In 2018, Marvel Comics released the storyline known as Avengers: No Surrender into the world. The story was a crossover between the Avengers books going on at the time...sort of. You see, it was a 16-issue storyline that temporarily merged together the three Avengers books going on at the time: U.S. Avengers (written by Al Ewing), the main Avengers title (written at the time by Mark Waid), and Uncanny Avengers (written by Jim Zub). The three writers collaborated on the event story. Paco Medina, Kim Jacinto, and Pepe Larraz provided the artwork for it.
No Surrender told the tale of the three teams of Avengers fighting to save the Earth when it suddenly was out of its normal place in the universe. As in, someone or something moved the Earth. The teams also had to deal with Thanos, his Black Order, and a new Lethal Legion. And centered in the middle of it all was the mysterious Voyager, who claimed to have been a lost founder of the Avengers.
The comic we're looking at today is the first issue of a spiritual sequel to No Surrender: No Road Home. Like with No Surrender, Waid, Zub, and Ewing collaborated on the writing once more. Pepe Larraz also returned for the art duties, but this time, he was backed up by Sean Izaakse and Carlo Barberi. So, did this story have a strong start? Let's find out in Avengers: No Road Home #1!
The cover is a Yasmine Putri piece. It's really good. It depicts various heroes in the story seemingly falling through the universe into the void. It's got a nice variety of characters on it, and I especially like that it centers on Hercules, as the story starts with him. It gives the impression that he's got a major role here.
"Part One"
Writers: Mark Waid, Al Ewing, and Jim Zub
Penciler: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Letterer: Cory Petit
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Editors: Tom Brevoort, Alanna Smith
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
The story begins with the Greco-Roman demigod known as Hercules. He's in New York City, reminiscing about facing a creature called the Amphisbaena. He talks about how he fought alongside his fellow gods. Artemis, with her deadly aim. Hermes, with his speed. Poseidon with his trident. Zeus with his thunderbolts. Athena with her fighting skills. And Herc himself with his strength. Together, they slayed the beast, and then partied it up in Olympus. 🎉
The cop he's talking to reminds him that's there's a situation here. There's some creature in the hardware shop. Nobody's sure what it is, but it was accompanied by laughter and the sounds of laser beams. Hercules decides to go in and take care of it. Herc goes in and discovers what the creature is.
Yes, it's Rocket Raccoon. And as usual, he's in a bad mood. Hercules causes him to fire up at the roof, which brings the building down. Whoops.
But Herc and Rocket are okay. The demigod wants to know why Rocket was causing havoc. Rocket claims that he was legitimately there to do some shopping. However, the store refused to serve him, and people started freaking out. Considering how crazy people in the Marvel Universe can be, I can believe that. I blame the X-Men.
Herc then notices that Rocket is carrying a small sphere.
Yeah, that's totally some kind of explosive device. And Rocket proves it when he threatens to shove it up a cop's certain orifice when he gets called a "dog". But it's tabled by a strange darkness coming down. We next go to Los Angeles, California. It's here we join Wanda Maximoff and Clint Barton, aka Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye. They're at a diner, having some food. Mmm, diner food...
Anyway, the two Avengers are discussing their lives. At the time, Wanda was dating Doctor Voodoo and she is looking for a condo. Clint is helping Kate run the new West Coast Avengers team that was going at the time. He asks if Wanda and Voodoo could join up with them, as having a couple veteran Avengers could help mentor the younger members of the group. Also, Wanda herself was a former West Coast Avenger in the past. Wanda's good, though. She's not up for dealing with team dramas at the moment. But she does have a gift for Clint as compensation: A box of some of Clint's old possessions from Avengers Mansion. One of the things in the box especially gets Clint's attention.
Back in the day, Clint Barton once used the fabled Pym Particles to operate as Goliath. A waitress asks if the two want anything more. Wanda's good, but Clint wants some more very dark coffee...and it's here that the darkness falls over the diner. The cosmos has a weird sense of humor.
In Washington, D.C., the Vision is floating over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. However, the synthezoid is not there to reflect. He's getting examined by Monica "Spectrum" Rambeau, Adam "Blue Marvel" Brashear, and Dr. Toni Ho. They've discovered that the Vision's systems have been degrading for an unknown reason. Basically, he's dying. He's absorbing sunlight just fine, but Dr. Ho theorizes that he may have taken some hidden damage from being attacked by the Hulk back in No Surrender. The Vision is not bothered by this. He sees it as being truly human. All humans have to accept that their lives will end at some point, and so shall he. He is alive now, and that is fine enough.
Monica transforms into electricity and works her way through the Vision's systems to check them for hidden faults. There is good news, though. Vision can still take in sunlight, so whatever is causing his systems to degrade, he can fight it. And then the darkness falls.
Elsewhere in New Mexico, Bruce Banner is walking on a road as the darkness falls. The change causes him to transform into the Hulk. While he is changing, Bruce screams he's still in Hell. Yeah, this was during Ewing's Immortal Hulk series, hence...this. The Hulk finds that he has a visitor.
Meet Va Nee Gast, aka Valerie Vector, aka Voyager. She needs his help. Hulk asks if she was responsible for the darkness. She isn't, but knows who did, hence why she's gathering heroes. The party who is responisble is described by her as the most frightening thing she ever saw...well, second scariest now that she's met Al Ewing's Hulk.
Back in Washington D.C., Vision, Dr. Ho, and Blue Marvel analyze the situation. This isn't a normal nightfall. This darkness has covered the Earth...as well as the universe.
Voyager arrives to collect Vision and Spectrum. She also goes to collect Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch in Los Angeles. Well, not exactly. Hulk doesn't want to bring Hawkeye. After all, Clint put an arrow in Bruce's head back in Civil War II. Clint thought he and Bruce settled that. Thing is, Hulk didn't settle it. Hulk decides that Clint can come along...as long as the two don't end up alone together. Because if that does happen...Hulk will settle things.
Voyager then goes to collect Rocket Raccoon and Hercules. The final stop on the Voyager Universal Tour? Olympus. And much to Hercules's horror, the home of the Greco-Roman gods is wrecked and abandoned.
The demigod demands to know how Voyager knew to bring them here. Her attempt to answer is interrupted by a wounded and dying Athena. Hercules calls for Vision and Wanda to help, but it's too late. With her dying words, she tells him the "Queen of Night" did this, the woman whose name must never be stated. But it doesn't take long for the others to figure it out. Wanda points out that according to the myths, there was a goddess of the night, and her name is Nyx. And Nyx makes herself known...by putting her fingers through Wanda's head. That's...gonna hurt.
This was a fun read. It felt like an old-school Avengers epic adventure, with callbacks to various bits of continuity and fun character interactions. Which makes sense, considering the writers involved. I got a good chuckle out of the scene with Hercules and Rocket. Part of the fun of this comic is the rag-tag feel of this group. Nyx's appearance at the end was scary, thanks to Paco Medina's take on her. His interpretation of her makes her look slightly inhuman, more monstrous than the other Greek Gods.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2019 trade paperback Avengers: No Road Home.
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