Issue(s): Avengers #397
Cover Date: Apr 96
Title: "Crawling from the wreckage"
Credits:
Terry Kavanagh & Howard Mackie - Writer
Mike Deodato Jr. - Penciler
Tom Palmer - Inker
Matt Idelson - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This is a loose tie-in/epilogue with the Ghosts of the Future storyline from Hulk. At i noted previously, Ghosts of the Future was originally intended to be a crossover with (at least) Captain America and the Avengers, and it seems the idea was that the Avengers would be pursuing the Hulk while he was suspected of being behind The Alliance's terrorist attacks. It didn't work out that way, but the Avengers do belatedly show up here in the aftermath of the Hulk/Thor fight (another minor result of the storyline is that Thor temporarily has his full powers back, which will be reflected in his own series).

Hotshot and Jailbait (if, for some bizarre reason, you are following this title but not Hulk, they are two of the residents of Freehold, a sanctuary that the Leader created for gamma-irradiated individuals) investigate the site of the nuclear bomb that ended the fight between the Hulk and Thor. They're hoping that the Hulk has survived, but instead they are found by the Avengers, specifically Black Widow, Vision, the Swordsman, and Masque who, well, the idea is that she might be Madame Masque, but she's "hardly a member in good standing, merely a mystery in their midst for the moment".

It's worth noting that none of these characters appeared in last issue's First Sign crossover. So you can compound what i said about the unrecognizeable-ness of the team with the alternate-reality Swordsman and "Masque" (which isn't automatically a bad thing, just putting it in the perspective of someone who maybe started picking up these issues due to the crossovers).

The gamma kids try to run, but the Avengers catch them and begin to interrogate them ("what have you done with our fellow Avenger [Thor]?"). But then Thor shows up, declaring that the Hulk is dead. The Avengers continue to interrogate Hotshot and Jailbait about "The Alliance", which the kids (correctly) claim is just Omnibus (but they won't reveal the location of Freehold). The kids do help the Avengers locate some remaining gamma bombs.

Meanwhile, as we saw last issue, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch were shot down in their "Force Works Hex Ship" by an experimental army warship, and being pursued by troops. Giant-Man and the Wasp are searching for them, and eventually find them. Yawn.

In the end, the Avengers all regroup at the Mansion. Hotshot and Jailbait are brought back with them, but they soon vanish/escape. It might have been interesting to have the gamma kids remain with the Avengers in some capacity since nothing much ever has been/will be done with them (although i would beg Marvel to change Jailbait's name). Instead they fulfilled their role in lending some Hulk cred (ok, very little Hulk cred) to this otherwise inconsequential waste of an issue.

It's really quite amazing but reviewing comics from this year specifically, i keep sitting down, opening the issue full of my post-it notes and such, and i say to myself, "Ok, what actually happened in this issue?", and the answer keeps coming back, "NOTHING! LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED!!!".

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place after Hulk #440. Thor #497 takes place after this. To get specific, at the start of this issue, the Thor/Hulk battle in Hulk #440 is said to have taken place "yesterday", and in Thor #497, Thor says it happened "a day ago".

References:

• Thor and the Hulk fought in Hulk #440.
  
• Henry Pym tells the Wasp that he still doesn't understand why she mutated into her wasp-like state, which happened in Avengers #394.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A