The Avengers hit some unusual air this week in Avengers #800. Additionally, in the jam-packed Rapid Rundown, the team will feature Battleworld #5, Dungeons of Doom #1, Logan: Black, White, and Blood #1, and Ultimates #20.
Avengers #800/34
Avengers #800 Art: Russell Dauterman
Screenplay: Jed McKay Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Farid Karami, Mark Bagley
Inkers: John Dell and Scott Hanna
Color Artist: Federico Brie, Frank D’Almata
Written by: Cory Petit of VC
Avengers #34 (Avengers #800 in Marvel’s Legacy Numbering System) features Jed McKay’s Avengers run entering Endgame. The issue itself wraps up all of McKay’s involvement with the Avengers (and the Marvel Universe as a whole) as the Avengers ignore Kang’s victory and negotiate for the rights to the Grail Device. This is an issue that is bound to receive more attention thanks to the legacy numbering milestone and Bendis’ much-hyped return to Marvel. With that in mind, the issue’s structure as a giant compendium serves its purpose of getting to the point quite well.
Art: Farid Karami
I’m not a huge Avengers fan, but I’ve been checking out McKay’s Avengers work over the past few years. I can safely say that I’m in on the target demo for this issue, and MacKay did a great job of summarizing it. It features each major member of the Avengers making their case, and does a good job of highlighting key moments that are missing. For avid readers of this book, this issue may seem like just a clip show, but you’ll be thrilled when the ending is revealed. This issue is effectively structured to draw readers into the frenzied battle against Kang’s forces before delivering a summary. It never drags on too long, and McKay’s dialogue and character beats keep the story moving quickly.
Art: Farid Karami
Farid Karami’s art is well executed in transitioning from action scenes to splash pages that effectively summarize key events in storybook style, such as Blood Hunt, the Fall of House X, and One World Under Doom. Keeping all these moments visually distinct and interesting is no easy task.
The biggest draw of this issue for me was the backup for Bendis. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley team up once again to tell a simple Avengers story. The premise of the story is that Captain America used the classic Avengers membership card to signal reinforcements against Madame Hilda. One by one, Avengers young and old come to the rescue, celebrating the anniversary of the first Avengers team-up. It’s a simple but fun short story, typical of this kind of anniversary issue. Stories celebrating the team’s long history take a backseat.
Art: Mark Bagley
Bendis uses his signature dialogue, which I personally like because it’s quick and agile. I know it’s not for everyone, but I always find it interesting. Bagley’s art isn’t my favorite, but it’s well done. Considering there is a page with a large number of Avengers members present, Bagley does the job successfully.
Overall, Avengers #34/#800 is a compilation for readers who want to check back in on McKay’s exploits towards the end. It’s also a fun throwback for fans of the 2005-2012 Avengers, including Bendis’ backstory. I had a lot of fun working on this problem, but I realize it’s not for everyone.
Final Verdict: Powerful Browsing
rapid rundown
Battleworld #5 Battleworld #5 Battleworld was a fun miniseries, but at the end of the day, I don’t know what Battleworld was about. Was it an early synergy mix for the upcoming movie, following Doomsday and Secret Wars and the rumored Battleworld movie? My biggest takeaway was the mental health stance with a very positive message that it’s okay to ask for help because all of the characters weren’t at their best. If that’s not a Hank Pym story, I don’t know what is. I miss the concept of him being the Scientist Supreme. If Marvel decides to revive it, screenwriter Christos Gage and artist Marcus To will likely team up. This book is a Hank Pym project, and Gage understands the tone of this hero who struggles not only to do good, but to be good. To’s art is fun and fast panoramic, the characterization is detailed and engaging, and along with color artist Rachelle Rosenberg’s strong palette, Battleworld has some great battle scenes. Readers can level up with character combinations and have fun by working together. I don’t know where this book fits into the story of Marvel’s pantheon, but it’s funny that in early 2026, two comics with very intelligent Star Trek releases from Marvel in the same week – GC3 Dungeons of Doom #1
Dungeons of Doom #1
Dungeons of Doom #1, written by Philip Kennedy Johnson and Benjamin Percy, is a creepy thriller that mixes political intrigue, horror, and good old-fashioned action. The issue is divided into vignettes, following Doctor Doom’s death in One World Under Doom, when multiple parties fought over control of Latveria and Doctor Doom’s secrets. Each story is short but compelling in its own right, with each political party representing its own arrogance and political violence. Like much of Johnson and Partch’s work, this one grapples with the moral cost and weight of violence as each character descends into hell. The art team, which includes line artists Justin Mason, Robert Gil, Carlos Magno, Georges Gentil, and Karl Storey, leans into heavy black to create an eerie atmosphere. Each of them is asked to depict gruesome scenes of monsters and torture, and the book is full of nauseatingly gorgeous work. But most impressively, the artists give Doom’s underground dungeons a sense of scale, with tiny figures dwarfed by massive rock walls and carvings. Helpless sinners are doomed in the devil’s playground. By Guru-eFX Color is important to mood and storytelling, more than just holding the threads of a story together. This is a dark book dripping with foreboding, almost completely deprived of warm colors and daylight. Every part of the visuals, including the letter from VC’s Travis Lanham, give the book a palpable sense of tension. This is a fascinating first issue that leverages the current situation to do something unique and fascinating. – TR Logan: Black, White & Blood #1 Logan: Black, White & Blood #1, Right now it looks like Marvel is committed to publishing at least two of these black, white, and red anthologies every month. Last week was Marvel: Black, White, Blood and Guts. This week, Logan: Black, White, Blood joins the lineup. There’s a solid enough set of stories here, but nothing that could be called essential to getting to know the characters. All stories take place at different points before Logan becomes the superhero Wolverine. And for a character with a long and dark past, it’s perfect in a way. This idea offers the possibility of a genre that the creative team seems to be taking inspiration from, at least for this issue. The best story in terms of quality has to be Larry Hama and Dave Watcher’s collaboration “Red Crows.” Arguably the longest-serving writer on the character after Chris Claremont, Hama knows how to craft a compelling short story in this largely silent post-Weapon X Logan story. The Watcher is one of Marvel’s best artists right now, and his ability to capture body language has proven especially helpful in bringing this experiment to life. He uses a lot of white space here to convey both the beauty and cruelty of nature that is at the heart of Hama’s script. Someone should get these two to collaborate on a longer Wolverine story. Current Wolverine writer Saladin Ahmed and legendary Wolverine artist Adam Kubert discuss the transformation of the ’70s Wolverine character into some pretty silly noir. And the opening story by Tom Waltz and Alex Lynn attempts to connect Logan’s history with another character. Waltz gets the tone of the character right, even if the final reveal doesn’t seem as revelatory as he had hoped. At least Rin depicts some fun violence. But ultimately, this ends up placing characters in different settings and experimenting with the limits of the black, white, and red palette. In that respect, it at least succeeds, even if the story doesn’t make this a must-read. – DM Ultimates #20 Ultimates #20 Ultimates #20, written by Deniz Campand with art by Phil Noto, continues to be a real pleasure to read. This made the war between Ultimate and the Maker interesting, even if it was a bit wordy, by focusing on the newly introduced Vision. This rendition of Vision is markedly different from his main Earth-616 version, and the twist to his character fits perfectly into the world of Ultimate. Especially when compared to Nick Fury’s role in Camp of the Hand, this issue does a good job of positioning the two as foils and continues to show how epic the wars of the world have become without losing the main focus.
The art is relatively simple, with many characters sharing similar facial structures. But Noto’s art really captures some of the issue’s key moments, especially near the end when the action picks up. It’s partially biased towards the end because eventually all the cards are turned over. Ultimates doesn’t focus on the interconnected team dynamics that I would like, but it’s still one of the best books Marvel is publishing right now in terms of how well it engages with the universe. It will be interesting to see what happens in Avengers/Defenders War next month. -LM
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