Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 40 (Korvac Saga Edition)

Raise your hand if you’ve read the original Korvac Saga?  Let’s see…anyone?  Watson, put your hand down, I know you are lying.  I haven’t read it either, and really don’t know much about it besides it had a small Spider-Man cameo.  It took place in almost a dozen issues of Avengers at the end of the 70’s, so I assume they were involved.  And I think I breifly saw the old school Guardians of the Galaxy as I flipped through looking for that Spider-Man appearance.  So, they are in there too.  And that’s about all I know.

Maybe if I did know more I might have more appreciation for the Secret Wars version of things.  If you have read both, let me know.  After the cut I’ll take a spoilery look at the 2015 Korvac Saga #1-#4.

Be sure to check out our latest Secret Wars Power Rankings, which also features links to the other parts of my read through.

Korvac Saga #1

In the domain of Forest Hills, the Guardians have been sent to police a park vagrant named Emil Blonsky.  Those up on their Marvel characters know that Blonsky is also the common Hulk villain The Abomination.  Needless to say, he doesn’t come quietly.  But before he transforms into the beast, he shares with the Guardians that he had a dream, and now he remembers everything.  Before Battleworld, before Doom and most notably, when there were stars in the sky.

Blonsky is the seventh person in two months that have been contained for similar “incidents” where dreams have led the person to remember a life before the one they have now.  None of this sits well with Baron Michael Korvac, especially with Baron Simon Williams on his way for a visit from the neighboring Holly Wood domain.  He tasks the Guardians to continue investigating the phenomenon, and not to inform Baron Williams and his Avengers.

Williams arrives and at the gala in his honor everything seems to be going well.  That is until Korvac’s wife Carina starts wondering where all the stars in the sky have gone?

Korvac Saga #2

Nothing ruins parading your guests through the streets of Forest Hills like a giant monster.  Actually, there is at least one thing.  The wife of your host Baron also turning into one of those giant monsters and attacking.  When both monsters are taken down by the Guardians and the Avengers, the cat is out of the bag and Simon Williams wants some answers from Michael Korvac.

With the death of his wife, Korvac is in no mood for conversation.  He keeps himself isolated and asks Starhawk to find what is causing the madness in his domain.

With the help of Geena Drake and the physic Avenger Moondragon, Starhawk travels the astral plane looking for answers.  He follows the physchic residue of “Patient Zero” which brings him to a projection of an unknown entity that has a single word for Starhawk.  “Doom”.

Korvac Saga #3

Micahel Korvac is not just the Baron of the Forest Hills domain, he is also the most powerful psionic in the known domains.  But though his power is “a force to be reckoned with” it is also raw and apparently a threat to Doom.  Why else would Doom demand he curb it’s usage in exchange for making Korvac Baron?

Using that power, Korvac is able to bring Starhawk back from his apparent death on the astral plane after his confrontation with the unknown power source.

Barons Williams and Korvac begin a heated argument over Korvac using his powers to find the cause of the anomalies that are occurring.  They don’t get much time to think about it though as the next victim is a member of the Avengers: Captain Mar-vell.  And if you want to see Mar-vell fight the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the rest of this issue is for you.

Until Korvac shows up and decides enough is enough and his oath to Doom be damned, he is saving his domain from Mar-vell.  Curing Mar-vell of the madness Korvac realizes what Starhawk discovered on the astral plane.  The cause of the madness is Korvac himself and his surpressed powers attempting to come to the surface.

Korvac Saga #4

With his powers fully unleashed, Korvac remembers the world before Doom.  Which of course makes him a target for Simon Williams, his Avengers and anyone who believes that to be blasphemy.  But with the help of Moondragon and Starhawk, both teams are shown the incursions and everything before Doom created his patchwork Battleworld.

Calmer heads begin to prevail but it is too late.  Doom is aware of what is going on and has sent his Thors.  When all hope seems lost, Korvac uses the last of his power to send the Guardians away “somewhere” as the Forest Hills and Holly Wood domains are wiped of existence on Battleworld by the Thors.  As Starhawk and the rest of the team take to the shadows to hide across Battleworld, they remain the Guardians of the (Former) Galaxy.