Operation: Galactic Storm
Encyclopedia
"Operation: Galactic Storm" was a 19-part comic book
crossover
storyline which ran through Marvel Comics
' Avengers
related titles - Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Captain America
, Iron Man
, Thor
, Wonder Man
and Quasar
- between March and May 1992.
The storyline, which involves the Avengers intervening in an intergalactic war between the alien
Kree
and Shi'ar
empires, is notable among inter-title super-hero crossovers for its emphasis on tight plotting and characterization and its downbeat ending.
The over-arching plotline was devised by Mark Gruenwald
, Bob Harras
and Fabian Nicieza
, though each individual issue was written and drawn by the regular creative teams on each title.
's operational title for the 1991 Gulf War
, which had been recently resolved when the idea for "Operation: Galactic Storm" was conceived. Although the phrase is featured in the storyline (it is the name the Avengers give to their own deployment) the plot bears no real relation to the Gulf conflict and was apparently not intended to have any overt parallels with it, save the obvious fact that "Operation: Galactic Storm" also involved a major conflict.
In fact the crossover was in many ways a sequel
to a previous Avengers story - the 1971/1972 "Kree-Skrull War
". Like the previous story, "Operation: Galactic Storm" features the Avengers getting caught in the middle of a cosmic war waged between two alien empires - this time the Kree and the Shi'ar (rather than the Kree/Skrull
conflict featured in its predecessor) - because that war endangers the safety of the planet Earth
.
Mark Gruenwald has discussed the origins of the storyline as a Quasar story which was expanded when he (then Marvel's executive editor and writer of Captain America and Quasar), Bob Harras (at the time the Avengers writer and the X-Men
line's editor), and Fabian Nicieza (then editor of Wonder Man and a writer of numerous non-Avengers books) were looking for an appropriate plot for a proposed Avengers crossover.
Harras's role was instrumental in approving the story. As the X-Men editor he could authorize the extensive use of the Shi'ar, a race which until then had rarely appeared outside of the X-Men titles where they had made their debut.
The three creators mapped out the proposed storyline, which was further expanded at an "Avengers summit" when all the writers and editors whose series were involved in the crossover gathered together to further refine the plot.
Creators who contributed to the storyline included writers Gruenwald, Harras, Tom DeFalco
, Gerard Jones
, Len Kaminski and Roy Thomas
(who wrote the original Kree-Skrull War storyline); pencillers Greg Capullo
, Steve Epting
, Ron Frenz
, Jeff Johnson
, Rik Levins
, Pat Olliffe
, David Ross and Paul Ryan
; and editors Nicieza, Ralph Macchio
, Nel Yomtov and Kelly Corvese.
The storyline was tightly plotted so that each issue was supposed to carry the story forward in some way. Each characters' characterization was kept largely consistent with their portrayals from their ongoing titles and long developing themes and storylines (such as the strained relationship between Captain America and Iron Man following the "Armor Wars
", the Avengers strict "no killing" rule, the Kree's genetic
problems, etc.) were updated and further developed.
by Shi'ar agents intent on recovering Kree artifacts to aid them in the construction of a super weapon. In the course of rescuing Jones, Captain America discovers that a conflict has begun between the alien Kree and Shi'ar empires.
In Quasar #32 (March 1992) Captain America's fellow Avenger Quasar discovers that the use of a nearby stargate
by the warring factions is destabilizing Earth's sun
. The Avengers gather and resolve to intervene in the conflict to try and ensure the safety of their solar system
either by bringing about a truce or by diverting the two empires from using the nearby stargate.
The "Earth team" is led by the Wasp
and includes the Falcon
, Henry Pym
, Gilgamesh
, Mockingbird
, She-Hulk
, Spider-Woman and U.S. Agent
. Quasar and Her also remain in the Solar System to guard the stargates.
The "Shi'ar Team" is led by Captain Marvel
and includes the Living Lightning
, the Scarlet Witch
, Starfox, Thor
, Vision
and Wonder Man
.
Finally, the "Kree Team" is led by Captain America
and includes the Black Knight, Crystal
, Goliath
, Hercules
, Iron Man
and Sersi
.
In the story, U.S. Agent is originally assigned to the "Kree Team" and Hawkeye to the "Earth Team", but Clint Barton (Hawkeye's real identity) perceives this as a slight and is given some Pym Particles by Hank Pym so that he might increase his superhuman abilities (and thus qualify for inclusion on the "Kree Team") by re-assuming his Goliath
identity.
This is one of the story's few overt references to the original "Kree-Skrull War" storyline, as Barton appears as Goliath in that storyline as well (something which Barton and Pym comment on in the story).
and the Imperial Guard
, respectively) and are largely unsuccessful in engaging them in negotiations. Captain America's team are repeatedly captured and imprisoned by the Kree authorities while Captain Marvel's team engages in a number of short battles with various Shi'ar forces.
During the course of these encounters it is revealed that the Sh'iar has managed to create a massive super weapon—the "Nega-Bomb"—using Kree artifacts including the original Captain Marvel
's Nega-Bands which has been stolen from the dead hero's tomb. This bomb is capable of devastating an area equivalent to that of the Kree Empire (which is supposedly located throughout the Large Magellanic Cloud
).
Also during the conflict, the Kree's military leaders are assassinated by the Shi'ar agent Deathbird
, the Supreme Intelligence
regains (temporary) control of the Kree forces, and Skrull agents are revealed to be surreptitiously manipulating the court of the Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra into escalating the conflict.
Eventually, Captain Marvel's Avengers delegation manages to convince Lilandra to try and begin peace negotiations with the Kree. However by this point, the Nega-Bomb has been stolen by Skrull agents and her efforts to recall the weapon fail.
Despite the presence of Avengers members Wonder Man and the Vision in the Nega-Bomb's massive interior, the device is successfully detonated in Wonder Man #9 (May 1992). The Kree Empire is devastated by its effects, with billions dying instantaneously.
In Avengers #347 (May 1992) the various Avengers (all of whom manage to survive the bomb's effects; the Vision turned intangible, Wonder Man's ionic body absorbed the released energy, Sersi turned the rest of the Kree team into inanimate matter, and the Shi'ar team hadn't arrived on the scene yet) gather on Hala, the Kree homeworld, and discover that most of the events of the war- up to and including the Nega-Bomb's detonation- have been manipulated and engineered by the Kree Supreme Intelligence. This creature, an amalgam of the consciousness of thousands of generations of Kree military leaders, calculated that the bomb's radioactive effects would serve to jumpstart the Kree race's evolution which had previously been thought stalled.
Horrified by this revelation, and faced with the problem with what to do now with the captured Supreme Intelligence, a group of Avengers decides that the Supreme Intelligence should be killed for its act of genocide.
Disagreeing with this idea completely, Captain America holds a vote, and when a majority of Avengers agree that killing the Intelligence is not appropriate, he orders that no Avenger should kill the creature. Iron Man refuses to follow this order (invoking his seniority as a founding member), and he and the other dissenting Avengers- Black Knight, Hercules, Sersi, Thor, Vision and Wonder Man attempt to terminate the creature, apparently succeeding.
A Shi'ar delegation then appears and announces that they will annex the devastated Kree Empire, with Lilandra's sister Deathbird becoming viceroy
of the Kree territories. The Avengers return to Earth divided and disillusioned by the events of the storyline, and the consciousness of the Supreme Intelligence is shown to have survived and escaped to a waiting spaceship
manned by Skrulls.
Quasar #35 and #36 (June - July 1992) explores the larger repercussions of the storyline: the effect on the wider cosmos of the Nega-Bomb explosion and the sudden death of billions of lifeforms and the collapse of a major space empire.
Other comics which tie directly into the events of "Operation Galactic Storm" include Silver Surfer
(vol. 2) #79 (April 1993) which features the return of two Kree characters, Doctor Minerva
and Captain Atlas
, who are thought to have died at the conclusion of "Operation: Galactic Storm"; and Avengers Forever
#8 (July 1997), which shows how the events of the crossover may lead (and has led in at least one timeline) the Avengers to become a paramilitary
group that controls a vast and repressive interstellar empire.
, most especially stories featuring the Kree, Shi'ar and Skrull as the events of the crossover changed the status quo of each of those races to varying degrees.
Many subsequent Avengers storylines feature attempts by surviving Kree to exact revenge on the Avengers team for their supposed role in the Nega-Bomb's detonation, more specifically the oneshot Avengers Strikefiles #1, released in January 1994, serves as an epilogue to Operation Galactic Storm as well as setting the stage for the 1998 crossover Live Kree or Die!
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
storyline which ran through Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
related titles - Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
and Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
- between March and May 1992.
The storyline, which involves the Avengers intervening in an intergalactic war between the alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
and Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
empires, is notable among inter-title super-hero crossovers for its emphasis on tight plotting and characterization and its downbeat ending.
The over-arching plotline was devised by Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
, Bob Harras
Bob Harras
Robert "Bob" Harras is an American comics writer and editor, who was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics from 1995 to 2000 and currently serves as editor-in-chief of DC Comics.-Career:...
and Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
, though each individual issue was written and drawn by the regular creative teams on each title.
Publication history
The title of the storyline is an allusion to Operation: Desert Storm, the PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
's operational title for the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, which had been recently resolved when the idea for "Operation: Galactic Storm" was conceived. Although the phrase is featured in the storyline (it is the name the Avengers give to their own deployment) the plot bears no real relation to the Gulf conflict and was apparently not intended to have any overt parallels with it, save the obvious fact that "Operation: Galactic Storm" also involved a major conflict.
In fact the crossover was in many ways a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to a previous Avengers story - the 1971/1972 "Kree-Skrull War
Kree-Skrull War
The "Kree-Skrull War" is a story arc that was written by Roy Thomas, and drawn by Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema. The story was originally published in the Marvel Comics comic book title Avengers #89 - 97 ....
". Like the previous story, "Operation: Galactic Storm" features the Avengers getting caught in the middle of a cosmic war waged between two alien empires - this time the Kree and the Shi'ar (rather than the Kree/Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
conflict featured in its predecessor) - because that war endangers the safety of the planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Mark Gruenwald has discussed the origins of the storyline as a Quasar story which was expanded when he (then Marvel's executive editor and writer of Captain America and Quasar), Bob Harras (at the time the Avengers writer and the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
line's editor), and Fabian Nicieza (then editor of Wonder Man and a writer of numerous non-Avengers books) were looking for an appropriate plot for a proposed Avengers crossover.
Harras's role was instrumental in approving the story. As the X-Men editor he could authorize the extensive use of the Shi'ar, a race which until then had rarely appeared outside of the X-Men titles where they had made their debut.
The three creators mapped out the proposed storyline, which was further expanded at an "Avengers summit" when all the writers and editors whose series were involved in the crossover gathered together to further refine the plot.
Creators who contributed to the storyline included writers Gruenwald, Harras, Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
, Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
, Len Kaminski and Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
(who wrote the original Kree-Skrull War storyline); pencillers Greg Capullo
Greg Capullo
Gregory “Greg” Capullo is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Quasar , X-Force , Angela and Spawn ....
, Steve Epting
Steve Epting
Stephen "Steve" Epting is an American comic book penciller.-Early life:Epting's influences include Alex Raymond, Stan Drake, Jim Holdaway, Joe Kubert, John Buscema, Al Williamson and José Luis García-López....
, Ron Frenz
Ron Frenz
Ronald Wade Frenz is an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics. He is well-known for his 1980s work on Amazing Spider-Man, and more recently, for his work on Spider-Girl...
, Jeff Johnson
Jeff Johnson (comics)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Johnson is an American comic book artist.He is best known for his work with writer Gerard Jones on Marvel Comics' Wonder Man and Malibu Comics' Solitaire and with writer Chuck Dixon on Crossgen's Way of the Rat though he has also pencilled many other titles in his long career in...
, Rik Levins
Rik Levins
Rik Levins was an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America, where he worked with writer Mark Gruenwald for over three years ....
, Pat Olliffe
Pat Olliffe
Patrick "Pat" Olliffe is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Olliffe is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on Untold Tales of Spider-Man and Spider-Girl ....
, David Ross and Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan (comics)
Paul Ryan Paul Ryan Paul Ryan ((born 23 September 1949 in Massachusetts) is an American comic book and comic strip artist. Ryan has worked extensively for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on a number of super-hero comics. He currently pencils and inks the daily and Sunday comic strip The Phantom for...
; and editors Nicieza, Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
, Nel Yomtov and Kelly Corvese.
The storyline was tightly plotted so that each issue was supposed to carry the story forward in some way. Each characters' characterization was kept largely consistent with their portrayals from their ongoing titles and long developing themes and storylines (such as the strained relationship between Captain America and Iron Man following the "Armor Wars
Armor Wars
"Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel Comics...
", the Avengers strict "no killing" rule, the Kree's genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
problems, etc.) were updated and further developed.
The war reaches Earth
The plot begins in Captain America #398 (March 1992) with the kidnapping of Rick JonesRick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...
by Shi'ar agents intent on recovering Kree artifacts to aid them in the construction of a super weapon. In the course of rescuing Jones, Captain America discovers that a conflict has begun between the alien Kree and Shi'ar empires.
In Quasar #32 (March 1992) Captain America's fellow Avenger Quasar discovers that the use of a nearby stargate
Jumpgate
In science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
by the warring factions is destabilizing Earth's sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. The Avengers gather and resolve to intervene in the conflict to try and ensure the safety of their solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
either by bringing about a truce or by diverting the two empires from using the nearby stargate.
The Avengers assemble
In Avengers #345 (March 1992) a gathering of over twenty Avengers are divided into three teams to deal with the threat. One of the teams stays on the Earth to protect the planet for the duration of the conflict, while the other two are sent to the Shi'ar and Kree homeworlds via the Stargate to try and negotiate with the two empire's leaders.The "Earth team" is led by the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
and includes the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
, Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
, Gilgamesh
Forgotten One (comics)
The Forgotten One is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the near-immortal hidden race known as the Eternals.-Publication history:...
, Mockingbird
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
, She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
, Spider-Woman and U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol...
. Quasar and Her also remain in the Solar System to guard the stargates.
The "Shi'ar Team" is led by Captain Marvel
Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Initially known as Captain Marvel, the character became a leader of the Avengers...
and includes the Living Lightning
Living Lightning
Living Lightning is a fictional character, a superhero from the Marvel Universe. He is a former member of the Avengers West Coast, and is current a member of Texas' super-team, The Rangers.- Publication history :...
, the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, Starfox, Thor
Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson)
Eric Masterson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a superhero that has appeared as Thor and later Thunderstrike. The character was introduced as a supporting character in the Thor title, but continued in several other comic books, including the self-titled series Thunderstrike...
, Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
and Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
.
Finally, the "Kree Team" is led by Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and includes the Black Knight, Crystal
Crystal (comics)
Crystal is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is a member of the Inhumans and the younger sister of Medusa....
, Goliath
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Sersi
Sersi
Sersi is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine and an Eternal.-Publication history:Sersi was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Eternals #3 . Although the comic book was published by Marvel Comics, the Eternals were not treated as part of the Marvel universe, but as a...
.
In the story, U.S. Agent is originally assigned to the "Kree Team" and Hawkeye to the "Earth Team", but Clint Barton (Hawkeye's real identity) perceives this as a slight and is given some Pym Particles by Hank Pym so that he might increase his superhuman abilities (and thus qualify for inclusion on the "Kree Team") by re-assuming his Goliath
Goliath (comics)
Goliath, in comics, may refer to:* Marvel Comics characters:** Henry Pym, was the first to adopt the name Goliath and has also gone by Giant-Man, Ant-Man, and Yellowjacket....
identity.
This is one of the story's few overt references to the original "Kree-Skrull War" storyline, as Barton appears as Goliath in that storyline as well (something which Barton and Pym comment on in the story).
The Kree-Shi'ar War
The Kree and Shi'ar Avengers teams go on to encounter the various factions (including their own super-powered teams, StarforceStarforce (comics)
Starforce is a fictional supervillain team created by Marvel Comics. Its original appearance was in the comic Avengers #346 released in 1992, as part of the "Operation: Galactic Storm" storyline....
and the Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
, respectively) and are largely unsuccessful in engaging them in negotiations. Captain America's team are repeatedly captured and imprisoned by the Kree authorities while Captain Marvel's team engages in a number of short battles with various Shi'ar forces.
During the course of these encounters it is revealed that the Sh'iar has managed to create a massive super weapon—the "Nega-Bomb"—using Kree artifacts including the original Captain Marvel
Mar-Vell
Captain Marvel is a fictional character owned by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and designed by artist Gene Colan and first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) is a fictional character owned by Marvel Comics. The character was created...
's Nega-Bands which has been stolen from the dead hero's tomb. This bomb is capable of devastating an area equivalent to that of the Kree Empire (which is supposedly located throughout the Large Magellanic Cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby irregular galaxy, and is a satellite of the Milky Way. At a distance of slightly less than 50 kiloparsecs , the LMC is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way, with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy lying closer to the center...
).
Also during the conflict, the Kree's military leaders are assassinated by the Shi'ar agent Deathbird
Deathbird
Deathbird is a fictional character. She is a Marvel Comics supervillainess, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #9....
, the Supreme Intelligence
Supreme Intelligence
The Supreme Intelligence is a fictional organic computer featured in several Marvel Comics stories.-Fictional character biography:The Supreme Intelligence, also known by the honorific title Supremor, was created more than a million years ago on the planet Kree-Lar by the extraterrestrial race known...
regains (temporary) control of the Kree forces, and Skrull agents are revealed to be surreptitiously manipulating the court of the Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra into escalating the conflict.
Eventually, Captain Marvel's Avengers delegation manages to convince Lilandra to try and begin peace negotiations with the Kree. However by this point, the Nega-Bomb has been stolen by Skrull agents and her efforts to recall the weapon fail.
Despite the presence of Avengers members Wonder Man and the Vision in the Nega-Bomb's massive interior, the device is successfully detonated in Wonder Man #9 (May 1992). The Kree Empire is devastated by its effects, with billions dying instantaneously.
In Avengers #347 (May 1992) the various Avengers (all of whom manage to survive the bomb's effects; the Vision turned intangible, Wonder Man's ionic body absorbed the released energy, Sersi turned the rest of the Kree team into inanimate matter, and the Shi'ar team hadn't arrived on the scene yet) gather on Hala, the Kree homeworld, and discover that most of the events of the war- up to and including the Nega-Bomb's detonation- have been manipulated and engineered by the Kree Supreme Intelligence. This creature, an amalgam of the consciousness of thousands of generations of Kree military leaders, calculated that the bomb's radioactive effects would serve to jumpstart the Kree race's evolution which had previously been thought stalled.
Horrified by this revelation, and faced with the problem with what to do now with the captured Supreme Intelligence, a group of Avengers decides that the Supreme Intelligence should be killed for its act of genocide.
Disagreeing with this idea completely, Captain America holds a vote, and when a majority of Avengers agree that killing the Intelligence is not appropriate, he orders that no Avenger should kill the creature. Iron Man refuses to follow this order (invoking his seniority as a founding member), and he and the other dissenting Avengers- Black Knight, Hercules, Sersi, Thor, Vision and Wonder Man attempt to terminate the creature, apparently succeeding.
A Shi'ar delegation then appears and announces that they will annex the devastated Kree Empire, with Lilandra's sister Deathbird becoming viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of the Kree territories. The Avengers return to Earth divided and disillusioned by the events of the storyline, and the consciousness of the Supreme Intelligence is shown to have survived and escaped to a waiting spaceship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
manned by Skrulls.
Aftermath of the war
The immediate aftermath of the storyline is explored in the Captain America and Quasar titles. Captain America #401 (June 1992) examines the effects of the conflict on Captain America, such as his disappointment in those teammates who disobeyed his orders and in the Avengers group as a whole.Quasar #35 and #36 (June - July 1992) explores the larger repercussions of the storyline: the effect on the wider cosmos of the Nega-Bomb explosion and the sudden death of billions of lifeforms and the collapse of a major space empire.
Other comics which tie directly into the events of "Operation Galactic Storm" include Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
(vol. 2) #79 (April 1993) which features the return of two Kree characters, Doctor Minerva
Doctor Minerva
For the DC character, see Cheetah .Doctor Minerva is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Doctor Minerva is a Kree geneticist. She was an enemy of the rogue Kree agent Captain Mar-Vell, and later became the partner of Captain Atlas....
and Captain Atlas
Captain Atlas
Captain Atlas is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.The character's name is a play on the superhero Captain Marvel, as similarly to Captain Marvel's name be derived from the publisher of the character, Captain Atlas' name also finds it roots with the same company.-Fictional character...
, who are thought to have died at the conclusion of "Operation: Galactic Storm"; and Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.-Publication history:...
#8 (July 1997), which shows how the events of the crossover may lead (and has led in at least one timeline) the Avengers to become a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group that controls a vast and repressive interstellar empire.
Sequels and spin-offs
In a more general sense, the implications and repercussions of the events depicted in the crossover have had a wide and continuing effect on many stories set in the Marvel UniverseMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, most especially stories featuring the Kree, Shi'ar and Skrull as the events of the crossover changed the status quo of each of those races to varying degrees.
Many subsequent Avengers storylines feature attempts by surviving Kree to exact revenge on the Avengers team for their supposed role in the Nega-Bomb's detonation, more specifically the oneshot Avengers Strikefiles #1, released in January 1994, serves as an epilogue to Operation Galactic Storm as well as setting the stage for the 1998 crossover Live Kree or Die!
Collected editions
The storyline has been collected into two trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Avengers: Galactic Storm:
- Volume 1 (collects Captain America #398-399, Avengers West Coast #80-81, Quasar #32-33, Wonder Man #7-8, Avengers #345-346, Iron Man #278 and Thor #445, 280 pages, March 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2044-0)
- Volume 2 (collects Iron Man #279, Thor #446, Captain America #400-401, Avengers West Coast #82, Quasar #34-35, Wonder Man #9, Avengers #347 and What If? #55-56, 288 pages, December 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2045-9)
What If?
Issues #55 & 56 in the second volume of What If ask "What If the Avengers Lost Operation: Galactic Storm."Video game
- In 1995, an arcade gameArcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
called Avengers in Galactic StormAvengers in Galactic Stormis a 1995 fighting arcade game developed and published by Data East. It features a single player story mode or multiplayer one-on-one mode, and was the first modern fighting game to feature assistant characters commonly referred to by gamers either as "helpers" or "strikers". The game is based on...
was published by Data East CorporationData Eastalso abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
in the arcades in Japan and the USA. The game was loosely based on the crossover, but featured only four playable Avengers. It is now emulated by MAMEMAMEMAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...
.
External links
- Avengers Assemble! page on Operation: Galactic Storm with issue by issue synopses
- The Grand Comics Database
- Gruenwald, Mark (May, 1993). Mark's Remarks. In Marvel Age #24. New York: Marvel Comics.(Michael Hoskin's online transcription)
- Operation: Galactic Storm, Silver Soapbox, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Avengers In Galactic Storm - Videogame
- Operation: Galactic Storm, Silver Soapbox, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
, - Avengers: Galactic Storm Volume 1 review and Volume 2, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...