Uncanny Avengers #14 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Steve McNiven, John Dell (Artists), Laura Martin (Colorist)

The Story: As Wanda and Simon prepares to betray the Apocalypse Twins, it seems that Rogue and Sunfire have other ideas about what they should do. Hilarity ensues.

The Review: Well, I can’t properly review this one without actually spoiling a lot of what happens here. so here’s the regulatory warning.

*Spoiler Alert*

Now that this is dealt with, let’s get into the heart of the matter. Death in comic books have become gradually cheaper as years went on, with many issues actually presenting them in their solicits as points of sale. Their importance and impact now being significantly lower, they have become gimmicks that have lost quite of their charms, since most of them are then retconned or repaired sooner or later. It’s easy to become jaded now when a character dies in the end of an issue or when an issue promises to be important because someone will die. It’s a simple fact.

Rick Remender goes forth here and actually goes on to ”kill” three of our protagonists here. With the word kill used in this way, some of these deaths are either too big or simply dubious, as some of these characters are either too big to simply go away ( I sincerely do not believe that Scarlet Witch will actually die, considering she’s supposed to star in the next big Avengers movie by Joss Whedon).

Despite the overall negativity of the previous statement, credits should be given to Rick Remender for not pointing death as a big finality of his storyline as he actually does not give character cheap deaths or simply waves them away in a nonchalant way. The way Rogue, Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch are mortally wounded is done in a way that adds drama and gravitas to the story, with their deaths having a direct impact on the story and the relationship between those characters. Despite the fact that it could be perhaps seen as overkill, this issue does actually use these deaths rather well by putting them in a much better context than what could be normally seen.

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.

Uncanny Avengers #9 – Review

By: Rick Remender (Writer) Daniel Acuña (Artist/Colorist)

The Story: The Apocalypse twin tries to plan for what they want to make happen to the world as the Avengers deals with dissension in their ranks.

The Review: Rick Remender is not a man that is afraid to go big. As he tried and succeeded in creating a big stories with lasting effect with his memorable run on Uncanny X-Force, he tries to go even bigger with this run as he incorporate many elements from the Marvel universe, including some from his own tenure on his previous title. However, does he succeed in this attempt? Is he able to give us something bigger?

In ways, the short time he had on this title seems to indicate that he might just be able to do that, as he almost effortlessly incorporates his own ideas into the larger Marvel universe without making them too weird or even out of place amongst the many strange things that are included in this superhero universe. It is, after all, a book that tries to connect the mutant world of the X-Men with the rest of the Marvel imprint. Now, I am no expert on the X-Men, but from what I read, I had always perceived the mutants characters to be almost in a little universe of their own, as they had their own threats, their own saviors, their own events and their own spinoffs, with most of them completely unrelated to what was happening in the rest of the universe they were supposed to be sharing. It seemed to me that those characters were almost better off being literally given their own universe after all, yet Remender makes for a really good case in the more open connection he gives here.

Uncanny X-Force #18 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Jerome Opeña & Esad Ribic (artists), Dean White (colorist

The Story: The new Apocalypse gives way to a new Genesis.

What’s Good: The Dark Angel Saga has come to a close. It’s been quite a ride. In fact, it’s been such a ride that it’s been hard to follow occasionally. The locations have been unfamiliar and worlds apart, the list of active players has been ever-shifting, and the dastardly scheme has been huge in scope and complex in detail. And it’s been eight issues long. Normally, I would have fatigued on such a prolonged story, but for the break-neck-pace with which it’s been coming out—eight issues in six months, with only one issue featuring a guest artist. It’s a remarkable feat, and a testament to the abilities of Jerome Opeña, Esad Ribic, and Dean White, who have kept the artwork consistently excellent.

But that’s the arc so far. The question now is: does the last issue deliver? The answer: almost entirely. Coming into this issue, I was worried the final battle might feel anti-climatic. After all, in the last issue we saw Archangel take out Sabretooth, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and the freaking Pheonix Force all at once without appearing to break a sweat. What more can you throw at the guy? Wisely, Remender dodges the trap of simply pulling out a really powerful person who can get the job done. Instead, the final battle comes down to Archangel versus the two people who are most important to his dual personalities. It plays well off some of the bigger themes Remender has been exploring.

Speaking of the themes, would you ever expect Uncanny X-Force to have as one of its central themes the triumph and salience of love? Me neither. But I cannot deny the effectiveness of its implementation here. From its general role in the conflict between the good guys and the bad guys, to the specifics of Deathlok against War and his psychotic host, Remender drives his message home without ever dipping into schmaltz. Similarly effective is the theme the trustworthiness on the part of Fantomex. Have his distortions, whether against friend or foe, been kinder and have served a greater good than all the forthrightness of Psylocke or Wolverine? It’s hard to say.