All-New, Rebranded Avengers #33 – ‘Time Keeps Draggin’ On’

Posted on by phil.wrede
The prison bus driven by Thor, and carrying the prisoners left over from the big Avengers vs. Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) fight, approaches the Vault, the big prison for superpowered criminals in Canon City, Colorado. The title of this comic strip, ‘Time Keeps Draggin’ On’,” is visible at the top of the image.
Thor tries to encourage the prisoners to have a good attitude about their time being rehabilitated in the Vault. Neither Klaw, nor Whirlwind, nor the A.I.M. agent captured with them take Thor’s advice to heart.
Thunderstrike, one of the guards of the Vault, begins a speech to the new prisoners that’s meant to intimidate, more than uplift them.
Darkhawk flies above the Vault, patrolling it from the air. The A.I.M. agent attempts to ask Thunderstrike a polite question, but gets shouted down.
Whirlwind stands up for the A.I.M. agent, and he and Thunderstrike get into a bit of a standoff.
Just as the standoff is about to escalate, Thor steps in to defuse it, and push the prisoners down into their processing area.
Thunderstrike shouts at Thor, but Thor keeps his cool, and tries to help Thunderstrike calm down.
Thor tries to leave Thunderstrike with some more insight into his own character, and how to use that insight to understand other people better, too.
The credits for the comic strip, citing the Unsplash users whose photographs were the background art, the ownership of Marvel by Disney, the creation of Marvel characters by actual human beings, and the figure photography/script/lettering by me, Phil Wrede.

Here we are, The Vault! The prison where superpowered criminals are kept, at least until they break out, or are broken out. Very much Marvel’s answer to Arkham Asylum, although with more of a sterile mountain vibe, as opposed to Arkham’s oppressive gothic/industrial aesthetic. Also, I don’t believe The Vault’s ever had any pretension of “rehabilitation,” in spite of what Thor says to the prisoners when he stops the bus; it’s a Super Supermax, as far as I know.

I’d been trying to find ways to work both Thunderstrike and Darkhawk into the Phil Wrede Marvel Action Figure Comic Universe for a while, before I hit on the idea of having them working at The Vault. With his face frozen in that shouting expression, what could Thunderstrike be, if not a prison guard?

Well, Thor seems to think he can be more.

1 thought on “All-New, Rebranded Avengers #33 – ‘Time Keeps Draggin’ On’”

  1. Pingback: All-New, Overworked Avengers #43 – ‘I Hear That Whistle Blowin’ – PizzaRat dot Net

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