The Avengers are gone and only Blade seems to remember the truth! Will Blade be able to find the Avengers if they never got their powers? Find out in Heroes Reborn #1 by Marvel Comics!

HEROES REBORN #1 (OF 7)

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ed McGuinness and Mark Morales
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: May 5th, 2021

Previously in Heroes Reborn: What would happen if Tony never became Iron Man and Wakanda is just a myth? What about if Captain America was never found and the world is protected by the Squadron Supreme of America? And why is Blade the one person who remembers the world where the Avengers existed?

THE NEW STATUS QUO

Blade woke up one day with memories of a world filled with Avengers to find out they don’t exist. He spends a few weeks looking for the would-be heroes and finds an unpowered Robbie Reyes, a drunkard Thor, and the Squadron Supreme fighting the Masters of Doom! Hyperion puts his might against a Dr. Doom powered by the Crimson Gem, turning him into Doctor Juggernaut. Nighthawk fights the Black Skull, and other members put their skill to other villains. And President Coulson watches with an evil grin as his heroes fight for him.

Blade decides to break into Pentagon and briefly encounters Nighthawk. However, he escapes after he find the last known coordinates of Captain America. Using his vampire nose ability to smell human blood, he finds the ice prison that kept Captain America catatonic. Meanwhile, Thor in a drunk rage summons his hammer to his side.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

This double-size issue provides us with a lot of content. Very rarely do we have to present the setting of the Marvel Universe. We are reintroduced to the depowered versions of a lot of characters, and we are shown the new power balance of the world. I took particular interest in “The Silver Witch” which is the Scarlet Witch who absorbed Quicksilver’s powers. Not only is the main plot interesting, this world-building and a subversion of expectations is engaging.

The theme isn’t clear to me. I think there is a concept of fate and accepting your destiny that is bound to pop up. We kind of see that with Thor who immediately rejects his fate but then finds the hammer in his hands at the end of the issue. This isn’t a bad theme, but it might be a little cliché and I wonder if that is a strong enough topic to keep readers engaged throughout the entire miniseries. It probably will but you can call me a cynic.

BOTTOM LINE: ENGAGING

I enjoyed this comic quite a bit. When I initially skimmed through the pages, I was skeptical. But after getting a deep dive read, I found myself engaged. The art seems to be solid, and the writing was extremely well executed. This is a 4.5 out of 5 for me. It isn’t perfect but it is good read.

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