Rabum Alal Is As Epic As Advertised (SPOILERS)
My favorite issues of Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers are when they focus on Black Blot, Doctor Strange and there is a cameo from Dr. Doom. Thankfully we get two of those here. This is a Doctor Strange centric episode with him battling and then being caught by the Black Swans. They explain to him that their leader, Rabum Alal aka the Great Destroyer, wants him alive. This is potentially because it’s not fully explained, that this person is who started the universes colliding that will end in Battleworld. The issue leading up to this moment is okay. There are some decent action beats with Strange just being swarmed by the Black Swans. The moment (panel) that it is revealed that Rabum Alal is Dr. Doom is fantastic. He has a snide remark to Strange with the art being beautiful.
For me, this was a moment I have been waiting months for. It played out as shocking, some what predicting but made me extremely happy. That doesn’t make any sense but I’m expressing exactly how I felt in the moment. That was the saving grace of the issue. The art seemed messy to me like a rough oil painting. With Molecule Man at his side, the multiverse jumping Doom seemed more like he had gone away for years before Strange had seen him. I like how this whole idea and concept could be Doom’s way of giving a big middle finger to all the villains who didn’t ask him to join him in trying to save their universe.
6.4 out of 10