Review by Frank Plowright

During Jason Aaron’s run on The Avengers the team were aware of a massive impending threat without knowing its exact nature. As team leader during that period the Black Panther gathered a supplemental group of heroes to address additional problems during World Tour, hence the Agents of Wakanda. They’re a pleasingly eccentric bunch, with Black Panther and the Wasp the only conventional superheroes. They’re joined by a multicultural crew, and a two-part opening story has a bunch of them face their own fears. Yes, it’s a cliché, but in this instance it serves the purpose of revealing more about people readers aren’t necessarily familiar with, and certainly establishes Fat Cobra as a mightier force than realised. Unfortunately, though, the threat is such that Thor is required, when Zub should really have the team forging through themselves.

Even more unfortunately, Zub’s second two-parter has another bunch of characters in dreaming state, this time pleasurable rather than nightmares, but too close for comfort. On the other hand, the over-riding stories are very different, three of them over six chapters. There’s a disturbance in a small American town, danger on the moon, and Deadpool drops by to help with characters not seen in a long while.

Zub certainly loves his Marvel universe obscurities, and feeds as many as possible into this collection. While some will be pleased to see them all again, and they’re plentiful, they’ll also be frustrated that the Panther apart, hardly anyone gets more than a couple of pages in the spotlight.

Lan Medina draws four of six chapters, with Scot Eaton supplying the remainder. Both are seasoned superhero artists and both deliver imaginatively well choreographed action.

Basing a series on obscurities is limiting the market from the start, but the quality curve is upward story by story. The series ran a further two issues, and they’re the best of the bunch, so it’s strange they’re not present here.