What Drives People’s Decisions?

First Look for January 05, 2018

What drives people’s decisions? In today’s first look at Vision #6 and Avengers (vol 4) #24, we see how a hero and a villain make their choices and what the immediate repercussions are. In Vision, our hero learns of the Grim Reaper’s death and still Vision decides to put his family first and carry on a lie. In the Avengers, we see Normal Osborn making the decision to undergo the super-adaptoid program for revenge and power. One is selfish while the other looks to protect his family. Is one right and the other wrong? Who knows – Osborn suffered a defeat because of his decisions while at least temporarily, Vision has a happy family. The only question is what are the rest of the Avengers gonna do with the knowledge that Vision has chose the family he created over justice.

Oh, and I’m gonna start rating my first impressions of these comics as I go. I think some of them will have a different initial rating than the one I give after I take a more in depth look.

Vision #6

P vs. NP by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta. Published by Marvel Comics, 2016.

This is another interesting issue and another superhero story that doesn’t have any kind of fighting in it. Sure, there is one death but Vision quickly remedies that situation to the benefit of his family. It’s also a fitting conclusion to the first story arc of this wonderful title. Some things are resolved and others are left for future issues but once again, the art, dialog, and narration are so well put together it’s easy to see this winning awards.

The name of the issue P vs. NP is explained as basically the things a computer can do vs. the things that are outside the capabilities of a computer and when it comes to synthezoids it makes sense to look at these issues. But while the narrator describes the philosophical debates about P vs. NP, we see that the neighbor’s dog has unfortunately found the remains of the Grim Reaper. Surprise! Now the Vision knows the secret and things fall apart in the house. Vision’s worst fears are realized – as Ultron’s creation he’s always worried that the Avengers and others would doubt him and stop trusting him. Basically see him as an evil robot like the bigots have done all along.

While the mental dilemma and debate goes on in Vision’s head and the narrator’s thoughts, the Avenger brings the neighbor’s dog back to life as a new puppy for his kids. He’s made his decision regardless of the fact that the Reaper is dead, he’s gonna stand by his family. And as we see this decision play out in the home, we also see Agatha speaking to an assembly of Avengers explaining that the decision Vision has made, in placing the happiness of his family above all else, will lead to disaster.

Such a good issue and such a good series.  You can find the other issues of this story arc linked in my January reading list.

I’ll rate this first look at Vision #6 an A-.

Avengers (vol 4) #24

The Great and Powerful Osborn! by Brian Michael Bendis and Daniel Acuna. Published by Marvel Comics, 2012.

Two things that pissed me off about reading this are:
1) Marvel has so many starts and restarts of the Avengers with many of the “volumes” seeming to be published during the same years that it was nearly impossible for me to find out which Avengers #24 I wanted to read. Needless to say, I settled on Avengers Volume 4 Issue #24 since there was an issue #24.1 that followed it that I saw on the reading list I was trying to follow. Marvel certainly doesn’t make things easy for it’s readers unless they are following the story as it comes out.
2) There is no issue name anywhere that I could find within the cover of this issue. I had to jump around searching to find it and ended up finally at the previous issue on Marvel Unlimited where it announces on the last page that the next issue is The Great and Powerful Osborn!. That’s really frustrating.

With that out of the way, I found this to be an interesting issue. Two weeks ago, Norman Osborn went to Doctor Rappachcini to get something that could “rattle Captain America and Iron Man to their very core” and it looks like he found it. The Super-Adaptoid program at A.I.M. set up Osborne to absorb the powers of anyone he touches and he heads into battle with the Avengers knowing he’ll have the upper hand.

First Hulk hits him and instead of pulverizing him, Osborn becomes a hulk. Then he gains the powers of Vision. Then…they all pile on him and he’s got some serious power. He’s still going though and looking for more when the New Avengers show up Osborne is ready to destroy them all until he implodes. So much for the Super-Adaptoid, but it wears fun to see so many Avengers all in one place. Sadly, this seems like the story finale when I would have liked some build up. I figure there was a fuller story in the pages of the Avengers issues prior to this but this is where the reading order had me start this title…too bad, but it was a fun little battle to read.

You can find the other issues of my modern Marvel reading linked in my January reading list.

I’ll rate this issue a B-.