#the vision

The issue starts with Deathcry arriving in her shmancy spaceship, through the wormhole near the Sun.

Since Operation: Galactic Storm thoroughly established how bad that can be, the narration pains that according to Shi'ar law, the wormhole is kept active as briefly as possible.

Hey, you could also just not use that particular wormhole, the Shi'ar.

The Avengers (and Magdalene) survived the Andes HQ kersplode. But their Quinjet was parked too near and was destroyed in the explosion. And presumably the nice winter coats they were wearing were left somewhere outside when the Avengers stormed in dramatic 90s fashion and have also been kersploded.

I don't think the Quinjet being parked nearby is really supported by how we see them approach the base in the opening of last issue but whatever. The plot doesn't work if the Avengers can just fuckin leave.

They can't just fuckin leave. They're stranded on a mountain and only Hercules and Vision have the constitution for that. Also, Magdalene is here. She hasn't flipped to the Avengers' side. But she's following them around until she finds Swordsman.

Lucky break of all lucky breaks, the Avengers are only stranded on a snowy mountaintop for like five minutes before Deathcry shows up in her shmancy spaceship.

Somehow. God knows how. She managed to determine that the Avengers were on some random mountain. And she came to meet them. And throw shade at them for cautiously assuming she was an enemy instead of introducing themselves like polite people do.

Deathcry: "I am Deathcry of the Shi'ar Imperium, sent here by Lilandra Majestric-Shi'ar, to aid you in your time of strife! Well -- not that the pleasantries are over, I suggest that if any one of your intend to live -- come with me -- now!"

I could throw some shade at her toting a giant-ass 90s gun and then getting annoyed that the Avengers treated her with caution. But she's smart to have a giant-ass 90s gun. And her arrival was even more timely than just from the freezing to death angle.

Not long after Deathcry landed, threw shade, and introduced herself, a bunch of Kree Sentries arrive to initiate elimination program all over the Avengers.

MEANWHILE, in warmer climes, specifically on an abandoned farm in upstate New York, a pair of hunters trespass all into that abandoned farm because one of them saw some deer. And sure, some people say that this abandoned farm is haunted but he wants to hunted some deer.

Anyway, a robot shows up and lasers him to death. And then some Kree show up and laser his hunter pal to death.

See, we're in the Operation: Galactic Storm fallout. We don't have time for a haunted abandoned farm to be haunted by ghosts. It's haunted by some Kree survivors of the Nega-Bomb who blame the Avengers for the Kree getting blown up by a Nega-Bomb and not the Shi'ar for developing the Nega-Bomb or the Skrulls for actually towing the Nega-Bomb to the Kree galaxy.

I suppose that when an empire eats your empire, a superhero team seems like the more manageable target to revenge on.

Also, the Avengers did 'kill' the Supreme Intelligence. So. They're getting revenged on. And so is Earth because these guys aren't really the restrained type.

Also also, these Kree also have giant-ass 90s guns. And vaguely Cable/military chic. I kind of wish they got to wear adapted Kree military outfits. Like Captain Mar-Vell's old green and white duds?

I presume these guys are ex-military because the Cable looking fuck is called an admiral.

Ragged Kree military uniforms would go hard for these guys. Instead of this generic look.

Anyway.

Andes mountains. Kree Sentry attack.

Even one Kree Sentry is a big deal. They're designed to take a lot of punishment and give a lot more back.

Deathcry advises the Avengers to retreat, since even more Kree Sentries are coming.

Black Knight: "Retreat? Deathcry, if you've been sent to help us, there's one thing you oughta know about the Aveners -- we don't know the meaning of the word!" Magdalene: "That's good, Dane... because these Sentries don't appear to understand the concept of surrendering!"

You're both kinda stupid.

Deathcry didn't say surrender. But standing on a mountaintop and pointlessly fighting a tide of giant robots for no reason isn't very smart. Maybe she should have said strategic withdrawal. The strategic part might have gotten through to Dane.

Or maybe this is another way that people exist so Dane can be the main character.

I don't know!

The Kree Sentries are dumb, too. Or have limited programming. Because they take Magdalene talking about how Kree Sentries don't appear to understand the concept of surrender as a cue to comment that "SURRENDER IS NOT THE WAY OF THE KREE."

And also, the Kree Sentry shoots Black Knight because he was running right at the giant robots, screaming that Avengers don't retreat, and not trying for anything smarter than run straight at the enemy.

The Sentry identifies Crystal as an Inhuman. Since the Kree are possessive about the Inhumans sometimes, the Sentry claims that Crystal is even more guilty of crimes against the Kree than the rest of the Avengers.

I guess because the Avengers are just alien jerks to the Kree but an Inhuman is basically a traitor to the Kree Empire.

Also, the Sentries are a bit confused by Magdalene. She's not in the records as an Avenger. Why is she even here? Magdalene is here because she's stuck with the Avengers for the near future so she blasts Crystal free of the Sentry's grasp.

Hercules somehow missed that part though and randomly starts yelling at Magdalene to get away from Crystal and Black Knight.

And now Magdalene is yelling at Hercules that she'll do him a violence if he yells again.

People sure did get belligerent in the 90s.

Deathcry: "By the M'Krann, are you all mad?! You fight amongst yourselves in the midst of battle --?! The danger is far from over! Behold -- at the mouth of the pass! An entire squadron of Sentries!"

She is right to be annoyed with the Avengers. They are being annoying today. Because they've had a very annoying day.

Also, wow. Sentries usually operate solo. They're tuff enuff that one is generally all they need for an assignment. Having this many Sentries just trying to wipe out the Avengers... This is probably a significant portion of the Kree military that didn't get Nega-Bombed or fall into Shi'ar hands. Admiral Galen-Kor is really committing to this 'fuck the Avengers specifically' plan.

There's too many Sentries to beat and I guess that Deathcry's ship isn't fast enough to outrace the Sentries. Because she doesn't even bring that up as an option. And that's sad because Deathcry says she stripped most of the weaponry out of her ship so it could go faster. She's down to a single plasma bomb and when Black Widow asks, Deathcry says it's not enough to take out an entire squadron of Sentries.

But Captain America, the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan, has a plan.

And there's a brief time skip past him explaining his plan so it can be a fun surprise to the readers.

The plan involves Vision, Black Widow, and Deathcry on Deathcry's ship, ready to use the plasma bomb.

Deathcry protests. Because there's an element of danger and she was sent to Earth to protect them. She says she'll fly the ship and do all the other plan stuff on her own so the Avengers are safe but Black Widow says nay.

Black Widow: "Your dedication to duty is admirable, but all our lives are at stake here. You don't know us... and we certainly don't know you... but for the time being, Lilandra notwithstanding, we work together." Deathcry: "Understood. Let us proceed."

So Vision, Black Widow, and Deathcry take off in her ship. Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers and Magdalene take off running through the snow.

Crystal has a very important job in this star-spangled man plan. Because she is the Avatar, master of all four elements. She climbs up on a rock overlooking the valley where the Sentries are massed and she hits them with super-duper-turbo hurricane force winds.

This doesn't destroy the Sentries. They fly through space and all that. But with Crystal going that hard, it keeps the Sentries at bay.

(Meanwhile, everyone else just watches. Their important part in the plan is... well Cap came up with the plan and not everyone can be involved in every plan.)

Within Deathcry's spaceship, the trio of Vision, Black Widow, and Deathcry pull off their half of the plan.

Really, Black Widow doesn't have to be here. Her role in the plan is to inform Crystal over comms that her part is done and she can withdraw.

ANYONE COULD HAVE DONE THAT. Meanwhile, Vision is calculating specific coordinates and Deathcry is flying the ship.

I suspect that Black Widow is on the ship because Cap doesn't trust Deathcry and wants two Avengers on board to outnumber her in case she tries something.

But despite literally being called Deathcry, she is, so far, on the up and up.

Using the coordinates that Vision provides, she launches the plasma bomb. Cap had guesstimated that the Gatherer HQ exploding compromised the stability of the mountain top and Vision calculated the exact point to kersplode some more to bury the Sentries under millions of tons of rock.

Maybe they weren't even destroyed by that. They're tough bastards. But they're not getting out any time soon.

I do kind of have to complain about how this is conveyed, though.

We see the good ship Deathcry's ship launching the bomb. Or, rather, the bomb exploding after she's already launched it. We see a few Sentries in said bomb kersplode panel.

The very next page sorta shows the massive avalanche but its squeezed up into a narrow top panel and we don't see the Sentries getting buried.

It's not the most exciting way to show a bunch of giant robots being defeated by avalanche.

And for an issue centered around the Avengers (and Magdalene and Deathcry) versus an impossible number of Sentries, we don't really get a lot of good action choreography.

Unfortunately, a third of this issue is taken up by a back-up story, leaving the main story to be a bit thin.

So the Avengers vs an impossible number of giant robots feels like an afterthought. Just to transition us into the new arc. We're not dealing with Gatherer stuff anymore. Now we're dealing with Kree stuff for three issues. So here's a bunch of Sentries but they're not the main threat. I don't know if they were even intended to win.

Because right after the Avengers bury them in millions of tons of snow and rocks, Admiral Galen-Kor calls them up on the hologram and taunts them that he has an evil plan to destroy Earth which is his real revenge against the Avengers. Not that Sentry stuff. That was just to say hello. Or something.

Unfortunately, Deathcry herself also doesn't get a great first impression since the main story is so thin.

I like it when a new Avenger's intro really showcases what they can do and why they'd be a great addition to the team.

Oh, yeah, spoilers, Deathcry is sticking around.

It's cool that Deathcry can fly a spaceship and brought a single bomb with her. And a giant gun. But she doesn't do anything during the initial fight against the Sentries. Except point a gun off-panel at something. Oh, and yell at the Avengers for bickering instead of giant robot fighting.

Maybe the plan to stop the squadron should have been hers. Something based on secret Shi'ar intel for how to deal with Kree Sentries.

I just wanted a stronger showing for her. And a more spectacular showing for beating the impossible number of giant robots. And honestly, more fallout from the previous issue. Hercules yelling about Magdalene was good just not good in the context that it happened in. Maybe the issue should have just been the Avengers stuck in the snow, yelling at each other. Dane and Cap still kinda sore about each other. Dane freaked out because Proctor can psychically control him. Hercules pissed that Magdalene is here. Magdalene disinterested in anything but getting to Swordsman quicker. And then at the end Deathcry shows up and that's just another big shake-up to the social dynamics because she is literally called Deathcry. She looks sinister. But she's here to help. But the Avengers are a little wound up right now and not in the mood to instantly trust.

And then the following issue can be devoted to the Sentries and Deathcry proving herself.

But, also. Avengers right now is hemmed in by things. The Bloodties crossover is starting in issue #368. Infinity Crusade is going on around this time. It's hard to pace a single book when you have to look over your shoulder to see what everyone else is doing. I guess.

BUT NOW. There's a backup story!

(This is another backup story where I'm not sure why it wasn't just integrated into the main story? I guess because the art team is different and rather than jump between different artists, the story is just upped in the back of the issue. But the backup is just 'what was Sersi up to since she was left back at the Mansion?')

Since Sersi was left at the Mansion, she doesn't know that they've moved onto another plot. She's still on the Gatherers plot.

She's floating in the Avengers statue garden thinking and pondering and trying to order her memories when Jarvis wanders by and wonders what she's up to.

Since Jarvis does seem so sincerely concerned about her, Sersi opens up to him that everyone thinks she's going insane and that she's been having weird, frightening dreams lately. She knows that Dane could calm her down but he's off in the A-plot right now plus Sersi knows he's pissed off at her for the whole shotgun psychic wedding thing.

So she's just kind of dealing with everything on her own. UNTIL JARVIS GETS INVOLVED.

Serious talk? Serious talk. Jarvis rules. The supporting cast of all time.

Jarvis: "Would you care to tell me your dreams, miss? Mother always said a bad dream shared, is a terror spared." Sersi: "How delightful."

But with Eternal powers, she can do one better than just verbally telling him. She can make it visually interesting by conjuring images from her dreams.

Of Sersi making out with mustache man from that dinner party issue. You know, the guy that turned up dead? With unstable molecule traces on the body? Which led to detectives coming to Avengers Mansion and them winding up as statues in the bottom of the ocean and/or river?

Jarvis, blushing at the making out image: "Yes, well, miss -- this, um, seems quite the personal dream. Perhaps Dr. Pym is the one you should be talking to..." Sersi: "No, Jarvis -- please. We've only started. Please, stay!"

Jarvis, you're the only who she's willingly opened up to lately! I know that none of this is in your job description but please! Please continue being the best damn supporting character!

Also, oddly, Sersi says of the mustache man "I almost feel I should know him."

Sersi made out with an entire man and doesn't even remember it. Odd.

In the dream, Sersi leaves mustache man because she has stuff to do even though mustache man wants them to spend more time together. But after she leaves, in the dream, "something... or someone... appears behind the young man... and he is terrified."

The mystery figure seems to menace the mustache man but the dream imagery is indistinct.

Jarvis asks whether Sersi can remember harder.

Sersi: "It's so hard, Jarvis. Dreams fade so quickly." Jarvis: "Just try, madame... once you confront the whole dream, I'm sure you'll feel much better. Now what color hair did he have? Was he of fair or dark complexion?" Sersi: "He... he had dark hair. Yes, I remember that now." Jarvis: "It's becoming clearer, miss. What else do you recall?" Sersi: "Nothing. No -- wait! His eyes. I remember his eyes! They were cold, angry eyes!"

Okay. So it's Proctor.

I mean, it's clearly been Proctor even when the figure was more shrouded in mystery on the previous pages.

The thing is. The thing is that this removes a lot of if not all of the ambiguity of the Gatherers plotline.

I kept saying that it was really unclear whether Sersi was really an existential threat or whether Proctor just handles breakups badly. Annnnd. And. The only thing in Proctor's favor was the weirdness around mustache man ending up dead after dating Sersi. And the detectives ending up statues after questioning her about it.

If it's just Proctor killing mustache dude, then he probably killed the detectives. Sersi would have no reason to. She has no tracks to cover. She doesn't even know dead man except to repeatedly mention that he's hot.

Mysterious deaths haven't been the only oddity tied to Sersi but. C'mon. Mysterious deaths were the major thing that ominously loomed in the background, suggesting that maybe Sersi was a threat to Earth like Proctor said. And if he's causing those mysterious deaths then he's probably lying about the other stuff.

Also, adding to the weirdness of Proctor's obsession with Sersi. She has no idea who he is. She just conjured a perfect image of him out of her dreams and went 'dunno who this is but he gives me the creeps.'

Jarvis kind of shrugs this off.

Jarvis: "You've been under a bit of a strain, miss. And he does look like a stern fellow. Now why don't you wish that nasty image away and come inside, and I'll pour you a nice cup of warm milk. It'll work wonders! And remember what else my mother used to say... Dreams can never, ever hurt us! And mother was never wrong."

He's doing his best to be helpful!

Also, what do you mean was?

Ma Jarvis is even more immortal than Aunt May is and without any of the health problems.

Jarvis walks Sersi inside as the dream vision of Proctor fades to just his cold, angry eyes and a mouth that seems to sneer.

And that's the issue. A half-hearted start to the new Galen-Kor arc and a post-script to the Gatherers arc that says 'hey don't worry about any ambiguity!'

What a weird, weird way to write a comic book.

We're still sticking with Avengers through the Galen-Kor arc so stay tuned for hopefully better writing!