Desperate Times And Measures — Reviewing ‘One World Under Doom’ #3

The ‘strange bedfellows’ trope is nothing new when it comes to stories of heroics, especially when the world itself is at stake. Team-ups between heroes and villains litter the back issue bins and archives of the comic book world.

One World Under Doom #3 adds to those stories, as the Avengers take desperate measures in a world ruled by Latveria’s iron-fisted ruler. More about Doom’s reign comes to light as Ryan North, R.B. Silva, David Curiel, and Travis Lanham deliver the third of Marvel’s nine-chapter summer event.

I’m not sure what to think of this book.

On the one hand, it’s very much in line with a lot of event type of stories. On the other hand, a turtle coasting on an iceberg probably moves faster than this story. Calling the pace glacial might be too generous.

Look, I’m all for the ambition of attempting status quo of this magnitude. The problem is that it feels very shruggable, for multiple reasons. First, it feels too predictable and scattershot. Second, outside of the tie-ins, it’s not being felt at all by the rest of the publishing line. The event seems to be shooting for mid-2000s era overarching Marvel line events, without the connective tissue or pomp and circumstance.

When Norman Osborn was the top guy ruling with an iron fist, it was felt across the line. Right now, it feels like a minor inconvenience that only the Avengers (and a handful of villains) really cares about. Not the best beat for an event.

I appreciate what North is trying here. At the same time, there are choices that just aren’t working. Doom actually making some things better, and the revelation that his control came about from just placating human nature and desires are two things that flop. Chiefly because this is not just something that the Avengers or others can punch or talk away. When they topple the Doom, control a lot of good helpful things will go away.

This is just like how toppling the Phoenix Five back in 2012’s Avengers versus X-Men led to people returning to hunger, disease, and other terrible things. Heroes restoring status quos is a long storied tradition. When it means taking down full tyrants, altered time lines, dystopian futures … the audience can easily get behind it. When it means putting everyone back into an unfair, broken, and harmful system with a shrug, that’s when things get dicey.

Also, the Avengers suddenly being worried that the Raft contains the “worst of the worst” smack dab in the center of New York City is wild. There have been breakouts numerous times and they keep rebuilding and shoving these people in there. But now it’s a concern?

At least it looks big and dynamic as a story.

There are a few depictions of characters that I have some quibbles with. Silva has some characters looking a bit stretchy, shiny, and soft. Other than that, though, it’s still Silva delivering what he does best. Everything feels grander just because of the choices made in paneling and delivery of each moment. This conveys a true sense of weight, depth, and structure to the world we’re witnessing and everything contained within.

Even the scenes with characters standing around spaces chatting have that feeling. Quibbles with the faces or depictions aside, there are clear emotional energies upon faces and bodies as the characters move through the space with determination and identity.

Just look at the action scenes, though. That shot of the Avengers and villains through Doom’s green dome as things are on fire around them feels almost iconic already. Shoot, we get Doom riding on a damn dinosaur version of himself looking badass as hell. That’s the comic book goodness that I desire to gobble up on the regular.

There is a feeling of normalcy that permeates things here. By that, I mean there are aspects that feel very similar to our real world in presentation, except with flashier big life heroes and villains with colorful costumes and power afoot.

Capturing that feeling comes from the color choices that Curiel makes. He keeps the overall palette very muted or baseline helps. There are many colors that allow backdrops and common spaces to feel familiar to our eye. When the more vibrant beats enter the chat they pop and stand out even more.

Lastly, the lettering comes in to pick up on the energy the rest of the visuals are teeing up. Even with the feelings about the story itself, there are kernels to be found in the words offered. Lanham digs those up and gives all the right pushes, dropping in some beats of emotional energy where possible, while playing up personalities at all times.

My last thought on the overall story is that Doom not paying attention to the things the Sorcerer Supreme used to do, such as warding the dimension against magical evil, tracks. He’s such an egomaniac that important things often escape his view and focus. That being said, Dormammu being a catalyst for the heroes having to break bread with Doom when so much is still unexplained or unexplored feels off.

I’ll still give it a chance to see, but damn this is tough.

One World Under Doom #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.