Avengers #12: OK, so, we've established that I'm not a huge Infinity Gauntlet fan. I find Infinity Gauntlet stories tedious because their authors have to find new (and more ridiculous) ways to keep the villain from just wiping out the heroes. Last issue, we got some clap-trap about how humans can't really wield the Infinity Gems to their full ability. Sure, whatever. But, I'm pretty sure, when Parker Robbins tells Iron Man to "go away" and he does in fact disappear, Parker is smart enough to take the next step and realize he could've also told him to stop existing. It was right then when I realized I really, really just wanted this illogical quest through a bad idea to end. I'm not saying the book was all bad. The Dr.-Strange-as-Thanos reveal was actually pretty well done. I particularly enjoyed that Parker Robbins had no idea who Thanos was, undermining what Dr. Strange was trying to do and poking fun at how enmeshed with the inner workings of the Marvel Universe he is when he expects everyone to know who Thanos is. Bendis also totally got me with the Steve Rogers reveal at the end, which I think was not only well played but also felt more or less organic. In the end, though, I'm just glad it's done. I hope Bendis focuses on something maybe a tad less cosmic than time travel and the Infinity Gauntlet for the next arc, so we can actually see Hawkeye, Spidey, and Spider-Woman do something other than stand on the sidelines and stare.
Captain America #617: I'm more or less resigned to both the "Bucky in the Gulag" and the "Steve Will Take Up the Shield Soon" storylines, so I'm less annoyed by them now than I've been in past reviews. Brubaker goes beyond the theme of the last few issues -- exploring how much further into Bucky's personal hell we can go -- by using the gulag device to provide some insight into Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. We essentially are introduced to three villains in the this story -- Colonel Rostov, the seeming mastermind behind Bucky's presence at the gulag; "Niko," who was a member of the failed male analogue to the Black Widow project; and a former Titanium Man, set to kill Bucky to win his freedom. Brubaker's talent really shines here, giving us one of the best meditations I've ever read on the personal aftermath that the fall of the Soviet Union had for those involved in defending it (even if it's slightly confusing at times keeping everyone straight). The two back-up features are clearly building to the final resolution of this storyline, and I'm intrigued by what Brubaker will have Bucky do when he's no longer Captain America. Basically, Brubaker won me back this issue, and I'm now actually looking forward to seeing how the storyline develops. The only real drawback to the issue is the art, which, in all three stories, is uneven. Guice occasionally makes it hard to follow the action in the primary feature, which detracts from his admirable job evoking the bleakness of the frozen tundra where the gulag is located.
Hawkeye: Blindspot #3: McCann does a pretty good job here giving us at least a quasi-believable story about Barney Barton returning from the dead. (At the very least, he doesn't just pay lip service to it.) The justification wears a little thin when Barney seems furious at Clint for not finding that little spark of life that Egghead was able to use to revive him, since, after all, he was given a funeral, so it's not like they just dumped his body in a gutter without another thought. But, again, I'm not going to hold it against McCann too much since at least he's trying to give us something. We also see Barton returning to a life of crime, remarking (somewhat wryly) that the only time he played hero he wound up dead. I know that previous authors have gone back and forth over Barney's true motivations, so McCann really does seem to have a free hand here on which side to chose for Barney. The only real downside to this issue is that we have to suffer through the whole 1960s "Batman" TV show death trap scenario, but I'm realizing that's pretty much par for the course with any storyline involving Baron Zemo. (See also the "Captain America" arc where Zemo doesn't kill Bucky, instead just ruins his life because he "doesn't deserve it.") Overall, McCann continues to deliver a fairly enjoyable story for die-hard Hawkeye fans.
New Avengers #11: So, last month, I said all sorts of nice things about "New Avengers," in both my review of this title itself and my review of the "Avengers." This month? I want to reserve the right to take back everything I said. This issue is a mess. First, we've got the main problem, the "women in refrigerators" problem, if you will, of Mockingbird being shot. I've said it before (and I'll probably say it again, unfortunately) that I find it unlikely that Marvel would kill off Mockingbird just two years ago after resurrecting her. As such, it's unclear really what game Bendis is playing here and how Bobbi being injured is going to further the overall plot. Moreover, we get to prolong resolving the issue because Bendis has, oddly, decided to basically split the issue (as he has the last few) between this tale and a tale of Nick Fury's 1950s Avengers. I have to assume that, at some point, these storylines will cross and Bendis has a reason for dragging out both stories rather focusing on one instead of the other. (I'm partially worried he just thought the 1950s Avengers concept was cool and knew he couldn't hijack the main title completely, so he just sort of crammed it into the title, without it having any bearing on the title itself. Could it not have been a back-up feature? Or maybe a story to be told in the annual?) The problem with splitting the book is that I honestly could barely remember what happened in the last few issues, because the storytelling has been so diffuse. How did Superia kick the Avengers' asses? I honestly don't remember. Did we ever know H.A.M.M.E.R.'s goal in reforming, other than doing evil? Even Hawkeye asks that question. Focusing just on the 1950s tale, it's fine plot-wise, though we're still spinning our wheels. However, the art is awful. It's often hard to tell who's who in the issue, making it hard to emotionally connect to anything that's happening. Moreover, Namora rides a wave and a whale on top of a building? Where did she get a whale? Are there that many whales that close to Helsinborg, Sweden? Really, Bendis? I'm hoping it's your subtle nod to admitting you've jumped the shark, because I fear you have. Also, pet peeve #1 requires me to note that, at no point, are Spider-Man, the Thing, and Wolverine racing through a tunnel to try to save Mockingbird, as depicted on the cover. In fact, they're only in three panels together the entire issue. Again, it's all just a great, big mess.
Secret Avengers #12: The conclusion to the John Steele arc is a little confusing. It's still unclear to me who (or what) the Shadow Council was trying to resurrect. Hitler? It's possible that they might not have been trying to resurrect anyone at all, but instead just setting up a scenario with which they could lure John Steele back into the fold. We also never discover who Steele's (and Thorndrake's) master is, a reveal Brubaker clearly isn't rushing. As such, this arc doesn't really answer what "the trouble" is with John Steele, other than the fact he's clearly been manipulated for almost centuries by the Shadow Council. I'm on the fence about the Shadow Council at this point. On one hand, I'm still intrigued by it. But, on the other hand, I feel like Brubaker is making the title too much about the Council. I think it might've been better to intersperse the Council stories with other spy stories (which seemed at first to be the focus of this book). At this point, this title is feeling more like a Shadow Council mini-series than an ongoing one. Given that Brubaker totally gives up the pretense here of having characters other than Steve Rogers appear in this book, I think this title will, in fact, have a limited run when he resumes his role as Captain America and gets promoted to the "real" Avengers.
Captain America #617: I'm more or less resigned to both the "Bucky in the Gulag" and the "Steve Will Take Up the Shield Soon" storylines, so I'm less annoyed by them now than I've been in past reviews. Brubaker goes beyond the theme of the last few issues -- exploring how much further into Bucky's personal hell we can go -- by using the gulag device to provide some insight into Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. We essentially are introduced to three villains in the this story -- Colonel Rostov, the seeming mastermind behind Bucky's presence at the gulag; "Niko," who was a member of the failed male analogue to the Black Widow project; and a former Titanium Man, set to kill Bucky to win his freedom. Brubaker's talent really shines here, giving us one of the best meditations I've ever read on the personal aftermath that the fall of the Soviet Union had for those involved in defending it (even if it's slightly confusing at times keeping everyone straight). The two back-up features are clearly building to the final resolution of this storyline, and I'm intrigued by what Brubaker will have Bucky do when he's no longer Captain America. Basically, Brubaker won me back this issue, and I'm now actually looking forward to seeing how the storyline develops. The only real drawback to the issue is the art, which, in all three stories, is uneven. Guice occasionally makes it hard to follow the action in the primary feature, which detracts from his admirable job evoking the bleakness of the frozen tundra where the gulag is located.
Hawkeye: Blindspot #3: McCann does a pretty good job here giving us at least a quasi-believable story about Barney Barton returning from the dead. (At the very least, he doesn't just pay lip service to it.) The justification wears a little thin when Barney seems furious at Clint for not finding that little spark of life that Egghead was able to use to revive him, since, after all, he was given a funeral, so it's not like they just dumped his body in a gutter without another thought. But, again, I'm not going to hold it against McCann too much since at least he's trying to give us something. We also see Barton returning to a life of crime, remarking (somewhat wryly) that the only time he played hero he wound up dead. I know that previous authors have gone back and forth over Barney's true motivations, so McCann really does seem to have a free hand here on which side to chose for Barney. The only real downside to this issue is that we have to suffer through the whole 1960s "Batman" TV show death trap scenario, but I'm realizing that's pretty much par for the course with any storyline involving Baron Zemo. (See also the "Captain America" arc where Zemo doesn't kill Bucky, instead just ruins his life because he "doesn't deserve it.") Overall, McCann continues to deliver a fairly enjoyable story for die-hard Hawkeye fans.
New Avengers #11: So, last month, I said all sorts of nice things about "New Avengers," in both my review of this title itself and my review of the "Avengers." This month? I want to reserve the right to take back everything I said. This issue is a mess. First, we've got the main problem, the "women in refrigerators" problem, if you will, of Mockingbird being shot. I've said it before (and I'll probably say it again, unfortunately) that I find it unlikely that Marvel would kill off Mockingbird just two years ago after resurrecting her. As such, it's unclear really what game Bendis is playing here and how Bobbi being injured is going to further the overall plot. Moreover, we get to prolong resolving the issue because Bendis has, oddly, decided to basically split the issue (as he has the last few) between this tale and a tale of Nick Fury's 1950s Avengers. I have to assume that, at some point, these storylines will cross and Bendis has a reason for dragging out both stories rather focusing on one instead of the other. (I'm partially worried he just thought the 1950s Avengers concept was cool and knew he couldn't hijack the main title completely, so he just sort of crammed it into the title, without it having any bearing on the title itself. Could it not have been a back-up feature? Or maybe a story to be told in the annual?) The problem with splitting the book is that I honestly could barely remember what happened in the last few issues, because the storytelling has been so diffuse. How did Superia kick the Avengers' asses? I honestly don't remember. Did we ever know H.A.M.M.E.R.'s goal in reforming, other than doing evil? Even Hawkeye asks that question. Focusing just on the 1950s tale, it's fine plot-wise, though we're still spinning our wheels. However, the art is awful. It's often hard to tell who's who in the issue, making it hard to emotionally connect to anything that's happening. Moreover, Namora rides a wave and a whale on top of a building? Where did she get a whale? Are there that many whales that close to Helsinborg, Sweden? Really, Bendis? I'm hoping it's your subtle nod to admitting you've jumped the shark, because I fear you have. Also, pet peeve #1 requires me to note that, at no point, are Spider-Man, the Thing, and Wolverine racing through a tunnel to try to save Mockingbird, as depicted on the cover. In fact, they're only in three panels together the entire issue. Again, it's all just a great, big mess.
Secret Avengers #12: The conclusion to the John Steele arc is a little confusing. It's still unclear to me who (or what) the Shadow Council was trying to resurrect. Hitler? It's possible that they might not have been trying to resurrect anyone at all, but instead just setting up a scenario with which they could lure John Steele back into the fold. We also never discover who Steele's (and Thorndrake's) master is, a reveal Brubaker clearly isn't rushing. As such, this arc doesn't really answer what "the trouble" is with John Steele, other than the fact he's clearly been manipulated for almost centuries by the Shadow Council. I'm on the fence about the Shadow Council at this point. On one hand, I'm still intrigued by it. But, on the other hand, I feel like Brubaker is making the title too much about the Council. I think it might've been better to intersperse the Council stories with other spy stories (which seemed at first to be the focus of this book). At this point, this title is feeling more like a Shadow Council mini-series than an ongoing one. Given that Brubaker totally gives up the pretense here of having characters other than Steve Rogers appear in this book, I think this title will, in fact, have a limited run when he resumes his role as Captain America and gets promoted to the "real" Avengers.
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