All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers #138 – ‘Handcuffed to Your Deathbed’

In front of the portal to the Negative Zone, Johnny Storm and the Richards’ family robot, H.E.R.B.I.E.(“Helpful Experimental Robot Buddy, Intelligent Edition”), converse before their mission. The title of this comic strip, “All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers Presents… ‘Handcuffed to Your Deathbed’,” is visible at the top of the image.

Ben Grimm and Susan Storm-Richards join Johnny and H.E.R.B.I.E. near the portal, all ready to head out and explore the Negative Zone for more palladium deposits.

Reed Richards gets distracted from the mission, momentarily, while conversing with Iron Man and Miles Morales, but he eventually remembers to open the portal!

Sue, Johnny, Ben, and H.E.R.B.I.E. step through the dimensional barrier, and travel to…

…the Negative Zone, a plane of existence far stranger and more dangerous than our own!

A S.H.I.E.L.D. (“Supreme Homeland Intervention, Executive Law-Enforcement Division”) trooper greets the members of the Fantastic Four, but before they can even begin to question him, he’s attacked and driven to the ground by an Annihilation Reaver.

Back at the Baxter Building, Reed confirms that not just one, but a number of Annihilation Reavers are converging on the combined FF/S.H.I.E.L.D. position. Agent Wurmser (“played” here by an action figure of Arnold Schwarzenegger from the movie Terminator: Dark Fate) fires on a Reaver, but misses.

Dr. Clark Connors (“played” by an action figure of Sean Connery, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) fights yet another Reaver, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents G.W. Bridge and Kate Neville try to hold their ground against further attacks.

While one Reaver lifts Clay Quartermain to its jaws, other troopers struggle to fight off yet more of them. Secret Service Agent Adams (“played” by an action figure of Peter Weller from Robocop, and named for legendary comics creator, and creators’ rights advocate, Neil Adams) raises his guns to defend himself, as a yet-unidentified man in a gargyole-styled metal suit (perhaps a clue as to his identity?) fights hand-to-hand with his own attacker.

Adams’ gunfire doesn’t slow the Reaver, while the one fighting the mysterious metal suit presses its own advantage. Reed, Iron Man, and Miles can only watch helplessly from our own dimension.

The credits for the comic strip, citing the Unsplash users (and filmmakers) whose photographs were the background art, the use of fonts by Blambot, the ownership of Marvel by Disney, the creation of Marvel characters by actual human beings, the use of stock visual effects by Action VFX, and the figure (and certain scene) photography/script/graphic design/lettering by me, Phil Wrede.

Welcome back, friends, to the next (hopefully iconic) installment of All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers! A new storyarc begins right here, right now!

We’ve (finally) returned to the Negative Zone, to continue the search for the palladium reserves that just might enable Tony Stark and Reed Richards to save the world! Plus, the long-brewing arrival of the Phil Wrede Marvel Action Figure Comic Universe’s favorite robot pal, H.E.R.B.I.E.!

Of course, nothing can ever come easy to our heroes, but the dual obstacles of S.H.I.E.L.D. and an Aliens-like swarm of Annihilation Reavers might be overkill, even for a superhero adventure! What is S.H.I.E.L.D. doing in the Negative Zone, anyway, and why are they accompanied by a Secret Service agent and one of Jay Hansen’s personal counselors? And, who is that person in the gargoyle-style power armor?

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