Quasar: Cosmos in Collision

Collecting Quasar #10-25, written by Mark Gruenwald and illustrated by Mike Manley with Greg Capullo.

In Quasar #10, Dr. Minerva and Captain Atlas kidnap Quasar seeking to use his Quantum-Bands to advance the Kree's evolution.

I really like Dr. Minerva. Maybe it's because she is wearing what seems to be Ms. Marvel's old costume. Her appearance in the Captain Marvel movie might have had something to do with it as well. Captain Atlas just looks like any other Kree and we all know how little I think of the Kree. In previous issues, Minerva and Atlas hired AIM to get the Quantum-Bands for them, but decided to do it themselves after AIM failed. Minerva and Atlas will next be seen during Operation: Galactic Storm. I will get to that in all good time.

In Quasar #11, Modred the Mystic returns and places Phoenix of Excalibur under his thrall. It's up to Quasar to team-up with the rest of Excalibur to save the day.

One of the things I like best about this book is how it touches on different parts of the Marvel Universe. This issue in particular features Excalibur, Modred the Mystic, one of the Eternals and the West Coast Avengers. Quasar encounters the uper-fast Eternal called Makkari and takes him to the West Coast Avengers for medical assistance. Then the issue's main plot begins when Modred decides to possess Phoenix. Quasar is sent to investigate when Eon detects that something is amiss. Thankfully, there isn't a misunderstanding fight when the rest of Excalibur find out that Quasar has been fighting their teammate.

In Quasar #12, Quasar and Makkari of the Eternals travel to Lemuria to find the kidnapped  Master Elo.

It is revealed that Makkari was training with an Eternal named Master Elo to increase his speed. He was testing out that new speed when Quasar encountered him in the previous issue. Quasar accompanies Makkari to Master Elo's cave to find out that he is missing. They head to the Deviant city of Lemuria and interrupt a fight in arena between the Deviants Ran-sak the Reject and Tutinax. Ran-sak is considered a reject because he is handsome, unlike the rest of the monstrous Deviants. There is also a subplot going on about a prospective employee of Wendell's called H.D. Steckley. She approached Wendell demanding a job if she can find Wendell's company five new clients. It won't surprise anybody to find out that she is actually Moondragon, so it shouldn't be too difficult for her to use her psychic powers to force people to become Wendell's clients.

In Quasar #13, the remaining members of the Squadron Supreme arrive on Earth and Quasar takes them to Project: Pegasus to try and send them back to their own world.

Quasar certainly seems to be having a bad time of it in these issues. First Dr. Minerva and Captain Atlas almost took Quasar's hands off, then he got into a fight with the Blood Brothers on Mars, then it was the fight with Modred, Tutinax beat him to a bloody pulp in the previous issue. Things get even worse when his father has a heart attack and spends the next few issues lying dead on the floor. Eon tried to tell Quasar about this, but got cut off. If all that isn't bad enough, this issue starts a story about the Squadron Supreme. I have gone on enough times about how much I dislike the Squadron Supreme, so let's leave it at that.

In Quasar #14, Quasar, Makkari and Hyperion chase after Overmind and the other mind-controlled members of the Squadron Supreme to the Stranger's laboratory world where they find all sorts of alien beings held captive.

I am only faintly familiar with Marvel's cosmic characters. I only really started paying attention to them after Annihilation. There aren't any footnotes pointing out who any of the characters the Stranger is keeping captive, so most of them are an utter mystery to me. I think one of the creatures was the Creature from Kosmos from the Wasp's origin story way back in Tales to Astonish #44. The only other creature I recognised was the Bi-Beast. I had to look on the Marvel wiki to find out who all the other creatures were.

In Quasar #15, Overmind sends Quasar to find the missing Stranger. Quasar finds the Stranger investigating the deaths of a group of Watchers.

There is no real interaction between the main characters and the various creatures in the Stranger's collection. Most of the creatures are just there to fill out crowd scenes. There are more familiar creatures in this issue as well. I recognised Krakoa, the living island from Giant-Size X-Men #1. Rocket Raccoon was there as well. Remember when Rocket Raccoon was an obscure joke character? Obviously, this was before Abnett and Lanning brought him back for Annihilation: Conquest. Also, you really can tell that H.D. Steckley really is Moondragon in disguise. She basically takes over Wendell's office while he is away and barges in to talk to Eon.

In Quasar #16, Quasar tries to free the Squadron Supreme as the Stranger takes on Overmind.

Overmind was able to take over the Stranger's laboratory planet because the Stranger was off investigating several Watchers having died in mysterious circumstances. In the last issue it was revealed that the Watchers ere part of a philosophical revolution that believe the mere act of observing is interference itself. This caused the Watchers to renounce their watch and will themselves 'unalive'. So the Watchers basically committed suicide. With all that business solved, the Stranger is able to return to his laboratory world and see-off Overmind. Unfortunately, Overmind still has the mind-controlled Squadron Supreme under his control and has freed all of the Stranger's captives.

In Quasar #17, an Elder of the Universe known as the Runner challenges Earth's speedsters to a race. Also present is a stranger by the name of 'Buried Alien'.

This was the issue I was most interested in reading when I first got this trade. Mark Gruenwald hasn't finished with all the cameo appearances yet. This story gathers together all of the characters that are super-fast like Quicksilver, the Whizzer of the Squadron Supreme, Super Sabre, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Makkari, Speed Demon and Black racer of the Serpent Society. The most interesting participant is some guy dressed in red and yellow. The newcomer has lost his memory but thinks that his name is something like 'Buried Alien'. Obviously, this character is supposed to be Barry Allen better known as the Flash. The implication is that Barry ended up in the Marvel Universe after seemingly dying during Crisis on Infinite Earths. The big race didn't really serve any purpose, but it was a fun issue and I did enjoy the in-joke about the Flash. It even managed to make me put aside my hatred of Barry Allen for once.

Greg Capullo becomes the regular artist starting from Quasar #18. Quasar is stuck in the middle of a conflict between the cosmic beings Origin and Unbeing.

Wendell has lost all memory of being Quasar and finds himself at his mother's home. He meets the neighbours son Billy who is a big fan of superheroes and dreams of becoming a comic book artist one day. Billy also claims to be a cosmic entity that created all of Marvel's heroes. Billy's real name is unpronounceable, but he is known as Origin. His nemesis is another cosmic being called Unbeing, who erases superheroes from existence. Billy offers to restore Wendell's powers if he takes care of Unbeing for him. Naturally, things aren't quite as they seem. Quasar gets a new costume for his trouble. I don't like the mask, but he does have a nifty cape with stars in it.

In Quasar #19, Quasar intercepts Jack of Hearts and a group of escapees from the Stranger's laboratory world but Jack isn't interested in talking.

In a previous issue it looked like Eon had eaten Moondragon, or H.D. Steckley as she is calling herself now. Unfortunately, she turns up here alive and well, if a bit shaken. Wendell tries to get Moondragon to go home and get some rest but she tosses him over her shoulder. Not suspicious at all, right? In happier news, Wendell goes out on a date with his secretary Kayla and, in a nice break from the usual tropes, actually reveals his secret identity to her. He detects an extraterrestrial presence and doesn't have time to come up with an excuse for running out on the date.

In Quasar #20, Quasar is attacked by the Presence and discovers he is out to kill Eon. Could the Presence be the alien being that Eon predicted would kill him?

The previous issue reminded me why I never liked Jack of Hearts. Quasar came over to ask what was going on and see if he could help but Jerk of Hearts ended up attacking him. Any way, it turns out that the Presence isn't the threat from space that Eon detected after all. There has been somebody mysterious meeting with cosmic beings seeking information about some nebulous plan. The Fantastic Four are on hand to help when the Presence and Starlight attack Wendell's office looking for Eon. Wendell is renting office space in their building after all. Wendell also finally finds out that his father has died and Eon has been keeping the truth from him. Naturally, he isn't pleased about it.

In Quasar #21, still mourning the loss of his father Quasar is unprepared for the real alien assassin that Eon had predicted: Maelstrom.

We finally find out who the mystery person is that has been conversing with cosmic entities. It is the villain Maelstrom. The last time Maelstrom was last seen in a comic (Avengers #250) he expanded so big that he became one with the universe. Maelstrom impersonates a prospective client for Wendell's security firm and invites Wendell and his staff over. The dinner doesn't go well and Maelstrom threaten to kill Wendell's friends unless he hands over his Quantum-Bands. Of course, the Quantum-Bands don't come off unless the person wearing them dies. Maelstrom thinks that killing Quasar is a waste, so he cut off his hands instead. Ooh, nasty!

In Quasar #22, Quasar is left near death and has visions of the original Captain Marvel and his father as Maelstrom studies the Quantum-Bands.

Like any good super-villain, Maelstrom strings Quasar up on a wall and leaves him to die. We also find out why Moondragon is pretending to be H.D. Steckley. She claims that she infiltrated Wendell's company because she was literally made to love him. Hooking up with the Protector of the Universe make up for failing to become the Celestial Madonna, or so she claims. That's not creepy at all.

In Quasar #23, Quasar's innocent blood has been spilled so it comes to Ghost Rider to avenge him and battles Deathurge.

Ghost Rider was appearing in everybody else's comics, so it was only a matter of time before he appeared in Quasar's comic. Things are getting pretty grim. Quasar has lost his hands and has been whipped almost to death by one of Maelstrom's minions. Things started to get weird when a super-deformed vision of Death called Kid Reaper appeared to usher Quasar on to the afterlife. That's where Ghost Rider comes in. He detected Quasar's innocent blood being spilled and heads off to avenge Quasar's death. It was cool to see Ghost Rider plow through Maelstrom's goons. Phobious's fear powers were nothing compared to Ghost Rider's. Ghost Rider is even able to shrug off getting impaled on Deathurge's spear. Deathurge claims that Ghost Rider is nothing compared to what he represents, but he still ends up running away.

In Quasar #24, Doctor Strange contacts his fellow mystics as Maelstrom confronts cosmic beings like Galactus and Thanos. Meanwhile, Quasar seeks an audience with Infinity.

Maelstrom demanded that Quasar hand over his cosmic awareness or he will destroy the Earth by stopping its rotation and causing the tectonic stresses to tear the planet apart. It turns out to be for nothing as Quasar teleports away and Maelstrom realises he had cosmic awareness any way. Maelstrom then goes around the universe taunting various cosmic entities and saying how awesome he is. Thanos has better things to do than listen to some upstart boasting about how he has ultimate power. This was slightly before the events of Infinity Gauntlet, remember.

In Quasar #25, the universe starts to collapse in on itself as Quasar becomes an avatar of Infinity to take on Melstrom in his new role as the avatar of Oblivion.

After all the mind-twisting cosmic business, Quasar gets yet another new costume for his trouble. Thankfully, he gets rid of the stupid mask but keeps the rad star cape. Cosmic stories involving the likes of Infinity and what have you usually go over my head, but this story arc has been pretty good. It did get a bit grim with Quasar losing his hands but the Ghost Rider appearance was pretty fun. It wasn't entirely gratuitous.

I really did enjoy this collection. I have only really read Mark Gruenwald's Captain America so it was good to read something else of his. I was a bit wary of the Squadron Supreme appearing but they don't factor much into the stories. I got a kick out of seeing all of those obscure characters in the Stranger's collection as well. My personal highlight was probably the big race with 'Buried Alien' and that is coming from a salty Wally West fan. I hope a third volume of Quasar issues released soon because I am looking forward to reading more.

My rating: 3.5 stars.

Next time: Booster Gold- 52 Pick-Up