Avengers Armageddon #1: The Clock Hits Zero

Steve Rogers is in a coma, Thunderbolt Ross (AKA The Red Hulk) has conquered Latveria under the guise of democracy, and the entire world is preparing to wage war against him. The Avengers and their allies have been warned by the UN to not interfere, but the world needs saving and they aren’t going to wait around until things go south. However, this time it’s different, Ross is prepared for their arrival and this may be one battle the heroes may not be able to win. Armageddon is here!

After months of advertising, Marvel’s latest game-changing event has finally hit the shelves. All of the build up across One World Under Doom, Red Hulk, Captain America, and Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon (time will tell how the final gasps of the Ultimate Universe tie in to all this) has all lead this moment and, it’s an ok start. I could make this long-winded rant about this event feeling hollow because of Marvel’s lackluster marketing, their lack of focus creating a stream of back to back events that feel less and less important with each announcement, corporate meddling stifling artistic creativity that leads to the same stories being told ad nauseum in lieu of anything fresh or new, and how this same stagnation led to editorial pulling the plug on the Ultimate Universe before it could fully gain its audience. I could say all of that, but that would make this review way more negative than is deserved. I’m going to refocus on what we have, and like I said up top it’s just fine.

Chip Zdarsky has been guiding this ship since his Captain America run started last year. Armageddon picks up almost right where the last issue of Cap left off with Steve being in a coma thanks to Ross and his friends having to deal with this titanic threat without him for the time being. The tone is as serious as needed for this narrative, though it can be a bit overbearing at times when everyone is talking about how much worse Ross invading is over say a Thanos attack or literal universes colliding. There are also a few familiar set pieces here (such as the Avengers being told to stay out of the fight because superhero paranoia) that have been beaten half to death since Civil War, but Zdarsky doesn’t dwell too much on them.

Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar’s art compliment each other and work well enough with Jesus Aburtov’s colors where you don’t know who is illustrating what page, leading to a seamless reading experience. It’s the standard Marvel house style, but a couple of page spreads manage to draw the eye for longer than a few seconds.