New Avengers #24: Review

Sep 2006

Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Smith

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Story Name:

New Avengers: Disassembled Part 4

Review & Comments

Rating:

New Avengers #24 Review by Rob Johnson (August 24, 2014)

Bob pulls back from an involvement with Crystal now because of his wife Lindy. But what about Lindy then? The Marvel Continuity Project has their flashback marriage between FF#250 and #251, well after the issues mentioned above, even Godzilla. But Lindy was his girl since High School, and another flashback has them together around FF#72. But possibly they split up temporarily some time in between. The Inhumans have been officially at war with the US since the end of the Son of M series where Quicksilver stole some of their Terrigen Crystals, and more significantly the US government got hold of some and won't give them back. Medusa doesn't tell Sentry this, just mentions a generality about human hostility. It's only been a war of words so far, but will hot up in the Silent War mini-series. Sentry's list of what led up to the Supehero Registration Act basically agrees with what Iron Man said in the Illuminati 1-shot, also written by Bendis. These are probably the things that worried the government, but they are totally different from the list of what concerned the public given by Goliath in Civil War #1 (by Mark Millar). Sentry chose to register in the backup story in CW: The Return, and he helped (ie did all the work) arrest Wolverine in Wo#47. But now he's baulked at seriously fighting his friends. Reynolds may well still be on the Registration side, but he will only appear in passive roles until the battle in CW#6.

The reason why Sentry's early career has been forgotten has also been attributed to different causes at different times. The version referred to here is that the mutant Mastermind, working for Sentry's enemy the General, made Sentry wipe the world's memory. Sentry's brief fling with Crystal brings its own continuity problems, needing to be placed between her relationships with Johnny Storm and Quicksilver. Her break-up with Human Torch was really because she couldn't survive in the polluted human world. She went back to her Himalayan home after Fantastic Four #118. (She actually left with Lockjaw earlier in FF#105, but Diablo captured her until the FF rescued her in #117-118. Then supposedly she picked up injured Pietro on the way home in Avengers #104, and fell in love with him while she nursed him back to health as related in FF#131. She could have met Sentry after Av#104 but before she fell for Pietro. Alternatively, the Official Index says that there's a long gap between FF#118 and Av#104, so Crystal must have gone home to Attilan and then met Pietro on a later 'walkabout' with her teleporting pet Lockjaw. She could have been with Bob Reynolds in *that* gap. However all of this difficulty pales before the fact that they were supposedly fighting Red Ronin, a robot that wasn't invented until 5 real years later in Godzilla #6.

Pasqual Ferry takes over the pencils for this issue, except that Paul Smith pencils and inks the 'cover' of Startling Stories #92. The basic story behind the Void is that Sentry and Void are the good and bad sides of Bob Reynolds manifested as different entities, but the exact relationship has been stated slightly differently at different times. Sentry threw Void into the Sun in the last issue of his 2006 mini-series, which had only just *started* publication at this time. But the Official Index puts it much earlier, causing continuity problems because in between then and this issue (#17 and Annual #1) we see indications that the Void has already returned.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

New Avengers #24 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

Sentry was supposed to be fighting on Iron Man's side in the big battle in Civil War #3-4. But he couldn't bring himself to fight friends. He could kill them all - it would be easy for him. But then the enemy-self Void might return (even though he threw him into the Sun). So now he's run away to the Moon to think about what to do. He could take control and stop the whole thing. (His mental image shows Hulk helping him. Hulk will do anything he says. But Hulk isn't around anymore - he's on Sakaar, Planet Hulk.)

But he's forgotten that the Inhumans live on the Moon now. He's approached by some of the royal family (Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton and Lockjaw the teleporting dog) plus some others. He remembers them from an adventure he shared with them against Red Ronin in his previous superhero career that the world has forgotten about. (This adventure was recorded in the now-missing Startling Stories #92.)

Bob Reynolds greets them in peace but Gorgon attacks him, followed by others. Crystal keeps out of the fighting. After his initial surprise, Sentry easily holds them off. But Crystal gives him a replica of Black Bolt's antenna and a bottle of wine(?), which he interprets as a summons to parley. Lockjaw transports them to the king's audience chamber.

Medusa speaks for her mute husband and asks Sentry what he's doing there. Bob says he just wanted to be alone, and then he was attacked. Medusa says it's because the Inhumans are at war with humans, which is news to Reynolds. Gorgon doesn't believe his ignorance, but a mind reader confirms it.

The seer also discovers his memory of fighting alongside the Inhumans against Red Ronin, which the Inhumans themselves have no memory of. She uncovers the story of how a mutant forced Sentry to make the world forget about his earlier exploits. But now he's back and an Avenger.

Now it's the Inhumans turn to discover their ignorance of current affairs as the seer learns about the existence of the Civil War. Medusa allows Bob to explain what's going on to her family over dinner. He says that Nick Fury's Secret War against Latveria increased paranoia, which led to House of M and the mutant Decimation. This made things even worse and produced the Superhero Registration Act. Now the superhero community is split between the Act's supporters and a Resistance who refuse to register.

Gorgon's still not happy, but Sentry is invited to stay the night.

Crystal brings Bob some more food that night. She felt a connection between them and asked the seer about Sentry's previous time with them. She learned that they had briefly become lovers, which Bob confirms. Apparently it was when she'd just broken up with Human Torch. Crystal makes a move on him now, but he pulls away because he's married.

The situation is defused by the arrival of Iron Man to bring Sentry back to the War. IM needs him to win the conflict. Bob doesn't think Captain America will give up until they kill him. Tony Stark is sure that they can take Cap alive, and eventually he'll come to see that Stark's vision of the future is good. Sentry can help shorten the War before too many people get hurt. And afterwards the world will need heroes like Sentry.

Then this conversation is interrupted when the rest of the royal family pop in to arrest Iron Man for coming here uninvited. Shellhead blasts blustering Gorgon, but now it's Sentry's turn to defuse things by agreeing to leave with Stark.

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