Comic Browser:

The Avengers #315

Mar 1990

John Byrne, Paul Ryan

Story Name:

Doomsday Plus One

Synopsis

The Avengers #315 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

A handful of Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Sersi) plus Jarvis and the visiting Spider-Man are trapped in freefall in a communications room with the scanners showing that the rest of the universe has vanished. This is the result of a strange energy flux which has already happened several times (last issue) as though reality were turned off and on again. They are at a loss as to what to do. Spidey tries adjusting the scanners to pick up anything closer and they discover the main building of PolyDyne Industries sitting on a section of floating land. They have no computer connections so Cap asks Sersi if she can use her telepathic abilities to sense is someone is there. She does but the result has her curling up into the fetal position and crying. Jarvis notes that their air supply is running out. Cap refuses to give up….

At PolyDyne Industries, the disguised Nebula is amazed at the power released by the experiment. She tries to contact Gunthar on the mothership but can’t get through—and then she notices the nothing outside the building. Dropping her disguise, she demands an explanation of Professor Harker who guesses that his compressor is trying to duplicate the Big Bang, creating a new universe to displace the current one. Nebula flies into a rage and then the Avengers, who have moved their room adjacent to the PolyDyne lab by the power of Thor’s hammer, crash through the wall. She begins firing her wrist blasters at them which can’t penetrate Cap’s shield or Thor’s whirling hammer but can fry Spider-Man. Spidey dodges while Thor calls up winds to pin Nebula against a bulkhead. She manages to free herself and fight back. Thor tries to control the energy effect but it is too much for him. Spidey asks Harker if he has any advice; Harker says there is a way to stop it but Nebula burns him to a crisp before he can explain. Cap questions one of the other scientists who thinks that if they can shut off the power flow before the reaction becomes self-sustaining it might solve the problem but doesn’t know if that’s correct. Cap tries to unplug the conductor but he can’t reach it; he explains to Spider-Man and Spidey fires a web and pulls himself closer to grab the cable and pull it out…which sends everything back to normal, Spidey is surprised at how easy it was and Sersi notes that no time has passed, Spidey deducing that no one will ever know how they saved the universe. Jarvis notes, “We’ll know.” Nebula has made her escape but Cap notes that Iron Man and Vision are on their way to her ship….

Review / Commentaries

The Avengers #315 Review by T Vernon (October 18, 2024)

Comments: Part two of five parts. Final appearance of Professor Harker. Spider-Man mistakes Nebula for Andromeda, daughter of Attuma, but I can find no record of when Spidey would have met that lady. Spidey mentions Mister Rogers; Fred Rogers was a popular US children’s show host from 1968-2001. Spidey also mentions doing six impossible things before breakfast, a misquote from “Through the Looking Glass,” part of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Review: Things start out scary, with our heroes trying not to panic when they find the universe no longer exists. Then there’s a space battle with Nebula (who the cover is unaware showed up in the last issue) that is pretty exciting along with a comically simple move to rescue the universe…but the crisis isn’t over. And Spidey enlivens everything without making us want to punch his lights out. More often than not, when he is a guest in other characters’ titles, Spidey is insufferable, proving to be the irritant those others think he is. But here he’s cool and works with the story rather than against it.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

John Byrne

Paul Ryan

Tom Palmer

Christie Scheele

Paul Ryan (Cover Penciler)
Tom Palmer (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Bill Oakley.
Editor: Howard Mackie. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

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