After several weeks of reruns, “Avengers Assemble” finally returned with new episodes two weeks ago, unfortunately while I was on vacation. Now I’m playing catch up. So you get this review in tape delay. So get all your Kindergarten Cop Attuma (“It’s not Attuma!”) jokes ready, because here comes my review of the ‘lost’ episode of “Avengers Assemble,” after the jump – “Depth Charge.”
Hulk Smash Fine, Thank You
The opening sequence of this episode seems to hint at the thrust of the latest one – that the Hulk can’t be trusted and is uncontrollable. In today’s continuity, I’m not sure we get to this place. Hulk’s an Avenger in the movies, comics, and on TV now. The previous series, “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” showed him as a valued member, and “Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” Even shows him as a viable leader. Why is this even a plot point any more?
The misunderstanding (and it shouldn’t have been if folks would just pay attention and listen, both good qualities for superheroes) is that in the midst of a battle with a nicely Fin Fang Foom-ish monster, Hulk senses it really means no harm, and it’s running scared. Running from what? Yeah, Attuma.
Attuma (Not Attuma)
I’ve been watching Marvel Comics cartoons since I was a wee babe back in the 1960s, and I have noticed a pattern. When Attuma shows up, it is usually a gateway drug for an Atlantis adventure and an appearance of the Sub-Mariner. He’s just the baddie of choice for this maneuver. While it is refreshing to see the Atlantean warlord sans Namor, his plan for Manhattan is almost as ridiculous as his ability to go toe to toe with the Hulk.
So he’s going to sink New York City? Riiight. There are a lot of fuzzy physics going on in this episode. What exactly is that slow motion static tidal wave? And what exactly is it that Iron Man, Falcon, Thor do to it? Sure, there’s a lot of superheroes punching bad guys here, it’s cool as long as you don’t think about it.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
As I’ve mentioned before with this series, the CGI components are do e very well. Here in “Depth Charge” we get lots of computer generated water, sky, and even the city and quinjet, all of which blend well into the standard animation. We also see ‘Rubber Ducky,’ Iron Man’s aquatic armor. His specific armors always seemed a bit silly to me though, cuz Shellhead used to be able to go underwater and in space with his regular suit, ya know?
Speaking of Iron Man, he was also featured in the ” Marvel Mash-Up” this week. I hate these things. I sincerely hope they’re still doing them in twenty years so “Avengers Assemble” and other Jeph Loeb work can be similarly made fun of.
Now the really bad stuff. The Hulk was holding up Manhattan Atlas style? *shakes head* Shades of Marvel Team-Up #28, remember when Hercules pulled Manhattan Island? Holy wonky physics, Batman! For shame. And once again… where’s the Black Widow?
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