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U.S.Avengers #4: Review

Mar 2017
Al Ewing, Paco Medina

Story Name:

Monsters n' SHIELD


Synopsis

U.S.Avengers #4 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
In New Avengers #9 Gen'l Maverick gave Cpl Todd Ziller the ability to turn into the giant monster called American Kaiju and sent him against the New Avengers. Now the NAv are the US Avengers and Maverick is 1 of them. And now the AK has gone rogue in Lichtenbad. Because that country borders Latveria and Symkaria the US can't risk sending official troops there. So Citizen V orders Maverick to go in alone.

Maverick dives from a plane over the target and switches to Red Hulk for his hour of power before he lands near Castle Kruger where Kaiju has been sighted. But he's immediately attacked by a different beast who we recognise as Deadpool turned into a Frankenstein's Monster. As they duke it out DP can only make incoherent noises while inwardly thinking deep thoughts. But significantly Rulk's blows trigger DP's healing factor. Meanwhile Wade Wilson remembers how he got to this position.

He came here seeking a fugitive mad scientist Victor Vandoom. Who protests that he got that name 10 years before Victor Von Doom was born. And anyway his great-granddad created a monster out of wax. And he's going to become famous by creating even better monsters. At that point a non-Kaiju Cpl Ziller grabs DP from behind and Vandoom injects Wilson with something. And that's how it happened.

Now we learn that Vandoom's serum was created from the potion that turns Ziller into American Kaiju. But Todd has become addicted to being a monster, and Vandoom gives him what he wants.

As monster-DP and Red Hulk continue to fight Wade's healing factor at last turns him back into ordinary Deadpool. But then AK attacks them both, appearing to smash Rulk flat. And Vandoom films it all - he's going to use the video as proof of the monsters he can create, and sell to the highest bidder.

Kaiju is about to eat Deadpool when of course Red Hulk turns out not to be dead after all. He grabs Ak by the tail and throws him at the castle, destroying it.

Later as Roberto da Costa surveys newspaper reports of the chaos in Lichtenbad an angry Captain America (Steve Rogers), his boss, shows up to have words.

 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
4 stars

U.S.Avengers #4 Review by (March 18, 2017)
This Monsters N' SHIELD issue has *nothing* to do with Monsters Unleashed. But it is a parody of such Events. It pretends to be a set of multiple issues:- Alpha and Omega issues bookending 2 tie-ins:- Deadpool Into Fear #pi and Hulk King Of The In-Crowd #57. The 4 together tell a continuous story.

Castle Kruger was previously the venue for Daredevil #9 where DD helped free the people from their dictator Duke.

The wax giant called Vandoom's Monster, created by Ludwig Vandoom, was brought to life in Tales To Astonish #17 and drove off some aliens. He's been reused in Marvel Monsters: Monsters On The Prowl #1 and Fantastic Four #347-349 and *did* crop up in Monsters Unleashed as 1 of Fin Fang Foom's gang of 'good' monsters.

Captain America is in charge of the US Avengers because he's basically boss of everything since Civil War II: The Oath. It appears he'll want a more hands-on approach next issue, and drag the team kicking and screaming into the Secret Empire Event in #6. See, if you avoid 1 Event the next 1 gets you!


> U.S.Avengers comic book info and issue index

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