The battle cry of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes isn’t being uttered by Captain America. It’s being shouted by Doctor Doom, who happens to be wielding both Cap’s shield AND Thor’s hammer. It’s quite an opening splash page for All-Out Avengers #2. Writer Derek Landy tells a fast-paced action story that is cast across the page by artist Greg Land, inker Jay Leisten, and colorist Frank D’Armata. Doom and the Avengers are up against...Doctor Doom in a weirdly engaging story that fully lives up to the overall idea of the series. No introduction. No drama. Throw the readers right into the action and let them work it out.

Doctor Doom has been an Avenger for twelve hours, but he can’t do a whole lot about the darker version of himself, who is a very real threat to the world that he’s wanted to rule over in the past. The Avengers are perfectly willing to work with the guy because they haven’t got much choice. Doom has split himself into two different forms, and his dark form is A LOT more powerful than his heroic side. Working with the Avengers might just be the thing Doom needs to reunite himself into a single person.

She-Hulk makes a cool appearance. Iron Man has the kind of wit that Robert Downey Jr. managed in the old MCU movies. Captain America is heroically defiant even as the world seems to be coming to an end. All that effective characterization aside, Doom really is the center of the issue. Doctor Doom is a strong personality. Here he manages to push the Avengers into supporting character status in an issue that really is more about him than anything. Derek Landy knows how to keep the team in page and panel in a way that makes them the central appeal in a book that’s really more about Doom. It’s quite an accomplishment.

Land and Leisten slam the action into the page with some overwhelmingly dramatic action sequences. The more straight-ahead drama doesn’t have quite the impact it should, but that’s okay as most of the drama plays out in the action itself...with powerful arcs and blasts of magic and dialogue that are smartly amplified by D’Armata’s colors. One of the bigger problems with Doom and drama has always been that emotionless metal mask. The art team does an impressive job of giving Doom emotional impact with subtle changes in light, shadow, angle, and not-so-subtle explosions of energy.

Landy is beginning to develop a larger plot around the edges of the series that’s playing with the format. Specific memories of how they came to be where they are...simply aren’t there for everyone. It’s a clever way to draw the overarching plot into the form of a series that launches readers and characters alike directly into the middle of the action. It may have an awful title, but two issues in, All-Out Avengers is beginning to look like something special. 

Grade: A