  Putting your faith in money.  Your life in technology.”

But Thor has lost sight of his original purpose in coming to Slokovia.  He’s forgotten that he’s come to defend his worshippers.  Those who are faithful to him are fleeing his destructive fury, and when Captain America warns him that a battalion of tanks is approaching, Thor cries:

“They are nothing to me.  These mortals are nothing!”

And just when it looks like Thor has calmed down and the fight is over, the secret puppetmaster—Dr. Doom—uses remote control to activate the weaponry of the Slokovia military and open fire.  The attack does little more than anger the thunder god.

“You hear them.  They continue to cry for punishment!  We shall bring it to them!  Balder!  My Warriors Three!  Attack!”

With that command, a group of Asgardians on winged horseback rip through the military hardware with the greatest of ease. 

For me, Thor moved out of the superhero category and into true godhood with this story.

IRON MAN

Classic Iron Man has always been near and dear to my heart, and Avengers #63 delivers plenty of my favorite character.

Sure, Iron Man takes a beating, but just when you think he’s down for the count, he flies out of the wreckage of his tank-like suit.  This is my single favorite panel in the entire book, because this is the Iron Man I loved as a kid.  This is how old Shellhead should look—sleek, streamlined, a little less like a robot and a little more like a superhero.  Let’s face it, the classic red and gold suit is actually much more high tech than some of the over-designed suits of armor Stark wears in other incarnations.  I mean, it can be folded up and packed in a briefcase, but it’s still strong enough to stop a mortar shell cold.  You can’t get more technologically advanced than that.  Even his faceplate seemed to change expressions and convey emotions as it did way back when.  

Iron Man’s shining moment comes along when he gets the better of the villain who has been pulling the strings of the would-be war.

As Doctor Doom sits in his control room, sipping wine and watching the fallout of his plotting, static fills his numerous monitors, and Iron Man appears before him.

“Hello Doom,” he says.  “I’ve just uploaded a friend of mine named Friday into your system.  A particularly nasty version.  A virus that will eat every zero and one inside your entertainment center.  Good taste in wine, by the way.  1988 Romanee-Conti.  I’ll be seeing you.  Anytime I want.”

Doom raises his wine glass. 

“Touché, Avenger.”

CAPTAIN AMERICA

I have a confession to make.  I never understood the big deal about Captain America.  I liked him just fine, but I didn’t think he was anything special.  Sure, he was strong ... and he was an expert martial artist ... and he had an unbreakable shield ... but I never thought he deserved to lead the Avengers.  Maybe Hawkeye, Mokingbird, and the Black Widow, but not the likes of Iron Man and Thor.  No way should he be throwing orders towards those two powerhouses.  I know, I know.  Downright unpatriotic of me.

But this issue took all my preconceived notions about Captain America, squashed them into a paper wad, and tossed them in the trash.

This may be Thor’s story, but Captain America is the real hero.

As the United States military begins to advance—thus playing right into Dr. Doom’s plans—Captain America orders them to stand down.

“You’re all being played,” he says.  “You go in there and you justify the Russians' involvement.  Then it starts—and lots of people are going to die.  Stand your ground soldiers.”

The general in charge of the forces, however, doesn’t want to listen to reason.

“I have orders.  Direct from the President of the United States.  Move out!”

Cap turns to the soldiers and snarls:  “Stand.  Your.  Ground.”

The soldiers lower their weapons, stand at attention, and salute our boy in blue.

Then, as if standing up against the directives of the President wasn’t enough, Captain America squares off against Thor himself.  It’s mortal against god, and even though Cap doesn’t stand a chance, he doesn’t back down ... even when Thor puts a hammer-shaped dent in his trusty unbreakable shield.

This was a Captain America I could believe in!

In the end, the three Avengers manage to avert worldwide devastation, but the damage they’ve done to their friendship is beyond repair.

Beaten and weary, Captain America tells Thor: “This isn’t the Avengers way ...”

To which Thor replies:  “I am no longer an Avenger.”

And despite what I’ve said previously about the hero always returning to the team, I believed him.  The story ends with a despondent Thor sitting upon the throne he has inherited from Odin.  The other Asgardians gather around him, urging him to return to the fray.

“My Lord, we lay down our arms too readily.  You have followers that still pray for help.  Lord Odin would never have—”

“My father,” barks Thor, “never knew mortals such as the Avengers...”

Chills, people.  Chills.

I guess the clerk managed to put the finishing touches on his paladin or ranger or whatever character he had been creating, because he walked up and asked if I was finding everything okay.  (In other words, he wanted to know if I was going to stand around all day reading Avengers , or if I planned on buying anything.)

My eyes lingered on the final page of the book—an image of a shattered portrait of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America.

“I’ll take this,” I told the clerk, “and I’ll need a bag and board, too.”

Funny how quickly I fell into that old habit.

That issue of Avengers was like a gateway drug.  Soon after, I found myself buying other titles on a regular basis—Iron Man, Thor, JLA, The Incredible Hulk, Uncanny X-Men.   And I was happy to see a new commitment from publishers to top-notch stories and artwork.  I dared to think that maybe—just maybe—comics were trudging out of the Dark Age that had been the 90s and was marching into a new golden era.

And I’m ready to flounce again at a moment’s notice if they prove me wrong.

• • • • •

Cullen Bunn's fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.  His comic series The Damned will be published by Oni Press in late 2006.   You can find out more about his work here.