Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 3, 2020

I have been a supporter of the Wasteland books, and while I was worried about this book when Marvel announced it, I liked it at first. I like Dani Cage as Thor and Bruce Jr. is a character I would like to see more of, but this book has become progressively bad as it’s limped towards the finish line, and I am glad it’s over this week. There is a chance this finale will make it all worthwhile, though, right? Spoiler Alert – It doesn’t!

We open the issue in New Latveria with Doom getting reading for one of his rallies. The Avengers have arrived in town with a few days to kill, and after Grant lays down the ground rules, the team openly discusses their game plan to kill Doom. They didn’t talk about this at all before now? Really?

This whole series has felt forced from the beginning. Marvel announced it as a 5-issue mini, but it feels like we missed out on at least five other issues. Brisson made things seem significant at first but has only relied on the tropes of the post-apocalyptic world and the prior knowledge of his characters instead of setting anything up. We have been working on getting to New Latvaria this whole series, but when we finally arrive, there is no sense of accomplishment, and the city itself is just a generic setpiece for a lackluster final battle.

The fight itself kicks off with Doom knowing the Avengers are there and exposing them to the “huge crowd” that has gathered to hear their awful leader speak. That is in quotes because you get no sense of anyone but Doom and the Avengers being there. There is no crowd reaction at all to what’s going. Doom’s speech is aimed only at our main characters and comes off as odd as he talks about how the Avengers have inspired people. Why would Doom acknowledge that?

Once the kicking and a punching begins, we get a mustache-twirling twist from Doom that you could see coming a mile away and then another twist that changes the whole tone of the book. It’s not clever, it was only set up in the last couple of pages and is here to end things and allow the team to blabber about making the hero’s choice.

I’m sure some will say the ending was inspiring and that it’s something we need during these times. I thought it was cliched nonsense and I rolled my eyes so much, I’m lucky I didn’t lose a contact lens.

This whole mini ended up being a considerable disappointment and a total waste of time and money. The last page talks about rebuilding, but how can you restore something that was barely there in the first place?!?!? I hope this ends the Wasteland stories, at least until someone comes along with a story to tell!

Final Thoughts:

Avengers of the Wastelands ended in a thud, but did it ever really begin? Ed Brisson filled this finale with forced exposition, cliched twists, and not much else. I am a bit embarrassed that I defended and even recommended this book when it started because, in the end, it was just a waste!

3.0/10