The Avengers and the Military

Since 2005 Marvel has published seven specialty comics featuring the New Avengers (and co-stars) and the U.S. military in a series of comics that are distributed only to U.S. military bases. These comics are produced in conjunction with AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service)these stories have ranged from excellent to passingly OK.

Well, I just acquired the most recent issue (#7) from ebay, and I’m here to say that this one is actually quite good. This issue features not only the New Avengers, but virtually every other Marvel Superhero as they all converge on the American South West to bring down the Hulk (who is on a rampage that harkens back to his Hulk-Buster Glory Days. As always, featured prominently in the comic is some branch of the Armed Forces.

The story here is that the military is testing some new OsCorp ordnance and accidentally target the Hulk, who becomes (understandably) irritated at this inturuption of his life. In an effort not to be killed, the military calls out to Tony Stark, who brings in the (superhero) Calvary who all rush to the scene and slow the Hulk long enough for a couple of Army sharpshooters to pepper Hulk with numerous rounds of (adamantimum tipped) tranks which knock him out, causing the Jade Giant to revert back to Bruce Banner.

While I enjoyed the comic (and the throw-back storyline) I really have to question the chronology of the events that happen within the story (this only because I’m now working on The Official Index to the Marvel Universe, and, well, these things are now starting to bother me). The events of the story seem to be set in current continuity (OsCorp not Stark) has a military contract, and Aries is apparently an Avenger, but Stark/Iron Man is a hero in good standing and the Thunderbolts are on the outs and the villains that populated Osborn’s “Dark” Avengers are nowhere to be seen.

Still, these are minor, and since I’m not one to make facts (or slavish adherence to continuity) get in the way of a good story, it really doesn’t matter so much to me, as I think that the story (standing on its own) reads quite well, and is a fun read.