Dark Avengers Volume 2 – Molecule Man

Dark Avengers Volume 2 - Molecule Man

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men.

-Lord Acton (1834–1902)

I’ll say this at the outset, lest my opinion seem overly biased or like I’m just glad-handing the folks at Mighty Marvel… I love the Dark Avengers era. I think it must have something to do with being an American guy my age, nurtured on the notion that a scruffy band of outlaws can take down a tyrannical empire if properly motivated, even if it means enlisting the help of teddy bears. I love it when you get to cheer for the hero that can’t catch a break, and fights to his last breath to put right a world corrupted by the overbearing machinations of an authority that is as free from compassion as it is corrupt.

But this is not their story. It can be said that the quality of a heroic story can only be measured by the quality of the villain, and this is the story of that set of villains. Norman Osborn has had quite a run in the Marvel U, first as Spider-Man’s chief antagonist, and then later legitimizing himself with the Thunderbolts, who through an act of cruel fate (for the good guys, anyway) supplanting S.H.I.E.L.D. with his own twisted version (H.A.M.M.E.R.) has put him in a position to wield absolute power.

Anyone who has ever glanced toward a comic shop or a movie theater with a hero in spandex will know no end to the rhetoric of great power and the great responsibility that comes as the obligatory side-dish. However, fittingly enough to be explored in a book focuses on Spider-Man’s old foe, this book is about the corruption of power, the addiction to that power, and how that can be a very bad recipe when served up with a big helping of crazy sauce, such as the one that emanates from Norman like a fountainhead. (Note to self: enough with the food metaphors, already!)

Tonally complimenting the power and corruption theme in this arc of the Dark Avengers is the reappearance of Molecule Man, an old favorite of the Secret Wars era. It works very effectively to play Molecule Man’s neigh omnipotence against Norman Osborn’s more earthly brand of it, and the way a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I kept wondering how dangerous Molecule Man would actually be if he was more ambitious or educated in the ways of science. Tack on to the end of the arc an important development in the character of The Sentry, and you have several layers of omnipotence, corruptibility, and the overall tone of sitting on top of a powder keg in a room full of monkeys with matches. It’s one great tension-laced story.

One of the more interesting characters explored in this book was that of Victoria Hand, Osborn’s major domo, who tries valiantly to keep her world in line and on track – with mixed results. You get the idea that she knows she’s bailing water on the Titanic, but she doesn’t know what else to do. Think shades of Colin Powell circa 2003. There’s a bit of cheesecake involved in Molecule Man dissolving her clothing for no apparent reason during a plea to him for a peaceful solution (but I’m forced to wonder if he really NEEDS a reason… no, probably not…) that is good for a cheap thrill, but you also get the idea that she’s a person committed to an ideal rather than a person. I for one can’t wait to see how her story plays out.

Rounding this volume out is the texture of the other Dark Avengers bantering with each other, the unexpected use of Venom’s bad reaction to his meds for comic relief, and the burgeoning sexual tension between Moonstone and Bullseye makes this a very readable book. Bendis and Deodato make for great, epic storytelling that is cinematic in quality, not only for its grand spectacles but for its quiet moments as well.   You won’t be let down.

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