Avengers #12, Fantastic Four #12, and Iron Man #12 (October 1997)

These oversized issues comprise three quarters of “Heroes Reunited,” the crossover event between the twelfth issues of the four “Heroes Reborn” titles that serves as the official* end of the Image Comics experiment and ends with Captain America #12 (covered in a separate post, despite being included in the collected cover image above).

* I say “official” because there was an issue #13 of each of the four series, a “World War III” crossover storyline that crossed over with the Wildstorm universe, but since Jim Lee sold that line to DC Comics, it has never been reprinted and is unavailable digitally (legitimately). I will cover these issues together with the relevant issues of the Heroes Reborn: The Return miniseries in another post (Cap does not play a significant role in either).

The “Heroes Reunited” story begins in Fantastic Four #12 when three of the heralds of Galactus—Terrax, Firelord, and Plasma—arrive on Earth to warn of the coming of their master. While Doctor Doom plots behind the scenes to steal Galactus’s power cosmic, the Fantastic Four fight the heralds, with the Silver Surfer eventually joining the heroes’ side. Afterwards, Nick Fury gathers Cap, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four in the SHIELD helicarrier to assess the mounting danger.

For some reason, Reed predicts that Galactus’s energy-drawing devices are aimed at Attilan, Monster Island, and New York City; while Johnny heads to Attilan (and Crystal, natch), Cap splits the Avengers among the last two sites (as does Sue, enlisting the Black Panther at the same time).

And just because I’m a big FF fan, let’s see Reed pop the question before the world ends.

Aww!

Cap’s team, now with the added power of Namor (whom I guess they found swimming nearby), confronts Plasma on Monster Island…

…and it is Namor who makes the ultimate sacrifice to thwart this part of Galactus’s plan.

So, Cap’s radio is on the inside of his glove? (One year in, and “Heroes Reborn” continues to surprise us.)

Namor isn’t the only loss in the this issue, though: Nick Fury and Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine fly the helicarrier into Galactus, to no avail. One by one the rest of the heroes fall, until Reed reaches out to Doom with one last plan; Doom acknowledges it might work but refuses to share the glory of saving the world. Instead, he escapes into time at the last moment… before Galactus consumes the Earth and everyone on it.

But our story continues nonetheless! Like Doom, we travel back a little bit in time, as Avengers #12 opens with Thor conducting a Viking funeral for his doppelganger in this universe who sacrificed himself to defeat Loki in the last issue.

SHIELD is helping too, and when CFO Dugan mentions the budgetary implications of lighting the deceased Avenger aflame, Cap provides a different cost-benefit analysis.

Janet mourns other fallen comrades, which Cap tries to put in perspective (perhaps with some intuition regarding what’s to come).

Just then, Nick receives a warning about Galactus, followed soon by a visitor who’s more than happy to elaborate—even as he objects to the qualified defense Cap offers.

Doom explains that he’s seen this movie before, he knows how it ends, and he has a plan to save the world…

…and again it is Cap who’s willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Nick gives assignments to the Avengers and lets them know the Fantastic Four and the Hulk are also doing their parts. The former join the Silver Surfer in trying to disable Galactus’s device there, but Doom launches the missiles anyway, leading Reed to make a final declaration of love to Sue..

…destroying Moscow and everything around it, leaving only the Surfer, who marvels at Reed’s focus on his true love in his last moments (as he similarly admires the other heroes’ spirit of sacrifice around the globe).

In Hong Kong, Cap watches Clint go down valiantly…

…before taking on Terrax hand-to-hand, stalling for time until his more powerful teammates can get back in the thick of it.

Despite looking like he took a painful shot to his southern border, Cap is in good enough shape by the next page to help Thor up after he managed to destroy both Galactus’s device and Terrax with one throw of his mighty hammer, but not until after the Wasp took one of Terrax’s blasts meant for the God of Thunder.

The Avengers Prime declare victory over Galactus…

…but prematurely, as it turns out his devices were not necessary to consume the Earth’s energies after all. (He just thinks they look cool.)

Cap gets the other two back to headquarters just in time to hear Bruce Banner’s Hail Mary plan to use the gamma reactor under Avengers Island…

…after which he passes away, and Cap says they will go forward with his plan as Doom plots yet another escape into the timestream.

After the heroes arrive on Avengers Island, Cap fears Thor is too weak to do the job, but a new ally appears, newly convinced of the value of humanity and ready to lend a hand.

That hand revives Thor, who joins with Vision and the Surfer…

…to tear a hole in space and time that sucks in not only the planet, but the entire solar system and Galactus, saving countless worlds from further annihilation.

But thanks to the Doom, the heroes get yet another shot at saving the Earth in Iron Man #12, where Cap makes only one quasi-meaningful appearance…

…but the result in the same, despite the addition of She-Hulk and Doc Samson to the roster.

Once again, Doom makes his escape in the nick of time, but will the fourth time be the charm? Find out in Captain America #12…

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ISSUE DETAILS

Avengers (vol. 2) #12, October 1997: Walter Simonson (writer), Michael Ryan and Anthony Winn (pencils), Saleem Crawford, Sal Regla, Armando Durruthy, and John Tighe (inks), Nathan Lumm and Wildstorm FX (colors), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)

Collected in: Heroes Reborn: The Avengers.

Fantastic Four (vol. 2) #12, October 1997: Jim Lee and Brandon Choi (writers), Ron Lim and Brett Booth (pencils), Tom McWeeney, Mike Miller, and Homage Studios (inks), Jessica Ruffner and Wildstorm FX (colors), Richard Starkings, Dave Lanphear, and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)

Collected in: Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four.

Iron Man (vol. 2) #12, October 1997: Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee (writers), Ed Benes, Terry Shoemaker, and Mike Miller (pencils), John Dickenson and Homage Studios (inks), Wildstorm FX (colors), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)

Collected in: Heroes Reborn: Iron Man.

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PREVIOUS ISSUES: Avengers #7-11 (May-September 1997)

ALSO THIS MONTH: Captain America #12 (October 1997)

NEXT ISSUES: Iron Man #13, Captain America #13, and Heroes Reborn: The Return #3-4 (November-December 1997)