Uncanny Avengers #15 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Steve McNiven, John Dell, Dexter Vines, Jay Leisten (Artists), Laura Martin (Colorist)

The Story: As Wasp fights the revived Sentry, the plan of the Apocalypse twins takes a rather sinister turn.

The Review: With the way the previous issue went down, I suppose it’s fair to assume that Rick Remender is not kidding around with this storyline. While I did enjoy this series in a general way, there was always something holding it back a bit. Either it was too much buildup for not enough payoff or the fact that the cast was so divided it provided for too many subplots at the same time, the book had its problems. However, with the arrival of Steve McNiven and the rather explosive last issue, does Remender actually succeed in upping the ante for this title?

It finally seems that yes, Remender actually did end up giving the gravitas and the high energy this title needed in some of its previous issues. Due to many elements handled very well, he is able to give the fans that were following the book quite a lot of great moments as he continues to make the conflict bigger with each issues.

Where he goes right, in a way, is in how he switch the focus on other characters instead of those that were in the conflict where those who died were situated. Putting Captain America, Wasp and Thor on the spotlight, he is able to not only rotate the focus a bit more on some characters that did not receive that much focus to begin with, but get in their head as well. We get to know how Captain America perceives this team and how he thinks he failed them, how Wasp sees her super heroic side and how some characters reacts to some unseemly news. It seems a bit of a waste to put characters like Sunfire, Havok and Wolverine on the side, yet he does quite a lot with this trio of characters in order to advance his plot.

Uncanny Avengers #13 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Daniel Acuña (Artist/Colorist)

The Story: The members of the Unity squad are trying in their own way to solve the problems posed by the Apocalypse Twins. Meanwhile, the twins are themselves plotting for the fulfilment of their plan.

The Review: Even though I rather like the creative team, the themes and most of the characters featured in this series, something didn’t seem to click for me with Uncanny Avengers. This lead to me being rather harsh (though fair) in my review of the previous issue of this series, which seemed to represent many of the problems I had with the series to begin with, putting them to the forefront in a way that lead to an unsatisfying read for me. I, however, believe in the fact that not all issues in a series can be great, that missteps can be made. Was the previous issue simply a fluke or would this issue provide another assessment of a lot of the problem I had with the series so far?

In a lot of ways, this issue corrects a lot of what annoyed me a bit with this series as it tweaks some elements and move at a faster rate with its many plot points and characters. It’s not a complete reversal in terms of quality, with some of the problems I have still being present, yet it is definitely a step in the right direction, with all things considered.

Uncanny Avengers #11 – Review

Rick Remender (Writer), Daniel Acuña (Artist, Colorist)

The Story: Quite a lot of the members of the Avengers unity squad gets explanation about what is happening and what might just happen if things continue the way they are.

The Review: Exposition is always useful. It can bring people up to speed on the status of certain events or characters quickly, reinstate the gravity of a situation and throw new concepts to the readers to appreciate. It’s the perfect tool to bring in new readers to make sure they won’t be lost and to make sure that the regular reader don’t forget the important information in the wait between each issues.

However, it is also something that can severely hinder an issue if it indulge too much in it, which this issue unfortunately does. There are a good number of things to explain, of course, as the connection between some of the horsemen and what made it so has to be explained and certainly put on spotlight for it to be effective, yet there is simply not a lot going on in this issue because of the heavy emphasis on the dialogue and exposition.

It’s not an issue-breaking problem, fortunately, as there are some good concepts brought up front which does advance some of the themes of this series forward, however slightly it does. The scene with Scarlet Witch and the Apocalypse twins does bring some interesting ideas as it mixes some of the older ones like Magneto’s brotherhood of evil and Archangel to the newer ones like what Red Skull is trying to do and what he might achieve if he succeeds. It creates an ominous conflict that plays well with the ambiguous antagonism of the Apocalypse twins, who seems to possess larger plans and a certain nobility despite their methods. It does make those characters a bit more interesting as villains.

Uncanny Avengers #10 – Review

Rick Remender (Writer), Daniel Acuña (Artist/Colorist)

The Story: With the teams divided and searching in their own ways for what is going on with the children of Archangel, the horsemen of death each gather their own specific target.

The Review: There will always be a gap between generations when it comes to appreciation of a particular title. Every fans of a certain franchise always will look up to a certain era or a certain writer when it comes to the very best representation of what they like. Some people prefer the Chris Claremont era of Uncanny X-Men, while others loved when Grant Morrison went in with his New X-Men, as the future may see the construction of a generation that will praise the Bendis era with All-New X-Men. Each team, characters and general franchise in superhero comics have been handed down throughout the years to others, with some resonating with their audience and their time. However, does Rick Remender, with his dual X-men and Avengers team make something that caters more to one group or the other?

In ways, it is admirable to see him try to combine two of the biggest franchise that Marvel has the right to. In a purely conceptual level, this is a book that could work in a big way, as some of the biggest characters comes together to fight threats that are new to some of its member, creating a melting pot of the best that Marvel could offer. In theory, the fact that Captain America, Wolverine, Thor, Havok and others need to fight the Red Skull, Kang, the children of Archangel and other likely foes to create a better reputation for mutants is sound as it should be exciting.

However, while the concept is grand, there are some problems in its execution, which can be seen in this issue. One of the bigger one, so far, is the narration and some of the bizarre throwbacks Remender use in its dialogue and explanation of events. In a way, this title tries to emulate both the old Avengers and Uncanny X-Men comics, providing us readers with narration enhancing the visual effects as well as somewhat melodramatic dialogue that makes things somewhat akin to a soap opera, a practice that was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s in comics. While it is an efficient and sometime well-handled throwback to those comics, it can be sometime a bit too much, even used in ways that slow down the pace and effect some scenes have. While the way some of the characters talk gives the readers a touch of mystery and a good showcase of their personality, it is also rife with tons of exposition and an over-abundance of melodrama, creating something that may be a bit goofy at times. It is, I suppose, the very point of such a practice, yet it does its job a bit too well as it just slows down or dumb down some of the better elements of the issue.

Thor #609 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Billy Tan, Batt, & Rich Elson (art), Christina Strain & June Chung (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Loki faces the consequences, Kelda stands and fights, and Volstagg picks himself up.

What’s Good: With Thor not being present this month, several supporting characters pick up the slack.

Kelda, a character I’ve enjoyed since JMS introduced her, still strikes a sympathetic portrait.  Her defending Bill’s parents was touching and it was nice to see them come together.  Of course, it’s always a blast just to see Kelda kick some ass.  She’s one of those characters’ whose potential we’ve never been sure of and I’m glad to see her in a more empowered position this month.

Having a similar “fist-pump” moment this month is Balder, who reminds the world why his name is “Balder the Bright.”  Gillen does his best to make Balder personify the Heroic Age.   When he lights himself up to rally the troops and owns the Hood in a Matrix-like fashion, it’s all kinds of awesome.  Balder has bumbled around quite a bit and it’s nice to see him take up position as the quintessential hero.

Dark Avengers #14 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Victoria Hand deals with dissension in the ranks and the Void makes his presence known.

What’s Good: This issue is a solid issue largely because it’s based entirely on perhaps the two best things to come out of Dark Avengers: Victoria Hand and the Osborn/Sentry relationship.

While Hand has spent much of the series in the background, verging on blandness at times, Bendis has made huge strides with the character in the past few issues.  She has become more brazen and empowered and we’ve really gotten know her on a more individual and personal level.  That trend continues here, as her relationship with Osborn becomes a major focus, with her almost achieving a kind of parental role over the disgruntled and desperate HAMMER director.

It’s great to see someone stand up to Norman, sure, but the care and concern Hand expresses actually made me feel bad for Osborn.  I had to remind myself that he’s still the bad guy.  That’s the mark of a great character in Hand and Bendis is really ensuring that she sticks around in the Marvel Universe post-Dark Reign.

The Sentry/Osborn stuff is great once again if only because one really, really gets the sense that Osborn has bitten off more than he can chew and the blade truly is over his head.  Negotiating the Void is not the cakewalk that manipulating Bob was.  Still, Osborn’s frustration-fueled bravery was enjoyable and, when seeing him directly confront a rampaging and all-powerful Void, I had to again remind myself that Osborn was not a good guy.

Mike Deodato throughout all this provides some absolutely fantastic artwork.  His depictions of the apocalyptic environment wrought by the Void truly are hellish.  Deodato simply does some great work in his massive drawings of urban landscapes and it’s really stunning stuff, as are his illustrations of a souped up Sentry.

Seige #2 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Olivier Coipel (penciller), Mark Morales (inker), Laura Martin (colorist)

The Story: Osborn has managed to start his war with Asgard pretty well. He’s got Thor down, the Asgardians are on the ropes and things look good, until Ares clues in that Osborn wasn’t entirely truthful. Divine blood is thicker than water and Osborn’s got to pay. But then, Ares has a problem: Sentry.

What’s Good: Coipel is always a treat to watch. My comic reading experience here slowed waaaay down, just to admire the beautiful pencils, inks and colors. Steve Rogers has a very definite look under Coipel’s inks. Ares, with or without helmet, is an awe-inspiring figure. The Sentry’s motion is so fast as to disappear in some panels in a style that reminds me a lot of Gene Colan’s art. The other artist that Coipel really reminds me of is Paul Smith, especially Wolverine. While Daken stalks Thor in Broxton, he looks so much like his dad did under Paul Smith in the Uncanny X-Men or in the X-Men-Alpha Flight miniseries. And for the fans of more gruesome content, you may wish to check out this issue if you want to see what Wolverine and Ares look like from the inside. I won’t explain – it’s worth the look…

The events Bendis has set in motion are a big deal. That’s good for a story and I’ll give you some examples of stuff that matters. Sentry is now a bad ass. Not only can I tolerate his presence, I actually like this brutal punisher that Osborn has on a leash. Captain America and Bucky are sorting themselves out, for the long run. They are each deciding who they will be. Osborn seems to be coming closer and closer to a comeuppance. Ares fights Sentry and it ain’t pretty. Steve rallies the divided troops. For a lot of reasons, this series is showing that it matters; events in this book will affect the rest of the MU.

Dark Avengers #13 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The rather unpleasant back-story of the Sentry is revealed and reviewed.

What’s Good: Character-driven issues always bring a particular set of strengths.  They’re usually a bit of a denser read, and Dark Avengers #13 certainly reflects this trend.

Bendis turns a great deal of attention to the Sentry’s wife, a character largely present in Dark Avengers as an inanimate object.  I do feel that he managed to garner an appropriate amount of sympathy for the character and was able to get some strong emotions out of her.  He almost made me actually care about her, which given her status throughout the series, should be outright impossible.  All told, her narration is solid, carrying an acidic tone that is a pitch-perfect mix of guilt, bitterness, and skepticism.

Of course, the best bit of dialogue is no doubt the back and forth between the Void and Bob.  It’s very well-done, with the Void achieving a sort of malevolent sentience that we’ve not really seen out of Dark Avengers thus far.  Bob’s schizophrenic circumstances are really well realized, with the back and forth between him and the Void being turbulent and violent and the distinction between the two of them being stark and poignant.

It is also worth mentioning that this is some of the best work we’ve seen from Deodato.  He goes all out in some really bombastic superheroic images.  He also makes absolutely fantastic use of lighting and his illustrations really, really help depict the Bob/Void opposition.  The Void, when in control of the Sentry, is a flaming demonic mess, while Bob looks nearly child-like in his innocent facial expressions.

Siege #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Olivier Coipel (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Norman Osborn finds his reason to begin his assault on Asgard.

What’s Good: This is some really impressive, massive work by Coipel and Martin.  The art here is gorgeous and some of the best stuff I’ve seen from Coipel.  The assault on Asgard, with its horde of fighter jets, is truly impressive and the mandatory explosions look great.  The book is maintains the “high budget” feel a book like this requires.

Perhaps unexpectedly, the most enjoyably written character in this first issue is actually Ares.  His disagreement with Osborn and the generally badass way Coipel illustrates is a blast (he rides into battle on a fighter jet, bent on one knee).  It’s clear Bendis wants this to be a war comic, and he’s placed Ares in the General position.  The result is a nice fusion of modern combat and ye olde fantasy heroism (the obligatory motivational speech in front of a horde of cheering warriors).  Seeing Ares lead modern HAMMER troops and superheroes as though they were Camelot’s finest is a lot of fun.

Beyond that, Bendis seems to want to make this issue, and this event, as straightforward as possible.  At the very least, you’re guaranteed not to get the sort of convoluted mess that other recent events have devolved into.

New Avengers #60 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The Avengers try to remove the device attached to Luke Cage’s heart as Norman Osborn closes in.

What’s Good: The impending arrival of Osborn and the time limit that implies puts a heavy strain of tension on the entirety of this month’s issue, and Bendis does well in capturing the sense of desperation.  Everything feels properly “edge of your seat.”  More importantly, the pay-off of this cat and mouse game comes to a satisfying and humorous conclusion that will definitely make you smile, as the Avengers get one over the Iron Patriot.  The fact that they manage to seemingly pull off the impossible also continues the new trend of making the team look good after so many months underfoot.

The Hood’s presence was also solid this month.  With his new power boost, Parker reasserts himself in a big way, killing a character in a manner so simple and matter of fact that it’s hard not to be stunned.  But really, the best part of Bendis’ use of the character this month is that he actually makes Osborn sweat.  It was rather enjoyable seeing Osborn so genuinely frightened, even cowed, by the Hood.  With stones in hand, Parker of all people is becoming yet another factor that Osborn may have bitten off more than he can chew with.

Dark Avengers Annual #1 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Chris Bachalo (Pencils & Colors), Tim Townsend w/ Jaime Mendoza & Al Vey (Inks), and Antonio Fabela (Colors)

The Story: Ever wonder what happened to Noh-Varr since leaving the Dark Avengers? Now you get to find out. In the Dark Avengers Annual, Noh-Varr, a bit lost in the world since his break from the Dark Avengers, tries to contact his people and figure out humanity while avoiding Osborn’s crew.

What’s Good: The first thing I thought of when I flipped through the Dark Avengers Annual was the Wolverine installment of the Dark Reign: The List one-shot series that just wrapped up. While that’s an easy thing to do considering that both focus more on Noh-Varr than the title characters/character, the Annual is actually quite a bit different from Wolverine’s The List one-shot. The arrogant Noh-Varr written by Jason Aaron is a very different character than the one experiencing something of an existential crisis written by Brian Michael Bendis. And while Bendis’ take on the character is a bit jarring coming so soon after Aaron decided to toss Noh-Varr into a story that sort of played out like an action-comedy, the Dark Avengers Annual works far better than you might expect simply because of the way Bendis writes Noh-Varr. I don’t want to spoil anything, but by the time the Annual is over it is very clear that Noh-Varr is going to be moving up the Marvel ladder, and soon.

The best thing about Bendis’ script is that he manages to avoid making Noh-Varr seem like some brooding, angsty existentialist despite the thoughts and concepts the Kree hero is wrestling with. There’s a hopelessness that Noh-Varr feels, yet Bendis gives the script balance by highlighting both curiosity and confusion in a way that, thankfully keeps the former Dark Avenger a charming and sympathetic character throughout the Annual. n particular, Noh-Varr’s exchanges with a girl he meets, while a bit cliché and heavy handed, do a nice job of highlighting the direction the character is heading. In addition, Bendis wisely keeps the focus on the character development as The Sentry and Noh-Varr square off. It would have been easy to toss in generic fight scene banter, but Bendis’ decision to let Noh-Varr and The Sentry play off each other does a lot of good for both characters.

The artwork in the Dark Avengers Annual is easily the highlight of the book. While the character work and dialogue by Bendis is strong, the art team makes even the most mundane moments look lively and interesting. Now I’ll be the first to admit that Chris Bachalo is a strange artist for the type of character developing story that Bendis tells, but Bachalo’s work is so much fun to look at that it’s hard to care (keep an eye out for a funny Sinister Spider-Man Easter egg!). The panels manage to be both cinematic and quirky, the action is kinetic and dynamic, and the visual storytelling is smooth and fluid. Special mention must also be made of Antonio Fabela’s intentionally bland, understated color choices, highlighted here and there by the use of a vibrant reds. Fabela’s work compliments both Bachalo’s pencils and the tone of Bendis’ story extremely well.

What’s Not So Good: I really don’t have any major complaints about the Dark Avengers Annual. I suppose I could mention that a few panels seem a bit cluttered and that Bendis’ story doesn’t really break any new ground (you’ve seen the story arc play out in numerous times in numerous forms), but then I would just be nitpicking. Sure the two things mentioned are noticeable, but they hardly have an impact on what is a very strong book.

Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and pick up the Dark Avengers Annual. The artwork is great, the story does good things for an interesting character, and it ends in a way that will leave you looking forward to Noh-Varr’s next appearance.

Grade: A-

-Kyle Posluszny

New Avengers #59 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The Avengers, with some friends, attempt a daring ploy to rescue Luke Cage.

What’s Good: While it’s nothing groundbreaking, this issue is absolutely solid and as such, it’s the best single issue of New Avengers to come along in some time.  It entertains without committing any real crimes.

First off, on the art front, while it’s taken a few months (as you’ll see from my past reviews of NA), I’ve finally gotten used to Immonen’s presence on the series enough to actually thoroughly enjoy his artwork.  His pencils brim with vitality and are distinct and light-hearted enough to make New Avengers stand apart from the Dark Reign pack.  That alone is an achievement.  Immonen’s style is just pure fun, really and his takes on the characters always carry the interest and freshness of seeing your favourite indie artist do a sketch or variant cover for a beloved mainstream comic.

The real achievement this month though is Bendis’ management of such a large number of guest stars.  The presence of Strange, Voodoo, Daredevil, and Iron Fist maintains its cool factor, but they never really take over the comic or feel like they’re taking away screen time from the Avengers.  The Avengers are still the front and centre stars of the show and the guest stars are merely the backdrops, and that’s just the way it should be.  The guest stars don’t take over the comic so much as they enhance it.

Other than that, there are several little things Bendis does well.  The collision, and conflict, between technology and the mystic arts was an interesting little aside, one that clashed without jarring the reader, at times even giving off a paranormal feel.  Also, having the heroes use a ploy that the bad guys used to use on them in order to get the drop on Osborn was a nice touch.  Basically, to beat a villain, the Avengers have to adopt the sort of cunning usually reserved for villains.  It’s a nice bit of role reversal that doesn’t compromise their heroic status.

What’s Not So Good: While Bendis tried his best to convince me, I’m still not sure I wholly buy Osborn’s being dumb enough to fully and completely buy into the attack at Camp HAMMER.  Perhaps other readers will feel differently, but it felt just a little too easy to me.

Also, I understand she’s a grieving wife and I should feel sympathy, but I found Jessica Jones to be really, really agitating this month.  Her spontaneous outbursts, sobbing, and half the panels having her in tears just got under my skin somehow.  Perhaps I’m just a soulless bastard, but I just found her really annoying.  Perhaps it’s the complete helplessness, relative uselessness, and her kneejerk quips that got to me.  Perhaps it’s how quickly the confidence and resolve she opens the issue with inexplicably dissolves to mush.  Certainly, Immonen’s illustrations of her don’t help her case any.

Conclusion: One annoying character in such a large cast is thankfully not enough to ruin a good comic.  It’s a fun superhero yarn that is everything your standard, monthly Avengers comic should be.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Dark Avengers #11 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Greg Horn (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: As the Avengers find themselves subjected to the whims of Molecule Man, Victoria Hand scrambles.

What’s Good: As Hand takes center-stage this month, we finally get a three-dimensional character out of her.  It’s very interesting to see how her motivations largely stem out of an uncompromising sense of integrity mixed with a desire to do as much as good as possible.  Hopefully this is a seed that will come back to bite Norman.  Either way, it’s always great to get to know a character as an individual, let alone one who’d been little more than scenery up until this point.  Having Hand become more developed will undoubtedly add more to the series.

Meanwhile, in the present, Hand is thrust into a central leadership position, and we see just how awkward, uncomfortable, and perhaps even unprepared and flustered she is in such a role.  Victoria Hand finally feels and looks human and almost likable.

Molecule Man is the other central figure this month and he’s definitely creepy, particularly thanks to Bendis’ godlike portrayal of his ill-defined Silver Age power set.  I also really liked how Bendis wrote his voice.  While not openly bonkers, there’s just something off about his dialogue.  Bendis is clearly trying to convey the character’s complete social ineptitude, isolation, and consequent difficulty conversing with others.  It’s very subtle, but that makes it all the more skillfully executed.

Greg Horn also does a fantastic job illustrating the “dream sequences” this month, with his hazy, softer, painted feel contrasting beautifully and suddenly with the usual heavy, dark, muscled fare that Deodato brings.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing really wowed me about this issue.  I think that that’s largely due to the book spending an incredible amount of time with Molecule Man as the main character weaving the text together.  Probably not a good call when we’re unattached to the character.  Also, while his voice is good, his “I want to be left alone” rhetoric does repeat.  This would normally be just fine, but when he’s holding together the entire issue, it gets a little dry.

Also, outside of Hand’s scenes, the structure of this month’s issue is so apparent that it creaks.  Every member of the team gets one scene where they feel the power of Molecule Man.  It’s a really uninventive way of getting a new villain’s power across and it also makes the latter half of the issue feel more like a series of skits or vignettes than a single coherent book.  As each Avenger is visited, I can almost feel Bendis ticking off boxes.  Of course, page-count concerns also reduce the length of each scene, sometimes to a single page, so it’s not like any of them particularly resonate either.

Furthermore, was it really necessary to see Sentry get pulverized again?  It’s getting ridiculous how the most uber-powerful character in the Avengers-line has been turned into a complete bitch throughout Dark Reign thanks to the writer’s inability to figure out what to do with him.  It’s not like anyone would take anything resembling a death for the character seriously at this point anyway.

As a final note, I mentioned this last month, but Deodato really does love to draw scantily clad women.  For the second month in a row, the needless skimpiness annoys.  As does seeing page after page of naked bodybuilder Norman Osborn.

Conclusion: It’s cool getting to know Victoria, but outside of some neat work by Horn, the rest of the book is a bit of a wash.

Grade: C+

–Alex Evans

 

Dark Avengers #10 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The Avengers go to a small town in Colorado to investigate a string of mysterious disappearances.

What’s Good: Apparently Dark Avengers is a horror comic this month.  It’s surprising, but nonetheless very effective.  Using an abandoned small town with a very bizarre fixation on dinosaurs of all things, Bendis crafts an issue loaded with a heavy atmosphere that is all creepiness.  There are some genuinely unsettling moments, all the moreso due to how we’re kept totally in the dark.

I also found this month’s book to be really strong as far as characterization and team dynamic are concerned.  It was one of those issues where every member clearly has his or her social role on the team, several them having very defined moments.  Hawkeye has become weirdly likable as the guy whose intelligence clashes with his dumb impulses, Daken is the frustrated rabble-rouser, Moonstone is utterly untrustworthy, and the newly medicated Venom is pure comedy.  Honestly, Venom made me laugh in a way I didn’t think possible in Dark Avengers.

Going along with the horror theme, the team dynamic also generates its own mystery.  Something’s obviously funny with Osborn and Moonstone clearly has her own agenda.  Both are certainly intriguing

Mike Deodato’s art is meanwhile nothing short of perfect.  Everything is shadowy without any sacrifice of detail.  In fact, everything is about as close to photo-realistic and detailed as a comic can get without out of control lightboxing.  The last double-page spread in particular is amazing. and Deodato’s depictions of the Sentry never fail to wow.  Also, Deodato’s drawings of Venom’s facial expressions while masked only added to the hilarity of the character

What’s Not So Good: Overall, this is a very good issue, but there are always the little things.  For starters, I’m pretty tired of seeing the Sentry get his ass kicked.  The Sentry is so powerful that in order for any narrative or conflict to transpire, he needs to be taken off the board.  This has become glaringly obvious and increasingly irritating.

I also did find myself wondering why the two girls at the beginning of the issue had to be so scantily clad.  They’re hot, we get it, but aren’t they also just supposed to be average girls?  It’s a little over the top, but I guess it’s also sadly typical of the modern comic.  There’s also an early lettering error regarding the two characters that sees their line’s switched up.

Finally, I suspect the issue’s ending was supposed to pass for a cliffhanger of impressive proportions.  Unfortunately, it’ll probably garner nothing more than a “huh?” from most readers.

Conclusion: Despite my minor quibbles, it’s actually a very strong issue of Dark Avengers.  It’s not quite as good as last month, but it’s pretty much all you can hope for out of a Dark Avengers comic.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Dark Avengers #9 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mike Deodato (Art), and Rain Beredo (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With Utopia out of the way, I fully expect Dark Avengers to get back to being a favorite of mine. With a kick-ass cover and the promise of a guest appearance from Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Warriors, it’s a pretty safe bet that Dark Avengers #9 will deliver.

The Story: Ares discovers that his son, Phobos, isn’t exactly heading off to school during the day. Meanwhile, something strange is going on at Avengers Tower while some of the Dark Avengers chat it up about funny heroes.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: Before I really get into the review, I have to first toss out a quick suggestion: Do yourself a favor and try to ignore the cool image on the cover of Dark Avengers #9. While Ares goes on a little rampage and some stuff is destroyed, Brian Michael Bendis (I almost want to say, “as usual”) opts to let dialogue do almost all of the work in the latest issue of Dark Avengers. Is this a bad thing? Turns out, it’s not at all.

Bendis’ decision to let words bring resolution to an explosive situation works extremely well because of how the scene plays out. It gives the characters involved a little extra depth and goes a long way towards humanizing a character that, most recently, has been little more than muscle in superhero battles. I do, however, have one major issue with the dialogue in regards to how Phobos is portrayed. Bendis handles him as though he is a normal kid afraid of his father. While that works as far as what’s happening is concerned, Bendis’ take on Phobos seems to go against what Jonathan Hickman is doing with the character. It’s hard to really call what Bendis does a negative, but it is something that must be mentioned.

So the Ares/Fury/Phobos scene is pretty great. Thankfully, the rest of the book doesn’t disappoint. The exchange at Avengers Tower is something really close to hilarious, and the weird stuff happening left me thinking “WTF!?” in a good way. In short, it’s clear that the series is back on track and I really couldn’t be much happier. That said, I do wish that the Dark Avengers would stop being stuck as the supporting characters in their own series. I buy Dark Avengers to read about the Dark Avengers damnit…

The artwork in Dark Avengers #9 is, as expected, moody, gritty, and impressive all around. The unfortunate thing is that there really isn’t a whole lot of ways for Mike Deodato and Rain Beredo to show off given the script. The characters look good and the emotion on display certainly works, but it’s clear that neither artist is really being put to the test.

Conclusion: Dark Avengers fans… it’s safe to come back to the series now.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #42 (War of the Marvels) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer) and Sana Takeda (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: For as much as I’ve enjoyed the last few issues of Ms. Marvel, I’m more than ready for the War of the Marvels to be over.

The Story: Ms. Marvel battles Ms. Marvel throughout Los Angeles. There’s lots of violence and trash talk.

What’s Good: As an all-out action comic, Ms. Marvel #42 is a hell of a lot of fun. The catfight between the two Ms. Marvels is surprisingly brutal, visually engaging, and full of the type of trash talk that makes superhero fights so entertaining. Also worth noting is how Brian Reed and Sana Takeda successfully give the battle a true sense of scale by having Karla and Carol punch, kick, and blast through a number of locations. It seems like there isn’t a place in L.A. that is safe from the two Ms. Marvels.

What’s Not So Good: While Sana Takeda’s work is quite stunning most of the time, it occasionally looks cluttered and confusing. Simply put, there is far too much going on in certain panels. Couple that with the fact that some panels are oddly shaped and you have a situation that breaks the flow of the action in a way that proves to be quite distracting.

My biggest complaint about the writing is that the trash talk heads into “camp” territory far too often. It’s fun in small doses, but small doses is not what Brian Reed delivers. Try not to roll your eyes at some of the dialogue. I dare you!

Conclusion: Ms. Marvel #42 is all about two blondes in LA, talking smack while trading blows throughout the city. There really isn’t much more to it than that. Sound like your cup of tea? Then be sure to check it out.

Grade: C+

-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

Dark Avengers #6 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Will Conrad (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Atlantean terrorists are battled while Norman finally begins to show chinks in his armor.

What’s Good: This comic is becoming increasingly cerebral.  In this issue, the team is perhaps more volatile than ever.  The dialogues between Victoria and Moonstone and later Osborn/Moonstone are key examples of Bendis dialogue at its best, with a quick back and forth that serves as a means for one character to frustrate the other.

The high-point in this issue is once again Norman’s relationship to the Sentry.  I’ve never been a Sentry fan, but the fact that this series has made me interested in him is quite the accomplishment.  Norman/Sentry scenes are always gold, and this month’s is nothing but straight manipulation.  Increasingly, Bob and Norman are paralleled;  there is the Green Goblin and there is the Void, and neither can be suppressed. Speaking of which, seeing “the Void” in action is quite the thrill.

The issue also does a great job throughout its length of showing Norman’s mental fraying at the seams.   Bendis does a great job of subtly making Osborn appear as a man who is fighting a losing battle to maintain control.  And while the issue’s ending is perhaps a tad predictable and a long-time coming, it still manages to have an “oh snap” effect.

Finally, it’s great to see Victoria Hand actually do something in this comic, as she’s felt like a strange non-presence thus far.  I also like Moonstone’s development as the destabilizing element of the team.

Deodato’s art is of course, up to its usual standard.  Marvel fans know what to expect here: a clinic in the super-detailed “modern comic” look.  Of course once again, Deodato makes it look all the better by making the visuals dark and heavily shadowed, which perfectly compiments the  mood of the book.

What’s Not-So-Good: The battle with the Atlantean terrorists is pretty underwhelming and anticlimactic given their cataclysmic entrance last issue.  There isn’t even any real battle and it all just ends up being yet another means of showing how tough the Sentry is.  Even that is barely shown and happens mostly “off-screen,” which is inexcusable considering how many pages are devoted to wordless images of the Sentry traveling to the Atlantean base.  Even worse, despite Norman’s rhetoric of “avenging the innocent bystanders,” I don’t feel that we really got to see enough of the destruction wrought by the Atlanteans to actually give a crap about them.

As a result, though the developments in Norman’s deteriorating psyche are interesting, one gets a sense that as far as physical, real events go, this issue is a little lighter than it should’ve been.  Somehow, despite a major conflict with the Atlanteans and city-wide devastation, it feels like nothing’s happened.

Conclusion: Nothing ground-breaking, but a pretty solid issue nonetheless.  The ending is necessary and potent, though not particularly revealing nor profound.  Still, I like the increasingly psychological turn.

Grade: B-

-Alex Evans

Avengers/Invaders #6 (of 12) – Review

By Alex Ross (Plot), Jim Krueger (Plot & Script), Steve Sadowski & Patrick Berkenkotter (Pencils), and InLight Studios (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m going to be honest here and just admit that the only thing that made me purchase this issue is the fact that I already own the first five. I figured I might as well at least finish out what I presume to be the first trade volume before dropping the series. While visually impressive at times and interesting enough, the overall plot has yet to hook me in any serious way. Also, I can’t shake the feeling that nothing of consequence is ultimately going to come out of Avengers/Invaders, despite reports that it will have an impact on Marvel continuity. With all that said,  somehow, I still hold a small bit of hope that the halfway point will prove to be a turning point for the series.

The Story: Dr. Strange and the rest of the underground New Avengers find the past and present versions of Paul Anselm, the regular soldier pulled into the time travel, in an effort to sort out what exactly caused the time disruption. Meanwhile on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, where the Mighty Avengers are trying to take control of the situation, Human Torch of the Invaders begins a Life Model Decoy revolt over the nature of the L.M.D.’s.

What’s Good: As a student of philosophy, I’d be lying if I acted like I didn’t enjoy the concepts thrown around regarding the nature of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Life Model Decoys. It brought an interesting (if somewhat throwaway) dimension to the superhero battle. Also compelling is the way the plot is really starting to tie into the death of Captain America and touch upon some of the inherent (though generic) problems/consequences of time-travel. As for the visuals, they continue to feature a nice level of detail and solid direction.

What’s Not So Good: As with the other issues in the series, Avengers/Invaders #6 suffers because it never really brings the various ideas together in a way that forms a well-rounded package. The emotional drama feels a bit heavy handed, and it occasionally falls a bit flat. On top of that, the philosophical crusade of the Human Torch, while interesting, feels like nothing more than a distracting addition to the overall plot. Also, there is still very little indication that anything of consequence will result from this storyline. I expected something relevant to the current state of the Marvel universe to have happened by now. Disappointingly, that is not the case.

Conclusion: The problem with the series falls on the idea that far too many characters are in play to make a single chapter feel satisfying. It really drags the entire project down and makes the plot move at an extremely slow pace, despite characters expressing the urgency of the situation. That is why I am going to consider this latest chapter to be my jumping off point. As for Avengers/Invaders #6? It is entertaining and decent enough to look at, but far from a must read. As such, it is worth picking up if you have stuck around this long, but I doubt many will feel the need to see this series to its end.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

Mighty Avengers #10 – Review

By Brian Bendis (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Danny Miki, Allen Martinez (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors)

Mighty Avengers #10 is one of those tangent stories that, at first, may seem like a waste of time, but later on might play a bigger role in the overall plot. Don’t get me wrong, this story may very well be filler, but if it is, I want more stories like this. I know I should probably be vexing Brian Bendis for not focusing more on the whole Secret Invasion storyline, but he makes this time travel story so much fun that I just couldn’t resist having fun.

The story here is pretty simple: Dr. Doom, Iron Man, and Sentry need to find a way back to the present before they disturb the timeline. First of all, this means an end to hostilities. And because Doom and Iron Man are more sophisticated they quickly come to a truce. Meanwhile, Sentry runs around New York City like the kid from Home Alone, except he’s a bit more whiney and disoriented. He even runs into the past version of himself! Eventually, he catches up to Doom and Iron Man, and together they conspire to “borrow” the Fantastic Four’s time machine to return home.

What’s so great about this issue is the humor. The dialog between Iron Man and Doctor Doom is a lot of fun. And when we see stuff like our displaced time travelers trying to hide from a  Spider-Man that’s swinging overhead, well, I just couldn’t help but laugh. Then there’s the “moment” with The Thing and The Sentry that’s so hilarious that I actually laughed out loud.

It’s so obvious that the creative team had fun with this throwback to the 1970s. From the faux old school coloring job to the Marvel in-house advertisements on the bottom of each page, the team strives to make you feel like you’re back in the early days of the Marvel Universe. It doesn’t hurt either that Mark Bagley’s style is old school Marvel bullpen influenced, either. Even the opening splash page screams of early Bronze Age goodness. Do yourself a favor and pick up this issue. It’s hands down, the best issue of Mighty Avengers yet.  (Grade: A)

– J. Montes