Captain America and the Avengers receive a distress signal in outer space. Boarding a Quinjet, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fly to save the day, only to encounter the Xenomorphs. Maybe they’ll encounter facial blasts that infect Wolverine, giving us a xenomorph with an adamantium skeleton and a massive healing factor. For the most part, this looks like a traditional crossover between Marvel’s premier superhero team and some of cinema’s scariest creatures. Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic haven’t taken this route, and by creating such an unexpected and counter-flow story, they may have created one of the best crossovers for either franchise.

Things aren’t looking good for the Avengers in our second issue of this crossover epic. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are much older than readers are used to, and the tide is turning against them. While Tony Stark has been able to fend off Weyland Yutani’s advances in the boardroom, thanks in part to using a few Iron Man-style tricks up his sleeve, the aging Avenger has come to a horrifying conclusion. Humanity is doomed and the Avengers need to save whoever they can. In what could be a final display of heroism for some of Marvel’s finest, the final pages of issue two introduce a very interesting element to the conflict that could hinder humanity’s chances of survival.

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A comic crossover for all ages

Jonathan Hickman is a genius in terms of world-building and has a firm grasp of the characters that are part of whatever sandbox he’s helping to build. Aliens vs. Avengers feels as great as Secret Wars, arguably one of the biggest Marvel Comics crossovers that both Hickman and Ribic were in charge of. This fact helps create a different, more consequential feel to this crossover, helping readers become more invested in these characters who act as reflections of the Avengers of Earth 616. On top of this, Hickman has woven a very different threat. for the world. in freedom.

The alien scourge, currently overwhelming humanity and threatening its very existence, is far from the only threat facing Earth’s mightiest heroes. In working on this story, Hickman is really incorporating all the elements of the “Alien Universe” to present a multi-layered threat to the Avengers. Weyland-Yutani and his androids specifically almost act as Hickman’s “Builders,” a key part of the writer’s Avengers run that kept the band of superheroes on their toes. In the final pages, we are given a look at the Engineers, a long-time tenant in the Alien universe who offers a very different threat. Foreigners vs. Avengers is a story that hits the heroes from all sides and, in doing so, makes for an incredible read. This series is the ultimate example of “expecting the unexpected.”

Extrapolating from this point, I have to point out Miles Morales and the fun new symbiote that friendly neighborhood Brooklyn is teaming up with, Spider-Man. It’s an ingenious way to combine the two universes and that’s such a strength for Hickman that it’s worth focusing on that point specifically. The fusion of these two universes feels so natural that it can be seen in any of the landscapes, which is another strong point of the series.

leave the earth

Of course, a great comic series needs a great artist to accompany a writer and Esad Ribic once again reaches the peak of his career with this story. Ribic is able to capture both the threat of the xenomorphic scourge and the intrinsic heroism of what remains of humanity in its final effort to survive. While the Avengers may look very different from what we’ve seen in the past, through Ribic’s art you can tell who is supposed to be who and the emotion that is evident on their faces in this darkest hour.

Aliens vs. Avengers is an example of what can really be done in the world of comic book crossovers. In the past, we’ve seen both the Aliens and Predators create some fantastic crossovers as they meet the likes of Batman, Superman, The Justice League, Wolverine, and more, but Hickman and Ribic are on another level with this series. I’m finding it hard to think of anything I don’t like about this series, turning each page on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to see how the creative team brings this one to a close.

Posted by: Marvel Comics

In: Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Written by:Jonathan Hickman

Art by: Esad Ribic

Colors by: Ive Svorcina

letters by: VC’s Cory Petit