Quasar, Cosmos In Collision Part 5 - Issue 23

Mar

Cosmos In Collision Part 5 – Issue #23

By Will Allred • Saturday 3/21/09

Quasar #23
Cosmos In Collision Part 5
June 1991

Quasar Issue #23
Cosmos In Collision - Part 5
"The Stillness of the Earth"
June 1991

Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Keith Williams
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Paul Becton

Quasar #23 begins with a technically well-executed cover by Capullo and Williams showcasing a very popular (at the time) Ghost Rider as he attempts to avenge the fallen Quasar whose mangled body hangs in the background. Deathurge against Ghost Rider is interesting to me, but this cover is by far the most blatantly commercial of the seven covers for Cosmos In Collison. Don’t get me wrong, it really is great cover with a tremendous amount of detail visible in the Gothic architecture, but it really doesn’t speak to the contents of the issue nearly has much as both previous and subsequent covers. It is, however, completely understandable. Quasar was never a sales power-house for Marvel, although its sales then would dwarf what most titles sell today. So, an appearance by the “hot” Ghost Rider was sure to provide a sales boost.

The prologue shows the readers how Maelstrom manipulated the Presence into attacking Eon as his stalking horse and his decision to recruit the Weird Sisters as his love slaves.

Back to the present, as Ghost Rider storms the castle and makes short work of Helio and Phobius. Gru nailed Ghost Rider’s character and fit his appearance in logically with CIC. I absolutely love how Deathurge refers to him as little demon and then formally introduces himself as the Herald of Oblivion.

Gru cuts to Maelstrom as he tears into Eon’s body with a sadistic glee that serves only to demonstrate again just what a truly evil being Maelstrom is.

Then we get a couple of pages with Quasar that begin with “Beyond death lies nothingness……and Quasar.” I’m not sure why, but I really love that caption. It’s succinct and full of meaning. Here, he realizes the special significance that his star-field cape has and uses it as a portal to Eon's realm (Eonverse).

Another quick cut Moondragon, Ken, and Kayla. Moondragon really gets to show how tough she is against the Weird Sisters. She not only helps Ken and Kayla escape the cellar, but takes out all three Weird Sisters alone. Again, this is Gru giving each character a moment to shine. It really is wonderful how respectful he is to not only the characters, but the mythology of the Marvel Universe.

Quasar #23
Page 17

Back to Quasar as Eon asks Wendell to kill him to prevent Maelstrom from getting Cosmic Awareness. I love the discussion here. It shows that Wendell is always thinking. Even though he thinks that it means death again for him (since he thinks that Eon is keeping his new energy from alive), he still does what's right. Another great character moment for Wendell here as he gives specific instructions to Kid Reaper to make sure that his friends are safe and to bring in the Avengers. I absolutely love the page where he and Kid Reaper finally catch up to Maelstrom. It's a beautiful splash with Maelstrom literally sucking the information out of Eon with the power of the Quantum-Bands (page 17). Moments later, Gru creates a wonderful twist, as he has Wendell kill Eon by blasting a hole through his/hers/its brain. Here, he also creates some dramatic tension as the reader is left wondering will Quasar survive Eon’s death.

Quasar #23
Page 23

A quick cut back to the Ghost Rider and Deathurge battle. Deathurge basically gets tired of the fight and leaves. And then, Ghost Rider does something that actually adds quite a bit to his character. A demon obsessed with vengeance shows enough compassion and respect to remove Quasar’s body from the wall. This allows Capullo and Williams to deliver a really beautiful splash page with Ghost Rider carrying Quasar's lifeless body. Wendell’s suffering is writ large across his mangled body. I really do love the fact that a demon can care enough about the suffering of a human, even one “clad in the garb someone of the Fantastic Four’s and Dr. Strange’s ilk,” to pull his body down out of respect. It’s simply a beautiful scene.

Back to Maelstrom and Quasar as Wendell quickly realizes that it wasn’t Eon who was animating him. He suddenly gains Cosmic Awareness realizing that Eon must have passed it onto him right before dying. Maelstrom is furious, but he can’t hurt Quasar, so he decides to destroy all that he holds dear…Earth. He stops the rotation of the Earth using his natural control over kinetic energy infinitely amplified by the power of the Quantum-Bands. Quasar attempts to stop him, but can’t. He then simply runs away. The final page of this issue heighten the suspense as the reader finds out that Maelstrom had already acquired Cosmic Awareness from Eon. He destroys Kid Reaper and heads into space with Deathurge revealing that he plans to stop the kinetic motion of the Universe.

Wow!

This is a fantastic issue. Gru reveals a great deal here and throws in some wonderful twists. Having Quasar be the one to kill Eon was simply brilliant, but then having it not matter with Maelstrom getting Cosmic Awareness anyway makes it even better. Truly a great ending to another great issue as Gru continues to raise the stakes. Plus, Kid Reaper gets in a quite a few good lines, before being destroyed by Maelstrom.

Will

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