Hey comic fans, and welcome to Crave's ongoing coverage of Dark Reign. This week we’ll look at the latest Avengers books as well as The Cabal one shot. Dark Reign has been great thus far and seems to show no signs of slowing down. There are some new developments however and we’ll get to all that in this blog.
The Cabal:
The Cabal consists of Norman Osborn, Dr. Doom, Namor, Emma Frost, Loki, and The Hood. The Hood, if I’m not mistaken, is one of Bendis’ more recent creations and at times seems thrown into the mix. His part in all this is fairly clear, but I wish it was the Kingpin instead. I just never figured out why all the bad guys would follow him, but that’s a minor complaint. The big development is that the Cabal is showing signs of coming apart. Osborn is showing signs of weakness and the rest of the Cabal are the types to exploit those weaknesses.
The book also further explores the relationship between Namor and Dr. Doom as they ultimately plan on divvying up the planet based on two simple parameters: Namor gets the seas, and Doom gets the land. It’s strange how Namor can play the part of the hero while at the same side getting in league with the villains. It makes him a very interesting character because of his versatility.
The book is broken up into separate stories that help encapsulate what each person is thinking and how they relate to Osborn’s plans. The most interesting player in all this is Loki, ever the god of mischief Loki has been doing a number a whole host of hero’s including Thor. He has the most to gain when you think about it and is the most powerful by far. I’m anxious to see how Loki plays this game as it evolves.
As a one shot Cabal is definitely worth a read, even though I fail to see how Namor’s story relates to Dark Reign it’s still interesting and could be the debut of a new mutant character.
The Mighty Avengers #24:
So now it starts to make sense. In a lot of respects I should have seen this coming. The Mighty Avengers book is really starting to feel like more of an Avengers book than any other title bearing the name. The fact that Loki brought them together… again is also pretty fun as well. Now I see how the book relates to Dark Reign, the only question now is whether or not Loki is doing this at the behest of Norman Osborn or is he up to something all his own?
I’m also curious about Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, Marvel has completely reverted Pietro back to his earlier form, no more social pariah for him. How long I wonder until they give Wanda her life back as well? Even though she’s not really there I can smell a showdown between Loki and her on the horizon.
I really hope that The Mighty Avengers ‘works’ for most readers, the cast doesn’t exactly wow you, but the plot and story should keep you coming back for more.
Avengers: The Initiative #23
Who would have thought that this book would be nearing the two year mark? What seemed to be a short project for Marvel has really got legs. The book is dealing with its own internal struggles between characters and is only tangentially a part of Dark Reign if that makes any sense. Norman makes an appearance giving the book a Dark Reign back drop, but they are really dealing with issues that stemmed from the first year of the title which is a good thing.
Dark Reign will take over the book going forward it seems as a lot of loose ends where tied up with this issue. The fifty state initiative is still in place and Osborn promised to uphold it which should make things interesting going forward. The actual team itself remains in question and the Shadow Initiative is in a world of trouble, I smell a Secret Warriors crossover.
Here’s hoping that Dark Reign get’s this book some much needed exposure, it most certainly deserves a second look.
Dark Avengers #4
The most misleading cover ever! Aside from that the book is tip top. The battle between The Dark Avengers and Morgana Le Fay is finally wrapped up. This book is cool because it shows us a different side of Norman Osborn in his role as leader of a team. The dialogue is great as usual and the artwork is great as well.
We also begin to see the relationship[ between Doom and Osborn slowly dissolving (I guess that’s what the cover is supposed to depict). Morgana Le Fay points out that neither man can trust the other before Doom finally deals with her. There’s also the team of Avengers that Osborn put together, there are already signs that the team won’t remain the way it is now, especially with Clint Barton hitting the nightly news and outing the team as a collection of criminals.
A showdown is definitely brewing and all bets point to next issue at least previewing that battle. So far this is the book to read as far as Dark Reign is concerned. This book seems to be at the center of all the action which is good because the story is still being stretches across so many titles. The only other book that might be more important is Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors book.
The New Avengers #52
This book is dealing with Dr. Strange and his search for the next Sorcerer Supreme. How this relates to Dark Reign is a bit complicated as it deals mostly with the Hood and the possibility that he might be involved in the selection process. Basically he’s trying to get a hold of the artifacts that makes the Sorcerer Supreme so supreme in the first place, namely the Eye of Agamotto.
The rest of the New Avengers owe a lot to Dr. Strange and have pledged to help him find a replacement. So far there have been no real clues as to who this new head magician could be, but it looks like a race against time to find him or her before Parker Robbins does.
While this isn’t the most exciting aspect of Dark Reign it has far reaching consequences as far as who will replace Dr. Strange. If you’re a Dr. Strange fan (and I know for a fact that you’re out there) then this is the book for you.
Well gang, that’s it for now. Remember to take a look at Agents of Atlas for more Dark Reign related action. Stay tuned for an update on War of Kings coming soon from Crave.
