Empyre: Aftermath – Avengers #1: Royal Wedding (SPOILER FREE)

Where Empyre #4 teased us with a Vegas wedding for fan favorites Wiccan and Hulking, Empyre: Aftermath – Avengers #1 comes forward with everything missing from that glimpse. Not only do we get to view the actual ceremony, but we have every component years of telenovelas tells me is crucial to a good wedding – starting with an ominous conversation and flashback from Hulking’s very own former evil doppelganger/secretly-still-alive evil grandmother.

While I could very easily fill this review with a step by step of the who’s who and what’s what of this issue, I leave it to the reader to pick up on the nods Al Ewing sprinkled through the issue. Our happy grooms do not have as broad a back catalog as some longer-standing characters, but Ewing does a good job calling back to some of their more important milestones while still having the focus be on the plot and fallout of the event. The fact that things are changing for cosmic Marvel is never far from the focus, but these heartfelt moments allow for the story to be anchored in the emotions of the characters.

The art by Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia is as amazing as I would expect. It’s needed as the wedding guests have to cycle through every emotion imaginable with the art team not dropping the ball. They also grace us with views of numerous guests, with each one recognizable and distinct (a solid feat since I’m convinced Marvel Boy and Speed have never shared a roster due to their remarkable similar design). A final treat is given to us in the form of the cover done by Jim Cheung and Marcelo Maiolo, as Jim Cheung is one of the very creators of Wiccan and Hulking.