Cap and Thor! Avengers #1: Review

Jul 2011
Fred Van Lente, Ron Lim

Story Name:

Cap and Thor!

Review & Comments

Rating:
3 stars

Cap and Thor! Avengers #1 Review by (June 16, 2018)

Review: Entertaining little tales designed to excite interest in the movies. They seem pitched at a younger audience than the regular titles. I also suspect they were published on-line first, accounting for the division of the stories into two parts each.

Comments: One-shot designed to promote the upcoming THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA movies. The characters resemble the film version rather than their comics counterparts. Thus, there is no Bucky or Nick Fury, Sif is a member of Thor’s warrior team. Logistics issue: Thor is fighting the giant at the front of the citadel; Loki battles Malekith at the back; how then do they see each other’s adversaries? This place must be a lot smaller on the inside than the outside.






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Cap and Thor! Avengers #1 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

1. “U-Base”

Writer: Fred Van Lente. Art: Ron Lim. Colors: Val Staples.

Synopsis: The Nazi U-boat Leviathan torpedoes an allied ship but it was a trap: Captain America enters the ship through a torpedo tube and subdues the entire crew of Hydra agents. He then surfaces the U-boat to admit the Howling Commandos. Their mission? To employ the craft as a Trojan Horse to enter its base. The objective is easily met: the base is deserted. All they find is an empty lab and a drawing of the Hydra of Greek myth. Cap then hears a call for help and he rushes to the rescue to see Falsworth and Morita in the grip of a tentacled monster. As Cap watches in horror, the monster drags them though a vent into the base’s flooded sub-basement….

“U-Base (Part 2 of 2)”

Synopsis: Cap informs the Howlers of what just happened. Evidence shows that the Hydra scientists were not creating monsters but experimenting with cell regeneration; an earthquake damaged the building and spilled their Hydra Serum into the water supply. They plant explosives to destroy the building and the monster and Cap has thirty minutes to try to rescue the captured Falsworth and Morita. Cap dives underwater and swims until he surfaces in the monster’s lair. The hero tries to fight the creature but every time he slices off a tentacle it regrows instantly. After a furious battle, the monster uses a claw to write “Help me” in German on the wall. As the bombs detonate, Cap saves the monster from the explosion: it is the mutated form of the U-base staff. As the Americans depart, Cap plans to bring Howard Stark to investigate a cure for the unfortunates….

2. “Citadel of Spires”

Writer: Fred Van Lente. Pencils: Ron Lim. Inks: Crimelab Studios, Don Ho. Colors: John Rauch

Synopsis: Heimdall narrates a tale from the youth of Loki and Thor. The siblings, accompanied by Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg set out to rescue Fandral who had been captured by the Dark Elves while spying on them. Their quest sends them against a giant which the brothers vanquish together while arguing over the merits of brains versus brawn. Passing through a forest of thorns they reach the citadel of Allyse the Drow Queen, a towering structure on a rock in the center of a deep chasm. Thor advocates a frontal attack while Loki suggests subterfuge; they continue to bicker. Loki plans to walk the treacherous winding rock path to the back door and Sif, thinking he is right, elects to join him. The two thread the winding way and are attacked by giant bats, and Sif falls into the chasm. Meanwhile, Thor hurls Mjolnir which breaks the chain holding the drawbridge and he, Hogun, and Volstagg head forward, only to confront an armored giant….

“Citadel of Spires, Part Two”

Synopsis: Thor battles the giant at the front of the citadel while Hogun searches for the captured Fandral. Meanwhile, Loki realizes that the giant bats are a mere illusion and rescues Sif who is hanging on a precarious perch below. Entering the castle they come face-to-face with Malekith the sorcerer who challenges Loki to a duel of magic. Loki multiples illusions of himself; Malekith outdoes him and strikes him down from behind in his confusion. Elsewhere, Sif drags Fandral out of the Drow Queen’s bed. Thor calls down lightning to strike Malekith while Loki blinds the giant with flashing lights so that it topples the nearest tower. The heroes rush across the newly formed bridge and Volstagg’s weight causes the broken tower to crumble beneath the pursuing enemy. Thor and Loki gain a better appreciation of teamwork.



Ron Lim
Ron Lim (Cover Penciler)
Ron Lim (Cover Inker)
Ron Lim (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Hogun
Hogun

(Hogun the Grim)
Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)

Plus: Howling Commandos.

> Cap and Thor! Avengers: Book info and issue index

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