New York City, New York
Manhattan
2039 A.D.

Her name was Sarah, and she was running for her life.

She was the last of her kind, the last of the underground colony of mutants called the Morlocks. They had thought themselves hidden in their Byzantine maze of tunnels, too small for the massive hunters to enter. They'd become scavengers, emerging only in states of emergency to forage for food and supplies…but the Morlocks' number was up, and the woman named Marrow was the last survivor.

As she scurried through the debris littered streets, Sarah tried hard to ignore the tears that were streaming down her scarred face. The Sentinels had sent Nimrod units after them, human sized and thus able to navigate the narrow tunnel system that was her home. Each member of her family had been exterminated with lethal prejudice, and she knew in her hearts that she was going to be next.

“Mutant Designate # 3202,” the giant Sentinel announced as it flew overhead, illuminating the dark, deserted streets with its high beam chest light, “you will stop immediately and be terminated.”

As the Sentinel landed behind her, Sarah allowed a backward toss of her arm, too scared to turn and face the giant murder machine. Two spikes of bone sailed through the air, colliding harmlessly against the steel armor that covered the robot's body. Sleek chrome death lumbered after her, and with casual ease the Sentinel unleashed a flurry of energy blasts from its palm. Marrow weaved between the concussive blasts that erupted around her, blowing crevice after crevice in the street and surrounding buildings.

Unbelievably, she spied her destination, the subway access that had long been abandoned after the city had been turned into a mass concentration camp. Once she was in the tunnels, she thought she could elude her pursuers. No one knew the tunnels as well as her, and her freedom was only twenty feet away.

Her hearts broke when the second Sentinel landed in front of her, cutting off her means of escape. Sarah slid to a halt, dust and gravel kicked up into the air as she landed on her backside. “Prepare for termination,” the second Sentinel ordered as it raised its massive hand. Marrow closed her eyes and did something she'd swore never to do again…she prayed to God for help.

As if being answered, a flash of light appeared in the air between her and the second Sentinel, catching the robot's attention. Incredibly, a man appeared in the light, his body clothed in green and purple. His blue face was accented by the large helmet resting atop his shoulders, and as he floated in mid-air a smile twisted onto his lips. The gun held in his hands was easily bigger than he himself, but he held it with ease, almost nonchalantly.

“Sentinels,” the stranger said as he raised his weapon, “how quaint.”

The barrel of the gun flared to life, exploding with fury as shell after shell bombarded the Sentinel. The robot, the monster Sarah believed to be indestructible, fell in a heap of damaged circuitry and dented steel. The squeals and screams that came from its mouth as it died were frightening…almost human. The stranger then flipped his arm backward, incredibly holding the weapon with one hand, and another burst of explosive rounds found its mark on the first Sentinel's head. It, too, fell in destruction, and in victory the newcomer rested his weapon across his shoulder.

“Who…who are you?” Sarah asked as the stranger floated down to her.

“You may address me as Kang, freakish one,” the stranger answered, “Kang the Conqueror.”

Sarah couldn't help but cower in the presence of the regal warlord, unable to pull herself off the ground upon which she'd landed. “Are you here to help us?”

“Kang helps no one but himself, child,” he answered, “and this was one era in time that I simply had to see for myself…”

Marvel 2000 Proudly Presents...

# 2 - "Knights of Future Past"
Written by Chris Munn

The Realm of Limbo
Outside of Time and Space

Seven Avengers, gathered from different eras of time, stood in the throne room a man each of them knew, whether by experience or reputation. Immortus was the self-proclaimed “Lord of Time”, caretaker of seventy centuries of human existence, and his history was engrained so deeply with the Avengers that most of them couldn't help but be wary of his presence. This was the man that had manipulated them to such depths that – at times – not even their own motivations could be trusted. This was the man that had driven the Scarlet Witch to insanity, the man who had driven Iron Man to murder and later suicide…this was the man that, at one point, had been their most brutal and dangerous enemy.

“We are to wage war on the man I once was, heroes,” Immortus proclaimed to the stunned group of Avengers, “we are to wage war on Kang the Conqueror!”

Of all the Avengers, however, only one of their number stood in satisfaction instead of shock. Yellowjacket, the addled and insane alter ego of Henry Pym, cracked his bubble gum loudly in the vast hall, the smirk on his face widening at the expressions on the faces of his teammates. “Sorry to spring this on you, guys,” he remarked, turning back to face his fellows, “but you gotta trust me –“

“You traitor!” Mr. Immortal shouted, stepping forward past Mockingbird and Vance Astro. “You feed us a bunch of baloney about fighting Kang and then take us right TO him!”

“That's not Kang,” the Black Knight interjected, placing a restraining hand on Mr. Immortal's chest, “I've fought Kang. This man is one I've never seen before.”

“No, Craig is correct,” Arcana spoke from the back of the group, more interested in stroking the fur of her cat, Ebony, than in the goings-on around her, “Immortus is the man Kang will evolve into. They are the same man, just as Kang was and will be Rama-Tut as well.”

“You are right, my young lady,” Immortus said as he descended down from his throne, purple robe flowing behind him, “but you are wrong as well.”

Major Astro shot a look toward Mockingbird, who simply shrugged her shoulders. “Don't ask me,” she whispered to him, “I am so confused right now.”

“It is physiologically impossible for this Immortus to be the evolution of Kang, as we have been told,” the Vision advised, still hovering intangibly off of the castle floor, “for Kang was at least in his 80 th year before he changed identities. This man is approximately 40 years younger than that.”

“I feel I owe you all an explanation,” Immortus sighed, a pensive tone to his posture and voice. The keeper of time removed the large helmet from his head and placed it on a rack that stood to the left of his throne, showing that he was, indeed, a much younger man than he had been before. “Of you all, only Yellowjacket was present during the events of the Destiny War – an epic battle that decided the fate of all timelines across the dimensional gulf. The Avengers were the deciding factor in that conflict, and as a result my own personal continuity was altered. Most of you know me as the future incarnation of Kang, the former Rama-Tut, but that is no longer the case. I am now a chronal anomaly, and am finally rid of the stigma of my former past life as the Conqueror.”

“That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever,” Mockingbird commented, her statement punctuated by an intentionally loud sigh.

“Look, okay,” Yellowjacket interrupted, turning to face his hastily assembled team of Avengers, “I know this is all a mite bit confusing. Trust me, I know how you feel – ‘cause I've already been through this kinda thing once already. Here's all you gotta worry about…”

Pym motioned backwards, pointing with an extended index finger and raised thumb at the robed Immortus. “This guy used to be old Kang, but due to some wiggy time-twisting stuff he's not anymore. Now that Kang knows he won't eventually become Morty here, well…”

Immortus stepped forward, placing a hand on his aide's shoulder as a way of taking over the role of speaker. “Kang is now a man without a future save that which he makes for himself, no longer predestined for a fate that he's raged against for the last several cycles of time. The Conqueror has freedom to do what he loves most… conquer.”

“So if that's the case,” Major Astro chimed in, his arms folded pensively across his chest, “why did you choose such a small force? If this Kang is a threat to all timelines, why not just bring together an army of heroes from across history to find and eliminate him? Seven people do not a battalion make…”

Immortus nodded his head in the Major's direction. “Kang has taken it upon himself to wrest control of all inhabited eras of time, but he is still just one man at the head of a vast army. These campaigns cannot be done all at once, and an army of our own – no matter how large – would be dwarfed by the sheer number of Kang's force. With a smaller number, we can work in the shadows to thwart him without his knowledge…and it is my experience that a single team of Avengers is easily the equal of a force much larger.”

“I'm assuming you chose each of us for a reason,” Arcana commented, her voice echoing over the purrs of her kitten as she stroked his fur, “would you care to explain what those reasons are?”

“In due time,” Immortus answered with a smile, “no pun intended. I open my home of Limbo to you, Avengers – rest and acclimate yourself to your new surroundings and mission, for shortly I will gather you to explain Kang's first advance against chronology.”

“Question,” the Black Knight interjected with a raised hand. “I know a little about the repercussions of messing with the timestream. What happens to our timeline if we die during this mission? Wouldn't that radically alter the present for each of us if, say, the Vision were to die years before he was intended to?”

“Above everything else,” Immortus responded, “I respect the Avengers as heroes and individuals, and though I have the utmost faith in your ability to uphold the mission…well, the unexpected will happen. Should one of you fall from battle, you will not die – instead you shall return to the moment in time from which you were plucked as if your participation never happened. I am attempting to withhold the timelines, Mr. Whitman, not endanger them further.”

“Okay, people,” Yellowjacket shouted with a clap of his hands, breaking the tension in the large chamber room, “you heard the man! Let's go get you settled in before the big debriefing.”

Reluctantly, the Avengers turned one by one, shuffled out by the insistent Henry Pym. Each one of them took their turn giving the statuesque Immortus a last, wary look before exiting the room. The Master of Time let his voice be released one last time before they departed, however, stopping one Avenger where he stood as the rest took their leave.

“Vision,” Immortus requested, “I would like to speak with you in confidence.”

Slowly, in the wraith-like guise from which he took his name, the inhuman Vision turned in mid-air and floated back to the throne. Immortus lowered his head and turned away from the Avenger as he touched his bare feet to the stone floor, unable to look the synthezoid in the eye. “In my prior incarnation, as servant of the Time Keepers,” Marcus began, “I did many a thing that I am not proud to say. One of those things, Master Vision, was the manipulations I enacted against you and your wife.”

“I do not understand,” the Vision answered in his standard monotone voice, “your emotions of guilt toward the actions taken against me by the world governments are misplaced. My wife has simply to overcome her feelings of remorse, and she will recognize that I am the same entity as before. That is the only rational outcome.”

Immortus found himself far from comforted by the Vision's words, perplexing the Avenger even further. With a tender hand, the Lord of Time touched the synthetic hero's shoulder…and smiled. “In time you will learn of that which I speak, my friend. All I ask is that you not judge my actions too harshly, for my current path is an attempt at repentance – for many, many things.”

The Vision cocked his head curiously at his host. Immortus retained his smile, though the brief light fled from his eyes in the moment of silence. “Rejoin your comrades, Vision. Soon, you shall see what it is that we face.”

“I don't like this one damn bit.”

Mockingbird folded her arms under her breasts and leaned against the wall, her head shaking negatively. In the small chamber provided to her as a bedroom, she and her fellow Avengers – minus the absent Vision – had gathered to discuss privately the mission and man that had brought them together. Understandably, the information revealed to them had raised a number of questions.

“I don't see where we have much choice in the matter,” Major Astro responded, though he was uncomfortable with giving his opinion to a room full of strangers, some of which he knew only from his childhood idolism.

“Of course we have a choice!” Mr. Immortal shouted, hopping up from the large bed as he spoke, arms flailing in an over-exaggerated manner. “C'mon, guys, I don't care how much Immortus talks about being reformed…he used to be KANG! Kang the freakin' Conqueror!”

“It's been well established,” Arcana commented from her stooped over position, as she looked under the bed for the whereabouts of her Ebony, “that Kang and Immortus – despite being the same chronological person – were possessed of far different personalities and motivations. It is conceivable that this Immortus is speaking the truth, though he is also renowned for his manipulative abilities.”

“So it's possible we're being played,” Mockingbird assumed, “great.”

“Look, regardless of Immortus' motivations,” the Black Knight chimed in from the far corner of the room, “Kang is a threat. If we have the opportunity to end that threat…then why shouldn't we?”

“I can't believe you people are even discussing this,” Yellowjacket opined as he stretched out across the bed, hands folded behind his neck, “do you really think I'd bring you here if the guy wasn't on the up and up?”

“My fellow Avengers,” the Vision greeted as he phased through the closed doors of the chamber, walking through them as if they weren't there, “while I understand your hesitance to work with a man many of you see as an enemy, this discussion is moot. We are all Avengers, and we have a duty to stop any threat brought before us. Kang is such a threat, and should Immortus prove to be one as well…then it is our duty to stop him also. To ignore this outright would betray everything our group stands for, and that would be highly illogical.”

“Listen to the robot, people,” Yellowjacket added, his lips twisted into a smirk.

“So we're really doing this?” Mockingbird asked. Her brow furrowed as she scanned over her time-tossed teammates, each of them nodding yes – though some reluctantly – to her question. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands on her bare hips. “Fine, okay, guess I'm in, too, then.”

A knock sounded on the large doors of the bedroom, causing a few of the heroes to jump in surprise. Slowly, without anyone turning the knob, the door slid open…and almost as if he had been waiting on their conversation to finish, a lone Space Phantom stood limply, his expression blank and featureless.

“The master would see you now,” the Phantom spoke.

“Kang has reappeared, just as I predicted.”

The assembled Avengers stood around the throne room of Immortus once again, surrounding the Lord of 70 Centuries in a loose circle. “Pay attention to the space above,” Marcus said as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. His extended left hand, open and up, began to glow with light – revealing a shimmering crystal of intense radiance. The light emitting from the crystal danced and came to life, snapping into place above Immortus' head to form a 3-dimensional image spanning the length of the large stone chamber.

The Avengers leaned closer, their eyes narrowed and their necks craned to the ceiling, as the image became clearer. Some of them were able to recognize the destroyed cityscape as that of New York City, but it was clear that none of them understood what could have so thoroughly devastated such a populated area. “What happened there?” Major Astro asked, speaking for each of his confused teammates.

“This is the year 2039 of a possible Earth,” Immortus explained after a slow opening of his eyes, “and it is here that Kang is attempting his next beachhead assault.”

“Did Kang destroy New York?” Yellowjacket asked with a slight chuckle. “'Cause I've wanted to do that myself for years now.”

“In this future,” Immortus continued, the image above his helmet panning across the scene of destroyed buildings and wreckage, “the North American continent is ruled by an army of giant robotic sentries, called the Sentinels by their creators. Their purpose was to police and exterminate the growing mutant populace in the United States. However, their programming altered into a nightmarish scenario – for them to control mutation, they deduced that should control everything. Heroes and villains alike, mutant or not, were murdered where they stood by the unstoppable robotic force.”

“Oh my god,” Arcana whispered as the image changed to a wanted poster plastered on a shattered brick wall, the word “deceased” imposed over the faces of people she had known for her entire life. One of the faces was her father, Pietro Maximoff, and another her aunt, Wanda Maximoff.

“Those unlucky enough to survive,” Immortus explained as the image changed again, this time showing a brutal prison yard guarded by a horde of Sentinels, “were ushered into concentration camps. The continent is under the stranglehold of these creatures, and they have their eyes on the entire world.”

“So what business does Kang have on this world?” the Black Knight asked, his grip tightening on his cursed sword as image after disturbing image flashed above them.

“Kang wishes to conquer it, of course,” Immortus answered, “for a world controlled by an army of nigh-unstoppable Sentinels provides him a warrior's challenge. It would be a hard fought victory, but it's one in which the Conqueror has unknowingly made easier by his recent actions in that timeline. During his initial scouting mission, Kang destroyed two Sentinel hunters – and it's my belief that he has no idea of the domino effect of his actions.”

The image changed once more, this time to a group of battered and desperate heroes making their way through a series of underground tunnels. Immortus looked upward and then continued. “These are what remain of the X-Men in this timeline, and they have undertaken a desperate mission to free their world from the Sentinels' control. Had their continuity proceeded without interference, they would fail – and pay for their failure with their lives. But the two Sentinels destroyed by Kang are the units that would be responsible for detecting the presence of these X-Men before their mission could be completed. Without this key event, the heroes will now indeed free their world.

“But that's a good thing…right?” Mr. Immortal asked, an unsure hesitance in his voice.

“Without the Sentinels in place,” Immortus countered, “Kang will have this world his in a matter of weeks. The remaining human and mutant populace will have no defense against him, no matter their own feelings on their robotic authority. This world needs the Sentinels to survive…”

With that said, the images faded from view, sucked back into the crystal resting in Immortus' palm. “It is up to you, Avengers, to make sure Kang does not claim this world as he has so many others.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Mockingbird asked.

“The solution is a simple one,” the Vision stated, “and is the most efficient given our estimated timeframe. To ensure that the Sentinels are in place to turn back Kang's invasion, the X-Men must not be allowed to succeed in their mission.”

“Wait, no,” Mr. Immortal interrupted, “you can't mean…”

The Black Knight stepped forward to stand beside the Vision. “We have to murder the X-Men.”

New York City, New York
Manhattan
2039 A.D.

Smoke rose from the ruins of Wall Street, a stiff wind disturbing the tomb-like silence that had fallen across the area in lower Manhattan since the Sentinels had passed through. The historic stock exchange had been the scene of a massacre five years prior, the slaughter of the young heroes dubbed the New Warriors scarring the landmark for the rest of time. No effort had gone into cleaning the debris of robotic limbs or the disposal of heroic young corpses.

And it was there that a flash of light signaled the arrival of another legendary group of heroes. Amidst the wreckage of a monument stood seven time-lost Avengers, each of them sullen and determined in the wake of their true mission. Each of them silent…save for one.

“I don't know how many times I can say this before you understand,” Mr. Immortal said, his hands flung over his head, followed by a loud intentional grunt. “There is NO FREAKING WAY I am going to kill a bunch of superheroes that are trying to save their world.”

“You don't have much of a choice, string-bean,” Yellowjacket replied with a trademarked crack of bubblegum, the sticky goo strung between his finger to his mouth, “'cause while we're trying to save this timeline from Kang, there's a good chance the X-Men may try to kill you.”

“I live with death every single day of my life, Dr. Pym,” Craig Hollis responded, his finger pointed and shaking in Yellowjacket's face, “so don't even try to patronize how I feel about the subject.”

“Ah, the Avengers,” a voice said from the shadow of the nearest building, “how I missed the constant bickering.”

Each of the seven Avengers turned in unison at the voice behind them, their eyes catching sight of a robed man stepping from a place that had been empty a moment before. The robed man pulled his hood down from his head, exposing the black visor that covered his eyes. “My name, for those of you I have yet to meet, is Libra.”

“Libra,” the Vision repeated, “of the criminal Zodiac group, reported as deceased several months ago at the hands of the second Zodiac. You are the father of Mantis, the Celestial Madonna…I fail to calculate your presence in this timeline.”

“Don't sweat it, Vizh,” Yellowjacket said as he stepped forward to take Libra's hand in a firm grip, “he's with us.”

“It's good to see you again, Yellowjacket,” Libra greeted. He then turned toward the group of heroes and nodded his head respectfully. “And you as well, Ms. Maximoff. It has been far too many years.”

Luna smiled and bowed her head in return. “That it has, Mr. Brandt. I take it you are to be our guide?”

“It is my job to preserve the balance,” Libra answered, turning to survey the scene of devastation with his sightless eyes, “so yes, I will be your guide.”

“If that's the case,” Vance Astro interjected, stepping forward and away from his teammates, “then point us on our way. I don't wish to stay in this timeline any moment longer than we absolutely have to.”

“I would do so happily, Major,” Libra said while craning his neck to the grey sky, “but we have a slight obstacle in our way.”

Almost on cue, the air was filled with a growing noise – a roar that built to the point of shaking the ground under the Avengers' feet. As the rubble beneath them trembled, the heroes readied themselves for the coming attack…for what else could it be? Painfully, the sky tore open to reveal a nightmare clothed in steel and silicon, descending on the superhumans like a rain of annihilation.

“Attention unauthorized post-humans,” the first of the three falling Sentinels voiced as it landed in front of the heroes, “cease movement and prepare for extermination.”

“I only got one answer for that, purple-puss,” Yellowjacket said as he threw his fist forward. “Avengers Assemble!”

Henry Pym leapt forward, the wings affixed to his costume vibrating rhythmically, propelling him into the air. Electricity danced from the wingtips, down his arms and into his gloved fingertips. “Frickin' robots,” he mocked as he touched his hand on the shoulder of the Sentinel, flipping heels over head as the behemoth attempted to counter the lightning-quick attack, “why did anyone ever think they were a good idea?”

As he rolled off the Sentinel's shoulder, sliding down its back, Yellowjacket released his “sting” – the charged bolt conducting thousands of volts of electricity throughout the robot's body. With a terrifying SQUEEE!, the Sentinel fell to the ground, the arm touched by the Avenger breaking off as it mated with the concrete.

“No offense or anything, Vision,” Yellowjacket apologized to his teammate, saluting toward the fallen Sentinel.

“There is no need to apologize,” the Vision answered as he floated overhead, the massive hand of another Sentinel passing through his immaterial form. “I am not a robot, but rather a synthetic humanoid. That would be akin to me calling you a chimpanzee and then apologizing.”

The Vision looked skyward, ignoring the battle raging below, and began to ascend into the clouds. “I shall return in approximately 1.12 minutes.”

“Where the hell is he going?” Mockingbird asked as she took a very brief pause from evading the thundering boot heels of the murderous death machine behind her.

“This unit scanning for identification error,” the Sentinel said aloud, “target designate: Mockingbird is reported as deceased on 09/02/01. Please advise.”

“Hey!” Bobbi shouted as she screwed together her two battle staves, the Sentinel above all but ignoring her for the moment. “Saying someone's date of death aloud is just rude, like guessing a woman's weight in public.”

As the Sentinel lowered its head, preparing to strike despite its confusion, the non-powered Mockingbird raised her staff over her shoulder – like a javelin. The robot raised its hand, but Barbara Morse had already let fly her weapon…and it stabbed deep in the monster's eye, causing it to recoil backward.

“Little help over here!” she yelled, but none of her teammates were close enough to assist. The Sentinel, damaged but not destroyed, pulled the staff free from its sparking eye socket and tossed it to the ground. As Mockingbird looked up at her coming death, however, a grin washed over her lips.

“Query,” the Sentinel began, pausing its termination procedure, “why is designate: Mockingbird smiling?”

“Look up, you hunk of tin,” she said before diving to cover on the ground.

The Sentinel took her advice and looked up, only to see the rapidly descending Vision falling toward him. His mass amplified to that of several metric tons, the synthetic Avenger crashed through the larger robot, crushing it as he made his way to the ground. The destroyed Sentinel, carved nearly in twain, sputtered its last before it died…and the Vision floated free from the massive crater created by his landing, nary a scratch on his pale white skin.

Across the Wall Street battlefield, the third Sentinel unleashed blast after furious energy blast at the defiantly standing Vance Astro. The 30th century Guardian refused to move as the robot buffered him with waves of power, his telekinetic shield easily withstanding the barrage. Major Astro wasn't attempting to fight back…he knew he was merely the bait.

With its back to the nearest building, the Sentinel did not notice the Black Knight on the rooftop, Whitman having climbed it as the attack began. With a running start, the Knight jumped from the rooftop, his enchanted Ebony Blade gripped tightly in his gauntlets. The Sentinel turned with just enough time to see the sword strike, the Merlin-blessed steel slicing through the robot's head as if it had been made of paper.

The Sentinel fell backward as the Knight continued to slice with the Blade, carving away at the creature's emotionless face. Just before it collided with the ground, Whitman stabbed the sword into the Sentinel's forehead, riding the shockwave with a grip that refused to surrender. As the smoke from the robot's fall settled, the Knight pulled his weapon free. “I thank Avalon that you have no soul for the Blade to steal.”

“Three up, three down,” Yellowjacket commented as he took a seat on one of the defeated Sentinels, “I'm officially impressed, Avengers.”

“Hey,” Mockingbird asked as she rubbed the sweat from her face with her sleeve, “aren't we missing some people? Where are Arcana, Mr. Immortal, and Libra?”

“We're up here!” Mr. Immortal announced from another adjacent rooftop, waving emphatically at his teammates.

Across the rooftop, Arcana and Libra stood with their eyes cast out toward the horizon. “There is where you must go, dear Luna,” Libra said as he pointed across the city. “That is where your mission lies.”

“Where?” she asked, squinting her eyes to see across the city span.

Libra smiled warmly. “Even blind, I know where your destination lay. What is the most important building in this city?”

Luna furrowed her brow.

“The Baxter Building…”

To Be Continued....

Next Issue: “Knights of Future Past” continues as the Avengers come to terms with their grim mission…will they kill the X-Men of the future to stop the coming of Kang?

PLEASE Name This Letter Column!

Welcome to the as-of-yet nameless lettercol for Avengers Immortal # 2, and I want to start off this month with first an apology and second a volley of thanks.

When this series debuted back in (my god has it really been that long since?) April, it could easily be said that it was the best-received series debut in my entire fanfiction career - which is now in its seventh year, believe it or not! - and I was riding high on the great feelings that accompanied the near universal love that my peers and fans were flowering upon me and the title's first issue.

And then I dropped the ball completely...and the second issue is finally appearing, some four months later than originally planned. While it's my sincere hope that everyone enjoys this issue as much as the first, I'll also completely understand any reactions along the lines of "oh, that series is still around?". So, yes, I apologize profusely to both the readers AND my esteemed editor, Cory Weigel, for putting up with my extreme tardiness. Issue # 3 is scheduled for a November release, and by hook or by crook the issue WILL be done in time.

And now to the second part of the lettercol - actual, honest-to-Gawd LETTERS (and a few reviews)!

The first is from M2K's current scribe of Captain America (and upcoming writer on a book very closely related to this one, even more so than Cap), Steve Crosby:

A very solid and enjoyable read, Chris. It's clear that you've done your homework with this series, given the varied settings and specific continuity of each character.

Thank you, kind sir! I'm a huge fan of the large and complex history of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and in preperation for writing that first issue I immersed in the massive task of reading about 200 issues of Avengers and around 75 issues of West Coast Avengers. Needless to say, I was eating and breathing in the Marvel Universe for quite a long time during and after that mind-numbing experience, lol.

Oh, and what a cast you've assembled. Granted, it's no Avengers Forever team, with two Hank Pyms, but they're each in harsh moments in their lives and the ones we don't already know about seem to have secrets of their own. Why did Luna Maximoff leave the Avengers? Clearly my favorite scene was Arcana's. A very powerful woman who is still something of a cat lady, it was funny when she baby-talked Ebony.

Honestly, Steve, what cast COULD match up to the awesomeness that was Avengers Forever? But of course one of the perks to writing a series like this is that I had unlimited carte blanche to choose my team of Avengers -- so I went with ones that, which maybe not my favorite characters per se, would maximize the team dynamics. Plus, I get to write Mockingbird and the Vision, two characters currently deceased at Marvel 2000! And yeah, I really liked writing Arcana's introduction, too.

In Avengers Forever, we had seven Avengers battle Immortus and his masters for the future of humanity. Now, we have seven Avengers working with Immortus to battle Kang's mad new war of conquest.

Oh, yes, this will be very, very interesting.

I certainly hope you still feel the same way about the series another issue in, Steve. Thanks!

Next up is the review given by Mike Exner III -- former Champions writer and sometime co-EiC of the site - as his first Editor's Choice review:

This should come as no surprise. Chris Munn follows up his stellar run with Russ Anderson on Avengers West Coast with a brand new title featuring Avengers plucked from significant moments throughout Avengers history. Shades of Kurt Busiek's amazing Avengers Forever storyline are evident immediately in this issue, but Chris' flair for utilizing obscure characters and fitting them together seamlessly make this a beast all his own. Chris' choice of Hank Pym's arrogant (some would say smug) Yellowjacket persona as the leading man was the perfect decision to keep the spirit of Avengers Forever alive. The easy confidence and swagger Yellowjacket brings to the motley grouping is evident immediately and picture perfect characterization. Chris continues along that line by incorporating a variety of Avengers from the past and the not-so-distant future in surprisingly unique and interesting ways, and it isn't until the end when the figure behind the assembling is revealed that you truly realize you're witnessing something special indeed.

It's always an honor when one of my issues wins the coveted Editor's Choice Award, especially given the stiff competition that my fellow site writers unleash upon me. Thanks, Mike!

Next is a letter from a guy that's awesome on both a personal and professional level, a man I'm proud to call one of my close friends - the brand-new editor-in-chief of Avengers 2000, Derrick Ferguson:

As you well know, I'm down for anything that concerns The Avengers, especially if you're writing it.  It seems as if The Avengers are experiencing a sudden popularity boom with several fan fiction sites I'm familiar with either reactivating their dormant Avengers series or beginning new ones.  With so many Avengers series available, their successes or failures will depend mainly on the skill, creativity, imagination and talent of the writers involved.  Since you've amply demonstrated that you possess all of the above in doses that would be dangerous for any other mere mortal, I have no doubt that AVENGERS IMMORTAL is going to be one of those successes.

Now that's high praise, indeed! Thanks, Derrick, for the show of confidence that I won't screw this pooch TOO badly, lol.

The group of Avengers that you've picked are definately got my interest and I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll work together as a team giving the wildly differing personalities, especially such wildcards as Mr. Immortal and a more bloodthirsty Black Knight.

In a bit of teasing for the future, fans of the Black Knight really need to tune in and pay attention to the next issue. Dane Whitman's about to get some serious time in the spotlight under my watch.

In fact, I notice a disturbing similarity in all of these members: they either have killed in the past or show a lack of emotional compassion that I'm guessing would allow them to bend or ignore the Avengers rule against not killing.  Certainly Vance Astro, The Black Knight and Mockingbird have killed in the past and I'm guessing about Mr. Immortal, Arcana, The Vision and your incarnation of Yellowjacket but time will tell about them and part of the fun of this series is going to find out exactly why this particular team has been assembled as I'm positive that Immortus has nefarious reasons of his own that will be explained further.

Ah, I can't sneak one past you, can I, Derrick? As you can tell by the twist in the team's first mission laid out in the issue above, the "loose morals" of these Avengers are definately a factor to be taken into account. And let's see a show of hands on how many people think Immortus is saying all there is to say about his current motivations...

Speaking of your choice of bad guys here, while I'm one of those who thinks that Kang has gotten more than enough exposure over the years and am tired of seeing the character show up yet again, I trust you enough that you'll do something interesting with him.  Hell, just the fact that he blew off Gladiator's face right at the beginning was enough to let me know that this wasn't going to be just another Avengers series.  I like the Immortus incarnation much better and am also hoping you'll find a place for The Scarlet Centurion as well.  I know I can't be the only one who likes him!

Ah, now I love me some Kang, baby! In fact, the Conqueror is right up there as one of my all-time favorite villains, alongside Baron Zemo and Ultron. Hopefully this series will turn you around on your opinion on ol' Blue Beak, Derrick...and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Scarlet Centurion, either! Look for him to appear sometime around issue # 9 or 10.

I've probably run my mouth more than I should have when you were just looking for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this first issue and rest assured that I for one am looking forward to future issues.

Thanks again, Derrick, and I'm glad you enjoyed # 1.

Finally, our last letter comes courtesy of Tony Thornley, who reviewed # 1 as part of his "Brawl Tells All" series of reviews:

Chris hooks you right in from the beginning of the issue, depicting Kang (come on- Avengers, time travel, it's got to be Kang!) seizing control of the Shi'ar empire years in the future.  From there we're greeted with a whirlwind gathering of heroes from different eras gathered by Yellowjacket.  First Mockingbird and in rapid succession Bobbi's followed by Black Knight, Mr. Immortal, Major Astro, Luna Maximoff, and the
Vision, all future and past Avengers.  After the team is assembled, they are welcomed by their benefactor- Immortus!

Just as an aside to Tony and other readers: Kang's decimation of the Shi'ar Empire and his murder of Gladiator was written as a tip of the hat to Brent Lambert and his first run on Avengers - where he instated Gladiator as the Shi'ar Emperor. Here at M2K, it's all-continuity, all the time!

Chris does a good job with the stereotypical "gather the new team" issue that leads off series like this. He sets up each individual's situation without excessive exposition and gives you a glimpse into their character right off the bat.  It's somewhat humorous how each Avenger treats time travel as well easily deducing how they're being greeted by this version of Hank Pym, why Mockingbird is still alive, etc.  Overall, it's an enjoyable issue.

As anyone who's written a team series can attest to, scripting a "gathering the team" issue that's not boring as all hell is a hard thing to do. I'm glad the bits of humor and time-travel continuity managed to keep the issue an entertaining read, Tony.

Three and a half of five punches thrown (and looking forward to later issues)

Thanks, Tony...and here's to me trying like hell to get those last 1 and a half punches for future issues!

And that brings our second issue lettercol to a close. Thanks again to everyone who gave me feedback on the first issue, whether it was in the letters above or the many personal messages I received. The "name this letter column" contest is still open for anyone who wants to hazard a suggestion...'cause lord knows I have no ideas for it, lol.

~ Chris Munn
09/18/05