Issue(s): Avengers #388
Cover Date: Jul 95
Title: "Into the breach"
Credits:
Bob Harras & Terry Kavanagh - Writer
Mike Deodato Jr. - Penciler
Tom Palmer - Inker
Matt Idelson - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
Digital review warning.

This issue begins with a massive explosion of Cosmic Cube energy. It doesn't destroy the world at first, it just reveals that AIM's Boca Caliente is really an artificial construct.

But the explosion continues, and MODOK heads into The Beyond to try to stop it.

I have to remind myself that the idea that The Beyonder is related to Cosmic Cubes is actually canon no matter how much i hate it.

The Avengers - with Falcon joining them - focus on rescue efforts. At least some people on the island weren't Adaptoids. One boy that was following Cap around in this story was, though. Meanwhile, Superia continues to tempt Cap with the cure for his super-serum problem. He knocks it away, and it winds up in the hands of the Red Skull. He then seemingly kills Superia.

The Adaptoid that was with Cap, inspired by Cap's fighting spirit, tries adapting itself into a containing wall for the energy, becoming a Cosmic Cube and ending the crisis.

Cap collapses afterwards, though. Not sure what happened to the Cube; it could have come in handy right about now.

Not too terrible a crossover. A good final adventure for Cap (even knowing that it isn't, really).

One thing i'll say is that it would have been cooler if Captain America and the Avengers decided to take AIM out and AIM wasn't currently in the midst of an emergency of their own. The idea was that Cap is dying and wanted to go out having done something significant. It should have just been him doing what the heroes had avoided doing for legal reasons because he wasn't going to let that stop him anymore. Which was still the case, but now it turns out they had an indisputably heroic reason for being there as well, which takes the edge off of their extra-legal decision. This also fits into the thing i keep noticing about "proactive" heroes; even when Cap decides to do something proactive, it turns out that he would have had to come here anyway.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The fourth and final part of Taking AIM.

References: N/A

Crossover: Taking AIM

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A