New Comics!: The "OMG, Can Hawkeye Get a Decent Mini-Series?" Edition

Avengers:  Solo #5:  [Sigh.]  I really, really wanted to like this issue.  But, so, so much made so, so little sense.  In fact, I can say it's one of the worst comics I've ever read.

First, despite having five issues to do so, Van Meter never really distinguishes the test subjects as individual characters, leaving me pretty much confused by who was who, a problem exacerbated by the fact that the subjects trade time in the Trace suit.  (Even after reading this issue, I'm not sure who was in it.  Jake?)

Second, I'm still not really clear who the villain was and what her/his motivations were.  When we saw Angela Golden in previous issues, she was wrapped in bandages and seemed totally in charge.  Here, she is unharmed and described as a victim of Dr. Forrest.  She claims that she had been motivated by getting a seat on the board, but I actually don't see why she wouldn't just because the test subjects escaped.  I mean, do we really believe that Dr. Forrest had only one set of paper notes?  The company doesn't have any spare copies of his research notes that they could use to replicate his experiments on another group?  After all, the experiment did work; people did develop powers.  You'd imagine the company would be happy with those results.  But, then again, I guess we are assuming that this story takes place in 1980 and he really did only have paper notes.  Speaking of Dr. Forrest, he was allegedly conspiring with Golden to lure the test subjects onto their ship HQ, but this issue makes it seem like they weren't working together at all.  I think Van Meter is saying that he did actually betray them, but she never makes it clear, because we never see the two of them interact.  He just suddenly appears demanding to know how Trace's powers worked.  Wouldn't he already know that?  Didn't her powers develop while she was still being observed?  Also, why would he and Golden just throw two of the test subjects, who they knew had powers, into a cell with the rest of the test subjects, without posting some guards and disabling their powers? I mean, even if Forrest and Golden didn't know they were onto them, they would eventually know that they had been betrayed when Forrest and Golden threw them into the cell?  Wouldn't they assume they'd try to escape?

Third, how exactly did Forrest betray Golden?  It's an important point, because she agrees to provide the authorities what they need to know about Forrest.  But, from what I can tell, all he did was possibly give her a placebo because her powers didn't develop.  Is that really a betrayal?  Also, I thought several of the test subjects wound up having no powers manifest themselves, so how did she know she got a placebo?

Fourth, I still have NO idea what the Hell Van Meter was trying to do with Cap and Iron Man.  Were they involved?  She seemed to be implying throughout the series that we were leading to that reveal on some front.  She never really dismisses it, but then just totally drops it.  Moreover, I just don't understand why Cap and Iron Man treat Hawkeye like an errant teenager.  I mean, Iron Man essentially acts as if Hawkeye were his son and he caught him in the back seat of a car with a girl.  He's not a grown man?  He can't work a case by himself?  Again, Cap knew he was working a case, so he didn't go MIA.

I could keep ranting here, but, unfortunately, I have to say, this mini-series may be one of the most poorly plotted stories I've ever read.  I just have no idea what story Van Meter was trying to tell here.  Moreover, even the Avengers Academy story made no sense!  They were being tested?  WTF?  It's like we skipped an issue.  In fact, in a great example of pet peeve #2, the intro page to the story says that Finesse suspected it was a test, which I don't remember at all from last issue.  Basically, this entire mini-series was a total train wreck.  Can we please get Hawkeye a decent writer and a good series?  Please?