Avengers Assemble: Omega #1
- Writer:
- Jason Aaron
- Artist:
- Aaron Kuder, Ivan Fiorelli, Javier Garron, Jim Towe, Dexter Vines
- Letterer:
- VC's Cory Petit
- Cover Artist:
- Aaron Kuder
- Publisher:
- Marvel
- Price:
- $7.99
- Release Date:
- 2023-04-19
- Colorist:
- Alex Sinclair
Long ago, Mephisto helped assemble the great forces of evil from across the Marvel multiverse, forming the eldritch army known as the Multiversal Masters of Evil. In another world, a contrite Loki donned the moniker of Avenger Prime and gathered all the greatest heroes from each universe to stand up to the Masters. But the heroes were too late to stop Mephisto's rapid rise to power and the erasure of all existence.
The final chapter of the fraught Masters arc and the closing performance of longtime writer Jason Aaron, Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 -- with art by Aaron Kuder, Ivan Fiorelli, Javier Garron, and Jim Towe, inks by Dexter Vines, colors Alex Sinclair, and letters by VC's Cory Petit -- kicks off the story just after the ravaging of the Gods Quarry and the rising tide of the apocalypse. Though it may be their darkest hour, the Avengers of the past and present must gather together for one final stand against the ultimate enemy of the multiverse.
Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 serves dual purposes as the ending of a sweeping multiversal arc and writer Jason Aaron's swan song for his time writing the Avengers. These two monumental shifts explain the grandiose, operatic, and almost biblical tone of this issue, which begins with a flood of mythological and apocalyptic proportions. Letterer Cory Petit uses an almost medieval font to get things started. Billowing explosions, emotionally charged speeches, and heart-stopping sacrifices abound in this issue.
With so many characters and so much going on surrounding the multiversal flood, Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 is a dizzying experience that gives readers a lot to take in. Most major characters get at least a few panels of focus each to reassert their role and standing in this sweeping panoramic epic of a story, but some are major standouts. Steve Rogers remains the moral and motivating heart of the Avengers; antagonist Mephisto reveals his true, nihilistic death wish; Progenitor proves instrumental in turning the tide for the heroes; Thor rallies the gods for the final stretch, and the Phoenixes, with the help of Starbrand and the ultimate gesture of kindness from Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider, bring this showstopping arc to its bittersweet climax. While this issue is admittedly unbalanced with its enormous cast, considering how much ground this single issue covers, Aaron can be forgiven for cutting a few corners and getting straight to the parts that matter most.
Though the maelstrom of an apocalypse makes up the meat of this issue, Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 doesn't skimp on delivering a drawn-out yet heartfelt and fitting resolution, revealing the ultimate fates of the heroes. The most poignant plotline features an older Wolverine doing the most unlikely thing possible. It's a great service for these characters as well as the readers. Though Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 has its fair share of overblown drama and deaths, its equally dramatic resolution is cathartic and bittersweet -- as perfect an ending as one can hope for.
Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 boasts visuals from a whole team of artists -- four illustrations, an inker, and a colorist. This seems fitting, given how much happens in this issue. It would need the power of multiple artists to carry it. Since the visuals are rendered in such a cohesive manner, it's difficult to pick apart each artist's touch. Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 features a swirling array of billowing smoke, massive explosions, hellfire, brimstone, and heavenly hosts, swerving from nightmare to dreamscape in record time. Given the bombast of the story, there are more than a few panoramic splash pages and spreads throughout. Colorist Sinclair and inker Vines ground this supernatural epic with painterly brushstrokes and muted colors.
Although staggering in scale and dizzying in scope, Avengers Assemble: Omega #1 is the finale that this series and writer Jason Aaron needed to end this near-decade-long epic on a high, if bittersweet, note.