It all ends here. Will the sun explode? Will Wakanda feed a flower that will create a Celestial God? Is Reed Richards gonna wear an Iron Man armor? Find out in this finale by Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia and VC’s Joe Caramagna.
Mr. Chris Eddleman: Well, Christi (and Tony and Allison), after the most condensed crossover event in history, we are coming to the end of Empyre. This has been a bit of a different kind of crossover. Oddly low on fights, big on intrigue and conversation. It’s pure popcorn but, I’ve found myself eating some buttery goodness as we’ve gone through this book. It’s been light and fun, with some illuminating tie-ins covered by other members of our XF team. But all things must end, and so ends this Covid-era event.
Mrs. Christina Eddleman: Well sweetheart, while our coverage of this event is ending our marital bliss never will. It’s been a pleasure discussing this event with you, but as they say “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” We’ve got a finale issue so jam-packed I kept expecting a kick-line and pyrotechnics. So much to discuss, so let’s get to it!
Two Impossible Problems, Two Incredibly Flawed Men
Mr.: The biggest trick that Al Ewing and Dan Slott ever pulled was making me simultaneously care about Tony Stark and Reed Richards. He’s given them some really interesting smart guy on smart guy conversation, specifically about solving problems. I think Reed got some spotlight earlier on, while in the last issue and this one, Tony Stark gets to really be flipped around and pondered, reduced to his most basic—a man in a room making some armor with the meager tools at this disposal. Stark is getting a new ongoing soon, and I hope this is the direction he’s taken in. I like this sort of assuredness with a dash of playful self deprecation. Christi dear, how did you feel about Tony Stark in this issue?
Mrs.: My love for self-deprecation is no secret, and it looks beautiful on Tony. It humanizes him in quite an endearing fashion. It reminds me of Thompson’s depiction in the most recent pre-Empyre arc of Captain Marvel, in nothing but his boxers and bathrobe building with scraps. I can definitely get used to Tony being a lovable asshole. Our two very big problems in this issue seem specifically suited to these two very large brains. It seems beautifully and impossibly simple. Eight minutes to save the world? Of course.
Mr.: Those particular problems being the fact that the sun is about to explode, along with the Cotati bloom growing on the Vibranium mounds in Wakanda that will give Quoi godlike abilities if it flowers. And to think, our garden flowers just grow peppers or tomatoes, my dear. Clearly we need some vibranium compost. So, while Tony starts to theorize, Reed actually enters the field with an incredibly simple plan. It’s odd seeing Reed being the point man in a crossover event, especially considering we’ve had most of this series with Tony sans armor. It’s kind of neat to see our smart men juxtaposed, even if one’s job is just to deliver a very cool sound system and the other’s is to deliver nanoparticles to the sun. Was this well done? It’s very Doctor Who.
Mrs.: In true shimbo fashion, darling, I am never impressed with sciencey solutions in comics. Of course smart thing will solve problem – it always does! If anything bothered me about these two tackling the big problems, it’s that they seemed to tackle them alone, when truly they are anything but. There’s so much else going on in this issue to even give these two lovable jerks a chance.
Tango Familia
Mrs.: Super-hero comics have never skimped on the power of teamwork and devotion to found family. Empyre hands us this theme in spades. That “Avengers Assemble” energy is found all over this issue. I loved Ben Grimm’s devotion to Jenn, a former FF member he views as family. That power of family has really always been key to heroic victory. Darling love of my life, which instance of familial love resonated most with you?
Mr.: I particularly loved that Teddy fought against his own biological grandmother because he needed to defend his true family, his found family—the Avengers. A gay man fighting for found family in a very not subtle way. Pretty great. I know “family” can be kind of cliche, but that kind of motif always resonates with me. I think community is one of the most powerful things on Earth, and it’s always underestimated. There were a lot of moments like this! Reed even got to have a big family moment, considering his reputation as the absolute worst Dad. And we got an expansion of family as the crew by the sun used their powers in a somewhat confusing way alongside Tony’s unstable molecules (with delicious humor about Iron being useless and dense). T’Challa even used the power of the Black Panther, a power defined by its relationship to the Wakandan community and its ancestors, to be…very sneaky and play dead. It was cool! This comic is definitely not subtle but we got some nice community moments in here. Thor even got to have the connection with his mother Gaea, to save the entire Earth! Now, there’s also the flip side, we see what a poor community can do to someone.
Mrs.: There’s a reason so many heroes have such a strong sense of found family; biological family can be quite the mixed bag. You’ve mentioned before the corrupting influence of humanity on Quoi’s leadership of the Cotati. We see this come to a head in this issue. Quoi’s relationship to his parents is tested and we see where the Swordsman’s loyalties lie. Father gambling the life of his son was an unexpected turn that gives Quoi an opportunity to shift course, a shot at redemption. What do you make of his commitment to his cause to the bitter end, dumplin’?
Mr.: It’s definitely a toy being put back in the toybox for some later creator to get to use (although let’s be real, who’s going to use Quoi other than Ewing?). I liked it from that perspective. Also, it didn’t tie up in a neat little bow, which can show that dysfunctional families can’t often just easily mend things. Moving back slightly, we see the creation of a new family in terms of what seems like a long term alliance between the Kree and the Skrull, reversing some odd sci-fi magic trying to drive them apart again through the conflict of the two young scions from the Fantastic Four prelude. It was a little “power of love” but it’s cool that the Kree-Skrull War is now a thing of the past. You are a little newer to comics, my sweet darling, did this resonate or fall flat?
Mrs.: Not only am I a fan of mending fences, but also with how this alliance between the Kree and Skrull seemed threatened at every turn, it didn’t feel too easy an end to the eternal conflict between the Kree and Skrull. While I half expected the two to return to enemies once the Cotati were defeated, I’m interested in a new status quo where this alliance continues. The “power of love,” as you put it, is a good start, but there will doubtless be players that continue to oppose this peace. It’s been quite the event, and I think it’s time we considered it as a whole.
We Came, We Read, We Empyred
Mr.: In some ways, I had incredibly high hopes for this event, since it was at the very least co-written by Al Ewing, a writer that I’ve been quite fond of for awhile. The fact that Valerio Schiti was on art with Marte Gracia on colors meant that there was basically no way for me to dislike it. COVID really played a role in this comic however, and probably not for the better. I personally liked the rushed pace of Empyre but, I’m not sure how well it’s conducive to a serialized comic. I liked how it compensated for the early slow pacing of the event, which might have seemed a bit glacial if it was spread out. Also though, I feel like we missed some interesting details in the cut tie-ins, such as how Thor got in touch with his crunchy side. The only minis we got were Avengers and Captain America [Ed.: Noted X-Men Hater Chris Eddleman fully ignoring their tie-in…], the latter of which seemed completely unnecessary for this event. I lamented those lost books. That being said, I adored this kind of intrigue and conversation event, which still had fun moments of punching but lots of good emotional beats. As you and I read Secret Invasion for our podcast, I find Empyre a really interesting and genuinely heartfelt contrast.
Mrs.: We are the comics-crossover-Chrises-couple. My pre-2015 comic knowledge consists mainly of these large crossover events which are always a mixed bag. In that way Empyre is a quintessential crossover. It does get a lot more right than it does wrong, and I agree that changes made to the content and structure of the event didn’t do it any favors. I will not mask that I’m mildly irked that the final Captain Marvel tie-in from Phase 3 of this event is coming out a week after the event’s conclusion. Those problems aside, this last issue was so dense it felt as if it was wrapping up storylines that we didn’t even get to experience. Did you have a favorite plot line or character arc throughout this event, sugar plum?
Mr.: I think I loved the Carol/Johnny Storm team-up the best and I’m wondering if it will continue after the end of Empyre. I think they had a delightful rapport, and they really got the most to do in crossover as far as interesting changes and dialogue. I would have sworn that Carol would have given up the Universal Weapon after this crossover, but both its and Johnny’s inclusion in the final scene aboard the big spaceship makes me think that this era of space might have begun with a new Accuser along with the Human Torch hitting up some space. Might be fun!
Mrs.: While I definitely am always here for Carol content, I enjoyed Teddy’s growth throughout this event. Accepting the mantle of Emperor? Standing up to his grandma? Getting married?!?! There was a lot to love. As we know, events are often ultimately judged by the status-quo they establish, the era they usher in. My sweetest of hearts, do you think we’ll have enough time to savor it with another event coming in December?
Mr.: I want to believe in my heart of hearts that King in Black, which is yet another Venom centric crossover, will not quite take over the MU in the way that Empyre, kind of, did. I think the Age of Space will proceed normally hopefully untouched by the Affliction t-shirt branded crossover that we’re getting in December. That being said, Marvel has had to cram Empyre, King in Black, and some random X-Men crossover into the back half of the year, and it’s going to be wild. But honestly, Empyre might have been popcorn, but it was premium grade, and I had a lot of fun covering it with you.
Marvelous Musings
- Tony clearly took time to put the “4” logo on Reed’s suit and that’s great
- I love the Clank of an Iron Man mask falling into place
- I’m thrilled Jen isn’t dead but, could she be back to normal She-Hulk please? [Ed.: No. Big Lady Good.]
- Captain Glory is…good now?
- Teddy got to say the “Don’t ever mistake kindness for weakness” line, which is honestly one of my favorite lines in anything, ever
- Thanks to Nola Pfau for editing!
Chris Eddleman is a biologist and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
Christi Eddleman is the world’s first Captain Kate Pryde cosplayer and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
