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Avengers #347: Review

May 1992
Bob Harras, Steve Epting

Story Name:

Storm Warnings


Synopsis

Avengers #347 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Follows WONDER MAN #9

The detonation of the Nega-Bomb devastates the Kree galaxy, leveling the nearest planets and sweeping the farthest worlds with deadly radiation. Quasar reaches the scene of the blast to find the Avengers (Kree team) apparently dead and drifting in space. The Shi’ar Avengers team arrives and they recover Wonder Man and the Vision who survived by means of their respective powers. Starfox recognizes that the "dead" Avengers have been transformed into inert matter by Sersi and, as a fellow Eternal, he restores them to normal. They plot a course for Hala, the Kree homeworld, to search for Captain America. On the ruined planet meanwhile, Cap has been found by Deathbird and revived with a kiss (!). The Supreme Intelligence appears to them and reveals that it had manipulated the Shi’ar into sending the bomb to his galaxy: the Kree had reached an evolutionary dead end and only by wiping out most of the race could the tiny handful of survivors move forward. The other Avengers arrive and are overwhelmed by the scene of devastation. Captain Atlas and Dr Minerva appear and the Kree hero accuses them of being in league with the Shi’ar. Cap arrives with Deathbird and relates what they learned from the Supreme Intelligence. Atlas does not believe it until it is confrimed by Minerva. In disgrace he self-destructs, taking Minerva with him. The Avengers then debate what to do about the the Supreme Intelligence. A group led by Iron Man demands it be put to death for war crimes. The rest, under Captain America, hold to the "no-kill" policy. Reasoning that the Supreme Intelligence is an AI, Iron Man leads Thor, Sersi, Hercules, Vision, Wonder Man, and the Black Knight on a mission to execute the villain. They assault its stronghold and fight illusions of their greatest challengers. Some are taken aback to discover the SI is organic after all—but they continue their attack and Black Knight delivers the killing blow. The Avengers reunite as a party of Shi’ar land and Lilandra claims the planet for her empire and names Deathbird her viceroy. The Avengers leave for home, their ranks bitterly divided….

Epilogue: a capsule containing the consciousness of the Supreme Intelligence is recovered by the Skrulls.


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
4.5 stars

Avengers #347 Review by (March 27, 2014)
Review: And so it ends: with a debate on the morality of war. Should the Supreme Intelligence be executed for its crimes against humanity (Kreeanity?) or left alone? Surely there is some middle ground but they don’t look for it. The emotional toll is cranked way up but the debate is never settled, but then this is a comic book, hardly the place for a nuanced discussion of the morality of war and victor’s justice. Kudos to them for bringing the issue up at all. Seems to me a lot more could have been done with the heroes fighting illusions of their worst enemies, especially new Thor facing old Thor. A no-prize to anyone who can explain how Cap survived the blast that killed eveyone else on the planet. The epic as a whole? One of the best multi-comic crossovers, marked by a complex story, tight plotting, strong characterization, and consistent quality. And it actually tries to mean something in the end!

Comments: Part 19 (conclusion) of Operation Galactic Storm. Epilogues in QUASAR #35 and CAPTAIN AMERICA #401. The greatest enemies the heroes face are Iron Man: Mandarinn; Eric Masterson Thor: original Thor; Hercules: Cerberus; Sersi: Kro the Deviant; Black Knight: the original evil Black Knight (his uncle); Vision: Ultron (his creator); and Wonder Man: Grim Reaper (his brother).


> Avengers comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Steve Epting
Tom Palmer
Gina Going
Steve Epting (Cover Penciler)
Tom Palmer (Cover Inker)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Knight
Black Knight

(Dane Whitman)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Crystal
Crystal

(Corystalia Amaqulin Maximoff)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clinton Barton)
Hercules
Hercules

(Heracles)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Lilandra
Lilandra

(Lilandra Neramani)
Quasar
Quasar

(Wendell Vaughn)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)
Thor
Thor

(Eric Masterson)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Wonder Man
Wonder Man

(Simon Williams)

Plus: Captain Atlas, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Deathbird, Doctor Minerva, Kree, Shi’ar.