The Smoking Lamp -- Marvel 2000's Avengers #36

Smoking Lamp #47
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The lamp is lit...
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Imprint: Marvel 2000
Series: Avengers #36
Author: Curt Fernlund with Plots by Curt Fernlund and Chris Munn
Title: "Prelude: Two of JLU-2001 and Marvel 2000's JLA/Avengers Team-Up: Assembled"

The second paragraph is a great scene setter. Great description of the Himalayan fastness. It gives a wonderful feel to the story...especially as I bake and baste under hot Texas summertime sunshine.

Love the reference to Agamemno's Silver Age event. Using it as the reason for the Batman Protocols is a great idea, whether that is rooted here or in the mainstream books.

A frightening circumstance there when Zauriel seems to coldly consider Ra's as an instrument of God's will. Good stuff.

I love the way that the Prelude stories work as almost a flip book, with the part above the title and roster being JLA and the part below Avengers and vice versa in the next installment.

I like the Silver Surfer and Thor waxing eloquent in the shadows of ancient grandeur that makes these two cosmic beings speak in hushed tones. That's cool.

Wow! What happens to Blastaar is gross? Makes me wonder at the ebon bodies though? What are they? Where do they come from? Are they the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons? Hmmmm, curious.

Constantine and the Phantom Stranger appearing in the later half of the story seem out of synch with the flip book feel. They seem a very small island of DC-ness in the middle of the Marvel-dom section of the issue. And the story could have advanced apace without the two very short scenes. As scenes they are fine, but I don't think they fit here.

Love seeing the Absorbing Man in action. And like the way he is taken down. I've always known that he could reform himself, but the ICK! factor of having a liquefied piece of his shattered form slither across Ms. Marvel's boot was awesome. ICK!

The dead zone following Thor's dimensional wake is going to be a problem. I guess that means that the munchy shadow demons are coming to Earth direct instead of having to devour half the cosmos to get here.

Wow! Wakandan capital punishment in action. I like the way this was done.

I just question the killing off of Klaw and Blastaar in this one issue. Those two, while not being A-list villains, do still have an interesting story or eight in them, I would imagine. Of course, they are only as dead as anyone ever is in comics.

I don't know how I feel about Jan and Hank as bondage freaks. [shakes head] I just don't know about that.

HA! You can almost see Pietro's scowl as he tells Wanda to do as she wishes. HA!

I liked this and I really only have one major gripe. In the next issue blurb, you reveal who is behind the "scurrying little predators" rather than letting it roll out in the story. I was a bit disappointed by that. But on the whole it didn't impact my enjoyment of this issue, just steals a bit of the thunder from the next issue.

And I would have liked to have at least looked in on Midas and his Negative Zone portal floating over Manhattan since it was a focal point in the first Prelude.

All and all, a pretty good story. I liked it and am looking forward to more.

I give it 7.5 out of 10 cigars.

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The lamp is extinguished...Steady as she goes.
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puff