Avengers: Children's Crusade #7 Review
Sep. 22nd, 2011 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nomadicwriter posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
doomfansI knew this issue was going to be awesome ever since I saw that cover of Doom and Wanda together, but even so, it managed to totally exceed my expectations. A very, very great issue for Doom fans.
The story resumes with a big conflict between the Avengers and X-Men over what's going to happen to Wanda. Wanda herself is willing to go with either group and face their judgement, but she wants to be given the chance to undo what she's done and repower the world's mutants first. Cyclops isn't willing to negotiate, and starts a fight with the Avengers.
When Emma Frost tries to use her psychic powers to convince Wanda's sons to come over to the X-Men (not sure if she was going for recruits or hostages there, but either way, dumb move) Wanda decides she's put up with enough childishness, and gives both sides an enforced nap. Then she teleports herself and the Young Avengers back to Latveria... where she greets Doctor Doom with a surprising amount of fondess. :D
Interesting show of non-ego there where Doom actually seems a little bit surprised she came back. But most intriguingly of all, Wanda makes a joke about eloping next time, suggesting that the engagement might not actually be off after all. (!)
The Young Avengers are naturally a little bit worried about this development, but Wanda says that Victor is the only one who can help, and has always acted in her best interests. (She credits the fact she could wish him out of existence if he betrayed him; Doom says that's true, but not why he did it.) She also says he's been an ally "from the start", which Wiccan questions, wondering if Wanda's unexplained power boost and actions in Avengers: Disassembled and House of M were thanks to Doom, since it seems a lot more his style than hers. Wanda says it was all her... but it turns out Doom was involved even that far back.
She explains that when her sons were killed, she was so desperate she turned to Doom for help bringing them back to life. She says he has 'more powerful magic' than her or Doctor Strange, which is probably a tad over-charitable in the latter case, given that Strange was still Sorcerer Supreme at the time. But she may just mean in this particular field, since as she says, Doom's also far less conflicted about practising the dark arts.
Wanda's memory of what happened next is still a blur, so we only have Doom's word for the next part. He says they combined their magics to capture the life force itself, the only thing powerful enough to resurrect her sons. But it was a mistake to think they could possibly contain it; the power possessed Wanda, turning her into an entity with the reality-shaping powers of a god, and she went on her spree of destructive violence. (I kind of wonder if the life force somehow absorbed some of Doom's values/desires in addition to Wanda's, leading to her lashing out at the Avengers like they were enemies.)
Months later, Doom's scouts found Wanda living in Transia with no memory of anything. She asks Doom why, in "all that time we spent in Latveria", he never told her the truth. Doom says he was afraid of losing her; Wiccan thinks it was more a case of losing access to her power. Doom admits that was his motivation at first, but that there was no way anyone could control the life force without being consumed by it.
Wanda says she has to make one more try so she can restore the lives that she ruined, and then she wants Doom to remove the power from her for good. He gives his word that he will. Patriot doesn't buy it, and Wanda says they'll have Wiccan take part in the ritual as a safeguard. (Doom reveals that he never actually removed Wiccan's powers at all, just enchanted him into believing they were gone. Heh.)
They start the ritual. Patriot's still not happy, and insists they should stall things until the Avengers and X-Men get here to make a decision on it. Everyone else thinks interrupting the ritual is a really bad idea, but he grabs one of Kate's arrows and fires at Doom. He hits Wanda instead; she's okay, with the aid of Wiccan's efforts to heal her, but she didn't get to complete the ritual, and now the power is gone.
So where did it go? Well, as it turns out, here:
...I know Heinberg said Doom was going to have a big part to play in the next issue and beyond, but wow.
So much stuff in this issue that I didn't expect, even without the twist ending. First, and most fascinating, the fact that Doom and Wanda had a pre-existing alliance before he found her in Transia. I actually bought Doom's original story that Wanda had come to him for help and he'd kept her around, but this version is so much better.
Doom and Wanda don't have that much history of encounters in previous comics, but interestingly, it has been relatively civil. Aside from their first meeting in Avengers #25, when Doom faked the existence of a Latverian aunt of Wanda and Pietro's to lure them in as bait for the F4, the only two other occasions I can think of were actually team-ups. Once in Avengers #156 when Doom helped the Avengers against Attuma before double-crossing them, and once in Marvel Team-Up #42-44 when Wanda, Spidey and Doom fought the Dark Rider together. So maybe it's not all that weird that she would consider him someone she could make a deal with.
It definitely brings a different complexion to Doom keeping her with him in Latveria, since she did actually have some agency in seeking him out prior to that, and although he was keeping her in the dark about how much he knew, he was doing it as a former ally rather than an outright enemy. Which is probably why Wanda didn't react as badly as she could have to his actions, and doesn't seem very perturbed by the romance that developed between them while she had no memory.
So while I'd be very surprised if the engagement isn't called off, it seems like Wanda would be pretty amenable to remaining on friendly terms and perhaps even new romantic overtures, which is a way better place than I expected to see their relationship ending up after the previous issues.
Of course, it all depends on the outcome of that awesome cliffhanger. :) Did Doom plan things to turn out that way? Entirely possible. He did only promise to remove the power from Wanda, after all. He's got the ego to believe he could control the power when Wanda couldn't, and hey, it's Doom. Stealing the mojo of incredibly powerful cosmic entities is what he likes to do with his Tuesdays. (This is only the second time he's absorbed a reality-warper powerful enough to fix his scars, though.)
What's going to be very interesting next issue is if Wanda makes an appeal to him to give his power up for her sake. That's not a gesture he was ever able to make for his childhood love Valeria, but is he capable of learning from his mistakes, or will he fall prey to his control issues like he has every time before? I'm totally fascinated to see where Heinberg's going with this. The way he writes Doom, I'm honestly not sure if he's going to stick to the old patterns or allow Victor to break free from the mould for once.
I feel like this was the best patch job to Bendis's warping of Wanda's character that we could realistically have hoped for; responsibility for her actions Disassembled and House of M doesn't truly fall on her, but at the same time, she's not off scot-free because she does still have take the rap for being foolish enough to try and control such dangerous magic. Some people on both sides of the issue aren't going to be happy, but at least there's material there for both to work with. And lots of bonus Doomy goodness as the icing on top. All retcons to bad characterisation should be applied with this much style.
Oh, and Cheung's art was awesome. But you knew that.
Well worth the extended wait in every way - fantastic issue. Let's just hope the next one makes it out on time and doesn't get delayed; two months is a cruel enough time to have to wait it is.
The story resumes with a big conflict between the Avengers and X-Men over what's going to happen to Wanda. Wanda herself is willing to go with either group and face their judgement, but she wants to be given the chance to undo what she's done and repower the world's mutants first. Cyclops isn't willing to negotiate, and starts a fight with the Avengers.
When Emma Frost tries to use her psychic powers to convince Wanda's sons to come over to the X-Men (not sure if she was going for recruits or hostages there, but either way, dumb move) Wanda decides she's put up with enough childishness, and gives both sides an enforced nap. Then she teleports herself and the Young Avengers back to Latveria... where she greets Doctor Doom with a surprising amount of fondess. :D
Interesting show of non-ego there where Doom actually seems a little bit surprised she came back. But most intriguingly of all, Wanda makes a joke about eloping next time, suggesting that the engagement might not actually be off after all. (!)
The Young Avengers are naturally a little bit worried about this development, but Wanda says that Victor is the only one who can help, and has always acted in her best interests. (She credits the fact she could wish him out of existence if he betrayed him; Doom says that's true, but not why he did it.) She also says he's been an ally "from the start", which Wiccan questions, wondering if Wanda's unexplained power boost and actions in Avengers: Disassembled and House of M were thanks to Doom, since it seems a lot more his style than hers. Wanda says it was all her... but it turns out Doom was involved even that far back.
She explains that when her sons were killed, she was so desperate she turned to Doom for help bringing them back to life. She says he has 'more powerful magic' than her or Doctor Strange, which is probably a tad over-charitable in the latter case, given that Strange was still Sorcerer Supreme at the time. But she may just mean in this particular field, since as she says, Doom's also far less conflicted about practising the dark arts.
Wanda's memory of what happened next is still a blur, so we only have Doom's word for the next part. He says they combined their magics to capture the life force itself, the only thing powerful enough to resurrect her sons. But it was a mistake to think they could possibly contain it; the power possessed Wanda, turning her into an entity with the reality-shaping powers of a god, and she went on her spree of destructive violence. (I kind of wonder if the life force somehow absorbed some of Doom's values/desires in addition to Wanda's, leading to her lashing out at the Avengers like they were enemies.)
Months later, Doom's scouts found Wanda living in Transia with no memory of anything. She asks Doom why, in "all that time we spent in Latveria", he never told her the truth. Doom says he was afraid of losing her; Wiccan thinks it was more a case of losing access to her power. Doom admits that was his motivation at first, but that there was no way anyone could control the life force without being consumed by it.
Wanda says she has to make one more try so she can restore the lives that she ruined, and then she wants Doom to remove the power from her for good. He gives his word that he will. Patriot doesn't buy it, and Wanda says they'll have Wiccan take part in the ritual as a safeguard. (Doom reveals that he never actually removed Wiccan's powers at all, just enchanted him into believing they were gone. Heh.)
They start the ritual. Patriot's still not happy, and insists they should stall things until the Avengers and X-Men get here to make a decision on it. Everyone else thinks interrupting the ritual is a really bad idea, but he grabs one of Kate's arrows and fires at Doom. He hits Wanda instead; she's okay, with the aid of Wiccan's efforts to heal her, but she didn't get to complete the ritual, and now the power is gone.
So where did it go? Well, as it turns out, here:
...I know Heinberg said Doom was going to have a big part to play in the next issue and beyond, but wow.
So much stuff in this issue that I didn't expect, even without the twist ending. First, and most fascinating, the fact that Doom and Wanda had a pre-existing alliance before he found her in Transia. I actually bought Doom's original story that Wanda had come to him for help and he'd kept her around, but this version is so much better.
Doom and Wanda don't have that much history of encounters in previous comics, but interestingly, it has been relatively civil. Aside from their first meeting in Avengers #25, when Doom faked the existence of a Latverian aunt of Wanda and Pietro's to lure them in as bait for the F4, the only two other occasions I can think of were actually team-ups. Once in Avengers #156 when Doom helped the Avengers against Attuma before double-crossing them, and once in Marvel Team-Up #42-44 when Wanda, Spidey and Doom fought the Dark Rider together. So maybe it's not all that weird that she would consider him someone she could make a deal with.
It definitely brings a different complexion to Doom keeping her with him in Latveria, since she did actually have some agency in seeking him out prior to that, and although he was keeping her in the dark about how much he knew, he was doing it as a former ally rather than an outright enemy. Which is probably why Wanda didn't react as badly as she could have to his actions, and doesn't seem very perturbed by the romance that developed between them while she had no memory.
So while I'd be very surprised if the engagement isn't called off, it seems like Wanda would be pretty amenable to remaining on friendly terms and perhaps even new romantic overtures, which is a way better place than I expected to see their relationship ending up after the previous issues.
Of course, it all depends on the outcome of that awesome cliffhanger. :) Did Doom plan things to turn out that way? Entirely possible. He did only promise to remove the power from Wanda, after all. He's got the ego to believe he could control the power when Wanda couldn't, and hey, it's Doom. Stealing the mojo of incredibly powerful cosmic entities is what he likes to do with his Tuesdays. (This is only the second time he's absorbed a reality-warper powerful enough to fix his scars, though.)
What's going to be very interesting next issue is if Wanda makes an appeal to him to give his power up for her sake. That's not a gesture he was ever able to make for his childhood love Valeria, but is he capable of learning from his mistakes, or will he fall prey to his control issues like he has every time before? I'm totally fascinated to see where Heinberg's going with this. The way he writes Doom, I'm honestly not sure if he's going to stick to the old patterns or allow Victor to break free from the mould for once.
I feel like this was the best patch job to Bendis's warping of Wanda's character that we could realistically have hoped for; responsibility for her actions Disassembled and House of M doesn't truly fall on her, but at the same time, she's not off scot-free because she does still have take the rap for being foolish enough to try and control such dangerous magic. Some people on both sides of the issue aren't going to be happy, but at least there's material there for both to work with. And lots of bonus Doomy goodness as the icing on top. All retcons to bad characterisation should be applied with this much style.
Oh, and Cheung's art was awesome. But you knew that.
Well worth the extended wait in every way - fantastic issue. Let's just hope the next one makes it out on time and doesn't get delayed; two months is a cruel enough time to have to wait it is.
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no subject
Date: 2011-09-23 07:03 pm (UTC)This was another fantastic issue. I still think that #6 was a bit too fast-paced (though deeply enjoyable!) but #7 found a new balance and everything worked out fine in the end.
Wanda was magnificent in this issue. (You can see how much Heinberg loves her XD)
But I loved how all the characters behaved here. Heinberg somehow managed to include more than 4 teams without characters out-shining each other. Emma (♥), Scott, Steve, Rogue... everyone had a powerful and unique voice. (I'm still laughing @ Auntie Emma, btw. Cheung's put such an hilarious expression on the twin's faces!)
And, OF COURSE, Wanda and VICTOR. (Daddy Victor?...) I'm loving what Heinberg is doing with the two of them here. They have so much chemistry (literally). And this is such a refreshing view on the events of Disassembled and HoM ♥
I'm left wondering how Eli still managed to steal the scene after all of this had happened XD
no subject
Date: 2011-09-23 09:47 pm (UTC)I think it could be really fun to have Doom marry into the Maximoff family. It connects him to all sorts of different corners of the Marvel-verse, and gives you so many opportunities for stories where he's not necessarily just the stock supervillain. Doom would probably consider it his duty to defend the family honour and help them out of trouble when they're not acting against his plans. (Whether they like it or not.)
And this is such a refreshing view on the events of Disassembled and HoM ♥
What I love is that it suddenly makes so much sense of the Fantastic Four tie-in to House of M, which wasn't really about the F4 at all, since all of them but Ben died in that reality and it was Doom who was the only human with any real status in mutant-world. So either, again, Doom's will had some kind of influence on what the life force went on to do, or Wanda was thinking about him enough to create a little corner for him when she was reshaping the world.