Great Lakes Avengers #1 Review: Marvel’s Worst Superheroes Are Back!
By Alex Widen
Ready or not, the Great Lakes Avengers are back! Is Milwaukee, much less the world, ready for them? Get ready for some laughs from the funnier side of the Avengers roster!
Great Lakes Avengers #1
Writer: Zac Gorman
Artist: Will Robinson
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
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Anyone who has seen films for the last few years can rattle off the biggest name Marvel heroes. One of the greatest things about the universe, though, is how deep it is. Deep enough that there are entire armies of super heroes (and villains) who fall through the cracks of popularity and recognition. They’re the outcasts of the outcasts. The sort who barely even eke it out as D-list, low rent heroes. Some of the best known and loved of this unhappy lot are the Great Lakes Avengers.
Image by Marvel Comics
They were created by John Bryne back in 1989’s West Coast Avengers #46, at a time when Marvel merely had two ongoing Avengers titles. Imagined as freakish minor league heroes, they were briefly trained by Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Their biggest time in the sun came from 2005–2007, when they appeared in the mini series GLA: Missassembled and two subsequent one-shots written (or co-written) by Dan Slott. Now, for the sake of unit share, they’re in their own ongoing!
Image by Marvel Comics
Based out of Milwaukee, at one time, the Great Lakes Avengers were composed of Mr. Immortal Big Bertha, Doorman, and Flatman. Legal shenanigans forced them to abandon the Avengers name and take on various other ones. But now, Tony Stark is broke (again) and Flatman (Dr. Val Ventura) has found himself the sole legal owner of the Avengers trademark. Rather than sell it for a heap of cash to two attorneys, he trades in his ownership for the legal right to reassemble the old team again!
Don’t You Dare Call Bertha “Fat”!
Image by Marvel Comics
Times have changed, and so have the Great Lakes Avengers. Big Bertha, formerly the supermodel Ashley Crawford, has become a “plus sized” model and embraced her shape. Doorman has become the apprentice to the embodiment of Oblivion and vanishes for years worth of time. And Mr. Immortal is nowhere to be seen. This leaves Flatman to take the reigns of leadership, as he tries desperately to hold the gang together and avoid being confused with Mr. Fantastic by locals.
Image by Marvel Comics
They’ve been stationed to an abandoned Stark warehouse in Detroit, and not a moment too soon. Rampaging super villains live in the area and going on random attacks on suburban areas. One such attack nearly kills a teenage artist, and may have slain her older brother. However, she has her own lupine secret that allows her to survive. Meanwhile, local villains such as Firebrand and Shriek are none too pleased about superheroes moving in, lame or otherwise.
Image by Marvel Comics
Zac Gorman is best known for his work on his art blog Magical Game Time, and may be making his comic book debut here. He definitely has a flair for comedy, as well as utilizing the long history of both the characters and their universe. Will Robson and Tamra Bonvillain create a light and bouncy world for their cast. All of the quirky heroes and villains retain their distinctive looks, but with just a bit more of an animated flare. Even odd designs like Firebrand have rarely looked better.
Back in 2005, Dan Slott Used Rhem to Mock DC’s “Identity Crisis” Event!
It is fun to compare and contrast this with their 2005 era mini series. The biggest difference is to Big Bertha herself. With their origins left bare by John Bryne, subsequent writers felt free to add onto them for depth (or laughs). In Slott’s take, Bertha could control her size and strength, but had to vomit up her extra mass to be supermodel thin. Yes, anorexia in the modeling business was the butt of a joke in that run. Now, Bertha is large and proud, which shows progress and development.
The series also looks like it will have fun with one of the oddest tropes in Marvel Comics. Most of the superheroes and super villains tend to be based in either New York or California. Why not base themselves in all of the states in between? So long as one of them doesn’t run afoul of the Hulk, superheroes are rare. Some moderately well-known villains are running rampant, and the only heroes anyone between the coasts can usually count on are types like the Great Lakes Avengers.
Image by Marvel Comics
Some new characters are introduced here, who are sure to make a repeat appearance. Lawyers Ferrari and Hindel make the most of their five pages together. Pansy, a goth teenager who seems to be hanging out at the warehouse, makes her debut. But set your eyes on the blue-haired artist, who seems to be a werewolf. Considering how many vampires seem to be hanging around Marvel, their lupine rivals tend to be few and far between. Adding one could add a twist to the team.
The Great Lakes Avengers Speak to Us All!
It’s unlikely that this series will light the sales charts on fire. They’re not well-known characters, and the creative team are mostly unknown. A cynic could argue it’s another case of Marvel wanting to protect their own trademark and add extra books on the shelves to compete with DC Comics. However, in one issue this has proven to be another hilariously fun book on editor Alanna Smith’s schedule. Therefore, fans of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl or Hellcat will feel right at home.
Image by Marvel Comics
Let’s face it, if most of us were superheroes, what are the odds we’d get to be the rich, cool, attractive ones? It’s far more likely we’d be a band of freaks and oddly dressed vigilantes who’d do best by hanging around like-minds. There is more of ourselves in the hopelessly unlucky and comedic Great Lakes Avengers than we’d like to believe. That is part of their appeal, and one reason why you should give them a shot. The other is that it’s a hilarious way to spend four bucks this fall!