I know I'm already late on my own just-announced timeline, but I got two shipments at once again, so we're breaking everything into groups.
Avengers #11: Ok, so, here's the thing. In the summer of 1991, my fifteen-year-old self was totally and completely obsessed with the "Infinity Gauntlet" series. I'm pretty sure I had every tie-in issue. It was the first big "event" that I collected, and I found it totally engrossing. The problem, 20 (gasp) years later, is that the illogical nature of the Infinity Gauntlet is a little hard to buy entirely, coming at it with an adult's perspective. Essentially, by having three of the Infinity Gems, Parker Robbins could've wiped out the Avengers with a thought. But, we need Uatu to tell us (and I'm now old enough to know that it's always bad when we have to rely on Uatu to tell us anything) that Parker Robbins, being human, is incapable of fully understanding the power he wields, which is why he doesn't wipe out Namor, the Red Hulk, and Thor. I don't know if I buy that. If Parker Robbins was smart enough to go find the Mind Gem because his fight with that trio isn't going well, he's probably smart enough to figure out a way to just wipe out said trio in the first place. That disconnect between what the character can theoretically do and what the character actually does has always been the problem with any Infinity Gauntlet story and even the great Bendis can't find a way to escape that trap. As such, I find myself just kind of waiting for this storyline to end, a feeling I had during Bendis' first arc, the Ultron time traveldebacle story. Speaking of that arc, Bendis also has to decide what he's doing with Hawkeye, Spider-Man, and Spider-Woman. In the last arc and in this one, Hawkeye and Spidey have essentially just ran around the place saying the sky is falling. Both these guys have seen a lot of action, but Bendis is essentially treating them like they're new members of the Young Avengers. Moreover, he pretty much just totally ignores Spider-Woman completely. I mean, I get that this arc isn't exactly focusing on character development, but, given that the last arc didn't either, I'm starting to wonder when these three characters are going to have anything more to do in this book than just watch the cosmic-level heroes go to town. If so, I'd prefer he move them to "New Avengers," where I think they're a better fit. All in all, Bendis needs to re-focus here, because I'm really starting to wonder why I'm getting this book at all, particularly since he's doing a much better job on "New Avengers."
Captain America #616: We get a super-sized issue here for Cap's 70th anniversary. But, of course, our Cap isn't Steve Rogers; it's Bucky Barnes, who's now in a Russian gulag serving a sentence for a crime he supposedly committed against Russian citizens in the 80s as the Winter Soldier. On the face of it, the first story in this super-sized issue is fine. We finally start to see Bucky break here, after the Russians snatched away the new lease on life he thought he was getting after the U.S. judge sentenced him to time served. Brubaker invented the modern Bucky and he portrays him as a complicated figure, one who's striving to do the right thing but also considering taking the easier path. The problem with this story is that I feel like it's just another iteration of the U.S. trial, where we also saw Bucky stripped of his uniform and fighting the urge to wallow in despair. This narrative has been ongoing for five or six issues now, and I wish we could see Bucky freed and bearing the shield one last time before Steve Rogers assumes the role of Captain America again. I don't think they're going to kill Bucky (I mean, why kill him when you just resurrected him?), but I'm hoping Brubaker does something great with him and we can leave this dark series of issues behind us. The second story -- the only other in-continuity story -- gives us Steve Rogers at his best: not some boring Boy Scout spouting inspirational nonsense, but a conflicted hero who's tired of the burdens of leadership and just wants to serve without all the to-do that comes with being Captain America. It's clearly setting up Rogers' eventual return as Cap, and, despite my reservations about what's going to happen to Bucky, I'm excited to see how the transition is realized, how Steve resolves his conflict about taking up the shield again. The other stories are more or less disposable, except for the one with Union Jack, which I really enjoyed and makes me wonder why Marvel has yet to do a series based on Cap's adventures during the war with the Invaders. I know we've seen some limited series to this effect, but, really, I think Cap is just ripe with opportunity when it comes to a re-telling of his adventures during the war.
Secret Avengers #11: "Secret Avengers" keeps on being a solid book, with frequent action and interesting plots. I can't say it's the most griping book that I'm currently reading (I often have trouble remembering what happened in the previous issue), but it's always a good read. John Steele's an interesting character, and I'm glad that Brubaker continues to keep the Shadow Council in the background of the book, letting the layers of the story unfurl slowly but steadily. The art -- previously with Deodata and now with Conrad -- has been well done; both artists have a real knack at drawing action movements. With the announcement by Marvel that Steve Rogers will once again take up the shield, I wonder about the future of this book. I primarily read it since it's the only book that features Steve Rogers beyond a supporting role, and I'm pretty sure other people probably do, too. If he returns to one of the mainstream Avengers teams, my guess is that this book is not long for this world.
Avengers #11: Ok, so, here's the thing. In the summer of 1991, my fifteen-year-old self was totally and completely obsessed with the "Infinity Gauntlet" series. I'm pretty sure I had every tie-in issue. It was the first big "event" that I collected, and I found it totally engrossing. The problem, 20 (gasp) years later, is that the illogical nature of the Infinity Gauntlet is a little hard to buy entirely, coming at it with an adult's perspective. Essentially, by having three of the Infinity Gems, Parker Robbins could've wiped out the Avengers with a thought. But, we need Uatu to tell us (and I'm now old enough to know that it's always bad when we have to rely on Uatu to tell us anything) that Parker Robbins, being human, is incapable of fully understanding the power he wields, which is why he doesn't wipe out Namor, the Red Hulk, and Thor. I don't know if I buy that. If Parker Robbins was smart enough to go find the Mind Gem because his fight with that trio isn't going well, he's probably smart enough to figure out a way to just wipe out said trio in the first place. That disconnect between what the character can theoretically do and what the character actually does has always been the problem with any Infinity Gauntlet story and even the great Bendis can't find a way to escape that trap. As such, I find myself just kind of waiting for this storyline to end, a feeling I had during Bendis' first arc, the Ultron time travel
Captain America #616: We get a super-sized issue here for Cap's 70th anniversary. But, of course, our Cap isn't Steve Rogers; it's Bucky Barnes, who's now in a Russian gulag serving a sentence for a crime he supposedly committed against Russian citizens in the 80s as the Winter Soldier. On the face of it, the first story in this super-sized issue is fine. We finally start to see Bucky break here, after the Russians snatched away the new lease on life he thought he was getting after the U.S. judge sentenced him to time served. Brubaker invented the modern Bucky and he portrays him as a complicated figure, one who's striving to do the right thing but also considering taking the easier path. The problem with this story is that I feel like it's just another iteration of the U.S. trial, where we also saw Bucky stripped of his uniform and fighting the urge to wallow in despair. This narrative has been ongoing for five or six issues now, and I wish we could see Bucky freed and bearing the shield one last time before Steve Rogers assumes the role of Captain America again. I don't think they're going to kill Bucky (I mean, why kill him when you just resurrected him?), but I'm hoping Brubaker does something great with him and we can leave this dark series of issues behind us. The second story -- the only other in-continuity story -- gives us Steve Rogers at his best: not some boring Boy Scout spouting inspirational nonsense, but a conflicted hero who's tired of the burdens of leadership and just wants to serve without all the to-do that comes with being Captain America. It's clearly setting up Rogers' eventual return as Cap, and, despite my reservations about what's going to happen to Bucky, I'm excited to see how the transition is realized, how Steve resolves his conflict about taking up the shield again. The other stories are more or less disposable, except for the one with Union Jack, which I really enjoyed and makes me wonder why Marvel has yet to do a series based on Cap's adventures during the war with the Invaders. I know we've seen some limited series to this effect, but, really, I think Cap is just ripe with opportunity when it comes to a re-telling of his adventures during the war.
Secret Avengers #11: "Secret Avengers" keeps on being a solid book, with frequent action and interesting plots. I can't say it's the most griping book that I'm currently reading (I often have trouble remembering what happened in the previous issue), but it's always a good read. John Steele's an interesting character, and I'm glad that Brubaker continues to keep the Shadow Council in the background of the book, letting the layers of the story unfurl slowly but steadily. The art -- previously with Deodata and now with Conrad -- has been well done; both artists have a real knack at drawing action movements. With the announcement by Marvel that Steve Rogers will once again take up the shield, I wonder about the future of this book. I primarily read it since it's the only book that features Steve Rogers beyond a supporting role, and I'm pretty sure other people probably do, too. If he returns to one of the mainstream Avengers teams, my guess is that this book is not long for this world.
No comments:
Post a Comment