Review: Avengers- Time Runs Out Vol. 4

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening chapters and incredibly thrilling and feature some amazing moments from specific heroes. A ton of answers are revealed here in a way that makes them a joy to discover. The conclusion highlights emotions that have been building throughout the series and helps set up the next chapter in this saga.

Cons: Some portions of the narrative feel a bit rushed. The conclusion to the galactic defense story arc is very disappointing. The inconsistency of the artistic styles causes some annoyance.

Overall: The conclusion of the Time Runs Out saga is exciting and provides a wonderful endcap to a stellar series. This comic has a few incredible moments from individual characters, reveals tantalizing secrets about the Marvel Universe, and ends in a way that simultaneously satisfies past story arcs while building excitement for the next one. There are some visuals and plot threads that weight the volume down a bit, but the overall appeal is still very high. All in all, this is a solid comic on its own and a great way to gear up for the next Marvel event.  

Story

As the final volume in the Time Runs Out saga, Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 4, by Jonathan Hickman, does a lot of good but also makes some mistakes along the way. On the positive side of things, this volume contains a number of incredibly thrilling moments, especially from characters like Thor and Doctor Strange. It also finally reveals a few of the mysteries behind the origin of the universe’s decay and helps transition this narrative into the next story arc. However, it also wastes a few story elements from earlier in the series and feels rushed in some of the comic’s most important moments. Overall though, this is still a very worthwhile comic and an exciting transition into the next big event.

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Time Runs Out Vol. 4 starts out strong. It refocuses the narrative on the actions of Thor’s group of Avengers and Doctor Strange’s Black Priests, who are set out to destroy the Beyonders and the Black Swans respectively. The resulting conflicts are fantastic in execution and wonderfully exciting. The moment Strange realizes he has led an army reliant on words into a completely silent room is intense and his struggle to overcome the odds is valiant, though not effective. Meanwhile, the Avengers’ struggle against the Beyonders is just as exciting; Thor’s “blaze of glory” moment is particularly noteworthy, especially when he becomes “worthy” once more. There are a few problems with this portion of the narrative, such as the rushed way in which nearly all the new Avengers series characters are dismissed, but the positives still far outweigh the negatives.

The collection continues its positive storytelling by switching the narrative over to Doctor Doom, who is revealed to be the infamous Rabum Alal. He goes on to tell the origin of the universe’s decay and explain how the various entities, Black Priests, Mapmakers, etc., became involved in this ongoing struggle for the fate of all reality. All of this information is incredibly interesting and is delivered through a story that stands well on its own.

Unfortunately, Time Runs Out Vol. 4 begins to encounter more problems as it enters the next chapter. This final story has the Earth under attack from nearly every spacefaring civilization in the Marvel Universe. In order to defend themselves, the heroes of Earth launch every form of defense they have, which include story elements that were teased dozens of issues ago. However, everything launches so quickly and with so little time to comprehend that it takes some of the impact away from the moment. Then, to make things worse, the entire battle ends up being inconsequential since the end of the universe is on its way mere hours after this battle takes place. If this epic defense was launched to give Reed and company more time to load their lifeboats, it could have had some impact, yet, as it stands, the entire thing simply ends up falling flat. This ends up being the most disappointing moment in this volume and possibly the most disappointing moment in this entire series.

Luckily, the volume’s conclusion still works well, outside of the galactic defense portions. Captain America and Iron Man’s final confrontation is raw and full of emotions. It is also assisted by some great narration and meaningful flashbacks to earlier moments in this series. Meanwhile, Reed’s attempt to position himself and others in the next phase of reality is interesting and helps set up the next chapter in this saga.

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Art

Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 4 starts out with a couple of visually impressive chapters from Kev Walker and Mike Deodato. These dark and gritty chapters match the serious nature of these particular chapters and help enhance the feelings of doom that these chapters attempt to cultivate. However, these earlier chapters conflict with the volume’s final chapter, which is far more stylized and lighthearted. This particular artistic changeup is disappointing considering the intense and serious nature of this volume’s final chapter, wherein emotions run even higher than usual. It also continues the annoying trend of inconsistent visuals styles that has been present throughout this series. Overall, the total appeal of the artwork in this volume is positive, though it does contain some less appealing moments.

Continuity

Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 4 continues the story from Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 3 (Review).

The story here continues in Secret Wars.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The Molecule Man’s origin seen here was originally shown in Fantastic Four #20, now collected in Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The Master Plan of Doctor Doom.  
• The role of a Beyonder in a Secret Wars event is mentioned. This is a reference to the 1984 Secret Wars.
• The Builder war in Infinity (Review) is mentioned here.
• Sol’s Hammer was previously seen in New Avengers #4, collected in New Avengers Vol. 1: Everything Dies (Review).
• The “Rogue Planet” was previously seen in Avengers 24.NOW, collected in Avengers Vol. 5: Adapt or Die (Review).
• Tony Stark’s recent instability is mentioned a number of times throughout this collection. This instability began in Avengers & X-Men: Axis and was explored through the Superior Iron Man series, which began in Superior Iron Man Vol. 1: Infamous.
• The final chapter of this collection features a number of flashbacks to the first issue of this Avengers series, collected in Avengers Vol. 1: Avengers World (Review).
• Flashbacks to the first issue of this Avengers series also contain references to:
  • Captain America’s dream, which comes from an event in New Avengers #3, collected in New Avengers Vol. 1: Everything Dies (Review).
  • The “go bigger” line, which comes from the end of the previous Avengers series, now collected in Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection Vol. 3.