War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1 (April 2019)

When the War of the Realms hit the Marvel Universe, it naturally would involve every major Marvel character active in the universe at the time. Thor needed all the help he could get to stop Malekith, after all. However, despite the chaos, even Thor still had to deal with family drama. To protect his newest sibling, the God of Thunder's close ally, friend, and half-brother Balder the Brave had to assemble a crack team of heroes and take them...on a Journey to Mystery.

Journey to Mystery is a title long associated with the Thor mythos. Journey into Mystery started in 1952 as a horror anthology. As the 1950s went on, it would start telling science fiction and monster stories. But with issue #83 (August 1962), Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby would introduce the Marvel Universe's take on Thor, the Norse god of thunder. The title would be Thor's regular home. When #166 (March 1966) hit, The book would be renamed for its superhero star.

The title would be used again a couple of times over the years. The 1970s would see a brief revival, going back to its roots as a horror anthology. In the 1990s and the 2010s, the Thor title would be given back on its old name when it focused on characters from Thor's mythos.

So, it's rather appropriate that the name be used again with a Thor-centered event. This Journey to Mystery is a five-issue miniseries. Did it start strong? Let's find out by looking at War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1!

The cover is a Valerio Schiti and David Curiel piece, and it's pretty cool. You got the heroes of this story doing poses on the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge between Asgard and Midgard, aka Earth.

"Chapter One: With the Will to Protect"
Writers: Clint, Griffin, Justin, and Travis McElroy
Penciler: Andre Lima Araujo
Inker: Andre Lima Araujo
Colorist: Chris O'Halloran
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editors: Will Moss, Sarah Brunstad, Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

The story begins with what looks like a not-Winnebago racing down a highway with explosions erupting around it.

So, how did this end up happening? Well, we first have to go back about a month earlier. Balder the Brave has learned that he has got himself a new sister who is in the care of Gaia, Thor's mother. Balder's missed a lot, since he became King of Hel in Angela: Queen of Hel #5 (February 2016). As such, he's not been able to keep up with things on Midgard. But enough about that, let's meet Laussa Odinsdottir!

Look at little Laussa. Ain't she cute? Balder swears to protect his new little sister with his new life if he has to. A month later, the War of the Realms hits. The Queen of Cinders (this is before she battled the New Agents of Atlas) is after little Laussa. And the Queen of Cinders knows where she is. After all, having a big ol' Asgardian castle in Oklahoma is...kind of an obvious hiding place.

Lady Freyja basically tells Balder and Thori to get their butts to Oklahoma and protect Laussa. Thori, who first appeared in Journey into Mystery #632 (December 2011), is a Hel-Hound. He originally belonged to Loki, but was hanging around with Thor at this time. Loki gave him the name Thori. It's here we join the Miles Morales Spider-Man, who is trying to fight off some monsters in Times Square. Balder saves the young hero's life and introduces himself.

Thing is, he thinks Miles is the Peter Parker Spider-Man, just with a new suit. Again, Balder as been trapped in Hel for a long time. He's missed a lot. A SHIELD agent named Roz Solomon takes them to Oklahoma. They arrive as Thor's castle is about to be attacked. Upon their arrival, Balder and Miles meet Skuld, the Silent Norn.

Skuld has to do the talking now as her sisters aren't around to interpret her visions. Gaia entrusts baby Laussa to Balder. Skuld then tells Balder that fate will provide him with a party of companions to aid him on his journey. 

The Man of Spiders and the Dog of Gods is here, but that's not all: He'll be aided by a Brave Archer that Never Misses, He Who Would Be Sorcerer Supreme, The Half-Machine Warrior, and the One of Wonders. 

We check in on a certain archer in action in Amarillo, Texas.

Not Clint Barton, but the Kate Bishop Hawkeye. The Young Avenger, private investigator, and future Marvel Cinematic Universe star (Hailee Steinfeld will be portraying her in the upcoming Disney+ series Hawkeye) is after a mercenary called Slaughter-Man. It's a play on "manslaughter". Get it? 

Anyway, she easily subdues the merc and serves him some divorce papers from the future former Mrs. Slaughter-Man. Miles and Balder pick her up there. Next, we travel to Alberquerque, New Mexico. It's here that Death Locket is seemingly holding a party. Death Locket, aka Rebecca "Becca" Ryker, first appeared in Avengers Arena #1 (December 2012). She is the daughter of Harlan Ryker, the lead of the Deathlok program. Deathlok's history in the Marvel Universe is rather complicated, and worth a blog examination of its own. Basically, a Deathlok from the future exploded in an attempt to kill Harlan, and left her in need of cybernetic reconstruction. Her name comes from her being referred to as a "Deathlok-ette", and she misheard it as "Death Locket". 

Anyway, the young cyborg is actually partying with a bunch of Life Model Decoys. Life Model Decoys, LMDs for short, are a type of advanced android often used by the spy agency SHIELD for purposes of infiltration and subterfuge. Balder tells her he seeks Deathlok, but she's just as good. Next, we head to Flagstaff, Arizona. It's here we join another member of this party.

Meet Sebastian Druid. First appearing in Mighty Avengers #13 (July 2008), he's the son of the late ex-Avenger and mystic Doctor Anthony Druid. He's found himself a job as a nanny since the disbanding of his Secret Warriors team in Secret Warriors #28 (July 2011). He tries to get his wallet out of his magic coat to pay for his crying charge's candy, but accidentally pulls out a wild magic wand that blasts the shop. He ends up in jail and fired. Balder and Thori get him out, and he eagerly is up for whatever they're doing. Next, we head to Los Angeles, California.

It's here we meet up with Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. The veteran Avenger and Hollywood hero is being pitched a TV show to star in, but he's taken up pacifism since the events of Uncanny Avengers #7 (April 2013). As such, he does not feel comfortable doing a series in which he'd have to fight. Uh, Simon? You can still be a pacifist and play a character that fights.

Anyway, this is where Balder and his party come to pick him up. It's here we come to the present. Balder and Simon argue over Simon's refusal to fight the truck. Simon, it's a demon truck. I don't think anyone will think you're being a hypocrite for protecting your teammates from a demon truck. Kate Bishop convinces him he can stop the truck without fighting...by wrecking the bridge they're on so the truck can't pursue them. Simon does so, and the plan works.

Death Locket wants to take the fight to the truck's driver, but Simon reminds her their mission is to keep Laussa safe away from the war. And it would not be a good idea to pick a fight with the truck's driver anyway.

Especially if that driver is one Ares, the God of War. He invented it, and perfected it in the field of battle!

I really liked this comic. You could tell that the McElroys were having a blast writing this. I did also like that a couple of lesser-known characters (Sebastian Druid and Death Locket) get to majorly shine here. I also appreciated the 'thrown-together' nature of this group. These are a group of heroes that normally don't get to interact very much, so there's a lot of wonderful potential here. The comic has plenty of hilarious moments, you have to read this for yourself.

When it comes to the art, I have to say this. Andre Lima Araujo's art has this vibe to me. It has this vibe of European comic books. I think it does a fine job carrying the comedy of this issue.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the trade paperback War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! Join me next time when the Avengers continue their battle against Immortus...

War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 (July 2019)

In spring and summer of 2019, the Marvel Universe got rocked as the War of the Realms broke out. Built up from events in Jason Aaron's run on Thor's book, the story told of the evil dark elf Malekith, having conquered the other realms of Norse mythology, sets his sight on Midgard, aka Earth.

The story itself was told in a main mini-series, but it, in the tradition of many event stories, had included tie-in books and mini-series that chronicled what various characters were doing during this war. One of those minis focused on a team called the Agents of Atlas.

The Agents of Atlas were a team that first appeared in What If #9 (June 1978), and were composed of characters that appeared stories that were published in the 1950s by Atlas Comics, the 1950s successor of Timely Comics, and the predecessor of Marvel Comics. It would eventually be established that this team did actually exist in the Marvel Universe in the 1950s. This version would appear in the 2006 limited series Agents of Atlas by writer Jeff Parker and artist Leonard Kirk.

The War of the Realms would see the birth of a revamped version of the team by Korean-American writer Greg Pak and artist Gang Hyuk Lim. This version would be composed primarily of Asian and Asian-American superheroes. So, how this new team get its start? Let's look at War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 and find out!

The cover is a Billy Tan piece. It's a bit basic, just showing off the members of this new superhero team leaping into action. It's nothing really special, but it does tell you what you get: A new team of heroes.

"Fire and Ice: Chapter One"
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciler: Gang Hyuk Lim
Inker Gang Hyuk Lim
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editors: Mark Paniccia, Tom Groneman
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski.

The story begins with two heroines arguing about turf over the seas over the North Pacific.

The blue-haired lady in white is Lei Ling, aka Aero. An architect from Shanghai, she has the power to manipulate air and sense chi. The surfer is Pearl Pangan, aka Wave. A Filipina heroine from Cebu City, she has the power to manipulate water. The two spot a whirlpool, which contains a nasty surprise.

“Pop goes the Weasel!" The two heroines are taken down, a fiery figure proclaiming it was too easy. In Mumbai, India, another pair of Asian heroines are training.

Meet Kamala Khan, the newest Ms. Marvel, and Cindy Moon, aka Silk. They're battling a training robot. They take it down with the help of future Marvel Cinematic Universe star Shang-Chi and Amadeus Cho, aka Brawn. Former SHIELD Agent Jimmy Woo claps for them. You see, they're doing a demonstration for the students of the Pan-Asian School for the Unusually Gifted. Basically, it's a special university for people with superpowers. Kind of like Hogwarts or the Xavier Institute. 

Woo runs the place, and he invited these heroes to show the power of teamwork. Because as we all know, teamwork makes the dream work.

After the heroes meet up with the students, they commiserate over dinner. Shang-Chi and Woo noticed that there was tension between Amadeus and Kamala. Woo is worried about this, as he's hoping they would one day join the Atlas Foundation. He picks up a fruit from pyrus pyrifolia. It's a variety of pear known a a nashi pear. He asks the group what it is. Shang-Chi, being Chinese, says it's a Chinese pear. Silk and Amadeus, both being Korean-American, say it's a Korean pear. The Pakistani-American Kamala says that she's seen those pears sold at a Japanese grocery store, so she thought it was a Japanese pear.  

The point Woo is making is that the pear is just a pear. There's no need to debate about where it's supposedly from. It's a pointless argument. Using the nashi pear for this example is clever on the writer's part as the pear comes from trees that are native throughout East Asia, hence why the pear is often seen as Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. The more you know.

Basically, Woo points out that a lot of time is wasted arguing about things that really aren't worth it. But not all conflict is so pointless. When he leads an Atlas mission, he wants the people he's working with to contribute ideas, not just criticism. This leads to Kamala and Amadeus butting heads, referencing incidents in Champions #2 and Incredible Hulk #714-717 (May-July 2018). Their argument is interrupted by an alert. 

Remember, this miniseries is a tie-in to War of the Realms, and our heroes just witnessed Malekith's attack on New York City in the first issue of that event mini. Woo and Amadeus pick up another interdimensional breach, this one near Seoul, South Korea. Woo has nobody there, so he deputizes the heroes he's gathered to be his Agents of Atlas for this mission...except for Ms. Marvel. That's because she's heading back to New York to join the other Champions in facing Malekith. 

In Seoul, a structure appears, spewing lava. However, the city is not defenseless.

Meet Ami Han, aka White Fox. She's a secret agent who is also the last of the kumiho. Kumiho are Korean fox spirits that are said to be able to assume the form of beautiful human women so they can seduce men...the goal being to eat their hearts or livers. Yeah. White Fox also, in the tradition of characters like Firestar, X-23, and Phil Coulson, actually first appeared in a 2014 South Korean webtoon called Avengers: Electric Rain. She would join the Marvel Universe proper in Contest of Champions #1 (October 2015). The lava also comes with an army.

The Sons of Muspell have come to conquer Korea. But Korea is a country with a long history of dealing with colonizers and conquerors. And the country also has a couple of other heroes to defend it. 

Meet Dan Bi, aka Crescent. She's a young Tae Kwon Do prodigy who wears a magical mask which she can use to summon a big magic bear named Io. And she has some backup.

Meet Seol Hee, aka Luna Snow. She's a K-pop singer with cryokinetic powers. Crescent, Io, and Luna Snow are making their Marvel comic debuts here. All three of these characters originally came from the mobile game Marvel Future Fight. Some of the gathered heroes fly over and watch them fight, while Silk fangirls over Luna. Amadeus wants to jump in and help fight, but Woo points out that they have things under control. A fire demon's spear hits the jet causing it to crash. Woo ends up out of it, and Amadeus ends up the one in charge...much to his chagrin.

You see, Incredible Hulk #714-717 was the "World War Hulk II" storyline, in which Amadeus Cho, then operating as the Totally Awesome Hulk, went on a rampage as a result of losing control of his Hulk powers. It's something that has haunted the teenage hero, and it's made him rather reluctant at the idea of taking charge of anything. 

White Fox sees Amadeus as he tries to get help and, in the new heroes meeting up tradition, assumes he's there to rampage. It results in a brawl. Amadeus spots Luna Snow fighting the fire demons of Muspelheim. Trying to help her, Amadeus ends up accidentally blasting her with a fire hose and freezing her.

The Eighth-Smartest Man in the World, everybody! Although to be fair, it is kind of odd that the woman with cryokinetic powers isn't immune to being frozen.

It's here that the mind behind the invasion is revealed: Queen Sindr, daughter of the Asgardian fire demon called Surtur. And she intends to make Asia into her new realm: New Muspelheim. In the North Pacific, Aero and Wave wake up and realized they've been played. A pair of fire demons taunt them. They're now far away from their respective homes of Shanghai and Cebu City. Too far to help them. But the demons get ambushed.

Yes, it seems our heroines here got some divine help in the form of the Hawaiian goddess Pele. Pele is the goddess of fire, volcanoes, dance...and violence. Yup, we got a war goddess in the house. 

I liked this issue! It's a fun story that shows our team and brings most of them together. We also get to see Luna Snow as well as the Crescent/Io combo kick a little butt in their debut, showing just why they're worthy of being on this team. Amadeus Cho is clearly the character with the central arc in this miniseries as Pak is using the events of War of the Realms to show his growth. I do like the art of Gang Hyuk Lim in this book. 

This miniseries is highly recommended. If you're looking to read it for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2019 trade paperback War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! Join me next time as we rejoin the Avengers in the battle of space and time...