All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers #139 – ‘Tongues of Fire Lick Your Head’

In the Negative Zone, an Annihilation Reaver leans over a fallen S.H.I.E.L.D. (“Supreme Homeland Intervention, Executive Law-Enforcement Division”) trooper, hissing hungrily. The title of this comic strip, “All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers Presents… ‘Tongues of Fire Lick Your Head’,” is visible at the top of the image.

To the side of the action, three of the four members of the Fantastic Four - the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing - all rush into aid the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in their fight against the Reavers. There, too, is the Fantastic Four’s robot buddy, H.E.R.B.I.E. (“Helpful Experimental Robot Buddy, Intelligent Edition”).

Kate Neville, her guns out of ammo, is only barely saved by the intervention of the Torch, and his mastery of fire.

The Thing delivers a mighty punch to save the prone Agent Wurmser (“played” here by an action figure of Arnold Schwarzenegger from the movie Terminator: Dark Fate), while back in our plane of existence, Iron Man and Miles Morales discuss the probable presence (or lack of) fire in the Negative Zone.

The Thing helps Wurmser to his feet, while the still-mysterious man in a gargoyle-style metal suit challenges the Reaver set to attack him.

Before the Reaver can attack, it’s frozen in a field of invisible force. The gargoyle-like man thanks the Invisible Woman for her help, and she replies, “Don’t mention it, Jay!” indicating that she knows it’s reclusive billionaire/Starjammers backer/apparent man of action Jay Hansen!

The Reaver advancing on 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) is not halted before it can rip Adams’ right arm clean off.

Another S.H.I.E.L.D. trooper tries to rush to Adams’ rescue, but is slashed viciously through his helmet before he can accomplish much. Hansen lifts Adams up in his armored arms, while Adams continues to scream in pain.

Hansen is aghast at Adam’s injury. The Torch chases off the Reaver that maimed Adams, and then the S.H.I.E.L.D. trooper. Wurmser lifts the trooper over his shoulder, vowing that he won’t leave anybody behind.

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/lettering by me, Phil Wrede.

I’m disappointed in S.H.I.E.L.D. for cutting in line ahead of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers (at, presumably Jay Hansen’s prodding), so it’s kind of satisfying to see them getting their butts kicked by the Annihilation Reavers. Well, for now. We’ll see how I’m feeling as the consequences unfold, I suppose!

Ever since his introduction, Hansen’s been doing a great job of stirring the great big pot that is the Phil Wrede Marvel Action Figure Comic Universe, wouldn’t you say?

Did you also guess that Hansen was the man inside the gargoyle armor, like the Invisible Woman did? If you didn’t, you probably never watched the Gargoyles cartoon; I’d be a little astounded if anybody who found their way to my toy comics (and kept reading them) hadn’t, honestly. If you haven’t given Gargoyles a spin, I think it’s worth your time to at least try it out!

Since we’re picking up the baton of the All-New, All-Fantastic Avengers story that was dropped last September(!!!), I’m including links to all the previous installments of that arc below, here:

Part One (wherein Miles Morales starts his internship!)
Part Two (wherein Reed plans a trip to the Negative Zone!)
Part Three (wherein the trip goes slightly sideways!)
Part Four (wherein a fire-y discovery is made!)
Part Five (wherein we return to the Baxter Building, after a few months away!)

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