OMG, I'm finally (FINALLY!) current on Spidey issues!
Avenging Spider-Man #4: OK, here's the thing that sucks about being a Hawkeye fan. I don't know why, but every author finds it necessary to plumb the depths of his neuroses and origins every time he appears in an issue, even if he's just a guest star. I mean, we don't get an ongoing narrative of Peter's need to uphold Uncle Ben's legacy every issue of "Amazing Spider-Man" or Bruce's drive to honor his parents' death every issue of "Batman." We all know those motivations are there and they're mentioned on occasion, but we're not constantly bombarded by them. I assume it's because the authors figure that even new readers are familiar with Spider-Man and Batman, but that they're less familiar with Hawkeye. Marvel seems to be on a campaign to make Hawkeye into a star in advance of the upcoming "Avengers" movie, something Wacker himself notes in the intro page of this issue. But, the problem in this issue is that the need to create awkward expository sequences to explain Hawkeye's back story undermines the fun of his appearance. Wells actually gives us a pretty entertaining and fun Hawkeye for most of this issue, so much so that I hope that, if we eventually get an ongoing series dedicated to Hawkeye, Wells writes it. He gets the combination of bombast and charm that makes him who he is. But, his whole "I have to train all the time because I'm on a team with super-heroes" confession on the rooftop made me roll my eyes, as did Spidey deciding to let him get the win in the end. (Also, I'm not sure Hawkeye would miss. Just sayin'.) It seems patronizing to a character who previously led the Thunderbolts and West Coast Avengers and currently leads the Secret Avengers. Again, I'm not saying that Wells doesn't reasonably capture Hawkeye's motivations; in fact, I think he does a great job of identifying exactly the thing that motivates Hawkeye. But, it's the way it's presented, the way it's always presented, that's starting to wear thin on me. He's treated like a version of everyone's obnoxious cousin, rather than a leader with some compelling personal issues. It overshadowed the fun of this issue, which sucks, because, seriously, can we get a decent Hawkeye story EVER? Between this lackluster issue, the recent Point One issue of "Secret Avengers," and the disasterous "Avengers: Solo" mini-series, it's starting to get old quick.
Venom #13.2: OK, I enjoyed this issue a lot more than the last one. Williams managed to tone down some of the psychobabble, while still using the heroes' fears to drive the plot of this issue. While last issue we saw Ghost Rider manage to defeat her antithesis, she stumbles here, destroying the amulet in exchange for Blackheart's promise to restore the souls of the people she killed in Nicaragua. (I'm still not entirely sure why she was heading to the amulet in the first place. I thought her goal was merely to defeat the gargoyle to prevent her from destroying the amulet. Why didn't she engage the gargoyle in battle when she had Flash's help, instead of leaving the scene and letting the gargoyle kill Flash? I'm not entirely sure where Williams was going with that.) Meanwhile, Flash gets to be the one this issue to overcome his demons and defeat his antithesis, buying Ghost Rider time to get to the amulet. In the end, however, all four heroes wind up dead, which should either make next issue really boring or really interesting.
Venom #13.3: OK, so, the heroes make a deal with the Devil to get the chance to stop Hell from spreading across Earth. It's not like they have much of a choice, since, if they don't agree to do Mephisto a favor at some point in the future, then they get to hang in Hell for all eternity. Parker does a good job, as Williams did last issue, of keeping the psychobabble to a minimum and showing us (rather than telling us) the states of mind of our heroes. I have to say, though, I really find myself just waiting for us to wrap up this arc and return to the plots Remender was developing before we got stuck in Hell. It's not that it isn't an interesting story, but it doesn't really feel like a "Venom" story at this point.
I actually didn't get this issue of Avenging Spidey, although I REALLY wanted it! Unfortunately it was already sold out(or the owner of the shop I go to didn't get enough/any extra wall copies...) by the time I got to the shop. I still intend on getting it(some day...), even though it seems to be following the basic Hawkeye formula of Clint having to explain his history EVERY issue... In a world of Google and Wikipedia, is that really necessary? I mean I'm all for Marvel giving Clint a nice strong push due to the Avengers movie(and wish Marvel would do the same for Black Widow...), but I don't think we needed to be constantly reminded of who Clint is and what his deal is.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Venom stuff, I'm in agreement with you on how this story really hasn't felt like a Venom story... The Williams issues felt like a GR story, and the next two issues felt more like a team book. It's okay to have guest stars and all, but not when they overshadow the comic's star!
That's exactly how I felt. For example, I know nothing about the new Ghost Rider, but I was able to glean what I needed to know (beyond what's mentioned in "Venom") from the Internet. I don't understand why, with Clint, we're just constantly rehashing his past. I mean, I liked "Hawkeye: Blindspot," but it was still him expositing about his past. Can't we just get some fun Hawkeye stories that don't make him appear mentally unstable all the time?
ReplyDeleteOn "Venom," right, the cross-over event has been totally fine, but I'm MUCH more interested in Flash than I am any of the other characters. More Flash, less X-Rulk Rider!
Bingo. Between the internet, the cartoons he's been in, as well as other comics, I'd say all but the newest of comic fans know who Hawkeye is. They know he's an archer and know he has no powers. We don't need to hear it every single issue... For me, Blindspot gets a pass because the story was so well written, it was the first Hawkeye mini since the unfairly canceled Hawkeye/Mock series and it had Baron Zemo in it. If anything, after Blindspot we shouldn't have heard about Hawkeye's past anymore, because Blindspot pretty much gave you everything you needed to know about Clint's past. The story was ABOUT his past, so the flashbacks made sense. But in stories that AREN'T about his past? I don't get why we keep hearing about it...
ReplyDelete