Avengers #5: The Woman Called... Smasher!

[superboyprime]

One of the newest members of the Avengers gets her spotlight issue.

Izzy Dare lives on a farm with her dad and granddad, that latter of whom has the eccentric habit of trying to free the animals.



One day, she discovers a set of alien goggles in the crop field. People who read Grant Morrison's New X-Men will know how it got there.





When the current Smasher of the Imperial Guard is killed in action, a replacement must be found.

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

Yup, really liking this new character. :D

[chrisdv]

One day, she discovers a set of alien goggles in the crop field. People who read Grant Morrison's New X-Men will know how it got there.

I did not read Grant Morrison's New X-Men - Little help?

[squirle]

Superguardian Smasher goes to warn the people of earth that Cassandra Nova has taken over the Shi'Ar empire, but he is injured and crashes into a field, with only cows hearing his warning.

[captainbellman]

I always imagined that scene was followed by one of the cows morphing into his original Skrull form, going "Aw dude, no WAY! Not AGAIN!" and running towards the hills, arms flailing everywhere and screaming.

[squirle]

Wait, that old bloke is Dan Dare? Only in the past instead of the future and a Marvel character?

[akodo_rokku]

Huh, I didn't catch that when reading this. Nice reference.

[icon_uk]

The name might be Dan Dare (or it might not depending on whether he's her paternal or maternal grandfather) but THE Dan Dare he most definitely is not, since he appears to be American.

[arbre_rieur]

Possibly, he's lived in the US long enough that his speech has gone native.

[icon_uk]

The time it would take for Dan Dare's speech to "go native" in any environment would require the invention of a new term for a period of time, because "aeons" would just be too short.

[espanolbot]

Wouldn't be the first time someone's co-opted a character into being American for no reason. Like one of the first James Bond adaptions renamed him Jimmy Bond and made him a CIA agent. Or that upcoming series that has Dracula pretending to be an American businessman so he can bring modern science to the stuffy people of Victorian London.

Yes, that second one is a real thing.
http://www.themarysue.com/huntress-dracula-move/

[icon_uk]

Dracula reinventing himself to assimilate and corrupt I can actually sort of see, since he seems desperate (but useless) at changing who he is. Kim Newman has made some interesting comments about vampires in the media and how they differ from Bram Stoker's take on things

http://io9.com/5908117/why-are-so-many-vampire-stories-so-weak

[donnblake]

An interesting inversion of the classic storyline, where 'modern' technology plays an important if understated role in destroying the Count.

[arbre_rieur]

The issue definitely implies that he's her paternal grandfather. When her dad learns she really has been having space adventures -- something the grandfather had told him -- he says something along the lines of, "I thought he was crazy. I thought he was crazy my whole life."

[lucky_gamble]

Oh that gave me the tingles. Might give this issue a chance.

[nyadnar17]

Like I said elsewhere, pure unadulterated heroism seems to be this book's mission statement.

As an X-men fan I had no interest in this Smasher(in the X-franchise Smasher is the "Kenny" of the Imperial Guard), book this book made me a believer. I love this character.

[darkknightjrk]

Hickman's said that was the idea: Avengers is the bright, optimistic, progressive superheroism, and New Avengers is the darker, regressive, and pessimistic take, and the two will bounce on each other as it goes.

[shadowpsykie]

ugh i dont want to like this because of the fiasco of AVX.... but this looks GOOD!

[silverhammerman]

Wait wait wait, you say Hickman wrote this? Where are the infographics? Where's the self-important narration?
Seriously though, this looks nice, this is the kind of tone I wanted to see from the first issue.

[lucky_gamble]

I noticed the lack of vague and grandiose statements as well. I think that's why I like it.

[darkknightjrk]

I think Hickman spent himself in explaining the Earths collapsing into each other in New Avengers #2.

Seriously though, I always thought his Marvel work was far more level-headed and with more heart/character than his creator owned stuff.

[mrstatham]

I definitely find Secret Warriors more readable than Manhattan Projects, but even that has a little too much of the 'this is how things ACTUALLY are!!!!' thing going on.

[darkknightjrk]

I'd say that Fantastic Four has almost none of that kind of thing.

[arbre_rieur]

Take a look at the second scan again, first three panels.

[super_fly]

I shouldn't think her granddad should have to worry too much. Luke is married after-all.

[vspope]

And promise me... NO MORE CAGES.

[featheredserpent]

Stop giving Wanda ideas.

[mrosa]

Since when is Dan Dare part of the MU?

[icon_uk]

He's not, no way, no how, and whilst we know her surname is Dare, we don't know if his is.

[mrosa]

Doesn't his card have the name Dan?

[icon_uk]

Yes, his first name is Dan, but we don't know if his last name is Dare, only that HER last name is Dare. If he is her maternal grandfather, he won't have the surname Dare, though, yes, if he's her paternal grandfather he will.

[glprime]

In other news, da Nile is not just a river in Egypt ;)

And now, sports...

[icon_uk]

Probably, I just find making one of the most pointedly English of British characters an American, just for the sake of a not terribly good joke, to be more bizarre than a homage.

It's like making Tom Sawyer Welsh for the sake of a one panel reference

[shadowpsykie]

.... how is this a joke? and i hvent read the issue yet, but is he stated as being American?

[icon_uk]

By dropping in references to his name jigsaw puzzle style, it's intended (or so I believe) to be amusing little easter egg.

And his grammar and word choice are completely at odds with Dan Dare, whose refined upper class accent is as much a part of his character as his arched eyebrows and tall figure.

[espanolbot]

Not sure, is he in the public domain? Or is this like how Doctor Who and Transformers are technically in the Marvel Universe due to their ol comicbook series having ties to both each other and leaving established characters behind in the process? Like Death's Head.

[majingojira]

I love how Death's Head kinda encompasses those two in the MU. A Transformer who's Alt Mode is a Dalek.

That shudder of fear is only natural.

[valtyr]

I don't know if I prefer Cap's expression in his first panel here, or his lush, full eyelashes in the second. Nice.

[shadowpsykie]

he does have lady lashes... much as i do :D

[spacebetween]

Is this the first time they have introduced the Superguardian and Subguardian aspect to the Imperial Guard?

[dr_archeville]

I think so. I think this is also the first time they've indicated the names of Imperial Guard beings (Manta, Starbolt, Smasher, etc.) aren't names of individuals, but are names for a position in the Guard.

[q99]

Though there have been multiple users of some names in some cases.

It's not unlikely that many of those really have been the same individual the whole time... and others haven't.

[glprime]

I'm actually amazed Hickman's referencing the Morrison run. That thing was so much fun, quickly spirally into another Editorial Mandate Mess and hastily swept under the rug.

But I saw the farm on the cover and was like, "...Because the last one crash landed in a pasture!"

I like when Continuity is used for Good and not Evil.

[outlawpoet]

I was pleasantly surprised as well. And some good use of deeper Kree Imperial Guard refs too.

Better than expected from Hickman, I may have to get the trade here.