Secret Avengers #16 – Review

by Nick Spencer, Ales Kot (Writers), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Mockingbird gets her revenge as the weights of all the secrets may be too much for some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

The Review: Everyone have some preconceptions when it comes to finales. Whenever something conclude, many people hope to see a closure on the important themes, that each threads will get resolved and that there will be big moments that leave fans satisfied of the whole ride. Some books do deliver, some exceed expectations, yet some unfortunately comes short of greatness, which is always a tad regrettable for those who followed the whole thing.

This finale is, in its own ways, a strange beast as it manages to be all of those things, providing a certain sense of closure to the war against Andrew Forson, yet also goes out of its way to provide for some ending to other aspects that don’t all work.

One of the weirdest, yet strangely moving part is the one with Mentallo, one of the ministers of A.I.M. who was particularly depressed in this arc. While the few pages he received earlier never did seem especially important or relevant to the overall conflict shown, it was a certain showcase of a man hit by depression, by a cage of his own design and that wanted out. In this issue, both Kot and Spencer gives him a finale that is bizarre, but also utterly touching, with him doing plenty to help the only actual friend he had as well as setting himself free in a fashion that is creative, yet also true to the character.

A side that is also well played, yet in a way that feels a bit more true to the roots of the book is the one with the team and Maria Hill, with the secrets and the way the game is played being too much for many present in the heli-carrier. Opening with M.O.D.O.K and finishing with a term very familiar to fans of the series, those few pages encapsulate a lot of what Spencer and then Kot made work in this series. It’s a fitting ending to the current iteration of this team, with finishes on a panel focusing on Maria Hill, one of the better character of this series.

Secret Avengers #15 – Review

by Nick Spencer, Ales Kot (Writers), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Contracts are signed, extractions are done and the secrets in the pile of mysteries are revealed.

The Review: Everyone has its limits when it comes to patience. While not always the most impatient of man, I can sometime get anxious for things to actually reach their culminating point. In story, in cooking and in a lot of areas where anticipation is key, there is a fine line in the sand when it comes to getting the awaited results.

This is how my general appreciation of this series could be summarized, with plenty of things going on, situations being built yet the climax never came with each issues. To be able to set up a threat and build it to make it interesting takes skill, yet there is slow build and then there’s teasing, which this series has been on the verge of doing in this particular arc.

It seems, however, that it had been a stratagem on the part of Ales Kot and Nick Spencer, who goes all the way in this issue to deliver not only an exciting issue, but also plenty of twists and surprise to amplify the espionage and intrigue part of the series without sacrificing the action and particular identity of the book.

Secret Avengers #11 – Review

by Ed Brisson (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: A new inhuman has arrived on the scene! It’s a pity he’s hostile to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents though.

The Review: The latest issue of this series was kind of a letdown, with a replacement writer trying to tie-in to the larger Infinity event. Bringing a new character with him, Ed Brisson had the unenviable task of trying to set up the biggest spy agency in this rather colossal event, tying many of its events into its narrative while telling a story. It was, however, a story in two parts, with this issue being the conclusion. Does he actually fares better this time around, though?

In some ways, Brisson does keep around some of the elements that he made work in the previous issue, with Sarah Garza still retaining her great approach at getting superpowers and being thrown in a situation of high stress. The way she sees things and how she tries her best, yet cannot seem to fathom how she should do things is something that shows good characterization.

Not all characters are written as well, though, with Phil Coulson coming of as rather boring with the low amount of dialogue he has and Marcus Johnson who comes off as a poor planner and a bit stiff in terms of characterization. The way Brisson handles Maria Hill is not half-bad, though, showing her more angry and stressed-out scene, which does help in setting the dire situation the world is in right now.

Secret Avengers #10 – Review

by Ed Brisson (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: There’s a new recruits for field work at S.H.I.E.L.D. and she’s one of the new inhumans. It’s a pity for her that Infinity is still going on…

The Review: It’s not necessarily the fairest or most positive thing to say, but there is a reason why most people hate even tie-ins. Shoehorning elements or characters important to the main book, stopping the natural narrative flow for elements that will be untouched further along and many more are possible reasons for the general dislike those issues receive. There are some rare cases where it can produce something of quality, like when Jason Aaron took on Black Panther during Secret Invasion, yet those are few and far between.

This is one of those issues, as regular writer Nick Spencer is replaced by Ed Brisson in order to show readers what S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing during Thanos invasion in Infinity. Set right after the terrigenesis, this shows how a young agent gets turned into an inhuman and then gets sent to the field right away. While this concept could actually give way for a satisfying story, this issue doesn’t really use it very well as it rushes along.

Secret Avengers #8 – Review

by Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: As Mockingbird tries to assess her situation, the A.I.M organization and its minister continues their operations after the attempt on their leader by S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: While many read superhero to follow their favourite characters and how their heroic combat for justice and their life are going, there is no denying that many do the same for certain villains as well. A book is as strong as its lead, of course, but any protagonist need a good antagonist as well or else the conflict thrown in its way would feel a bit pointless or derivative.

It seems that Nick Spencer understands this quite well, as the focus of this issue is set largely on the A.I.M organization, with some of it on Mockingbird also. The writer had shown pieces here and there to show how the antagonistic organisation worked, yet it was always with Andrew Forson being the face of the whole thing. Here, the other ministers are covered as well, showing what they do, how they react and how they see themselves and their roles in A.I.M.

The mixing of general workplace environment vibe to the craziness of super-science and the Marvel universe makes for a rather fun read here, despite the focus on the more villainous aspects of the script. It is in fact the whole focus on the madder aspect, like Taskmaster training his soldiers only to go play table tennis with Mentallo only to be followed by much darker scenes featuring Andrew Forson, Yelena Belova, Graviton and others that make for a weird balance. Showing the readers that even the antagonists have the same problem, like in-office fighting, politics and the ambitions of the persons in power that the protagonists have to deal with.

Secret Avengers #4 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer) Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist)

The Story: S.H.I.E.L.D needs to take care of a platoon of sentient Iron Patriot armors, cue Bruce Banner.

The Review: I had another idea on how to summarize this story, one that would not have actually told what essentially happens, yet it would have been perfect in tone: ‘’S.H.I.E.L.D strikes back’’. In the two past issues of this title, we had seen how A.I.M had become a whole new thing, as we were presented to an organisation with a completely new and more focused vision, spearheaded by Andrew Forson, the scientist supreme.

Taking just where the last issue left us, we now get a fascinating concept about giving personality to a suit of armor, giving it sentience in order to accomplish some goals. With A.I.M having done so with the help of Mentallo, they try to create a situation in which S.H.I.E.L.D could look disastrous. This then leads to some scenes that shows just how Spencer can handle this title and how much it differentiates itself from other titles with ‘’Avengers’’ in their name.

Secret Avengers #3 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Marcus Johnson* and Daisy Johnson visit a weapon exposition, while Coulson and his team investigate an A.I.M base that has been blown up.

The Review: Nick Spencer has fooled me. I freely admit it. I had expectations on how certain elements in this issue were going to play out, which were easily explained by the older work he did for Marvel. I thought I knew what he could throw at me and he easily manipulated said expectations to provide for something far more interesting, which I do believe he actually did twice in a row, the first time being with Taskmaster and now with Iron Patriot.

Secret Avengers #2 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Nick Fury Jr. gets to Bagalia and has to rescue Taskmaster from there. Meanwhile, the scientist supreme of A.I.M sets some of his machinations in motion.

The Review: After a debut issue that, despite its share of problems, managed to be particularly enjoyable, Nick Spencer’s version of Secret Avengers continues, bringing us the espionage of the previous issue, while adding some considerable elements and surprises along the way.

Indeed, the way the first issue was structured, we could have easily foreseen that a series of one-shot issues would probably have been the norm for the series, but it seems that the actual plot of the series begins here. From what we can see here, Nick Spencer does give the Secret Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D a particular challenge, rising the A.I.M agency from low-grades scientific criminals to downright menaces, akin to what Jonathan Hickman had done with Hydra in Secret Warriors. As a matter of fact, a lot of things here do look a bit like that series, which should be seen as some high praise indeed.

Secret Avengers #1 – Review

Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Hawkeye and Black Widow gets recruited to a new covert team for S.H.I.E.L.D. Their first mission: Budapest.

The Review: Marvel Now! keeps on rolling… This week saw the beginning of two new number ones, one of those being the relaunched Secret Avengers by Nick Spencer and Luke Ross. Does Nick Spencer have the same energy as the previous authors of the previous volume and can he succeed with this title?

First of all, this issue shows clearly it is a different beast than Rick Remender’s take on the team, as it is more S.H.I.E.L.D based, getting the whole espionage theme up to eleven during the whole issue. Bureaucracy, double-crossing, advanced technology, brainwashing, the book has it all and seems to have fun with it, which makes for a pleasant experience.

What’s also pleasant is how the characters are handled by Nick Spencer, who seems to get how to write them. I liked how Nick Fury Jr. was all about business in one scene, yet has no qualm talking about James Bond with Hawkeye right in the middle of a mission. Talking about Hawkeye, I do believe that Spencer is using Matt Fraction version here as the basis for the character, something I commend him for. The fun-loving, wise-cracking archer that is shown here is still as entertaining here, yet not exactly on the same level as in his own title. Another thing that deserves some praise would be his use of some of the cast from Secret Warriors by Jonathan Hickman. Seeing Sebastian Druid here was a joy.

The dialogue here is also a joy, as spy-talk is easily mixed with every day conversations with ease. The scene with Agent Coulson is a good example of that, as the much more polite and official agent has a talk with the much more easy-going Hawkeye and the stoic Black Widow, whereas he is talking in much more bureaucratic terms, using some wooden language to ease the both of them toward the subject he has in mind. There are several other moments such as these, yet this one is a shining example of what Nick Spencer can do with dialogue.

Captain America #605 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Luke Ross (pencils), Butch Guice (inks), Dean White (colors), VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Captain America—Bucky’s Cap, that is—must find a way to escape from Evil Cap’s clutches before a heinous act of terrorism is committed. Not far away, the Falcon is working to stop a runaway train while also trying to get to the site of the Cap vs. Cap showdown in time to provide Bucky with some much-needed backup.

What’s Good: I’ll be very upfront here: while I love Bucky and had no problem with him guarding the colors while Cap was gone, he will never be the Captain America for me; Steve Rogers carries that title in my heart now and forever, whether he officially wields the shield or not. That said, Bucky does a great job in this issue—watching him struggle against a villain like Evil Cap, as well as his own self-doubt and demons from the past, is very engaging. Brubaker gives the interaction between our hero and villain all the weight it requires to be effective. The quiet moment at the end between Bucky and Sam is a nice counterpoint to all of the tense, frantic action of the last couple issues (especially this last one) and ends the story on a very nice note. In fact, this is easily the best-plotted and best-written script of this arc, and brings to a very exciting and quite satisfying conclusion.

Ross’ art complements the story nicely, endowing the characters—especially Bucky and Evil Cap—with plenty of gravitas and emotion. This gives the story a solid human center point to work from, and lets us know that the struggle we’re witnessing is as much a war of ideology and philosophy taking place in the hearts and minds of the combatants as it is a physical battle between superhero and terrorist.

Captain America #604 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Luke Ross (art), Butch Guice (inks), Dean White (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The Falcon fights his way through an explosive train, while Bucky is forced to don his old costume.

What’s Good: Much like the rest of this arc, this month’s issue of Captain America has a real old school feel, which is something that Brubaker excels at.  From the Falcon’s internal monologue to the Watchdogs’ goofy outfits and rayguns, to Bad Cap’s master plan (revealed in a cackling cliffhanger), this feels like a comic out of a time machine.  When it’s at its best, this comic is just pure, cheesy, retro fun.

For the most part, Brubaker keeps it simple this month.  Most of the issue is dedicated to an action scene, as the Falcon brawls his way through a Watchdog piloted train.  It’s an enjoyable read, particularly as Falcon emphasizes his relationship with Rogers.  The internal monologue throughout gives it a little more depth and significance, preventing it from being totally mindless.

Meanwhile, Bad Cap is as crazy as ever, with the inferiority complex well in place.  His back-and-forth with Bucky is actually fairly humorous.  If anything, Brubaker does a fantastic job in making Bad Cap into a very traditional villain, with evil scheme and henchmen in hand.  Nowhere is this clearer than on the book’s last page, as, hands on his hips and grinning, the villain reveals his plan to the hero.  It’s hard not to smile.

Certainly, in telling a retro tale like this, Luke Ross is the right man for the job.  If Brubaker’s story reads like an homage, Ross’ art completes the picture.  While the level of detail and quality of paper, ink, and coloring reminds us that this was indeed created in 2010, the art itself could easily pass for the best of a by-gone era.

Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield? One Shot – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice & Luke Ross (artists), Dean White (colorist)

Although we’ll never know whose bright idea it was to release this one shot before the last issue of ‘Reborn’, I suppose I should thank them nonetheless for saving me the $3.99 to find out how that story ends, since this comic has proven itself to be a thoughtful epilogue to the fairly convoluted story of Captain America’s return to mainstream Marvel continuity. In fact, I’ll take it a step farther and go so far as to suggest that if you’ve never picked up one issue of ‘Reborn’, you will be able to read, understand, and enjoy the hell out of this particular comic. I know I did.

We are often told that it’s the journey, or the plot, of a story that is more important than its final destination, and yet this comic has inexplicably proven the reverse to be true by making the aftermath of ‘Captain America Reborn’ for more meaningful than the main storyline. Here, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, friends and comrades in arms through the ages, come together to confront the elephant in the room and decide who should go on bearing the mantle of Captain America. Where Brubaker truly excels in this simple tale is by making you question who you want to see continue wielding the shield. Keep in mind that we’ve been following Bucky for over two years now and have grown to respect him and his motivations for carrying on in Rogers’ name; we’ve developed a well-earned admiration for the former Winter Soldier, nurtured expertly through Brubaker’s storytelling, and now that admiration has been put to the test in the only way that makes sense, by pitting it against the only man who has any right to take the shield back from Barnes.

And no, I’m sure as shit will NOT tell you how this ends, so stop asking.

Amazing Spider-Man #608 – Review

By Marc Guggenheim (writer), Marco Checchetto, Luke Ross, Rick Magyar (art), and Fabio D’Auria (colors)

The Story: The aftermath of the Clone Saga continues to haunt Peter as a deadly enemy of Ben Reiley’s, attacks Peter and his family. We learn more of the life of Ben Reiley and the circumstances of his enemy’s origin story.

What’s Good: Marc Guggehein’s ASM is off to a great start, as this issue is chock full of intrigue and surprise. I have to give credit to the brain trust here with the new villain Raptor, as he could be the most interesting new villain, post-brand new day. Guggehein keeps the story moving while returning to Raptor’s origins in relation to Ben Reiley. Granted, Raptor’s genesis is both cliche’ (scientific genetic mutations) and ridiculous (humanity is evolved from dinosaurs), but his nothing-to-loose, vicious, and go-for-broke attitude makes up for his lame origins. Also, the fact that Raptor isn’t really a villain, just a guy out for revenge, helps make him engaging and relatable.

Between Marco Checchetto handling the art in the present and Luke Ross/Rick Magyar handling the flashbacks, this issue is great aesthetically. I was really impressed with Checchetto’s grainy style, as all the characters looked just right. The feel of this book reminds me of Lark’s recent run on Daredevil, but more clear and detailed. Overall, this could be my favorite visual presentation of Spidey in the past year or so.

To me the best part of this issue (and arc for that matter) is that its a departure from all the MJ and social stuff that has been under the spotlight since #600. I’m not complaining about that angle as its been pretty good, but it’s nice to see Spidey dealing with issues outside his immediate circle. Using the best parts of the Clone Saga as a way to bring something new, yet steeped in Spidey mythos, is a good move for this series. Plus, the surprise ending adds even more depth to this situation.

I also have to praise the funny editorial boxes that take place between Guggehein and Wacker. Guggehein begins the issue by taking a shot at Wacker and the snideness crescendos appropriately, and then disappears at the right time. Good stuff.

What’s Not So Good: I really don’t have much to gripe about. The flash back moments had some defects as some of the dialogue and art didn’t really distinguish who was who in the beginning. The two characters just look too much alike. Also, the dinner scene where Reiley goes to meet Raptor’s family was awkward and confusing. The characters seemed out of, um, character and the dialogue was forced. Why would anyone tell someone’s wife and kids, as a joke, that their father/husband was “doing” co-eds after work?

Conclusion: A great issue in the ASM torrent. A nice turn of serious story after the light Black Cat arc last week. It’s a good time to be a web-head, especially when Web Of Spider-Man launches next week. That will be a sister series and a fill-in for missing details of ASM. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Guggehein’s previous efforts on ASM (especially Character Assassination) but he is at his, and Spidey’s, best on this issue.

Grade: A-

-Rob G.

Dark Avengers #8 – Review

By Matt Fraction (Writer), Luke Ross (Pencils & Inks), Rick Magyar & Mark Pennington (Inks), and Dean White (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Anyone else getting annoyed by “X” crossovers? First the Messiah War came and screwed up all the momentum that X-Force had. Then Utopia started and completely derailed the Dark Avengers…

The Story: As the new X-Men establish themselves with the public, Cyclops pulls the trigger on his plan…

What’s Good: Matt Fraction finally gets to the point of his Utopia crossover in Dark Avengers #8. That’s really the best thing about the issue. While our no-spoiler policy prevents me from going into detail, I can at least say that it’s nice to see that Utopia actually leads to something.

What’s Not So Good: The penultimate chapter of Utopia is, quite possibly, the worst. Seriously. Outside of (maybe) the big reveal that feels like change for the sake of change more than anything else (though I will admit that it does hold some potential), I can’t imagine anyone finding anything about Dark Avengers #8 to be all that memorable.

Writer Matt Fraction does what he can to juggle his gigantic cast, but ultimately fails to find a satisfying balance between driving the story forward and delivering the character moments he is known for. In truth, it honestly seems as though Fraction is playing catch up with his own story. I find that really surprising because, in my opinion, Utopia has already had its fair share of padding (would anyone miss the bio-sentinals?!). By cramming so much into the last half of the book, there just really isn’t any room for anything that doesn’t bring the events of Utopia to a head. There’s a decent line here and there, but some of the character work just flat out misses the mark. A few examples: Hawkeye sounds like Wolverine in one panel, Weapon Omega is NOTHING like the character re-established in Dark X-Men: The Beginning, Dark Beast sounds like Beast then all of a sudden blurts out “The hell?” as though Fractions random hip line generator accidentally turned on, and Daken says “You’re done, son.”

The quality of the artwork in Dark Avengers #8 varies depending on who inked Luke Ross’ pencil work. I know that sounds strange, but the art almost needs to be reviewed on a panel by panel basis. At times, the art hovers between good and great (the opening scene and some “zoomed-in” character shots come to mind). Then again, far more often the art looks either average or downright poor (crowded, busy, or colorful panels come to mind because they really lack detail). In addition, the action is confusing, poses look stiff (or wrong/awkward), and females all tend to look the same (good luck keeping Dagger, the Cuckoo, Frost, Magick, and other blonds straight). Also, what’s the deal with Dr. Kavita Rao looking like Ms. Sinister (Introduced in X-Men: Legacy)?! Or being white for that matter?!

I honestly have no idea how anybody thought that Utopia was a good idea. While I actually don’t have a problem with what the story finally accomplishes, I can’t for the life of me figure out why it took a momentum killing crossover to do it. There had to have been a better way, especially since the Dark Avengers are just sort of… there.

Conclusion: The fifth chapter of Utopia is, quite frankly, a mess. It’s only worth picking up if you absolutely have to know what’s next for the mutant race. And if you are picking it up for the Dark Avengers? Don’t even bother.

Grade: D

-Kyle Posluszny

Dark Avengers #7 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Luke Ross (pencils & inks), Rick Magyar & Mark Pennington (inks), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The newly formed Dark X-Men battle mutant rioters in their first field mission. Meanwhile, Emma Frost begins to have second thoughts regarding her allegiance with Norman Osborn.

What’s Good: The dialogue between Beast and Xavier continues to be a highpoint, always carrying an ominous and desperate tone. Fraction also writes a good Sentry, his dialogue really manages to convey a character who is constantly in a state of befuddlement. I also enjoyed seeing Emma in such a central role, leading her own morally ambiguous team into the field.

As always, Fraction’s now trademark captions identifying the characters are humorous, all of them being well-worth reading. Uncanny X-Men fans are no strangers to these, but unacquainted Dark Avengers readers should get a kick out of them.

Lastly, the “negotiation” between Cyclops and Norman hits the right notes. Some might find Cyclops resorting to an ultimatum to be a bit overly simple, but I felt that this very simplicity succeeded in giving Norman something that he’s not at all used to. In fact, in this Dark Reign-centred universe, Cyclops’ words are downright shocking and the reader will no doubt be as surprised as Norman. Certainly, a trainwreck is now unavoidable…

Despite being a last minute replacement for Deodato, Luke Ross gets the job done. His action scenes serve to highlight each particular Dark X-Man and he does his best in imitating Deodato’s dark conversation scenes. A special mention has to go to his depiction of Emma’s diamond skin, which is fantastic.

What’s Not So Good: Several moments just lack believability. For instance, Emma Frost joins up with Norman and is now suddenly suspicious about his abuse of mutant prisoners? Really? For such a famously intelligent character, Emma comes across as utterly naive this month, and therefore totally out of character. One would think she would be well aware of Norman’s dark deeds. I just can’t go along with Emma Frost of all people signing up with the bad guys only to just now realize that, yes, they are the bad guys.

The scuffle between the Dark Avengers and the Dark X-Men also feels completely forced, lacking any firm motivations. Since when did Bullseye give a crap about loyalty to the Avengers? Furthermore, Daken’s anger didn’t at all match Bullseye’s comments; even by Daken’s standards, his reaction here was illogical.  Fraction was clearly hellbent on having the two teams fight, motivations be damned.

In addition, Fraction’s banter during the the battle between the Dark X-Men and the rioters is also absolutely awful. Real cringe-inducing stuff here; so painful to read and horrendously written. Similarly, Cyclops’ bizarre alien jokes were also completely terrible.

The biggest letdown, though, comes with respect to the Dark X-Men themselves, who get all of one line of mid-battle banter apiece. No character development, no info regarding how/why they joined, no motivations, nothing. That is downright unacceptable, particularly when one of them is an A-list heavy-hitter like Namor (whose shocking enro;lment is still unexplained, by the way; all Namor even says this issue is “Imperius Rex” and “Silence!”).

Conclusion: Neither smart nor good, this was a big and stupid comic that made me wish for a regular issue of Dark Avengers instead.

Grade: C –

-Alex Evans

Ms. Marvel #40 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Sana Takeda (Artist), Luke Ross (Pencils on pgs. 1-3 & 17-22), and Rob Schwager (Colors on pgs. 1-3 & 17-22)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve been enjoying the new direction of Ms. Marvel a whole lot. It’s a nice blend of new and old that works far better than anyone could have expected. While I’m not so sure about how Brian Reed is setting up the future of his series, I’ll let things play out a bit longer before I really make a final decision on it…

The Story: Deadpool gets hired by A.I.M. to retrieve the “storyteller” babies that Karla Sofen (the current Ms. Marvel) got control of in the last issue. Meanwhile, the mysterious glowing figure battles Ms. Marvel and a few of the other Dark Avengers for control of the babies.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: In the latest issue of Ms. Marvel, Brian Reed keeps the series moving at a breakneck pace. While the odd storyline is pushed to the side in favor of explosive action and character work that should help people become more familiar with the current Ms. Marvel, there’s still enough plot development to keep it from being completely overwhelmed by all the punching, flying, and energy blasting. Oh, and for those of you wondering, Deadpool, Spidey, and Wolverine actually serve something of a purpose, are well written, and aren’t simply tacked on for the sake of selling a few more books (though I’m not sure I’d call any of the guest stars truly necessary to the plot).

The visuals in Ms. Marvel #40 look pretty great all around. That said, it’s incredibly jarring to go from Luke Ross and Rob Schwager to Sana Takeda and then back to the first art team. Ross’ style could not be more different from Takeda’s and, as a result, the latest issue of Ms. Marvel never feels like a cohesive package.

Luke Ross handles all of the Deadpool, Spider-Man, and Wolverine stuff. His Spider-Man is fantastic, though his Deadpool, while expressive, looks a bit off. As for the Wolverine scene, Ross handles “He who appears far too much” rather well, even if the action of the scene seems a bit tame compared to what’s seen earlier in the book.

Sana Takeda once again makes Ms. Marvel feel unlike anything else that Marvel puts out. Her style is lush, rich, beautiful, and well suited to the type of action that Ms. Marvel delivers. Sure, her style isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely something I’m a fan of.

Now even though I’m a big fan, that doesn’t mean that I can ignore some of the flaws of Takeda’s work. My biggest complaint is that the some of the action is too explosive for its own good. It makes pages feel rather cluttered and panel progression more difficult to follow than it should be. Also, what’s with Ms. Marvel’s breasts getting larger as the pages go by?

Conclusion: Be sure to give Ms. Marvel #40 a shot. It looks mighty fine, advances an interesting story, and gives Karla Sofen the spotlight the character deserves.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Captain America #50 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Luke Ross (pencils, inks), Rick Magyar (inks), Frank D’Amarta (colors), Marcos Martin (writer and art)

The Story: It’s Bucky’s birthday as he escapes a surprise attack by jet-packed, heat missile shooting, and fully armored right-wing extremists. Interspersed with his weaving and missile-ducking and saving the life of an innocent here and there, Bucky reminisces about  birthday bashes of years past. Lastly, we are treated to a bonus story by Marcos Martin that recounts the history of Captain America for the few individuals on earth who don’t know it already.

What’s Good: As many readers of WCBR know, I’m not a big fan of Bucky. In fact, one of the reasons I bought this title was because it looks like Bucky is depressed and ready to give up the shield on the cover. The other reason is that I am confident that this series will some how lead to the return of Steve Rogers. With that said, I really enjoyed this story of Bucky’s past. It was interesting to see his situation pre-Invaders, and the highly entertaining story of Toro’s botched birthday surprise.

Obviously Brubaker has a good handle on Bucky and is also aware of his precarious position on Captain America. I thought the scene where Bucky admits his insecurity while taking out the bad guys was a big step up from the way his self-doubts affected the story in previous arcs.

With a couple of exceptions, Luke Ross did an excellent job drawing this issue. The action scenes as usual, were crisp and accurate. But perhaps the real star on the art team this issue was Frank D’armata who really nails the palette here, in a slew of settings.

What’s Not So Good: As good as the art is on this issue, the final scene featuring the new Avengers seemed off. The team’s faces looked frozen; kinda like a group of similar-looking automatons.

Furthermore, the final flash back scene with Cap wasn’t clear to me what was going on. It seemed like Brubaker was trying to show some event of importance involving a German spy, but the relevance was lost on me.

Conclusion: A nice one and done tale. No fireworks. No dramatic revelations. Just another character study on Bucky, which I think is the main problem I have with this series of late: almost every issue is a character study on Bucky. I’d like to see some plot momentum or some new villians or something novel happen in this series. Brubaker revitalized Daredevil with new characters and contestant external-conflict for Matt Murdock. That’s not really happening here in this series as it is always focused on uncovering the past. However, as I mentioned before, I think there will be dramatic changes down the line for Captain America. The black-flag teaser and the upcoming “Reborn” mini-series point to big things on the horizon.

Grade: B+

-Rob G

Captain America #49 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Luke Ross (pencils), Rick Magyar (inks), Frank D’Armata (colors)

Just so I don’t seem like a complete hypocrite for reviewing this comic after my previous post on Captain America where I swore off reading this series; this issue is NOT about Bucky, which is why I bought it.  So there. Instead of wading through Bucky’s disappointing mythos, we are treated to some of the back story on the circumstances and ramifications of the death of Steve Rogers, the real Captain America, through the eyes of Sharon Carter, his presumed murderer.

In addition to both interesting revelations and mysteries surrounding Steve’s death, Brubaker treats us to some great writing and character development. He crafts an interesting dynamic with Sharon’s senile  aunt who functions as a symbol of memories lost and the flux of self-identity, and also a plot device to further some of the back story involving the Grand Director (or 50’s Captain America). Plus the Falcon makes an appearance after being absent for too many issues. He adds some comic relief and enhances the touching scenes involving Sharon and her reclaimed memories.

As always, the art is glorious and ultra-realistic. The dream sequences were exceptional. Luke Ross carries the Epting helm diligently and carefully. I actually prefer his attention to detail and precision, which Epting sometimes trades for form and tone. However, Sharon’s tears looked awful and almost comical. Tears are clear, not off-white. It looked like she was lactating from her eyes.

In short, this was a great excursion  into the Captain America mythos and frankly, much better than the amost recent arcs. Between the solicitations involving a black Captain America uniform that was popping up in Marvel books a few weeks ago and the hints provided in this issue, I predict Steve is returning– and soon enough. I always thought that since his death his body reverted to his pre-super serum form coupled with the fact that he was buried in ice (again!), Steve wasn’t going to stay dead. The flatness of Bucky as a character reinforces my position that there is a resurrection coming. I stand by my belief that this series will be for the better when Bucky returns to being a sidekick.

Grade: A-

-Rob G

Captain America # 48 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer) Butch Guice, Luke Ross, and Steve Epting (art) Frank D’Armata (colors)

Okay, here goes: I’m officially calling for the impeachment of Bucky Barnes, the current Captain America. I charge him for being boring, self-obsessed, and physically unfit to wear the uniform. Using guns and having a bionic arm is no substitute for the resourcefulness, cunning, and raw power it takes to be Captain America. Cap should not be emo and infinitely self-reflective. He should be confident and chock full of testosterone. I’m attaching a letter I recently wrote to the new “Captain America” for you, the fans of WCBR, to read.

Dear B,

Bucky, you’re really starting to suck. In the latest issue of the series you’re stinking-up, you needed to be rescued by your girlfriend, who then lectured you on being more emotionally available to her. Give. Me. A. Break!

Dude, aren’t you supposed to save the day, rather than your girl.  Aren’t you supposed to hold your own among other Superheroes– in this case Namor, rather than following behind him like his kid brother? Seriously, you’re supposed to be Captain America! Man up!

I for one, am tired of your constant droning about your past as the Winter Soldier. I got it–you killed innocent people. I understand that that makes you sad. But, you’re not a 15 year old kid, man! Put away the journal and stop writing crappy poetry as you listen to grunge music, while you grapple with how “deep” you are! Don’t you have like an international terrorist organization to raid or an ex-arch villain to find? We don’t care about your personal journey anymore.

This last issue really put the nail in your coffin. After that evil scientist from your past and his soldier, the “Man With No Face” tied you up and was trying to kill Namor, you totally groveled and begged like a little girl. I understand that you were upset because they weaponized the remains of your old bud, the original Human Torch, but don’t you think you acted a little bit un-Captain America like by being hopeless?

As always, I was impressed with the artistic depiction of the events you experienced. Butch Guice is an awesome artist and he made you look real good despite your sorry self. He really excels in capturing tones and telling a coherent story.

But the fact remains, you can put a dress on a pig and it’s still a pig. Therefore, I think you should step down as Captain America. I think you would be happier as his sidekick or roll player. It would serve you to talk to those in charge about how to bring Steve Rogers back somehow. Heck, I’ll take him back as Zombie Steve or Robo-Steve, just slap the star on his chest and give him the shield and I’m good.

I hate to do this, but as it stands now, I will no longer be along for the ride as long as you’re driving. I’ll put my 3 bucks to a more worth-while cause. I am thusly branding you with a final….

Grade: D

-Rob G

Captain America #44 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Luke Ross (pencils), Fabio Laguna and Rick Magyar (inks), Frank D’Armata (colors)

The Story: Following the events of last issue, Bucky follows the trail of Batroc the Leaper through the mercenary underground in order to uncover what he was after following the raid in the UN building. During this chase, we are treated to a few flashbacks of Bucky in his Winter Soldier days when he on a mission in China which reveals some connections to his current quest. The clash between Bucky’s past and present lives culminates with the appearance of a mysterious and powerful new foe.

The Good: The story is well-paced and interspersed with enough mystery, action, and tight dialogue to infuse the story with some intrigue and excitement. Ed Brubaker does an excellent job of sculpting Bucky as an “everyman” hero that you can’t help but root for— he takes a beating, makes mistakes, doubts himself, gets scared, and has a past he’d like to forget.

Luke Ross creates solid character renditions that are even more picturesque than Steve Epting’s. Additionally, the momentum of the action scenes mixed with fine scenic detail helps make this an overall gorgeous book.

The-Not-So-Good: A few of the action scenes seem a little needless and only serve to hold up the story’s progression, thus making the story feel flat. Additionally, the story ends anticlimactically as the new character is just another unknown figure associated with a bunch of other unknown figures. His (I assume it is an “he,” but it could be an “it”) reveal is more of an, “okay…so….” as opposed to a “wow!”

Conclusion: I like, not love, Bucky as the new Cap and was unconvinced that he’s interesting enough to keep me coming back to this series. However, Brubaker’s prowess in spinning compelling stories with complex characters, like he does in this story, is more than enough to convince me to stick around.

Grade: B

-Rob G.

Captain America #42 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (Writer), Steve Epting with Luke Ross (Pencilers), Rick Magyar, Steve Epting, and Fablo Laguna (Inkers), and Frank D’Armata (Colors)

Originally, I started reading Captain America for the same reason that almost everyone else did: his landmark death in issue 25. My intent was to read this series only for the three acts of “Death of the Dream” just to see how the story played out. Towards the beginning of act three, I realized what a genius story this truly was, and decided I would probably continue reading even after it was over. If my reading permanence was ever in doubt, the ending of this epic storyline has sealed it.

This feels much more like a season finale of a television show than a final issue of a comic book story arc. We get plenty of resolution in several things, but Brubaker teases us with the promise of much more to come. If you are hoping for a big reveal of Red Skull’s master plan, forget about it. Brubaker seems to want to let it stew longer. Likewise, the fate of a few other characters is left hanging in the air. Despite a lack of resolution, the good guys seem to think it’s over (don’t they know bad guys always come back?) and we get to see the beginning of Bucky as Cap accepted in the Marvel Universe.

Penciler Steve Epting, with some help from Luke Ross, continues to deliver more of his action-centric work. With the use of other artists occurring frequently in this arc, I was afraid that Epting may not be featured in this issue, but luckily he was able to finish the epic that he helped begin. As usual, Brubaker lets Epting’s work tell much of the story.

So was I disappointed by this issue? Slightly, I expected it to be the big “everything since issue one has come down to this” finale, but the promise that this story will continue seems to be even more satisfying. And like any good suspense artist, Brubaker plans to make us wait with a completely different storyline coming up. It will be nice to not only to see a non-Red Skull villain story, but to also see Bucky finally operating as Cap on his own. How long will it take till we get a true resolution? Who knows, but I’m sure whatever Brubaker has in store for us until then will be just as entertaining. (Grade: A)

-M. Staples