Heroes Return #1: The Man Who Rebooted the World

[superboyprime]

"So in the midst of the last year that I think a lot of us would like to forget, or that we’re all looking to move past in some way and get back to some semblance of life as we know it, that was all wrapped up in this. Like this job that I’ve loved that I’ve wanted since I was a kid that I love every day. That all kind of disappeared. So coming back to it was very much celebrating what I love about this job, what I love about comics, as a reader, as a writer, someone who feels very blessed to get to play in these sandboxes with these characters in these toys. That’s all wrapped up in this and I think that hopefully you can feel that on every page of this story. From me and from the amazing group of artists who I’m getting to work with across these eight books. But it’s very much a celebration – a joyful celebration of the power, the beauty, and the fun of comics." - Jason Aaron

Comments

[cypherfdp]

Absolutely livid that the opportunity for a council of 666 Mephistos was missed

(also, isn't the Hickman Hyperion around somewhere?)

[scorntx]

I was going to make a remark about how Aaron's writing on this and Avengers really does come across as a moody teenager smashing action figures together. And then he goes and makes the toy metaphor.
Feel like the angry mob arriving at the spooky castle to find the drawbridge down and the mad scientist already dead...

Aaron also admitted in interviews that the title was chosen just 'cuz, and didn't have a damn thing to do with Onslaught, or Heroes Reborn or Heroes Return (aside from maybe the tangential connection of 'villain rewrites reality', and even then it's not exactly that unique a concept these days... Kulan Gath was doing it before it was cool.)
Maybe it's because they weren't allowed to just call it Squadron Supreme again, and A Bunch of Stuff That Happens is too long, too on the nose, and wouldn't pass legal?

As far as A Bunch of Stuff goes, it's... harmless. Speaking as someone who usually can't stand Aaron's writing most of the time, it's tolerable.
Light on plot, but in a mindless sort of way. A pure popcorn comic.
'cept the whole turning Phil Coulson into, essentially, Marvel's Max Lord... that I dislike.
There's an easy handwave in there that Mephisto's done something demon-y to Phil, separated out the good and bad, but until or unless some other writer comes along with that handwave, poor Phil looks kind of radioactive at the moment.
(Must have been one damn good sandwich for Aaron to be this riled about it, huh?)

I don't know if having the Squadron remain on Evphil's side rather than going with the typical route of turning on their creator when they learn what he's done because he's succeeded a bit too well in creating heroes is better than running with the trope. It is certainly A Choice.
(But comparisons to "Legends" from Justice League might've been unavoidable...)
Though Nighthawk's assertion that Evphil's world is better is laughable. Your world sucked. Accept it.

It's a shame, not just because I like the original Squadron maxiseries (flaws and all), but there are threads of an interesting story in here, and it doesn't seem like it'd take much to make something of them, rather than, again, A Bunch of Stuff That Happens.

Squadron was an interesting early deconstruction, of when well-meaning intentions become harmful, and the idea of status quo in comic books.
The only point this thing seems to be making is "American Exceptionalism is bad."
... which, admittedly, is a point that probably does need reiterating at some people these days.

Though in the interest of some semblance of balance, I do like the lack of metacommentary, subtle or otherwise.

*huff... huff... huff...*

Wonder what's next from Marvel? A version of The Crossing that has nothing to do with that story?
... no, wait. That'd be a good thing. Scratch that.
(Live Kree or Die? Maximum Security? Avengers Forever?)

[thanekos]

" Now, first order of Council business - the Questionaire!

" Number one.. the human mutant, uh, Magma. Any of us here, uh.. close the deal on that? "

[starwolf_oakley]

Is Marvel going to do "Some remember the old universe" again? Which I think they tried after "Secret Wars."

[tinygaylaura]

So they replaced the actually cool Nighthawk with a character who is basically just Super Douche Prime but with an even stupider costume

"EVERYTHING WAS BETTER ON MY EARTH! YOU'RE RUIIIINNNIIINNNGGGGG EEEVVVEERYYYYTTTHHHIIINNNGGGGG!"

[mazway_75]

I just love Pig Mephisto.

Thing is, it's going to be like the Variant Lokis in the show, not long before they're double-crossing each other for power and 616 Loki sighing "this...may have been a mistake."

[thezmage]

This "event" was really more of a whimper than a bang, but I did enjoy it.

The Hyperion/Peter Parker stuff was the best though. This scene where he goes looking for his old "friend" who both hated him and who he had found irritating, was oretty good in my opinion