Dark Avengers Annual #1: Review

Feb 2010
Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo

Story Name:

(no title given)

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Dark Avengers Annual #1 Review by (August 28, 2018)
Jaime Mendoza and Al Vey help Tim Townsend with the inking. Chris Bachalo helps Antonio Fabela with the colouring.

Noh-Varr was operating as Captain Marvel while he was with the Dark Avengers. Since then he's really been between ID's until now when he becomes Protector. Before this issue he helped protect the facility known as The World from Norman Osborn in Dark Reign: The List - Wolverine, and was a victim of the alien hunt by Abigail Brand and SWORD in the SWORD mini-series.

Norman Osborn and his DAv were last all together in Mighty Av #32-33 when NO temporarily got his hands on a Cosmic Cube. Then in Daredevil #504 he and Bullseye reaped the consequences of their actions in DR: The List - DD. Osborn sent Madame Masque after Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008) #14-20 and gave Ares a task in the DAv: Ares mini-series. Sentry joined him in the opening issues of Vengeance of Moon Knight, and Moonstone and Venom joined them both in SWORD #4.

Steve Rogers recently returned from supposed death in the Captain America: Reborn mini but allowed Bucky Barnes to continue as Cap in CA: Who Will Wield The Shield. He touched base with the New Av in their Annual #3 and helped bring Tony Stark back from brain-death in IM(2008)#21-24, and then attended the funeral of Gen'l Ross in Fall Of the Hulks: Gamma.

Captain America (Bucky Barnes) was involved in all those things and more. Since FOHS: Gamma he's appeared a lot in FOHS and World War Hulks.

There are continuity problems with the Kree Supreme Intelligence here. His body was killed in the Annihilation event although his spirit continued into the Annihilation Conquest event. He won't be recreated until the War Of Four Cities story arc issue FF (Future Foundation not Fantastic Four) #11. Some say the version here might be the Supremor from Marvel Boy's original timeline. Or he could be in contact with the SI's spirit residing within the Wraith.

The Omni-Wave Projector is a Kree device for instantaneous communication through hyperspace, although it can also be used as a weapon. It played a large role in the Kree-Skrull War in Av#89-97. And in a tale in Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust Marvel Boy used Omni-Waves to control the Cube prison he had taken over.

Noh-Varr will turn up again as Protector with Annie in their backup tale in Ms Marvel (2006) #50. He obviously doesn't wait to deal with Osborn before seeing her again. In fact he isn't involved in Siege so Osborn falls without him. Protector will join the post-Siege Avengers in their #2, and he'll bring Annie to meet them in #7.

The DAv will gather again in their #14. But before he joins them there Norman Osborn will visit his other team Thunderbolts for their #138-140, and the online Siege Prologue where Loki persuades him to attack Asgard.

Captain America (Bucky) and Steve Rogers will be in New Av #61-62 in Siege.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Dark Avengers Annual #1 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
Marvel Boy/Captain Marvel/Noh-Varr, Kree warrior from an alternate timeline, quit the Dark Avengers after #5 when he discovered they were actually villains. Now he doesn't know what to do. He wants to stay on Earth and help humans but they seem to have conflicting desires. (Kree society is very regimented and everybody *knows* what they want.) So he's been trying to build an Omni-Wave Projector to contact this reality's Kree Supreme Intelligence for instructions. But every time he creates 1 and switches it on he gets detected and an Earth group investigate (we see the Fantastic Four, Abigail Brand & SWORD, and his fellow Dark Avengers).

Sitting in the park (eating what looks like raw eggs) he sees a girl arguing with someone she wishes to be her *ex*-boyfriend. So he follows her to find out what the boy did that was bad. At 1st she thinks he's stalking her but then they get talking.

Her name is Annie and she's a studying Communications at New York University expecting to get a PR job. Except that she hates the idea of a PR job. (This is just the kind of thing that confuses our hero.) She confesses she'd actually like to be a superhero. Noh-Varr says "Me too".

All the while Annie keeps saying she recognises him from somewhere. Noh doesn't seem to understand fairly basic stuff so she guesses he's a foreigner (he agrees), especially with a name like No Var.

When she tells him that her boyfriend cheated on her Noh admits that he doesn't understand human sexuality. This is a bit beyond 'foreigner' so she demands to know who he really is. But before he can try to explain Sentry hovers along to take him back the the DAv.

Noh-Varr pulls an alien gun which staggers even the Golden Guardian Of Good, and then runs away. Sentry follows and wrests the gun from him, but it explodes and hurls them both apart. Noh-Varr throws a car at his foe which seems to have a bomb attached and there's another explosion. Sentry says Norman Osborn wants him back dead or alive. He himself would prefer alive but he's getting annoyed. And he joins in the car throwing.

Inquisitive Annie has followed them and finds Noh-Varr's bag stuffed with strange devices. But without it Marvel Boy resorts to fisticuffs in mid-air with his opponent. As they fight Sentry asks why the boy doesn't want to come back to the Avengers. Noh-Varr replies that they're all criminals, and some of them are insane. Osborn tricked him into joining them because of his ignorance of human ways. Noh-Varr suspects Sentry is both criminal *and* insane but also that Norman is tricking *him* too. Sentry won't believe it.

Then Annie fires 1 of the weapons in the bag and hits Sentry. Noh-Varr falls to the ground and Sentry rockets after him. But Annie drives him off with a series of powerful blasts. Frightened by what she's done she runs away too. Marvel Boy retrieves his bag and the dropped gun from some interested bystanders and then slips away from the devastation of the battle.

He builds yet another Omni-Wave Projector and this time gets a reply. The Supreme Intelligence tells him that his heroic actions fighting for humans during the Skrull Secret Invasion have inspired the Kree to offer the Earth the protection of the Kree Empire. In particular Noh-Varr will be made Earth's Protector. He sends him Nega-Bands like those worn by Captain Mar-Vell but different. Donning the Bands gives him a new costume and new powers.

The Dark Avengers are investigating the site of the battle. Iron Patriot (Osborn) says he can't afford *his* alien to run loose when he achieved his position of power after Secret Invasion by promising to protect the USA from aliens. Sentry says he can't sense Marvel Boy's aura anymore, and Daken has lost the scent too (all because of NV's change into Protector). Osborn tells Victoria Hand to offer money for anyone with recordings of what happened.

Noh-Varr finds Annie again and thanks her for her help. He says the Avengers are after him because he knows the truth about Osborn and them. And when the time is right he'll take them down. Annie asks him to come see her when it's over. He promises, and then changes to Protector and flies away at high speed.

Steve Rogers and Captain America (Bucky Barnes) have been watching this from a rooftop. They note Marvel Boy's new powers and that he opposes Norman Osborn. That makes him a useful ally.



Chris Bachalo
Tim Townsend
Antonio Fabela
Chris Bachalo (Cover Penciler)
Chris Bachalo (Cover Inker)
Chris Bachalo (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Cory Petit.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Joe Quesada.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(James "Bucky" Barnes)
Iron Patriot
Iron Patriot

(Norman Osborn)
Moonstone
Moonstone

(Karla Sofen)
Venom
Venom

(Mac Gargan)

Plus: Annie, Protector (Noh-Varr), Victoria Hand.

> Dark Avengers Annual: Book info and issue index

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