MARVEL Graphic Novel - Emperor Doom - Starring the Mighty Avengers

Art-Bob Hall

Summary:

A disguised Namor travels to Manhattan to answer a mysterious summons. Arriving at a restaurant he is bidden to a table by Doctor Doom. Doom proposes an alliance between the two in order to take over the world. Doom demonstrates to Namor that he has the ability to influence all who surround him thanks to a Psycho-Prism, a crystal with a strand of hair from the Purple Man. Doom suggest that with it, he can take over the world. However he needs Namor to take care of the few non-organics that are impervious to the effects of the Purple Man. In exchange for his help, Doom promises him control of all the seas. The displaced monarch Namor agrees and sets out on his task. His mission takes up against the likes of the Vision, Ultron, and Machine Man. Meanwhile, Doom perfects a larger Psycho-Prism using not just a strand of hair but the Purple Man himself. At the West Coast Avengers compound, Tony Stark prepares to run some experiments on Wonder Man that require him to place himself in a sensory deprivation tank for a month. Wonder Man worries about being out of action for so long, but Tony sways his fears, "What could happen in a month?" A month later Wonder Man awakens to a world of peace and prosperity and a world ruled by Doom. A confused Wonder Man attempts to convince the Avengers that something is wrong but is met by hostility and is forced to go on the run. Doom meanwhile rules the Earth as a benevolent ruler however a rather bored one. He muses on his attainment of his wildest dream and feels disconcerted that he did not win it by right of conquest. He sees Wonder Man as a chance to feel a sense of challenge but Wonder Man is nowhere to be found. As Wonder Man travels the countryside he ponders on whether or not he should try and liberate the world. He sees that there is no war, no poverty, and no famine. Is life so bad under Doom? Ultimately he realizes that all of it means nothing if in the end they have no free will. At the end of the day Doom has total control. He thus travel to the Avengers HQ and looks for the strongest willed and tries to break Doom's hold on them. He manages to succeed in freeing Captain America, Hawkeye, Wasp, and Iron Man. Together they mount an attack on the island where Doom is holding the Purple Man. A battle ensues and they manage to free Namor who also fell under Doom's spell. Finally, Namor destroys the prism and at the same time killing the Purple Man. Cap rushes to chase down Doom however finds that he has already escaped. The Avenger assemble together and ponder whether they have done the right thing. Captain America reiterates that the world isn't perfect but that it is free will that counts.

Comments:

 Long before Doom conquered the mixed MARVEL/Wildstorm universe or the Heroes Reborn universe, Doom conquered the world and gave it up. This graphic novel has decreased by already low opinion of the Doom: Emperor Returns miniseries. On top of being filled with inconsistencies and out of character moments and it is a blatant rehash of another story. I find even the title insulting. Nevertheless, this review is about the MARVEL graphic novel, Emperor Doom. The story is not perfect. I find it both troublesome and alleviating that there is no appearance by the FF. It's troublesome because as Doom's arch nemesis you would think they should play a small role in these events. However it may also say something about Doom's character that he doesn't kill them or humiliate them now that he rules the world. The idea may be that once he rules it all he doesn't care about the FF. They are just little fish in a big pond. I like this idea although it is hardly explicit in the material. The idea of Doom becoming bored with affairs of state is something that I do find irrevocably troubling. He's a king. How can he be bored with this stuff. It's his job. I can't think he was naive enough to believe that ruling the world was going to be easier than ruling Latveria. I'll accept the idea that he misses the challenges but not that he tires of ruling the world. I will say that one thing that the Doom mini, Emperor Returns has over Emperor Doom is that I find it easier to believe that Doom would give up Planet Doom than he would Earth based solely on the fact that Planet Doom is not his real home. Giving up Earth because he is bored? Nah. Another point for this graphic novel is that they seem to portray Doom as growing somewhat. Now he knows what it is like to take over the world and he doesn't really want the job. This is great character development that is unfortunately hindered by the fact that no one ever alludes to this adventure. Other problems with this story include: I find it hard to accept that Captain America was not strong enough to fight the Prisms influence all on his own. Why does Doom need Namor in the first place? Can’t he have done what he did? Otherwise, why does he betray Namor? Surely Doom has no plan for the ocean. None are shown. Other than that this is a trend setter so Bottom Line: Buy It

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