Welcome back to another week of comic book goodness in Ye Olde School Café! This week, we’ll be continuing our look at the great Avengers story, The Korvac Saga! Last week we saw Thor get unwillingly transported to the outer reaches of space, where he met up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. After a brief conversation, they went after the source of a tremendous laser beam that almost destroyed them. What they found was a being calling himself Korvac. Part man, part machine, and all evil. He attempted to destroy the sun, and in turn the Earth, but the Guardians and Thor stopped him. He got away to fight another day, but he’s lurking in the shadows, ready to strike again!
As the alarm sounds, Beast, Cap, Scarlet Witch, and the Vision rush to the console to answer the call. It’s Nick Fury, and he tells them that a giant space station has just arrived in Earth’s orbit, and they need to investigate. The team ascends to the atmosphere, and once inside, Beast is greeted by a hand grabbing him by the back of his neck! The Guardians then introduce themselves to Beast and the rest of the team. The Guardians inform the Avengers that Korvac has traveled back to this time, and they believe it was to kill a young Vance Astro, so he won’t form the team in the future. They vow to not let it happen, and set out to find Korvac! Meanwhile, the beautiful Janet van Dyne is dining at a fine restaurant in New York City with her husband, Hank Pym. Their dinner is rudely interrupted by the Porcupine and his henchmen. He gets more than he bargained for, though, as the Wasp begins to teach him and his men a lesson. One more henchman remains, and he gets taken out by Nighthawk (who just happened to be in the neighborhood). As Nighthawk finishes off the last clown, he then rushes to help with “Porky.” A young woman who fainted comes to, but is immediately confronted by a man. This man seemingly hypnotizes her, then the two are teleported away silently.
As the Avengers rocket back to Earth, they realize that they cannot contact Jarvis back at Avengers Mansion. Once they arrive, along with the Guardians, they quickly search the mansion. It’s been ransacked, but by whom they don’t know yet. Iron Man eventually locates someone inside a room, and uses his repulsors to blast the door open. He and Thor are shocked to see Jarvis tied up, and Henry Gyrich sitting with a smug look on his face. The team questions him, and he tells them that he easily broke into their headquarters, so he doesn’t know if they should have the security clearance that they do. Cap and Iron Man then get into an argument about team leadership, and Cap storms off angrily. There’s a quick interlude of Hawkeye and Two Gun Kid aboard a train doing tricks to amuse the passengers. As they return to their seats, all of a sudden the Two Gun Kid disappears in a flash. Hawkeye is left wondering what has happened.
We next see a young woman approaching a home in the suburbs. Another young woman answers the knock at the door, and her husband quickly comes to her side. The woman that answered the door is the same woman that was entranced by the man at the club with the Wasp earlier. The man dismisses his woman, and then the woman at the door reveals herself to be Starhawk, while the man at the door reveals himself to be Korvac! The two battle on every plane of existence, but before too long, Korvac gets the upper hand, and crushes Starhawk into dust. Several of the heroes with cosmic awareness are shocked at the sensation of this death (Dr. Strange, Mar-Vell, Silver Surfer). They can’t pinpoint it, but they know something is amiss. Korvac then recreates Starhawk, but without his awareness. Korvac tells him to go back to his friends and have them continue their search. He does, and we are left to see Korvac, alone, and plotting his next devious move.
Well, that’s it for now, but be back next week, and we’ll see Captain America doubting himself, the return of Hawkeye, and the arrival of Jocasta! Be here to see that along with Ms. Marvel, Ultron, and the Scarlet Witch, pushed to the brink of insanity!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicatack.net
