Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 24, 2020

When Marvel announced Empyre, I wasn’t that keen on it. The Kree and the Skrulls aren’t my things, and while I liked the original Kree/Skrull story enough, I was and still am, having a bit of Event Burnout. However, after March’s Road To Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War #1, I changed my mind and was suddenly looking forward to seeing what’s next. Well, the next thing is here. So, did EMPYRE: AVENGERS #0 keep me excited? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with a Tony Stark nightmare/flashback of the Kree and Cotati contest that started all sorts of trouble back in the day. I hope that most readers know the story because Al Ewing is more doesn’t do a great job explaining things to the uninformed. It leads to Tony and the Avengers heading off to the Blue Area of the Moon after they receive a distress signal, and Tony questioning if he should start believing in cosmic destiny.

I did not enjoy this opening at all. I was bored because of the overuse of narration, but the Avengers themselves seemed to be going through the motions. Plus, Al Ewing writes one of the worst She Hulks, which makes no sense at all!

We continue on the moon with a Kree Sentry attacking the team and the surprise appearance of the (Cotati) Swordsman. We get a bit of a background of this version of Jacques Duquesne, but it all feels a bit off like everything else. It’s like Ewing had a checklist of the characters he needed to introduce and then just jammed them into this book without caring about making it enjoyable.

Quoi is next up, and after an eye-rolling “baptism,” we finally get to the gist of it all… that Kree Sentry was a Kree/Skrull hybrid and proof that the shit is about to hit the fan! I do like the setup that AL Ewing gives us here; the Skrull sided with the Cotati and boy, that didn’t work out. So, now they are teaming up with their enemy to wipe out their epic mistake.

We end with a Tony Stark “Independence Day” speech, two reminders that the Iron Man suit has speakers and everyone pumping their fists in the air as we get an “Avengers Assemble”. I have to admit, I was excited by the end…excited that this slog of an issue was over!

This issue killed the excitement I got from the Road To Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War #1 big time! I was bored the entire time reading this, and it felt like a chore to get to the end. There was no spark to anything here, and while the art was nice, it wasn’t helped by an issue with a ton narration and a lot of sitting around. Oh well, I will have to decide if I will read Empyre #1, but right now, I think I am going to pass.

Final Thoughts:

This issue killed the little enthusiasm I had for Empyre. I was bored the entire time reading it, and the Avengers seemed to be right there with me. The issue looked good, but instead of pumping my fist in excitement, I was yawning and continually checking the page count. I did learn why Tony has speakers in his Iron Man suit, though, so at least I got that…twice!

4.5/10