One World Under Doom #3: Doom Shy, Shy Hush, Hush, Eye To Eye

We are officially three issues into this years big event, and we see the Avengers makes an uneasy alliance with some of the biggest threats to the world, and they’re hellbent on taking out Doom. Meanwhile, while they’re busy keeping Doom occupied, the Scarlet Witch, Baron Mordo, and the Goblyn Queen are with world leaders, trying to break any mental hold Doom might have over them. But while the Avengers are busy with Doom, there’s a breakout at the Raft prison complex! All this, plus Dormammu too! So let’s get this show on the road!

As promised, we see the Avengers join forces with some of Marvel’s most deadliest villains around, plus Arcade and Mysterio (snicker). The teams coordinate a two pronged attack on Doom, as well as a plan to try to break any sort of mental hold Doom might have over different heads of state. The attack begins with the Avengers having all of their energy manipulating members focus all of their energies on the Doom created magical force bubble over Latveria. While they didn’t put a dent in it, Doom decides to let the heroes in, where he rides in on his Doomosaurus Rex into battle. It’s a fun visual that makes being a comics fan so fun. This over the top notion of an alternate reality Doctor Doom is actually a Dinosaur speaks is just one of those absurdly plot devices that makes comics so much fun.

The second part of the story is quite frankly the most interesting, yet frustrating part of the issue, where we have Wanda, Madelyne, and Mordo approaching various world leaders, where they’re using both magic as well as telepathy in order to see what Doom did to make them bend the knee to Doom, but the gag is nothing. Doom didn’t use an iota of magic to make these deals, only to find it’s nothing. All of the leaders just rolled over for Doom for trivial things, like wealth, or other things that mundane. It’s frustrating because we live in a time that nationalism is feverishly spreading around the globe, so to think that these world leaders would just give us sovereignty like that feels very off kilter.

One of the most glaring issue with this event is something that has been a detriment to the last two issues that’s come before, which is the pacing. The story is going at such a glacial pace, that it’s sucking the enjoyment out of the book. The pacing might be less apparent had Ryan give more meat to the bone. That could be actually fighting Doom, or dealing with these nations who have sided with Doom, if only to cause the heroes enter into a moral dilemma: fight to keep these citizens safe, or go through them to reach Doom.

R.B. Silva’s art this issue is divine. Some of the best work that he’s put out since he burst on the scene. From Dr. Doomasaurus Rex, to the ephemeral way Vision tries to phase through Doom’s magical shield, it just clicks here. Silva’s star has been rising over the last several years, but finally got his first big gig was as the artist for the Powers of X mini, by former Head of X writer, Johnathan Hickman, and it’s only gotten better. I hope Marvel has a very high profile book after this.