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Force Works #13: Review

Jul 1995
Dan Abnett, Dave Ross

Story Name:

War crimes


Synopsis

Force Works #13 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
An alien spaceship is attacked by a *much* larger spaceship. After being given some information it was after the big ship destroys the little 1.

In Force Works HQ Scarlet Witch gets a short sharp headache, for the 3rd time this week, in the middle of talking to Iron Man and U.S. Agent.

Wanda Maximoff complains to Jack Daniels about going off on his own business without explanation or warning. He explains that it was connected to stuff he did before joining Force Works. (Ie working for the Commission On Superhuman Activities. I don't know why he's being coy about it. Wanda and the rest of the West Coast Avengers knew about this in their previous incarnation.) He was with Hawkeye and War Machine in San Revilla (see the Brothers In Arms story arc in the flip books FW#12, WM#15 and IM#317). And it reaffirmed his commitment to *this* team.

She also rails at Tony Stark for the same reason, but more so. He's *always* running off to do his own thing. (Well he does have his own book plus guest apps to fit in.) She never knows when he'll be available. (Like the time in #11 when she decided while he was in Russia (IM#315-317) to take the team to Slorenia on a mission. Luckily he got back in time to join them.)

Young Rachel Carpenter overhears the arguing and runs to tell her mother Julia. Spider-Woman is working with Century to localise an alert the Chaos Computer has flagged up. And it's in the Vault prison in Colorado for superhumans and aliens.

Warden Jzemlico's staff tell him they're locked out of the security management system and security itself has failed in the BEM Wing (ie aliens). The Kree prisoners have escaped their cells. And all the Vault's Guardsmen have been trapped in their depowered armour. The Warden sends out a call for the Avengers. The Kree are now armed (presumably with weapons taken from the Guardsmen). They are led by Major Kalum Lo of the Starstealth cadre (from #1), and they confront the Warden and demand to be let out of jail.

Century teleports in and lays about him with his staff/axe Parallax, claiming revenge for their murder of Wonder Man (#1 again). Lo holds Jzemlico hostage but Scarlet Witch points her fingers to his head and threatens to blow his brains out. Non-armoured guards round up the Kree, and the Warden thanks the Avengers for their help. Iron Man says "We're *not* the Avengers".

Jzemlico explains what's happening. ScW tells Century to teleport to the Vault's computer and check it out. She tells IM to go to the Control Room with the Warden and see what he can do from there. Then, as she gets another headache, she contacts Spider-Woman and US Agent who are fighting more Kree in their cell-block. They drive them off but find that the Kree have killed a helpless Guardsman. So Jack lashes out with his photon shields.

Iron Man is in the Control Room. (Cue another not-the Avengers moment.) He contacts Century who says he's found the problem. Recorder RE-404 has reattached its head (after Century lopped it off last issue) and connected itself to the computer. The robot holds the alien off with the security system's force field. But IM overloads the computer system which fries the Recorder.

When Scarlet Witch gets down to the BEM Wing she finds that the Guardsmen are now back in action and have helped SpW and USA to recapture the Kree down there. And now that everything's under control Wanda's headache goes away again. Iron Man says Force Works will pay for repairs because they brought the Recorder to the Vault. But nothing can repair the 6 staff who were killed. A Guardsman says they'll know how better to keep the robot secure now. (And IM has to remind him they're not Avengers again.)

And then the actual Avengers turn up to answer the request for help. Iron Man greets the other original Avenger Giant-Man. Spider-Woman has a guarded exchange with Crystal and Quicksilver. The team leaders connect, and the Widow asks the Witch how the got here so quickly. (Obviously the FW haven't told the Av about their predictive Chaos Computer). Century looks on. Hercules is his usual hearty self with US Agent, who 'excuses' himself to rub salt in Black Widow's wound about being late for the party. But Natasha Romanoff hits back that they've let 4 of the Kree escape. And Pietro Maximoff can't resist getting a dig in at his sister Wanda.

Suddenly a small group of Skrulls teleport in. Their leader Major Hokk Algol is here to take the Starstealth Kree to answer to a Galactic War-Crimes Tribunal. And it becomes obvious that the Avengers have agreed to this extradition. Wanda is incensed, and even more so Jack Daniels. They want the Kree to be tried on Earth for the death of Wonder Man. There are 2 other aliens with the Skrulls who introduce themselves as Quo Modari, skilled diplomats. The renegade Kree are accused of attempted genocide on 16 worlds. And Black Widow says it is politically important for Earth's desire to join the Galactic community. Not-so-diplomatic Major Algol gives Earth 6 hours to hand over the Kree or he will send in his own troops to capture them.

Natasha and Wanda step aside and agree to send some of their team members after the escapees while the others go with the Skrulls to 'discuss' their proposal. They detail Crystal, Hercules, Iron Man, Quicksilver and US Agent to the search team. IM and Pietro immediately start arguing over whose transport to use.

The 4 Kree have 'hitched' a ride in a truck to nearby Chatwin Falls freight yard. Bo'sun Stug Bar knows that Major Lo left a backup plan here. They uncover 4 individual suits of armour cobbled together from bits of things like giant Kree Sentry robots. (1 of the warsuits is actually a control cabin slung between articulated legs. And its 'body' looks like it was the top half of a Sentry's head.)


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
4 stars

Force Works #13 Review by (May 14, 2019)
The joint authors are Abnett and Lanning again.

In #15 we'll discover that the big spaceship is coming for Century.

Scarlet Witch's headaches will continue to #16, but then I don't think they ever get explained.

Black Widow, Crystal, Giant-Man, Hercules and Quicksilver are the core Avengers at this time. They've recently finished the Taking AIM crossover with Captain America ending in their #388. Since then they helped Crystal's family the Inhumans in Fantastic Four Unlimited #11, at the end of the Atlantis Rising event.



> Force Works comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
Marvel Iron Man MARK7 Statue ARTFX 1/6 Statue
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Dave Ross
Rey Garcia
Joe Rosas
Dave Ross (Cover Penciler)
Mark McKenna (Cover Inker)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Jack Morelli.
Editor: Nel Yomtov. Editor-in-chief: Mark Gruenwald.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Crystal
Crystal

(Corystalia Amaqulin Maximoff)
Giant-Man
Giant-Man

(Hank Pym)
Hercules
Hercules

(Heracles)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Quicksilver
Quicksilver

(Pietro Maximoff)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent

(John Walker)

Plus: Guardsmen, Kalum Lo, Rachel Carpenter, Recorder RE-404, Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), Stug Bar.