“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Avengers #90

“You’re not the boss of me. I don’t have to save her if I don’t wanna!”

The Avengers #90

Marvel Comics (July, 1971: as featured in the comiXology digital trade “The Kree/Skrull War”)

“Judgement Day”

WRITER: Roy Thomas

ARTIST: Sal Buscema

LETTERER: Mike Stevens

EDITOR: Stan Lee

Vision, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch fail to stop the Sentry android from taking Mar-Vell. After updating the Cape’s security head, Carol Danvers, on what happened they return to Avengers HQ where they find a recorded message from Goliath (Clint Barton at the time). He received a distress call from the Wasp, who along with Yellowjacket (Hank Pym’s hero name at the time) about a strange jungle territory in the Antarctic, and I don’t mean the Savage Land. Together with Rick, the trio head down there and journey to this area with the Wasp. Rowan The Accuser is there, starting a device that will reset the planet back to the pre-human age because he’s worried with all the superhumans Earth will become a threat to the Kree Empire (and totally not for revenge at the beatings the Fantastic Four gave him, oh no no no), and he’s not only put Clint under his influence to battle the Avengers alongside Sentry 459 but has even turned Hank Pym into a neanderthal, and he’s approaching an unconscious Wasp!

What they got right: Back before Eventitis (the current obsession with events and ultra-long story arcs to pad out the trade) became an issue a long storyline like this was a special event. What will become known as the Kree/Skrull War is off to an interesting start, with Rowan being a legitimate threat to our heroes. I thought the Mar-Vell plot and Antarctic plot were going to be two separate stories but they’re actually part of the same arc.

What they got wrong: Whether it’s fear or revenge, I can understand Rowan wanting to waste Earth, but why capture Mar-Vell? To watch? I’m not sure why Rick went with the Avengers to Antarctica because he doesn’t actually do anything but make wisecracks.

What I think overall: Part two of what became an important event in the Marvel Universe is giving us a good story thus far. We’ll see if that continues.