The Avengers #32: The Cosmos Shudders

Empowered by the limitless potential of the grail, Kang the Conqueror has thrown the entirety of the Marvel Zombies universe at our heroes, confident that the horde will keep them at bay long enough for him to secure his power. The Avengers are on the clock, with scant time to spare before Kang can use his cosmic relic to bring about the death of the known universe. The gnashing teeth and scraping nails of a million undead corpses certainly don’t make the task any easier, and even the arrival of enemy-turned-ally Hyperion hasn’t seemed to even the odds. Earth’s mightiest must once again put their heads together and find a way to stop the villain while remaining uninfected.

Avengers #32 is rocketing towards a climax in preparation for the landmark 800th legacy issue that Marvel has promised will introduce a bold new era for the team. With what sounds like a relaunch and possibly a new creative team on the horizon, it makes sense that Jed Mackay is racing to conclude his saga on a high note, but the pace at which he does so makes for some uneven pacing. A lot of that can be contributed to the two or three different crossover events which intruded upon the narrative, but still, the late point at which the story’s world-ending stakes were unveiled and the quickness with which they’ve come to pass feels as if a few important pitstops were sped by on this journey.

Not to say that the comic lacks enjoyment, as the ever-skilled MacKay knows how to sell the intensity of the outlandish situation. Him and artist Farid Karami are so thoughtful in their approach to action, ensuring that there’s more behind the fray than uncoordinated punches and kicks. The avengers act as a cohesive squad with strategy, thinking on the fly to pool their skills together in new ways. When the team works in tandem to create a magical energy bomb which vaporizes the zombie horde, its a visually striking and grand-scale feat of power.

The A-plot is broken up by some major reveals regarding the heroes’ sentient home base and friend, the Impossible City. THE bombshell is that the Impossible City’s real name is Camelot, and it was originally created to be the home of the Twilight Court, Kang’s squad of imitation avengers created in his prior attempt to obtain the grail. The court not-so-surprisingly survived the conqueror’s attempt to dispose of them and are now ready to put aside their differences to help save the universe from their creator.