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Avengers (2012) (Collected Editions)
Avengers, Vol. 3: Prelude to Infinity
It’s the buildup to the biggest event of 2013! First, Hyperion and Captain Universe begin the godlike education of the transformed Savage Land children. But when the High Evolutionary stakes his claim on the Children of the Sun, Hyperion learns the true cost of the decisions he’s made — as the techno-titan Terminus returns! Then, the prelude to INFINITY begins as all of Earth’s Origin Sites go active — and the planet begins communicating with something much more ancient than humans. And when alien races fleeing an intergalactic terror crash to Earth, Captain Universe and Manifold must take a trip across the universe. Whatever happened to Ex Nihilo, Abyss, Starbrand and Nightmask? As the Avengers recruit more members to deal with the mounting threat, the Builders enter the Marvel Universe — and Infinity is upon us.
Collecting: Avengers 12-17
Collecting: Avengers 12-17
136 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2013
48 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Hickman
1,223 books2,013 followersJonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
December 11, 2015
Marvel Comics has done it again.
They’ve misrepresented this volume by erroneously/misleadingly naming it. As every schoolboy knows, the Infinity crossover involves Thanos and his invasion of Earth, yet his malevolent, grinning mug is nowhere to be found in these pages.
It’s like Waiting for Godot -
You have three different story lines vying for attention courtesy of Hickman and Spencer. I assume Spencer supplied the humor and Hickman came up with the plot and the other words.
#1 – The zebra-like kids living in the Savage Land need mentoring, so they can grow up to fully-functional zebra-like adults in the Savage Land. Who better to teach them the facts of life than a sunbathing Hawkeye and Spider-Woman (Need any more sun lotion, Jessica? Are you sure?) Thor (it’s all about ugly trolls, wenching and the mead), Hyperion (he just saw his world get crushed) and the Superior-Ass Spider-Man. I assume that Scarlet Witch, Tony Stark and Hank Pym were too busy.
*sigh*
#2 – Earth is under attack. Again.
This time by a big-assed alien that was hatched by those goofy dolts at A.I.M . What the hell did they expect would pop out of that pile of space goo, Marvin the Martian?
Not Marvin.
Bruce Banner picks a bad time (is there ever a good time?) to go postal.
#3 – The Avengers recruit more quasi-weirdo super hero wannabes t0 thoroughly confuse your average comic book reader even more than they already are.
521 Avengers Assemble!! Jarvis you better get ready to print some more name tags…and clean up the shower stalls.
Guess who this one belongs to?
Bottom line: Don’t ask me who’s on the current roster of Avengers. Please. Mail all your queries to Marvel Comics c/o Jonathan Hickman.
Bigger. This is my wife’s familiar refrain as well.
They’ve misrepresented this volume by erroneously/misleadingly naming it. As every schoolboy knows, the Infinity crossover involves Thanos and his invasion of Earth, yet his malevolent, grinning mug is nowhere to be found in these pages.
It’s like Waiting for Godot -
You have three different story lines vying for attention courtesy of Hickman and Spencer. I assume Spencer supplied the humor and Hickman came up with the plot and the other words.
#1 – The zebra-like kids living in the Savage Land need mentoring, so they can grow up to fully-functional zebra-like adults in the Savage Land. Who better to teach them the facts of life than a sunbathing Hawkeye and Spider-Woman (Need any more sun lotion, Jessica? Are you sure?) Thor (it’s all about ugly trolls, wenching and the mead), Hyperion (he just saw his world get crushed) and the Superior-Ass Spider-Man. I assume that Scarlet Witch, Tony Stark and Hank Pym were too busy.
*sigh*
#2 – Earth is under attack. Again.
This time by a big-assed alien that was hatched by those goofy dolts at A.I.M . What the hell did they expect would pop out of that pile of space goo, Marvin the Martian?
Not Marvin.
Bruce Banner picks a bad time (is there ever a good time?) to go postal.
#3 – The Avengers recruit more quasi-weirdo super hero wannabes t0 thoroughly confuse your average comic book reader even more than they already are.
521 Avengers Assemble!! Jarvis you better get ready to print some more name tags…and clean up the shower stalls.
Guess who this one belongs to?
Bottom line: Don’t ask me who’s on the current roster of Avengers. Please. Mail all your queries to Marvel Comics c/o Jonathan Hickman.
Bigger. This is my wife’s familiar refrain as well.
April 20, 2019
I’m glad I decided to revisit Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run as the third one, Prelude to Infinity, surprisingly wasn’t bad!
I’m still not 100% sure what’s happening but someone is trying to make Earth sentient for some reason – I think it’s the new golden “cosmic gardener” character, Ex Nihilo, though he seems to be on the Avengers’ side despite wreaking havoc – with, of course, side effects, meaning Avengers gotta Assemble, etc. The first half sees new alien kids sprouting up in the Savage Land and Thor, Hyperion and Spider-Man taking it upon themselves to teach the little tykes Earth values. Except the High Evolutionary wants to kidnap and use them for his own inevitably evil purposes.
It’s a fun little adventure and Hickman/Nick Spencer write Thor and Hyperion’s friendship quite well. Mike Deodato’s art is ok though I’m not sure he’s the best artist for a Savage Land story. His backgrounds are always so sparse and the Savage Land is basically Jurassic Park bursting with vivid plant and animal life – in Deodato’s hands though the place seems almost empty!
The second half is more generically Avengers-speed – ie. crap. A giant robot’s gotta be punched and a couple weirdos in space are sitting around talking in typically lofty Hickman speech. It ties into the overall story about turning Earth sentient, and those parts showing areas of the planet being disrupted by strange new creatures are mildly interesting, but the typical superhero antics render the affair unimaginative and dull.
Avengers, Volume 3: Prelude to Infinity is a mixed bag. It’s not great or that memorable but the story is suitably grandiose and ambitious for the characters involved, if a little convoluted and obtuse even three books in. Still, parts of it were enjoyable and it was better than I expected for a Hickman/Avengers joint!
I’m still not 100% sure what’s happening but someone is trying to make Earth sentient for some reason – I think it’s the new golden “cosmic gardener” character, Ex Nihilo, though he seems to be on the Avengers’ side despite wreaking havoc – with, of course, side effects, meaning Avengers gotta Assemble, etc. The first half sees new alien kids sprouting up in the Savage Land and Thor, Hyperion and Spider-Man taking it upon themselves to teach the little tykes Earth values. Except the High Evolutionary wants to kidnap and use them for his own inevitably evil purposes.
It’s a fun little adventure and Hickman/Nick Spencer write Thor and Hyperion’s friendship quite well. Mike Deodato’s art is ok though I’m not sure he’s the best artist for a Savage Land story. His backgrounds are always so sparse and the Savage Land is basically Jurassic Park bursting with vivid plant and animal life – in Deodato’s hands though the place seems almost empty!
The second half is more generically Avengers-speed – ie. crap. A giant robot’s gotta be punched and a couple weirdos in space are sitting around talking in typically lofty Hickman speech. It ties into the overall story about turning Earth sentient, and those parts showing areas of the planet being disrupted by strange new creatures are mildly interesting, but the typical superhero antics render the affair unimaginative and dull.
Avengers, Volume 3: Prelude to Infinity is a mixed bag. It’s not great or that memorable but the story is suitably grandiose and ambitious for the characters involved, if a little convoluted and obtuse even three books in. Still, parts of it were enjoyable and it was better than I expected for a Hickman/Avengers joint!
April 4, 2017
This Hickman run on Avengers is doing absolutely nothing for me.
I only started it as a lead up to Secret Wars, but I was expecting at least something comprehensible out of it. And honestly, I have no idea what’s happening here. Bad enough that it’s a confusing story about a bunch of gleep-glops, but you’d think that at least I’d know the Avengers themselves. However, half the roster seems to be B level characters I don't know or care about it so it's turned into a real slog.
I only started it as a lead up to Secret Wars, but I was expecting at least something comprehensible out of it. And honestly, I have no idea what’s happening here. Bad enough that it’s a confusing story about a bunch of gleep-glops, but you’d think that at least I’d know the Avengers themselves. However, half the roster seems to be B level characters I don't know or care about it so it's turned into a real slog.
May 9, 2014
At this point, Hickman has been building up to something for so long that I've basically lost interest. It feels like he's buying time for the big crossover event, and at this point I'm bored. It was a chore for me to finish this volume, so I think I'm checking out at this point.
September 24, 2018
I’m really struggling here. These 2 stars are for art and art alone.
I don’t like Nick Spencer’s writing. I have never liked Nick Spencer’s writing. I can feel his “humor” seeping into the dialogue here and I don’t like it. Everyone sounds the same. I don’t like the way Bruce or Tony are written and Carol sounds nothing like Carol.
In summation: I am underwhelmed and disappointed.
I don’t like Nick Spencer’s writing. I have never liked Nick Spencer’s writing. I can feel his “humor” seeping into the dialogue here and I don’t like it. Everyone sounds the same. I don’t like the way Bruce or Tony are written and Carol sounds nothing like Carol.
In summation: I am underwhelmed and disappointed.
June 10, 2021
Reread: 10/06/21
It starts off with Hyperion and the other Avengers going to Savage Land to deal with the children there, teaching them things and then they fight High Evolutionary and Terminus and find whatever is going on before it ends on a hopeful note for Hyperion. I like the optimism that Hickman is building with his character. Then we check on with the origin Bomb sites and have the Avengers fight these stone like creatures, then the parasitic and they give a signal for Builders maybe and also face off against Pod, a creature that AIM extracted and there are some mysterious things about it and finally we have the Avengers getting bigger with members new and expected! This volume was a breath of fresh air as we have them encountering new threats, bond building, exploring new members while also focusing on the larger things to come and then the eventual payoff! I like the slow build nature of Hickman and also what he does with other new members and the art just gets better everytime!
___________________________________________________________________________________
This book was so good! Focusing on Tony as he finds that these creatures in Savage Land are growing and evolving fast, they take a trip there and find what's exactly happening and thus they teach these children until they have to fight Terminus and High Evolutionary and its a glorious battle and has so many great moments for Hyperion and Thor! The next story is some weird things happening around the world with those signals and all and something is coming and its impact the energy sources on earth and the Avengers are dealing with that and then the next thing and all is going on, moments with Manifold and Captain Universe, things with Hulk in SHIELD command and Steve and all on a mission to AIM Island and there they fight with this being named POD and it wrecks them before AIM agents come in and extract things from them and ends with Cap U telling that Avengers need to get bigger, as the BUILDERS ARE COMING! Infinity! Also welcome to the team - Ex Nihilo and Abyss!
Its a wonderful book and some stuff can get confusing but its really good and sets up a lot of things whose payoff will come soon and has great character moments and introduces old/new threats in a good way and circles around the first story arc and serves as a perfect prequel to Infinity! Also some funny moments here and there but next story is gonna be big!
It starts off with Hyperion and the other Avengers going to Savage Land to deal with the children there, teaching them things and then they fight High Evolutionary and Terminus and find whatever is going on before it ends on a hopeful note for Hyperion. I like the optimism that Hickman is building with his character. Then we check on with the origin Bomb sites and have the Avengers fight these stone like creatures, then the parasitic and they give a signal for Builders maybe and also face off against Pod, a creature that AIM extracted and there are some mysterious things about it and finally we have the Avengers getting bigger with members new and expected! This volume was a breath of fresh air as we have them encountering new threats, bond building, exploring new members while also focusing on the larger things to come and then the eventual payoff! I like the slow build nature of Hickman and also what he does with other new members and the art just gets better everytime!
___________________________________________________________________________________
This book was so good! Focusing on Tony as he finds that these creatures in Savage Land are growing and evolving fast, they take a trip there and find what's exactly happening and thus they teach these children until they have to fight Terminus and High Evolutionary and its a glorious battle and has so many great moments for Hyperion and Thor! The next story is some weird things happening around the world with those signals and all and something is coming and its impact the energy sources on earth and the Avengers are dealing with that and then the next thing and all is going on, moments with Manifold and Captain Universe, things with Hulk in SHIELD command and Steve and all on a mission to AIM Island and there they fight with this being named POD and it wrecks them before AIM agents come in and extract things from them and ends with Cap U telling that Avengers need to get bigger, as the BUILDERS ARE COMING! Infinity! Also welcome to the team - Ex Nihilo and Abyss!
Its a wonderful book and some stuff can get confusing but its really good and sets up a lot of things whose payoff will come soon and has great character moments and introduces old/new threats in a good way and circles around the first story arc and serves as a perfect prequel to Infinity! Also some funny moments here and there but next story is gonna be big!
January 17, 2015
I really wanted to find a way to see this Hickman book (and Avengers series so far) as better than most of my fellow Shallow Comics Readers, who thought this was a waste of time and much worse than New Avengers.
I couldn't do it. I kept putting this book down every time I got lost or bored, and never quite got around to getting an excited momentum while reading it.
The early part is fan-ducking-tastic. Finally, someone who gets that in a team book, when across-the-globe threats emerge, you call on THE WHOLE TEAM and marshal them to wherever the problem is. Not the usual bullshit "well, I *would* call, but I still feel guilty for that time I stole Captain America's sandwich, so I owe it to the team to clean up this interstellar invasion on my own."
It's so cool to see someone treat the Avengers like a constantly-fluxing group of heroes who are used to the best of their abilities. This is where Hickman's "big vision" writing shines (cf. Ultimates, Secret Warriors). Don't give him a smaller, personal book and expect him to shine. That's my best theory on why his FF isn't more popular - even for me: that's a team that without a writer focusing on the personal, intimate relationships that hinge FF stories together, feels disjointed and not terribly meaningful - why do you think the movies were so terrible?
That said, it took me five tries to make it through this book - gotta be some kind of record (kinda like my record of six tries to make it through Apocalypse Now without falling asleep - and I never succeeded). This book ultimately feels like its stretched with a little filler, biding its time and spooling out the anticipation without any particularly big reveals. I mean, there's some inevitable Big Moments, especially as we turn the corner into whatever the Infinity event is, but holy god do they dawdle on trivial events in the meantime. (Hickman does not do trivial well - he has no ear for it.)
I couldn't do it. I kept putting this book down every time I got lost or bored, and never quite got around to getting an excited momentum while reading it.
The early part is fan-ducking-tastic. Finally, someone who gets that in a team book, when across-the-globe threats emerge, you call on THE WHOLE TEAM and marshal them to wherever the problem is. Not the usual bullshit "well, I *would* call, but I still feel guilty for that time I stole Captain America's sandwich, so I owe it to the team to clean up this interstellar invasion on my own."
It's so cool to see someone treat the Avengers like a constantly-fluxing group of heroes who are used to the best of their abilities. This is where Hickman's "big vision" writing shines (cf. Ultimates, Secret Warriors). Don't give him a smaller, personal book and expect him to shine. That's my best theory on why his FF isn't more popular - even for me: that's a team that without a writer focusing on the personal, intimate relationships that hinge FF stories together, feels disjointed and not terribly meaningful - why do you think the movies were so terrible?
That said, it took me five tries to make it through this book - gotta be some kind of record (kinda like my record of six tries to make it through Apocalypse Now without falling asleep - and I never succeeded). This book ultimately feels like its stretched with a little filler, biding its time and spooling out the anticipation without any particularly big reveals. I mean, there's some inevitable Big Moments, especially as we turn the corner into whatever the Infinity event is, but holy god do they dawdle on trivial events in the meantime. (Hickman does not do trivial well - he has no ear for it.)
December 6, 2014
Yet another case of the library only having Vol. 3 and not even having ordered 1 or 2! Yet, I read Thor Vol 2 the other day w/o 1 and it was great! So I took the chance here...
BIG Mistake.
This is so head scratching and confusing, I have no idea who the non Avenger Avengers are, who are all these cosmic types?
Hyperion? Huh? Captain Universe??? REALLY?
Gobbledygook about new evolution, dying world, eternal versus man, blah blah blah.
Kinda like coming in after the halfway point in a Terry Gilliam movie with absolutely NO CONTEXT.
Prelude to Infinity...OK I'm guessing INFINITY is THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF 201...insert number here.
No thanks.
Based on this I also don't plan to check out the previous vols.
To put in context, I only gave this 2 because I don't believe it's fair to criticize a book too much when you are missing the first 10 chapters.
However...Hickman's East of West is positively genius compared to this, and that left my mind just scratchy and dented.
This is a big fat "NO" for me.
I'll stick to the Illuminati Avengers book instead.
BIG Mistake.
This is so head scratching and confusing, I have no idea who the non Avenger Avengers are, who are all these cosmic types?
Hyperion? Huh? Captain Universe??? REALLY?
Gobbledygook about new evolution, dying world, eternal versus man, blah blah blah.
Kinda like coming in after the halfway point in a Terry Gilliam movie with absolutely NO CONTEXT.
Prelude to Infinity...OK I'm guessing INFINITY is THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF 201...insert number here.
No thanks.
Based on this I also don't plan to check out the previous vols.
To put in context, I only gave this 2 because I don't believe it's fair to criticize a book too much when you are missing the first 10 chapters.
However...Hickman's East of West is positively genius compared to this, and that left my mind just scratchy and dented.
This is a big fat "NO" for me.
I'll stick to the Illuminati Avengers book instead.
November 17, 2019
I'm still kind of confused as to what exactly is going on, but this was good!
January 30, 2015
This book is exactly what it is. A prelude.
It shows too.
Kinda...prelude(ie). That's the nice way of saying that this book was more or less a padded out volume that could have easily been condensed into 2 floppy's rather than the 6 that it consists of.
The pictures and panels were still really exciting though. So thats...something?
Also, it had these guys; they were pretty cool.
I am still digging this series - and I didn't hate this volume - and believe it or not I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what's going on...but I would be remiss if I didn't say I was starting to get a little antsy.
I think it helps a lot that I am reading these all pretty quickly and tight knit together. I could see how this would really suck to read months apart from one another. I would totally lose track of everything and the whole sense of urgency would all be pretty much non existent.
So yeah. Still digging it. This so far is the weakest volume, but I still found enough in it to keep me entertained.
It shows too.
Kinda...prelude(ie). That's the nice way of saying that this book was more or less a padded out volume that could have easily been condensed into 2 floppy's rather than the 6 that it consists of.
The pictures and panels were still really exciting though. So thats...something?
Also, it had these guys; they were pretty cool.
I am still digging this series - and I didn't hate this volume - and believe it or not I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what's going on...but I would be remiss if I didn't say I was starting to get a little antsy.
I think it helps a lot that I am reading these all pretty quickly and tight knit together. I could see how this would really suck to read months apart from one another. I would totally lose track of everything and the whole sense of urgency would all be pretty much non existent.
So yeah. Still digging it. This so far is the weakest volume, but I still found enough in it to keep me entertained.
April 20, 2016
2.5 stars
I seriously can't decide whether or not this is any good.
Like...maybe I'm just so stupid that the vast majority of this storyline is going over my head?
I mean, I get it, but I just don't...get it, if you get what I'm saying?
The story is sorta told in this dreamy/strange way, and I just cannot see the point of it.
It's WEIRD! The whole thing is just fucking weird. I don't...
Whatever.
I'm gonna try to keep going, b/c I'm scared there's some huge payoff at the end of this arc, and I don't wanna miss out.
I seriously can't decide whether or not this is any good.
Like...maybe I'm just so stupid that the vast majority of this storyline is going over my head?
I mean, I get it, but I just don't...get it, if you get what I'm saying?
The story is sorta told in this dreamy/strange way, and I just cannot see the point of it.
It's WEIRD! The whole thing is just fucking weird. I don't...
Whatever.
I'm gonna try to keep going, b/c I'm scared there's some huge payoff at the end of this arc, and I don't wanna miss out.
September 23, 2014
I feel like I just read three volumes of prelude with sprinkles of interesting and excellent art and tons of abstract nonsense.
The story is about something to do with the Avengers doing cosmicy things, right?
Ready for the payoff. Please let there be a payoff.
The story is about something to do with the Avengers doing cosmicy things, right?
Ready for the payoff. Please let there be a payoff.
August 17, 2022
Some great art, but messy plot; too many characters to juggle.
May 22, 2015
3.5
This was a prelude to Infinity so it wasn't really mind blowing. As usual the art is fantastic though and I'm looking forward to getting into the meat of this series.
This was a prelude to Infinity so it wasn't really mind blowing. As usual the art is fantastic though and I'm looking forward to getting into the meat of this series.
March 21, 2025
3,6/5 ⭐️
🇵🇱
Nie ogarniam już, co tu się łączy z czym,
nie wiem czy zaczynać Strażników / x-menów / thunderbolts przed Nieskończonością czy nie 🥲
Skomplikowane..
🇺🇸
I don't know what it's connected to anymore..
I don't know whether to start Guardians / x-Men / thunderbolts before Infinity or not 🥲
Complicated..
🇵🇱
Nie ogarniam już, co tu się łączy z czym,
nie wiem czy zaczynać Strażników / x-menów / thunderbolts przed Nieskończonością czy nie 🥲
Skomplikowane..
🇺🇸
I don't know what it's connected to anymore..
I don't know whether to start Guardians / x-Men / thunderbolts before Infinity or not 🥲
Complicated..
January 25, 2021
Pleasantly surprising ending
Not the usual Avengers solution to a problem anymore, but a good one. Better than fighting everyone just because you think you can (causing neurological trauma and who ordered that?)
Not the usual Avengers solution to a problem anymore, but a good one. Better than fighting everyone just because you think you can (causing neurological trauma and who ordered that?)
September 17, 2014
The title of this book says it all: It's a prelude. To be honest the issue's in this book could have been only two issues. I think the only thing that was stopping that from happening is Jonathan Hickman's need to make giant Omega-Level books. Either that or what seems to be a mandate set by both Marvel and DC: all stories must be at least 5 or 6 issues to fit into a nice trade.
The storyline contained in the regular Avengers title, and the New Avengers, has been going on for what seems like forever. It might be different if you read these month to month, but when you only get two, maybe three, trades a year to read, it can be difficult to stay engaged in such a long form story. I waited a long time to finally get around to reading this book though, so I'm parity to blame for that.
There are things within the book I did enjoy though. I liked the Avengers trying to step up their game as heroes. They aren't just punching out guys in tights anymore. They are starting to be proactive, rather than reactive. Defending the earth from all the lunatics who live on it, not to mention all the crazies in space who seem hell-bent on destroying the earth, takes some serious commitment and planning. It's nice to see the Avengers taking those steps.
It's nice to see some lesser known, to me at least, characters in the spot light to. With a book like the Avengers it would be easy to throw Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, or Wolverine up front to get eyes on it. I like that Hickman and Company have the balls to put there own characters, and some lesser known ones up front.
To me this book is somewhat of a tipping point. I really don't know if I want to continue with it, or just drop it. If the next volume isn't more engaging I might be dropping this title.
The storyline contained in the regular Avengers title, and the New Avengers, has been going on for what seems like forever. It might be different if you read these month to month, but when you only get two, maybe three, trades a year to read, it can be difficult to stay engaged in such a long form story. I waited a long time to finally get around to reading this book though, so I'm parity to blame for that.
There are things within the book I did enjoy though. I liked the Avengers trying to step up their game as heroes. They aren't just punching out guys in tights anymore. They are starting to be proactive, rather than reactive. Defending the earth from all the lunatics who live on it, not to mention all the crazies in space who seem hell-bent on destroying the earth, takes some serious commitment and planning. It's nice to see the Avengers taking those steps.
It's nice to see some lesser known, to me at least, characters in the spot light to. With a book like the Avengers it would be easy to throw Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, or Wolverine up front to get eyes on it. I like that Hickman and Company have the balls to put there own characters, and some lesser known ones up front.
To me this book is somewhat of a tipping point. I really don't know if I want to continue with it, or just drop it. If the next volume isn't more engaging I might be dropping this title.
April 19, 2021
Como me ha cundido estos días, voy a hacer de golpe las reseñas de las dos siguientes partes de Vengadores de Jonathan Hickman, y vamos a llegar a las puertas del primer evento que preparó Hickman para Marvel y en el que se recuperaría la figura de Thanos que Bendis ya había devuelto a primera línea (de aquella manera, todo sea dicho) siguiendo los dictados que marcaba el UCM. Pero bueno, de Thanos y de Infinito hablaremos más adelante, que aún tenemos estos dos arcos... aunque realmente, al igual que en 4F, la división en arcos es más bien una decisión editorial para poder publicar luego en tomitos, porque se trata todo de una historia río en la que Hickman va desplegando los diferentes aspectos de su proyecto. Y en el primero de ellos, El Último Evento Blanco, recurre a uno de esos momentos de la historia de la compañía que solo los muy antiguos recordamos: El Evento Blanco, con el que daba inicio el proyecto más ambicioso de la Marvel de los años 80 y del que fuera su editor jefe, Jim Shooter: El Nuevo Universo Marvel. La idea de Shooter era crear un nuevo universo (de ahí el nombre) con nuevos héroes y sin relación alguna con el universo clásico. Y todo empezaba con un destello blanco en el cielo que daba poderes a diversas personas, y que sería conocido como El Evento Blanco. Aquí aparecerían colecciones como Starbrand, Justicia o Psi-Force, y realmente terminaría siendo un fiasco, pero quedaría en el imaginario colectivo de los seguidores de Marvel. Warren Ellis y Salvador Larroca realizaron un reboot llamado newuniversal (con minúsculas todo) que se quedó en un intento por aquellas maneras de trabajar de Ellis.
Y de pronto, en medio de Vengadores, nos encontramos con un Evento Blanco. El Último Evento Blanco, según lo define la Capitana Universo, con la aparición de un nuevo y poderoso Starbrand y dentro de cuyo concepto tiene sentido el personaje de Máscara Nocturna, también procedente de los Eventos Blancos. Y mientras vamos conociendo a los nuevos miembros de los Vengadores (debo admitir que cómo utiliza Hickman a Eden Fesi, Distribuidor, es una puñetera gozada; y que el uso de Capitana Universo me recuerda muchísimo al de Cósmico en la JSA de Geoff Johns), tenemos el desarrollo del Evento Blanco y las consecuencias del bombardeo evolutivo al que Ex Nihilo sometió a la Tierra, con nuevas formas de vida que aparecen en los lugares donde cayeron las bombas y que van a llevar a los Vengadores a Canadá (con un nuevo equipo de héroes, unos nuevos Omega Flight), Australia, Corea o la isla de IMA donde van surgiendo amenazas sembradas por Ex Nihilo... y cuyo auténtico peso ignoran los propios Vengadores, que solo son capaces de vislumbrar que algo gordo viene...
Y bueno, Hickman es un auténtico maestro a la hora de crear este tipo de tramas diversas que van focalizándose, y en estos arcos está acompañado por dibujante del calibre de Dustin Weaver, Deodato o Stefano Caselli, que ya había trabajado con Hickman en Guerreros Secretos. Y que mola muy mucho todo esto.
Y de pronto, en medio de Vengadores, nos encontramos con un Evento Blanco. El Último Evento Blanco, según lo define la Capitana Universo, con la aparición de un nuevo y poderoso Starbrand y dentro de cuyo concepto tiene sentido el personaje de Máscara Nocturna, también procedente de los Eventos Blancos. Y mientras vamos conociendo a los nuevos miembros de los Vengadores (debo admitir que cómo utiliza Hickman a Eden Fesi, Distribuidor, es una puñetera gozada; y que el uso de Capitana Universo me recuerda muchísimo al de Cósmico en la JSA de Geoff Johns), tenemos el desarrollo del Evento Blanco y las consecuencias del bombardeo evolutivo al que Ex Nihilo sometió a la Tierra, con nuevas formas de vida que aparecen en los lugares donde cayeron las bombas y que van a llevar a los Vengadores a Canadá (con un nuevo equipo de héroes, unos nuevos Omega Flight), Australia, Corea o la isla de IMA donde van surgiendo amenazas sembradas por Ex Nihilo... y cuyo auténtico peso ignoran los propios Vengadores, que solo son capaces de vislumbrar que algo gordo viene...
Y bueno, Hickman es un auténtico maestro a la hora de crear este tipo de tramas diversas que van focalizándose, y en estos arcos está acompañado por dibujante del calibre de Dustin Weaver, Deodato o Stefano Caselli, que ya había trabajado con Hickman en Guerreros Secretos. Y que mola muy mucho todo esto.
September 5, 2023
Against my better judgement, I decided to pick this series up again after disliking the previous book. I had just read Decorum by Jonathan Hickman. I don't think this was as terrible as Avengers, Vol. 2: The Last White Event. It was at least cohesive. Or, uh, a bit more cohesive. Well, kinda. Maybe if I was also reading New Avengers it would explain more? There were at least a few decent action scenes. The artwork was good.
May 7, 2019
Lots of plot threads are included in this volume, but I don't think any of them are resolved. Yeah, I guess that's why it's called 'Prelude to Infinity' but I have to say this is not reader-friendly. This gets back to one of my pet peeves, when a collection is a disparate set of issues that provide only pieces of a whole. If you can't get the story from reading the collection, don't put it out as a collection.
That said, some of the pieces are fun. Having super heroes be guardians for striped demi-god children had some potential, and the very brief introduction of Galadoa references something I had seen pieces of elsewhere. But the number of characters here who I've never heard of before (Sunspot, Manifold, Captain Universe, Shang Chi) doing things that have no frame of reference (is Starbrand a villain or a hero? His actions here could go either way) just makes it a veritable brick wall of jigsaw puzzle pieces that make no coherent image.
The art is decent but not spectacular, the whole A.I.M. subplot makes little sense, and while there are some decent action sequences, they don't do a whole lot for me in the vacuum that is the coherent plot of this volume.
That said, some of the pieces are fun. Having super heroes be guardians for striped demi-god children had some potential, and the very brief introduction of Galadoa references something I had seen pieces of elsewhere. But the number of characters here who I've never heard of before (Sunspot, Manifold, Captain Universe, Shang Chi) doing things that have no frame of reference (is Starbrand a villain or a hero? His actions here could go either way) just makes it a veritable brick wall of jigsaw puzzle pieces that make no coherent image.
The art is decent but not spectacular, the whole A.I.M. subplot makes little sense, and while there are some decent action sequences, they don't do a whole lot for me in the vacuum that is the coherent plot of this volume.
January 25, 2023
Bu seri kesinlikle keyifli değil. Çok fazla şey oluyor fakat hiçbiri bir bütünlük arz etmiyor. Takibi zor, anlaması zor. Kahramanlar çok sıkıcı. Hiçbiri karakteristik özellik barındırmıyor. Ha o konuşuyor ha bu. Dövüşler sıkıcı, hikaye sıkıcı. Bir sonraki sayfada ne olacağını hiç merak edemedim. 2013 yılının büyük olayı Infinity'e bağlıyor sözde fakat pek alakalı gibi de gelmedi. Üç kitaptır "bir şey yaklaşıyor" deniyor fakat hiç heyecanım ve merakım yok.
March 20, 2019
This is the problem I have with most of Hickman’s stuff: it is incomprehensible gibberish. I have no idea what was going on here, and every character sounds the same. There’s no story here. It’s just a jumble of unrelated events, like he’s relating half-remembered stories he read while on a mescaline high.
January 15, 2025
*review only based on first 2 issues (other issues are included in Infinity TPB)*
Like the last few Avengers issues, this is a bit of a stand-alone story that has some loose ties to the larger plot. Pretty basic plot structure and art was okay.
Like the last few Avengers issues, this is a bit of a stand-alone story that has some loose ties to the larger plot. Pretty basic plot structure and art was okay.
January 25, 2019
Eh, it’s prelude so I knew it wasn’t gonna be the best thing ever
October 2, 2022
what the hell is going on
January 31, 2018
Mind-blowing!
January 12, 2025
This is big stakes, big action, big posing superhero comics as they are meant to be.
September 4, 2024
Fun
I liked it and was well into the story but the end left me hanging. I know that's the point but damn.
I liked it and was well into the story but the end left me hanging. I know that's the point but damn.
June 19, 2015
Collects Avengers issues #12-17
Spoiler-free review: This is still an enjoyable read, but every volume has been less enjoyable since Marvel NOW! started. It becomes clear by the end of this book that this is all set up for "Infinity," the huge Marvel event of 2013.
Spoiler-filled review:
Issue Twelve: Some kids were born in the Savage Lands due to Ex Nihilo’s origin bomb, and they are highly advanced humanoids. They don’t need to eat or breath to stay alive. Some of the Avengers try to teach them, but while that is happening, the High Evolutionary kidnaps them.
Issue Thirteen: They save the kids in this one. Hyperion is featured.
Issue Fourteen: Issue opens with mayhem around the world and every single Avenger is trying to help stop the madness. All these events are due to the changing evolution of Earth because of Ex Nihilo’s origin bombs.
Issue Fifteen: More fighting. And something is happening in space. S.W.O.R.D. detects something menacing. Captain Universe speaks in more riddles about the beginning of the end as someone big heads towards the Avengers.
Issue Sixteen: I was happy to see Starbrand and Nightmask back in the story in this issue. Nightmask tells Starbrand that they could have left their cell in the Dyson Sphere (see New Avengers vol. 1) anytime, but Kevin is still learning to be a Starbrand. He is no longer a man. Men have many limits, and Kevin now has very few.
In other news, that thing that was heading towards the Avengers completely took them out. A.I.M. is trying to get it back because they were previously in possession of it even though Ex Nihilo is to blame for its existence.
Issue Seventeen: A.I.M. caught the machine/entity and trapped it using the same strategy they trapped Hyperion with. They put it between two dead universes, inside the infinite whiteness.
This issue gets pretty good when Manifold brings back a message from Captain Universe. She has warned them of a great danger that is coming, and has instructed them that the Avengers need to get bigger. She specifically indicated that four new members needed to join the team, and Cap and the others heed her advice. By the end of this issue, not only are Starbrand and Nightmask made members of the team, but Ex Nihilo and Abyss are asked to become Avengers. They accept, and the narrator (who I believe to be Starbrand) foreshadows that these were the last great days of the Avengers before a season of death. The book then tells us that this is the end of the prelude, and because I know what big storyline happens next, I realize that all of the series thus far has been set up for "Infinity."
Spoiler-free review: This is still an enjoyable read, but every volume has been less enjoyable since Marvel NOW! started. It becomes clear by the end of this book that this is all set up for "Infinity," the huge Marvel event of 2013.
Spoiler-filled review:
Issue Twelve: Some kids were born in the Savage Lands due to Ex Nihilo’s origin bomb, and they are highly advanced humanoids. They don’t need to eat or breath to stay alive. Some of the Avengers try to teach them, but while that is happening, the High Evolutionary kidnaps them.
Issue Thirteen: They save the kids in this one. Hyperion is featured.
Issue Fourteen: Issue opens with mayhem around the world and every single Avenger is trying to help stop the madness. All these events are due to the changing evolution of Earth because of Ex Nihilo’s origin bombs.
Issue Fifteen: More fighting. And something is happening in space. S.W.O.R.D. detects something menacing. Captain Universe speaks in more riddles about the beginning of the end as someone big heads towards the Avengers.
Issue Sixteen: I was happy to see Starbrand and Nightmask back in the story in this issue. Nightmask tells Starbrand that they could have left their cell in the Dyson Sphere (see New Avengers vol. 1) anytime, but Kevin is still learning to be a Starbrand. He is no longer a man. Men have many limits, and Kevin now has very few.
In other news, that thing that was heading towards the Avengers completely took them out. A.I.M. is trying to get it back because they were previously in possession of it even though Ex Nihilo is to blame for its existence.
Issue Seventeen: A.I.M. caught the machine/entity and trapped it using the same strategy they trapped Hyperion with. They put it between two dead universes, inside the infinite whiteness.
This issue gets pretty good when Manifold brings back a message from Captain Universe. She has warned them of a great danger that is coming, and has instructed them that the Avengers need to get bigger. She specifically indicated that four new members needed to join the team, and Cap and the others heed her advice. By the end of this issue, not only are Starbrand and Nightmask made members of the team, but Ex Nihilo and Abyss are asked to become Avengers. They accept, and the narrator (who I believe to be Starbrand) foreshadows that these were the last great days of the Avengers before a season of death. The book then tells us that this is the end of the prelude, and because I know what big storyline happens next, I realize that all of the series thus far has been set up for "Infinity."
August 22, 2020
I'm praying this gets better.
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