AVENGERS #356

"DEATH IN A GATHERING PLACE"
Writer: Bob Harras | Penciler: Steve Epting
Inker & Colorist: Tom Palmer | Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editor: Ralph Macchio | Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Plot: In Wakanda, the Black Panther is attacked by the Gatherers. But, forewarned by the Avengers, he holds his own until Hercules, Thor, Vision, and Sersi arrive via Lockjaw's teleportation power. Black Panther finds Coal Tiger, brought along by the Gatherers, and struggles to determine why they share a face. Back at Avengers Mansion, Black Knight and Black Widow discuss the fact that they are the weakest of the Avengers following Gatherer Cassandra's telektinetic blast, and they had to stay behind because of that. In Wakanda, the battle continues, while Black Panther and Coal Tiger speak and realize they are the same person.

Swordsman begins to doubt what the Gatherers have told him, while Proctor observes from afar. Soon, the Avengers are dispatched and Cassandra begins a procedure to make Black Panther fade from existence, allowing Coal Tiger to remain in his place. But Swordsman can't countenance this, and stuns Cassandra. Hercules rejoins the fray, as does Thor -- accompanied by Wakanda's Elite Strike Force. The Gatherers are forced to retreat. With his dying breath, Coal Tiger thanks Swordsman for saving Black Panther's life. Then, as Swordman unsteadily attempts to follow the Gatherers through their "slash/way", Vision grabs him and keeps him in Wakanda, the Avengers' prisoner.

Continuity Notes: Crystal is weirdly nowhere to be seen this issue, despite Lockjaw's involvement. It's said that Black Knight and Black Widow remained behind because they are "mere mortals" and more susceptible to Cassandra's attacks -- unlike Thor, Hercules, Vision, and Sersi, who all have superhuman (or better) physiques. Crystal is mortal in terms of her body, I suppose, though unlike the Knight and Widow, she has super-powers. But in any case, it just seems odd she's not seen or even mentioned here, aside from the obvious implication that she summoned Lockjaw to help. (And help he does! He even gets into a fight with the Gatherers' animal-guy, Sloth!)

In addition to the effects of Cassandra's attack, the Black Knight is also still suffering from his injuries at Raza's blade in issue 350.

Proctor has apparently been keeping Swordsman in the dark as to what exactly the Gatherers do (more on that below). Here, he soliloquizes that he is now intentionally letting that haze disperse, with a plan of overwhelming Swordsman with the reality of his situation, thus driving him away from Magdalene, and giving Proctor a chance to swoop in on her rebound. Even the villains have soap opera-style love triangles in this run! I love it!

Proctor is also seen entering a room and telling someone inside that he needs to "consult" with them beside their "dreaming bed" in order to learn his next move. There is no hint or clue as to who this individual is, however.

Assemble: Again, no -- but Coal Tiger does hit Swordsman with that other classic standby, "Once an Avenger -- always an Avenger." ("Avengers Assemble!" count: 4 in 23 issues to date.)

My Thoughts: More is revealed about the Gatherers and their plans (or, perhaps, their purpose) in this issue. They travel from universe to universe, saving -- or "gathering" -- what I assume to be the sole survivors of dying realities and bringing them back to their reality -- and in this universe, Proctor sends the Gatherers out to find the "real" counterpart of every person they save, and wipe that person from existence so that the "gathered" version can live.

(Harras establishes here that two versions of the same person can't co-exist in the same universe, which I'm not sure is something Marvel has ever really run with anywhere else -- indeed, I'm certain there are any number of stories which outright contradict the idea -- though it's kind of a cool concept.)

Swordsman, however, has been kept in the dark about all this. He legitimately believes himself to be the Philip Javert of the Avengres' universe, and Proctor has kept his mind clouded, until now, to keep him from questioning any little disrepancies which might suggest otherwise. But now the clouds are lifting, as Swordsman begins to see cracks in what he's been told. As noted above, this is apparently an elaborate plot by Proctor to separate Sworsdman and Magdalene, but it's shaping up to become Proctor's undoing, as well. The Avengers now have the Swordsman, and next issue will hopefully present more answers for our heroes, for their prisoner, and for we readers!

But for now, this is another winner. I'm sure I've said that ad nauseum at this point, and maybe it's not fun to read nonstop praise for a comic book run in what is intended to be a series of critical posts. But thus far, speaking entirely honestly, I can find few flaws in what I've read. Every issue, so long as it's produced by the regular creative team, has been great. My only problem with this material is that I waited so long to finally read it!