Avengers: Operation Galactic Storm by Mark Gruenwald, et al.

Run-of-the-mill ‘90s crossover

Though a big fan of Marvel Comics in my youth, I never really got into the Avengers. It always seemed like the solo adventures of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor were more interesting than their group outings. The Avengers title seemed mostly a showcase for second-tier heroes who didn’t merit their own book. A few of these characters stood out as intriguing (Hawkeye, the Vision, the Scarlet Witch) but the halls of Avengers Mansion have been haunted by all manner of ridiculous bit players as well. At some point in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, Marvel discovered the marketing value of the crossover, a scheme to force readers to buy titles they wouldn’t normally buy if they wanted to read the complete title-hopping narrative. Crossovers became an annual event for most Marvel comics, to the point where they became mundane occurrences. One such crossover is Avengers: Operation Galactic Storm, which ran through several titles from March to May 1992. The 19 issues of the crossover, plus one epilogue issue, are assembled in one of Marvel’s Epic Collection paperbacks, published in 2017.

Operation Galactic Storm tells the tale of a brief but catastrophic war between two of Marvel’s outer space empires, the Kree and the Shi’ar. This was obviously designed to emulate the Kree-Skrull War of the 1970s, one of the landmark events in Marvel Comics history. This ‘90s sequel, however, has neither a comparable literary quality nor the same level of impact on the Marvel Universe as its predecessor. Galactic Storm requires the original New York Avengers and the spin-off West Coast Avengers to team up in an attempt to broker peace between the warring empires and protect bystander Earth in the process.

The story line proceeds round robin across seven titles: Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Quasar, and Wonder Man. Unfortunately, the latter two characters are two of the most boring Avengers ever created. Quasar is basically a rip-off of the Green Lantern, while Wonder Man is a garden-variety strong man. Altogether 22 Avengers take part in the action, among them two Eternals (Sersi and Gilgamesh), one Inhuman (Crystal), Avengers regulars like She-Hulk and Hercules, and several also-rans like Starfox, Living Lightning and the Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman. The Kree and the Shi’ar each have a few teams of several super-powered characters, so the story is mainly getting two or three groups together in each issue to square off against each other. The most ridiculous aspect of the story is the inclusion of one of the most destructive cataclysms in the history of the universe, killing billions, yet every named character walks away with nothing but a few tears in his or her costume.

Several writers and several artists were involved. These kinds of crossovers were more editor-driven than writer-driven, the main purpose being to shuttle the story from title to title. The art is unilaterally below average. This was a bad period for Marvel, when many of their top artists had fled to Image, DC, or Dark Horse, hence the mediocrity on display here. The page and panel compositions are stiff and awkward, and the inkers seem reluctant to add the slightest shadow. One thing the artists do well, however, is drawing the technology, spaceships, and the like.

The Avengers films are a lot of fun, making this Marvel fan want to learn more about the historic comics upon which they are based. This trade paperback, however, doesn’t engender any enthusiasm for “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”
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