Marvel
Assistant Editors
Mark Sumerak
Andy Schmidt

Editor
Tom Brevoort

Managing Editor
David Bogart

Editor in Chief
Joe Quesada

President
Bill Jemas

DC
Associate Editor
Stephen Wacker

Editors
Dan Raspler
Mike Carlin

VP - Editorial
Dan Didio

President
Paul Levitz

Cover Date
September 2003

Cover Price
$5.95 US / $9.50 CAN

48 pages
(prestige format)

JLA / AVENGERS #1
"A Journey Into Mystery"

Marvel Universe. It begins on the Day of the Imperion, a holiday on Polemachus. It's a world that the Avengers have visited again and again to face the might of Arkon. It's a good day, and Arkon is considering spending the day either hunting or romancing with the much-missed Thundra who has chosen to spend her life with her man on this world. The day is broken by a dark entity in the sky, a seemingly familiar creature to some DC Comics readers. It seeks the answer to an unasked question, unanswered it destroys Polemachus unmercifully.

DC Universe. Scene switch to another world, this one parallel to our own Earth, an anti-matter universe world called Qward. The Crime Syndicate, formerly an evil Justice League from Earth-Three now retconned and relegated to exist in this universe, are attacking the Weaponers of Qward just for sport. This is the genius of writer Kurt Busiek. He knows comics history and he knows current comics continuity . . . and he rolls with it. If the Crime Syndicate and Qward now exist in the same universe, why wouldn't the Crime Syndicate attack Qward? They too are destroyed by a mysterious hand.

Anyone who knows the origins of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the granddaddy of crossover retcon events, knows who the hand of destruction belongs to. His name is Krona, one of the renegade Guardians of the Universe, the beings who created the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. As seen back in Green Lantern #40 Krona traveled back to the beginning of time to witness the birth of the universe and his presence created a multiverse instead. He is not a nice guy, infinitely powerful and seeking the secret of the universe. The really bad news - once he searches a universe for this secret, he destroys it.

Finally coming to the Marvel Universe, he comes across the Grandmaster, who true to form, challenges Krona to a game. The prize is the survival of the Marvel Universe. The players are the Avengers and the Justice League of America. To play their game, the barriers between the universes are deliberately blurred, which brings us to . . .

DC Universe, Keystone City, where the Justice League engage Terminus - we get a crash course in how the JLA operates. Big guns attacking directly, support saving bystanders, and Batman observing the enemy for weaknesses. Once a plan is conceived, the team is psychically linked by the Martian Manhunter and the bad guy is taken down. That's exactly how it goes for the poor otherworldly Terminus, as well as being humiliated by Plastic Man and disposed of by the omnipotent Spectre. The current Spectre also hips the League to the fact that Terminus doesn't belong in this universe.

Marvel Universe, New York City, where the Avengers are confronted by Starro the Conqueror, one of the League's earliest foes - we get similar insight on what Earth's mightiest heroes are all about. The Avengers are a fighting unit, they work together, plan together and attack together. There is an interesting parallel drawn here. The League outfights, the Avengers outthink. The Avengers are alerted by Quasar after the defeat of Starro that other extra-dimensional invasions have occurred. We get a glimpse of Lobo trashing the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard, themselves of course the Marvel counterparts of DC's Legion of Super-Heroes.

The JLA similarly see reports of Mongol attacked by the Brood and Thanagarian Hawk Police fighting Skrulls. The barriers between the universes are definitely weakened. The Flash on an excursion to the Marvel side learns two things: mutants are discriminated against to the point of possible lynching, and there is no speed force to tap into there - thus he is powerless. Nice touch that the Flash makes the foray, as his Uncle Barry was the first hero to make an extra-dimensional journey back in the Silver Age. His experience on Marvel Earth also leaves a bad taste in his mouth, leading to assumptions later on. First impressions are a bad thing in this book.

These events are followed by the appearances of two other Marvel invaders. First the Watcher, who ain't talking, for once observing and not interfering, and second the Grandmaster himself. The Grandmaster weaves a tale reminiscent of Loki during the Avengers/Defenders clash and both Kang and the Lord of Time in the aborted 1983 Justice League/Avengers crossover. The heroes must retrieve a certain item(s) or all is doomed. This leads of course to obligatory battles with members of the opposing team, and thus it is here. The items, or McGuffins, as Alfred Hitchcock would put it, are the stuff of fanboys' (and girls') wet dreams.

Twelve powerful items, six from each universe, are presented to be recovered. From the Marvel Universe - the Ultimate Nullifier, the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Cosmic Cube, the Evil Eye (speaking of the Avengers/Defenders clash), the Wand of Watoomb and the Soul Gems (apparently counting as one). From the DC Universe - the Eternity Book, the Orb of Ra, Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern Power Battery, the Psycho-Pirate's Medusa Mask, the Spear of Destiny, and the Green Bell of Ulthool, The Silver Wheel of Nyorlath and the Red Jar of Calythos (equally counting as one). Each artifact has its own long and distinguished history in each universe, but their backgrounds nor powers don't have precedence on the events of this story. And don't bother pulling out your old comics to find where each McGuffin was last seen, they have been randomly placed in fun backgrounds for such a conflict.

While the Avengers devise a security system to alert them of further extra-dimensional invaders, the League takes a trip to Marvel Earth for some sight-seeing. Latveria and Genosha don't make them happy, nor do encounters with the Hulk and the Punisher. They resolve to collect the artifacts, the first of which is located on Monster Island, a depository of monsters in the Marvel Universe. The JLA take out some wonderful Kirby monsters including Fin Fang Foom (!) to obtain the Ultimate Nullifier, before a purple arrow whisks it from their grasp.

Enter the Avengers, signaled of the JLA's arrival by Iron Man's security system. With the Nullifier in their possession, the Avengers send the League back to their own universe with their 'signature modulator,' but not before Wonder Woman snatches Hawkeye's arrow with the Nullifier out of the air. They soon discover they are being watched, by Metron of the New Gods, who gives the Avengers roughly the same speech the Grandmaster gave the JLA earlier. Collect the items, save the universe.

Metron is something of an enigma, even in the DC Universe. He purports to be one of the New Gods of New Genesis, eternally at war with Darkseid of Apokalips, but he mostly observes. He seeks knowledge more than justice, and can be as malevolent as he can be benevolent. He just might want Krona to destroy both universes, or have the Avengers fight the Justice League, just to see what happens. That's just the kind of guy Metron is.

Metron gives the Avengers a Mother Box, the magical omnigadget of the New Gods, with which they then travel to Metropolis in the DC Universe. They are greeted almost immediately by Loophole, a lame 1990s Superman adversary, who the Avengers clean up in between panels. Checking out their surroundings they begin to notice how this world idolizes their heroes - something Hawkeye finds familiar but can't put his finger on, until the Justice league arrives to confront them.

"Oh, right - Now I've got it! These losers - They're nothin' but a bunch of Squadron Supreme wanna-bes!" The best line of the book. Hawkeye refers to the fascist Marvel Comics doppelgangers of the JLA whom the Avengers have fought time and time again. And from first impressions, they do seem like the same stripe, especially as Superman demands the Avengers surrender.

Thor loses his patience and slams Superman with Mjolnir. The storm begins. The teams are shocked, some scared, some angry, but still they ready themselves for combat. We flash to the Grandmaster and Metron, with the hiding Atom looking on, where we learn there is a deeper game going on here to save both universes from the wrath of Krona.

Let the games begin!