REVIEW: ‘Avengers Forever,’ Issue #5

Avengers Forever #5 is written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Jim Towe, colored by Guru-eFX, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. It’s published by Marvel Comics. “Doom of Dooms” turns its focus to the Multiversal Masters of Evil, particularly their leader Doom Supreme. Cloaked from head to toe in mystical armor, this version of Doctor Doom remains an enigma. Until now. The bulk of the issue features Doom talking to a mysterious figure as he reveals more of his backstory and how he came to be the “Doom Above All.”

Doctor Doom is one of my favorite villains in the Marvel Universe, so when I picked up Avengers #750 and saw a version of Doom leading the Masters of Evil, it immediately piqued my interest. However, Aaron’s script only raises more questions than answers about this version of Doom. True, his origin is finally revealed; readers shouldn’t be surprised that one of the first things Doom did after becoming Sorcerer Supreme was to kill Reed Richards in an excruciating fashion, but there’s still so much to learn. Why exactly did he form the Multiversal Masters of Evil? What’s their end goal, other than stopping the rise of the Avengers on various Earths? Aaron’s Avengers run has been largely hit and miss, and I hope Forever doesn’t slide into the same pattern as it genuinely has a great hook.

While the story may be a bit shaky, the art by Towe continues to be a standout. Towe joined the series in the previous issue, and once again, he has the chance to bring different versions of the Marvel Universe to life. One earth features a version of the Avengers that’s completely comprised of versions of the Man-Thing; the sight of giant plant monsters casting spells or summoning the Phoenix Force is a sight that’s worth the price of admission. Another earth features “Giant-Size” versions of the Avengers, who are fifty stories tall and tower over the Earth. Towe even throws the gauntlet down on the first page by illustrating a full spread of Doom Supreme sitting on his throne and removing his mask. Even though his face is obscured, the malevolence radiates off the page in waves.

A large part of what makes this artwork sing is Guru-eFX’s colors, of which green is the most predominant. From Doom Supreme’s flowing emerald cloak to the lush, vibrant green of the Man-Thing Avengers, just about every shade of green is represented. Green is even a major color in Petit’s captions, as they take the silver and green hue associated with Doom. And the Multiversal Masters of Evil have a fiery emerald member in the Ghost Goblin, who, true to his name, is a fusion between the Ghost Rider and the Green Goblin. Green, to put it plainly, never looked so good.

Avengers Forever #5 promises to reveal more about the origin of Doom Supreme but barely scratches his surface. Hopefully, future issues will delve more into what makes the other Masters of Evil tick or what their end game is; the concept of traveling the multiverse can only take you so far.

Avengers Forever #5 is available now wherever comics are sold.