Private Exhibition
Written by Pierce Askegren
Summary: After
being released on parole, the Painter lives a seemingly quiet life in
his art studio. He’s ambushed one day by his former partner, “Scar”
Tobin, and Tobin’s new henchman, Eric. Tobin demands the Painter’s
magic paints. After futilely claiming that they no longer exist, the
Painter finally reveals himself as a “self-portrait” created by the real
Painter. After tormenting the intruders with his magic paintings, the
Painter eventually forces Tobin and Eric to disappear.
Continuity
Notes: The Painter, or more specifically “the Painter of a Thousand
Perils,” was a Human Torch villain during the Strange Tales days. He
was also used in
the “Art Attack” storyline in Web of Spider-Man, which ended with the
revelation that the Painter is some form of sentient alien cockroach
creature.
Review: It’s not terrible, but I would have to label
this one the weakest story in the anthology so far. The novelty of
pulling the Painter out of obscurity has already been eaten up by that
Web of Spider-Man arc, and the nature of his powers doesn’t exactly lend
itself to prose anyway. Askegren has clearly given the character some
thought, coming up with the rationalization that he hasn’t ruled the
world yet because he’s adamant that his paintings be perfect first, but
there’s really nothing here to make me care that much about the
Painter. I liked him better as the exploding cockroach colony, to be
honest.
All Creatures Great and Skrull
Written by Greg Cox
Summary:
The Super-Skrull arrives on Earth to apprehend Kree rebel
Persa. After stalking her throughout New York City, he eventually
chases her to the Avengers Mansion. Persa reveals Super-Skrull’s true
identity to Vision, then runs inside during their fight. Eventually,
Super-Skrull and Vision learn that Persa’s mission was to kill the new
Shi’ar Avenger Deathcry, who was able to easily defeat Persa on her
own. Vision refuses to turn Persa over to the Shi’ar, forcing
Super-Skrull to retreat in shame.
Continuity Notes: This story
occurs following the Shi’ar’s victory over the Kree in “Operation:
Galactic Storm.” Deathcry was a short-lived Avenger during the final
days before “Heroes Reborn.”
Not Approved By The Comics Code
Authority: One of the street thugs that accosts Super-Skrull in his
human form shouts out “you sonofabitch!” during their fight.
Review:
When Avengers Mansion entered the story, my first thought
was: “Are they going to use the actual Avengers from 1996? Even
Deathcry?” The answer is yes, surprisingly. And the basic idea of a
Shi’ar member of the Avengers attracting Kree rebels, and by extension,
Skrulls, actually isn’t a bad one. Unfortunately, this Shi’ar member is
the infamous Deathcry. The only thing I really know about Deathcry is
that you’re supposed to hate her, and her brief appearance in the story
doesn’t dissuade that notion. Aside from that, using her as the crux of
the plot after several pages building up the mystery of Persa’s
mission on Earth, is just a letdown.
As a story of the
Super-Skrull making his way through New York as discreetly as possible,
the opening is pretty enjoyable (and Cox deserves some credit for coming
up with numerous reasons why he isn’t just staying invisible the entire
time.) But once the Avengers enter, the reader has to wade
through a lengthy, dull fight scene with Vision, and then we’re
supposed to believe that Deathcry is somehow important to anybody.
Nope. On to the next one…
The Deviant Ones
Written by Glenn Greenberg
Summary: Inside
the Vault, Venom and the Absorbing Man are fitted with experimental
manacles that suppress their powers. Venom’s alien symbiote reacts
violently to the handcuffs and sends out a psychic shriek that disrupts
the prison’s electricity. In the confusion, Venom and the Absorbing Man
escape, still chained together. They hide out in the home of an
elderly widower named Wally, and soon discover a shocking secret in
Wally’s basement. Venom is eventually able to free himself from the
manacles, leaving Absorbing Man unconscious for the authorities to
find.
Continuity Notes: This story has a character named
Marvin Walsh, a balding heavy-set
man in this mid-40s, as the warden of the Vault. Looking online, I see
another character named Truman Marsh was once warden in the comics,
someone named Howard G. Hardman was apparently the original warden, and
even Henry Gyrich was warden of the Vault at one point.
Review:
The title of this story is a direct nod to The Defiant Ones, a 1958
black and white film about two bickering convicts that are shackled
together while on the run. I’m not sure why Greenberg selected Venom
and the Absorbing Man to star in an homage to the film, but they’re a
fairly entertaining pairing. In the early pages of the story, I
wondered for a while if the Vault officials were going to use Absorbing
Man’s powers to somehow remove the symbiote from Eddie Brock, but
Greenberg doesn’t get to that bit until the very end. In the meantime,
we have deluded do-gooder Venom paired with relentless thug Absorbing
Man, and eventually they run
into sad old widower Wally. That’s when the story almost veers into
Pulp Fiction territory, but I won’t spoil the surprise. There are no
great revelations about the main characters, outside of establishing
Eddie Brock as a twenty-four hour news junkie, but Greenberg gets a
decent amount of material out of the pairing, and the twist at the end
is fun.
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