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Avengers #49

Feb 2002
Kurt Busiek, Kieron Dwyer

Story Name:

There Are No Words...


Synopsis

Avengers #49 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4.5 stars
In Avengers Mansion Wasp scans the situation globe which shows Firebird and Thor in France, Wonder Man in Los Angeles and communication lost with Captain America, Jack Of Hearts, Photon and Scarlet Witch in space (after their abortive attack on Kang's orbiting Damocles Base last issue). And radar shows a large group of blips approaching Earth.

We see FB and Thor with devastated UN troops. Bonita Juarez looks worriedly at the dejected Thunder God. They get a call from Wasp, and Thor creates a portal with Mjolnir for the pair to step through.

The blips were the Sentinels, led by a giant hologram Kang. (He subverted the robots also sent against Damocles Base last issue.) They approach Washington DC. US fighter jets attack ineffectually but the Master Of The World's defensive ring shoots some Sentinels down and his forcefield dome holds. But then Kang signals for a strike from Damocles Base itself which breaches the dome and destroys the ring's weapons. Then Firebird, Thor and Wasp appear to attack the Sentinels, later joined by Wonder Man, while the Secret Service hustle the President to safety and civilians vainly try to get out of the City through MOTW's ringwall.

The Sentinels are down but Kang just calls down more strikes from his base. Angry Thor can do nothing against the hologram, and the lightning storm he conjures up does nothing either. But Wasp talks him down and takes him to the President. Thor creates another portal which sends the Pres to the underground Deviants led by Kro. Thor orders Firebird and Wasp to go too, while he and Wonder Man face Kang alone. But they are still powerless as the villain conjures a very large glowing green ball which he drops on the capital. It explodes and kills all the people in the city, but leaves the buildings intact (save for broken glass). The 2 heroes (an immortal god and an ionic being) survive to see the ground littered with green skeletons. Thor howls at the sky in his rainstorm.

Later on a platform floating over the devastated city Kang and his son Scarlet Centurion meet Wasp and General McGinty to accept the US's formal surrender. Which Kang insists Wasp should sign.


 

Review / Commentaries


Avengers #49 Review by (October 17, 2020)
This is the Avengers' contribution to 'Nuff Said Month where all issues were told in art only, with no captions or dialogue. But just in case the art wasn't clear enough the script was included at the end. Still no dialogue but descriptions of what the artist was to convey. But only the 1st half of the script was included in the comic, the rest available online. However none of that script is currently in Marvel Unlimited.

In #55 we'll learn that Duane Freeman, the Avengers' Government liaison, died in the Washington attack. He was last seen in #44.

None of the Avengers here will be in next issue which concentrates on the Triune Understanding plotline in space.
Wonder Man will be back in #51 with Scarlet Witch in a prison camp.
Firebird, Thor and Wasp will join most other Avengers for the start of the fightback against Kang in #52. Kro and the Deviants will be there too.



> Avengers comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
Kotobukiya Marvel Universe: Thor The Bronze Age ARTFX Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Kieron Dwyer
Rick Remender
Tom Smith
Kieron Dwyer (Cover Penciler)
Kieron Dwyer (Cover Inker)
John Estes (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Richard Starkings.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Joe Quesada.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Firebird
Firebird

(Bonita Juarez)
Kang
Kang

(Nathaniel Richards)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Wasp
Wasp

(Janet Van Dyne)
Wonder Man
Wonder Man

(Simon Williams)

Plus: Kro, Scarlet Centurion (Marcus Kang).