Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities The All Avengers Thread

Perhaps the concepts come first, followed by getting a cast to move around within them?

That makes perfect sense. Hickman is secretly Philip Masters, the evil Puppet Master!

Is there a Marvel equivalent to Despero sitting at a chess board?

Not that I recall. No, wait a minute, IIRC, Steranko's grand Silver Age Nick Fury epic ended up being revealed as a chess game between Dr. Doom and a robot called the Prime Mover.

That'll do. Little pieces being moved around by the whims of something else

Avengers 358-359 (Jan-Feb. 1993)
“Arkon’s Asylum”/ “Gift of the Gods”

Summary
The Avengers’ one-time enemy, Arkon, flees from his homeworld, Polemachus, along with his consort, Thundra, and a girl named Astra, whom they rescued from being sacrificed to the gods. The Polemachans, led by a fanatical priest named Anskar, have reverted to barbaric ways to appease the gods when the energy rings which sustain their world grow too bright and hot.

After the usual slugfest misunderstanding, Arkon explains his plight to the Avengers, and then all are teleported by Anskar back to to Polemachus. The Avengers persuade the priest to hold off his sacrifice of the girl for 24 hours while they investigate rings’ energy surge.

The Avengers discover that energy must be siphoned off the energy rings in order to restore them to normal function. The Black Knight devises such a method relying on Sersi’s cosmic power, Crystal’s elemental abilities, and Arkon’s own power-spears. Once the heroes have succeeded in restoring the energy rings to normal, they return to a grateful crowd on Polemachus. However, Astra is murdered by Anskar, who believes the gods must be thanked for allowing the Avengers’ efforts to succeed. Sersi responds by incinerating Anskar as her horrified teammates watch.

Thoughts
One gets the feeling that Harras would have rather been telling his Swordsman/Proctor story—those brief asides prove to be the most interesting aspects these issues—but was persuaded to withhold them until a special issue (say, next issue perhaps). How does a writer keep the Avengers busy in the meantime? He brings back an old foe, introduces some religious fundamentalism, and has the Avengers go on a space mission armed with spacesuits and technobabble and everything.

These issues can’t make up their minds whether they want to be Star Trek, a Marvel super-hero comic, or something else. There is a patchwork quality to the story that isn’t convincing and leaves the impression that Harras was marking time until he could return to Bigger Things.

It begins with the usual misunderstanding/slugfest as Arkon lands smack in the middle of New York City and engages with the police until the Avengers arrive. The entire fight scene could have been avoided if someone had bothered to ask what was going on, but, no, this is a standard superhero comic, so our heroes must fight. That’s bad enough, but this scene is also dragged out far too long—15 pages—and sees Harras resorting to cliched dialogue (“That’s right—and we’re called Avengers!”) and knee-jerk reactions (“You dare walk away from the prince of power?”)—anything to keep this idiot plot going.

Once the Avengers and Arkon do have a conversation they are whisked away—with plot-convenience ease—to Polemachus so the rest of the story can unfold.

From this point onward, the story feels like less of an Avengers story than one belonging to any number of TV science fiction franchises. We’ve got the fanatical leader—check. We’ve got the clock ticking—check. We’ve got the spacesuits and the pseudo-scientific resolution to the problem—check. And we’ve got the surprise ending which shows that our heroes’ efforts can’t change human stupidity—check. This by-the-numbers plot has little going for it except the ending.

Sersi’s vigilantism—which echoes Dane’s similar choice back in 347—does come as quite a surprise. It also builds well off the mystery Harras has created about her over the last several issues. Sersi’s last line in the book is fitting: “I was an Avenger!”—a triple meaning of not only her role in avenging Astra’s death but also a literal interpretation of the Avengers’ name, as well as, perhaps, an indication that her days on the team are numbered. This scene, which thrusts the Avengers into new territory, partially redeems the story, but we had to go through an awful lot of stale plot and hackneyed characterization to get there.

There are also the usual subplots—Dane loves Crystal, Crystal loves Dane but is married to Pietro, Proctor plans to kill the Swordsman (who remains a guest of the Avengers), and Herc’s new flame, Taylor Madison, displays a mysterious, worried side to Jarvis and Marilla.

These issues are not as bad as 352-354, but they feel just as unnecessary. Even the Epting/Palmer art feels rushed throughout.

I don't entirely disagree with you, He Who, but I think I'm more willing to excuse the flaws and cliches and just enjoy the story for what it is. Here I must admit to having sentimental spots for Arkon and Thundra, and I love the way that Harras & Epting & Palmer portray them; I also have to say I find fewer rushed spots in the art than you seem to.

Glad you liked the surprise ending, though. Back in the day, that final page seared itself into my impressionable little head and has never ceased to stun me, no matter how many times I re-read it.

I love it that we see these stories very differently, Fanfie.

I also try to appreciate stories just for what they are, but this one, I feel, has serious flaws. The fight scene between the Avengers and Arkon, for example, is prolonged and instigated by the flimsiest of excuses--Arkon is rude to Herc. If people behaved this way in real life, there would fight scenes every day when people barge in front of each other to get on an elevator.

It's interesting that most of the story is more science fictional than super-heroish. It almost feels like Harras, Epting, or the Powers that Be were trying to force the Avengers to evolve away from standard super-hero fare by eschewing costumes in favor of jackets, and using spacesuits and other science fictional trappings. This doesn't feel like an Avengers story but one that could involve any group of characters who are summoned to Polemachus to solve the mystery of the rings.

In general, I don't mind such evolution. In fact, I enjoy it when it's a natural part of a story's progress.

Avengers #358
I recognise the couple of the cover from the JLA/Avengers crossover, and from an appearance somewhere too long ago to recall. Arkon and Thundra, from the world where hood ornaments are worn on the head.

I didn't think they were villains, and it takes one of those misunderstood fight scenes for the cast to get to that conclusion too. There's the Avengers fast ball special equivalent. Still, Hercules didn't get pummelled much. Sersi threatened to kill someone again and there was a hint of teamwork.

I was expecting a bit more development in this issue, after the last couple didn't move forward much. The Swordsman finally gets to learn about the differences between his world and this one.

The Akron story brings conflict to the Avenger's doorstep, but it's a decent enough threat, with a world at stake. Thundra gets a nice dig in about patriarchal societies. Akron mentions that the Avengers helped him before. Perhaps readers of older issues can compare the two Avengers teams?

The Avengers are whisked away to Akron's world by the villain introduced in his flashback. It's a world on edge, seeking to return to their old ways of human sacrifice. Considering all the demons and supernatural entities that run around the Marvel and DC Universes, I wonder why characters are always so dismissive of such approaches.

The villain isn't immediately out for power himself. He does believe in his actions and the society that deems them necessary. He gives Akron a chance to redeem himself. He looks less than happy about giving the Avengers a shot at saving everything. But again, doesn't denounce them outright. So, the story gets some points for avoiding a few of the more travelled plot paths.
It was a relief to see at least the Vision could get out of the force field the rest of the team found themselves trapped in as the story went on around them.
They have 24 hours to reduce the energy bathing this world. Not knowing the source of it, I'm a little curious.

We also get a little movement in the Proctor subplot. I'm not sure why Proctor feels he has to back for the Swordsman, other than in a plan against Magdalene, but another gather will bring the alternate version of someone willing to kill him. A lot of fun could have been had with these alternate world Gathers, so it's a bit of a shame that this subplot hasn't had more momentum.

Hey, anything to keep the book fresh. That was the driving philosophy behind Avengers for its first 31 years. I doubt it was TPTB, though. They could have cared less about Avengers. They were all "X-Men, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider...what else do we publish?" I think it's always the neglected, under-the-radar books that shine the brightest creatively.

I should also add that I think Harras deserves credit for taking the option of bringing back an under-used old foe rather than an over-used one (I have an interview where Harras made no secret that he felt the Avengers' rogues gallery was lacking.) And that I think the pacing problems of the Harras/Epting Avengers run could be compared to those faced by the TMK Legion.

Anyhow, we're now moving into 1993, the 30th Anniversary of the Avengers. And, in my opinion, it gets off to a great start, only to sputter towards the end, when the book gets thrown off-course by a crossover with the X-Men, who were also celebrating their 30th Anniversary. I can understand the commercial logic of making the Avengers cross over with what was then Marvel's hottest property, but the results are a mess. I'll elaborate when we get to the issues proper.

Avengers #359

While I've no idea about skies that "burn hard" it's quickly made up for with "so little time...just the rest of my life."

I was a little surprised to see Sersi left behind. I thought she was from an advanced civilisations, which might have helped? So far in and I still don't have a decent grasp of some of the big background points.

Ah, it's a recon mission. Despite the heat, there's at least plenty of water in The Nile. Sorry, that should be de-nial, which is what Crystal is in over Dane. It's odd seeing Hercules in touch with a softer side of things. I can put that down to his recent romantic feelings. Crystal's emotions seem very insecure. I don't know enough about her to know if this is what she's always been like, or if it's the shock over her split with Speed-Git Quicksilver.

A plan is hatched, and we get a reminder from the people of what's at stake as the Avenger's craft takes off. Where did the craft come from? It wasn't with them when they arrived as they were teleported. Did they go back to Earth for it? In which case, why not call in some reinforcements?

The plan seems to work well. We get a little more about Crystal and Sersi's powers as they now operate in the realm of sub-atomic handwavium.

Akron's lightning bolts work like a space time toggle. One bolt for turning on a spacetime rift, another for closing it. But I didn't see that effect from the bolts on Earth, unless this is how they all teleport around and he can adjust their power.

The plan continues to go a little too well. But we then get some tension playing off against the cover, where it was implied that one would fall into the energy.

The heroes return triumphant, only for everyone to be betrayed by the head cultist, Anskar. His twisted logic is exactly the sort of thing we have with cults here, so it's good that Harris reflects that.

Then we have a powerful moment. Not just because of the action itself and not only because of the links to the caption on the cover (nicely done). But because this has been the sub plot I've picked up on a lot throughout all of this run. What does it mean to be an Avenger?
Sersi has previously threatened to dispatch a foe. We got another precursor of this earlier in this issue to reinforce the point before the finale. The work done on the cast makes this ending more complex. On one level, Astra needed someone to avenge her death. But does this justice have to be an eye for an eye?

Anskar does represent the will of his people. He didn't act out of spite against Akron or the girl. He acted because his faith told him that it was necessary. As I mentioned, with all of the cosmic entities running around the Marvel universe, Anskar has more reason than we would have here to believe he was right. This sad reflection on a lot of the actions we take in our world also adds depth to this moment.

On the repercussions of this, it should be remembered that The Black Knight, Sersi, The Vision and Hercules were involved in the killing of the Supreme Intelligence. Crystal disagreed with their actions. I can't imagine Black Widow's career not having it's fair share of bloodshed either. Can they blame Sersi for doing the same again? What will this mean for Akron? Will his people depose him for allowing this action?

In the epilogues, we get to see an emotional Madison Taylor, who may know more about the plan against Hercules than she lets on.

We then get another interesting character in Tabula. Harris does a good job in showing that this group has a history in a only a couple of panels. Their captured "madman", who will be used to attack The Swordsman, is also a good tease .

If I take anything away from the Harris run, it will be the bittersweet endings.

Thanks for the insightful reviews, Thoth. As with 347, you seem to appreciate the story in 358-359 and what Harras was trying to say.

I like your comment about "bittersweet endings". Bittersweet like the finest baking chocolate.

As for comparing teams, Arkon first met the Avengers way back in 75-76 by Roy Thomas & John Buscema, when the team was Captain America, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Clint Barton as Goliath, Iron Man, Thor, and Quicksilver. Back then, he was completely antagonistic until the Scarlet Witch opened his mind (somewhat) and the other Avengers helped him re-energize the rings. Then, in 84, also by Thomas & Buscema, he was manipulated by the Enchantress and took two steps back. He disappeared for a long time after that, until he appeared in X-Men Annual 3 by Chris Claremont & George Perez, which was basically a rehash of 75-76, but very well executed, this time Storm's powers recharging the rings. By this point he came to fully respect Earth's heroes. Then he returned in Avengers West Coast 75, by Roy and Dann Thomas & Herb Trimpe, which is where he and Thundra fell in love; otherwise that story is completely forgettable -- at least I've forgotten most of it.

In an alternate universe, a later writing team from our reference, would end up doing this issue...

In a New York coffee shop, with a "No Dogs" sign and Lockjaw outside piddling on the building...

Natasha: Ah here's the last of the entire cast.
Akron: Do they all have to be here? There's a crisis...
Natasha: Ah ah. You know how this works. We're going to spend the entire issue...
Sersi: ...in Bendis panels with the reactions ...
Whitman: ...of everyone, relating...
Vision: ...their experiences of the same...
Crystal ... event (love you Dane).
Akron: But...you all have the same voice!
Natasha: Yes, it is the narrative voice...
Sersi: ...of Bendis. We are all...
Vision: ..identical. Our coffee has now arrived to slow...
Crystal... the plot even further (but, I love Pietro & Vision & Johnny &...)
>6 pages of every character sipping coffee in the same way later<
Hercules: Carrot Cake! You would insult The Prince of Power by not bringing a danish!
Akron: Perhaps the waiter thought Danishes were for Scandinavians like Thor?
Hercules: Gah! What coward compares me to Thor? >throws over table and starts pointless fight<
Akron: No one calls Arkon a coward, and lives! (Whew! Back on track!)

Good catch.

Perhaps Hank Pym left behind some of his miniaturizing formula so the Avengers can carry a ship with them at all times. Or perhaps it's because they were only teleported to Ohio.

(Psst, thoth . . . it's Arkon, not Akron. )

You're completely right about the introduction of Tabula and the sense that the Gatherers have history. Unfortunately, this plotline is drawn out so much that it's easy to miss these details and the level of thought put into the Gatherers. They truly are the most interesting aspect of the book right now, but we see so little of them.

Except that it's not so fresh. It feels more like Harras, et al., were thinking, "Gee, what haven't we done with the Avengers yet? I know, let's have them go on a space adventure, but this time, they'll wear spacesuits instead of their usual costumes."

It comes across as the sort of high concept thinking that is used to sell movie ideas ("Picture this! The Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Swiss Family Robinson!"). These are superficial changes at best and seem grafted on to the Avengers instead of evolving naturally from who the characters are, what they are trying to achieve, and how they respond to the conflicts in their lives.

There has been no explanation for why the Avengers have started wearing jackets, for example--they just started wearing them. I don't mind the jackets (though Dane still looks silly in his helmet and jacket), but it's a superficial change with no thought given to why the characters themselves would do it. Stories must make sense internally as well as externally. (The external reason--to update the Avengers' image--is perfectly valid. But the characters themselves don't make decisions to sell comic books or appeal to fans. They should change because it's logical for them to do so.)

By the way, I've noticed that alt-Thor's image has disappeared from the masthead. I take it he's left the team since he does not appear in 360 either and is not shown in the group poster in that issue. This is another example of changes that just happen in the book without rhyme or reason. It's hard to feel drawn into the book and invested in the characters when readers are kept at a distance.

"Thor hath been called away on an errand most urgent,"said Herc in #357. It came with an editor's note to check out Thor's own book for more.

While this is usually due to continuity reasons, I'm aware that it may not have upset Harras to be shot of him.

There was no explanation for the Legionnaires changing their looks where Dave Cockrum took over the art and redesigned them. I don't see any reason why there should be one for the Avengers.

And remember, I was 18 at the time and had only been reading superhero comics for a year, so what may be stale, high-concept, and cliched to you was fresh and exciting to me.

As for Thor Substitute, what happened in Thor's solo book was that the real Thor finally came back, and then the Enchantress manipulated the two Thors to fight it out over Sif. Odin intervened, making a similar decree to the Beta Ray Bill one, giving Thor Substitute his own hammer and identity as Thunderstrike. He would return to the Avengers in the early 370s.

In the Thor solo book, Jim Starlin had just taken over as plotter, and probably didn't want to share Thor with Harras. As it happened, Starlin left very quickly, and the real Thor was brought back into the Avengers during the 390s, by which time the book had declined horribly.

And I notice neither of you replied to what I said about the pacing problems of this Avengers run being similar to the pacing problems of the TMK Legion run.

Yoikes! I feel like I stumbled into a drive-by incident. Unless my defence of Alt+Thor's departure was rubbish, then I had it coming.

Right. I've watched reanimator. I can operate my body without it's head. ASTRDFSDFGREERT. Rats. Anyone got a stapler?

Thanks for the little capsule Marvel history updates. They're useful in filling out the blanks.

Now for...Battle of the Planets Jackets!
Or TMK Legion v Harras Avengers. I didn't disagree or agree with your comment, really.

Hmmm, that was a bit of an anticlimax... so off the top of my head...

- Giffen is a much more innovative, mature plotter.
- Harris has given us alternate universes and alien sun constructs, even if that scope doesn't always get used as well as it should.
- Being the artist enabled Giffen to present a distinctive vision (no pun intended) on the Legion that assisted the story.
- Giffen's issues were packed with plotting.
- The Bierbaum's have a better ear for dialogue than Harris, and are able to deliver some great, defining moments.
- TMK really, really mined their love for the Legion.
- TMK & Al run was a team effort and that gives them an advantage over Harris. That teamwork results in stronger characterisation.
- It's easier doing the Legion in a self contained corner of a universe than it is with the Avengers of that time.
- When editorial messed up, Giffen took away his toys. When editorial seemed to have mucked around with his line up, Harris stuck through it to a larger degree.
- TMK had a huge cast, while Harris went for some unexpected core Avengers (no idea if this was mandated, but it doesn't seem so.)
- And vitally, the Legion uniforms were a tiny part of things, yet they were plotted in. The Avengers jackets just appeared. But it took the Legion ages to give them an individual look, where the Avengers still had the costumes underneath. giving them a clearer identity in Epting's art.

Yeah, yeah but what about the pacing?

Well, the Legion got knocked about as early as issue 4. The fill ins around 8-9 impacted the Bierbaum's possible side projects and ruined any chance of a gripping story arc. Various later fill-ins made it worse, resulting in over long subplots and even main plots.

But that's a story arc. The pacing within some of the issues was excellent. The point above regarding the sheer amount of information in each issue meant that when things went well, they went really well.

The Avengers fill in issues have also delayed a number of sub plots. But there are far fewer sub plots in a smaller cast, so they are returned to eventually.

Harris' pacing and plotting within individual issues is much more formulaic. But at least he gets to the end of a multi issue story arc without the wheels coming off. Although there's a lot less information in the Avengers, it doesn't get overrun by the next set of ideas jostling for attention in the way the TMK Legion did. There's an understated complexity in the finales, that are very much to Harris' credit. These endings are supported by clear plot points along the way.

Thoth, even though it's clear that you find more merit in the TMK Legion than I do, your comparisons seem overall fair and balanced to me. Thanks.

My point being, as yours and He Who's objective analyses have gathered steam, it reinforces my original theory that the Harras/Epting Avengers and the TMK Legion are analogous, in both postiive and negative ways. I know I said at one point that the DnA Legion was a better analogy, but even though I like DnA much better than TMK, I have to take back what I said.

As the Terra Mosaic went on for-seemingly-ever, I began to wonder if it would ever stop (despite there still being some good points, by that point the title had been kicked about quite a bit).

That's not a feeling I've had with the Avengers yet. I did wonder if the Avengers would really start though, where the Legion started very strongly.

Another example would be in the pay off department. In issue 12/13 of the TMK Legion run we get told the Legion were back together. The build up to that moment was a lot more disjointed than it needed to be.

I think Giffen said the whole thing was only about 50% of what they had wanted over the whole series.

At the end of Avengers #347 we get an opposite scenario. The Avengers could split apart. But it wasn't just announced. It had been built up to, more simply than the TMK legion, but to a greater overall effect.

The Supreme Intelligence's motivations worked better than the demented Roxxas as Dominator agent in the end.

I don't know if it does any good to compare a different series by another creative team in a previous decade to this Avengers run, but, for the sake of argument, I see at least two mitigating factors:

1. The Legion had been cancelled as a series a few years before when they were bumped from Adventure and then dropped from Action. Drastic measures are often employed to reinvigorate a once dead franchise.

2. The Legionnaires were understood to be teenagers, and teens routinely change their appearance. This understanding has not been present in the Avengers, who are adults and who have made a really strange choice to conform--to adopt a uniform, as it were--after decades of each character wearing individualized costumes.



This is one of the reasons why I appreciate your perspective. We all bring to our reading of any story who we are, what we've experienced, and how we perceive the characters and stories based on past associations with them.

One thing I've tried to do is step beyond that and approach these reviews with a more general idea of what makes a good story. Even that is subjective, I'll admit, and it's not entirely possible (or desirable, I think) to separate my own experiences from my reviews. But I do think there are certain broad standards of story telling that one can focus on.



Thanks for the update. Again, though, it's a shame that this is not addressed in the Avengers' own book. I caught Herc's reference to Eric being gone from the dinner party, but that's just one story. If his absence is going to be prolonged, it would be nice if someone would mention it in story.



I must have missed that comment.

Thoth did a great job of comparing and contrasting TMK to this run of Avengers, above. I have little to add to it.

Good points well-taken about the comparison to the Cockrum Legion and about the Avengers' jackets being a kind of uniform, He Who.

Thinking about it, I guess the reason I like the jackets is because, like most mainstream entertainment, the Avengers were a couple years behind on fashions in the real world, where those kinds of jackets had become unfashionable in the wake of the Invasion of the Flannel-Clad Whiners from the Pacific Northwest. Being contrarily opposed to that so-called revolution, I looked at the jackets as a remnant of a dying era that I could cling to.

Good point, too, about standards of storytelling. And thanks for the kind words about appreciating my perspective. I hope it comes through in my posts that I appreciate your perspective as much as you appreciate mine, even though we disagree on a lot of the specifics.

I look forward to our occasional disagreements, Fanfie--they help me sharpen my own thinking.

As I said, I don't mind the jackets. I just think that such a change should flow naturally from who the characters are and the choices they've made, not just be dropped into the story without explanation.

I feel exactly the same way. Cheers.

Avengers 360
We jump straight into the Proctor plot. Our version of the Vision seems caught in mid scream. So, while the evil smile of the alternate version has a creepy effect, it's not quite the contrast against our emotionless one it could have been.

All alternate Vision needs to do now is watch Spock on Star Trek for 5 minutes to get the "fascinating" reference down, and the Avengers will never know.

Sersi has vanished upon the team's return effectively tabling and further discussion of her actions of last issue. But the Proctor sub plot has waited a long time, and to Harris' credit, it's not the first time Sersi has vanished.

The Vision's urgent business is interesting, and drops us back into a nicely familiar previous story. I've no idea why Mrs Lipton thinks the Vision is Alex. If she can see anything in the Vision's eyes, she may be delusional. It didn't work out too well for Wanda. Speaking of inner turmoil, the Vision not actually being aware of how emotive he has been and his struggle to maintain logical responses all along may lead to trouble.

But he's not the only one faking and gets taken out by the Gatherers. Tabula is indeed a good addition (returning member) to their team. But what of the real Mrs Lipton? How did the Gatherers know about her (I think I'm forgetting something here)?

It seems odd that Proctor didn't put out a couple of extra life force transfer tables for Jocasta and the Wasp, just to keep in with Avengers tradition. But why just disguise an android when you can perform complex brain surgery? Removing the Vision's hand is a little needless too. We've seen how complicated the Vision's inner workings are in the past, yet our Uber-villain will perform all the repairs without a second thought.

There's a tried and tested marital comics reveal between Proctor and Sersi, before we get a three page Sersi Swimsuit Special insert. Dane refers to himself as a "genius with a death wish" and "the anchor in [Sersi's] life" when he confronts her about her recent actions. Character development through having them spout slogans about themselves is pretty poor (he typed diplomatically). The Sersi subplot does move forward, without her turning into Dark Sersi. Using Wakanda provides a link to recent issues too.

Crystal gets a new outfit. More importantly Herc and Crystal mention Dane's previous killing and Herc supports it. I was a little worried that these things would be pushed aside, but even after Galactic Storm, there was a continuation of this thread.

Why would Arkon (alternate version of the much better Akron ) leave a dinosaur behind? Perhaps they thought Luna might like a pet? Baffling. I might have been wrong about Dark Sersi...

It's just as well Sersi is holding back. Epting's art (which I should mention more, but is particularly good here) shows her as a powerful being, who could easily kill...um, again.

Natasha didn't even get to release a sting during the combat. Once again, I wonder why she's there. More so, considering the reveal at the end of the issue. Natasha was reduced to clipboard carrier the last time Captain America was around. She's not grown a great deal since. Now what time she had could be up.

The poster shows Herc in an even sillier outfit than usual. He managed not to get pummelled into the ground this issue. He was zapped unconscious by Sersi's energy instead. I think all that "Prince of Power" stuff is a mask for low self esteem. He knows that everyone on Olympus is scrying this stuff.

Hopefully the Black Knight will have noticed the change in the Vision. I had expected a more subtle infiltration of the team, but I can see the appeal to Alt+Vision in reminding Sersi of Proctor.

I had expected Sersi's possible other murders to lead up to her breakdown. So, both this and the Vision plot seem to move forward quite quickly. It's not a bad thing, but I wondering if my expectation has anything to do with the more drip fed sub plotting that's gone on before.

As an aside, I didn't have this issue in my cheapy back issue pile. Undoubtedly, this is due to the cover. So when it arrived, I thought it was going to be a bumper sized issue. But I'd ordered it before I'd got to #350, which was the big (padded) issue.