Marvel made a bunch of little FCBD comics for awhile. Who knows why? But this is smaller than an average issue, presumably to cut costs. Free isn’t free to make, after all. But a Bendis/Cheung team-up is certainly going to be a big deal to readers, so this is quite the FCBD package. Mark Morales and John Rauch round out the creative team. Fittingly for the blog, we open with…
Even in jest, Peter Parker questioning global warming feels dumb.
Thor! It’s weird how rare it is to see him in an Avengers comic in the 2000s.
On your page turn, the rest of the team (Being Bucky, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Ronin, Iron Fist and Mockingbird) are already together. They’re standing on a roof making with the banter, as Hawkeye mentions that that’s a Frost Giant (He calls it an “Ice Giant”), and the Avengers fought one once, but then a fire giant came and they took each other out, so he’s got no strategy to offer. Then Spider-Man swings by with the unconscious Thor. It turns out Spider-Man did call them. Ms. Marvel takes Thor and flies him away so the Giant can’t beat on him anymore, and then Wolverine asks Luke how his throwing arm is.
That’s right, you get TWO Avengers teams in this issue. And for free!
Yeah, it’s not just any Frost Giant, it’s the main one. you could quibble about how much Ares would really know about Ymir, but Thor’s unconscious, whatever. Ymir recognizes Ares as Thor’s ally and blasts both teams with a huge shock of ice. As the teams dig out of the snow, Osborn can’t reach HAMMER on comms, and Venom… Well, he’s Venom, so…
After all this time, the 2 Avengers teams finally clash. For 2 pages.
I mean it’s weird, right? That it took this long? Seems like one of your first stops, but no. Anyway, everyone looks up and sees that they’re in some kinda snowy apocalypse, with Ares offering the not-too-satisfying explain that Ymir has banished them all to a plane between Earth and the Norse Realms. When presses on how to stop it, a very unhappy Ares suggests the Twilight Sword.
And we’re right back to my biggest problem with all this. Norman Osborn, the villain I know from Spider-Man comics, would either be peeing his pants or scheming to profit from this situation. But Bendis has him acting like he genuinely wants to be a hero, and I just don’t get it. What’s the angle? “He’s just crazy” is not enough. Well, the combined team hikes til they find a big ice castle, which Ares says Ymir must have built around the Sword. They’re wondering what happened to the flyers when they come smashing out of the castle, pursued by a swarm of icy imps. Ares leads the charge into battle.
How has Lord Thor spoken? From where? What? Weak ending. But they had to stretch this nonsense out a whole ‘nother year, so everyone just goes home. I really hate the whole “mortal enemies decide not to fight today” trope. Never satisfying. Ah, well. A big moment in the overall narrative, either way.