Broken Frontier

The Mighty Avengers ask for help, and the Fantastic Four say no? In this issue, Salvation Two is threatened, Pym and Richards go at it, and Red Hulk returns…

In the Mighty Avengers #25, Hank Pym and rest of the gang are on the verge of being lost in another dimension with no way to return to Earth. The necessary component for fixing the Avengers’ situation rests in the hands of Dr. Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic. A dimensional wave inducer, once created by Dr. Bill Foster and Dr. Pym, is currently owned by Ben Grimm, and Richards doesn’t believe Pym is coherent enough to assume the responsibility of such a powerful instrument; even if it means saving Pym’s technological masterpiece.

While most of Pym’s lab portals were destroyed to keep H.A.M.M.E.R. at bay, the dimensional wave inducer would give Pym the ability to keep the doors to Earth open from the dimension known as the "Pym Pocket". With the conversation between Richards and Pym ending in a verbal threat, the new tactic of the Mighty Avengers is redirected by Pym. The new objective is to infiltrate the Baxter Building, home to the Fantastic Four, and to steal the dimensional wave inducer themselves. Most of the Avengers do not understand what is so important about Pym’s lab, but the Vision is shown a project Pym had been working on incorporating technology beyond Vision’s comprehension. Although the purpose for Salvation Two is yet unknown, too much has been vested in it to let it go. Since Salvation Two’s technology cannot exist in Earth’s dimension, it is necessary to keep PymSpace available.

Writer Dan Slott has written an articulate comic in The Baxter Job. He is able to write fluid conversations about transdimentional situations without getting the reader lost in technical jargon. Slott seems a good fit to the Avengers storyline since the events of Civil War and the Scarlet Witch. Good storytelling and an important conflict will hold readers in suspense.

Penciler Stephen Segovia draws very pronounced characters with muscular bodies and embellished features. The seriousness by which he draws allows the severity of the storyline to reach its full potential. The panels during the argument between Richards and Pym are especially entertaining. The pain, anger and frustration on the faces of these two brilliant minds is simply impressive, if not inspiring. One would be hard pressed to find an artist who draws every panel with as much definition as Segovia. On a side note, his Red Hulk looks amazing.

Overall, #25 is a great continuation of the Mighty Avengers saga, with enough conflict to satisfy the most disgruntled of readers. This arc gets better with each publication. Highly recommended.