This issue is a lull in the festivities. Essentially, it's when you decide to get another beer (even though you don't want one) to escape your insane aunt talking about something that she heard on talk radio. You're really just waiting for the fireworks display so that you can go home and take a nap.
Remender does use the issue to reveal the Iron Nail's master plan. He's somehow managed to make it look like Nrosvekistan engineered the attack on the Hub in revenge for Nuke's attack, and he's transformed Gungnir into its robot form (really) to destroy Nrosvekistan in retaliation. Unfortunately, it feels like I'm reading an extra issue of "Batman Eternal," where no one seems capable of making the obvious connections sitting right in front of them. Can't Nrosvekistan pretty easily make it clear that it didn't bomb the Hub? I think Remender's point is that the Iron Nail is moving so swiftly that it won't matter; S.H.I.E.L.D. will have already done its dirty work. But, won't that let S.H.I.E.L.D. off the hook? If someone made it look like the Nrosvekistanis bombed the Hub when they didn't, it'll be pretty easy for S.H.I.E.L.D. to claim that it was played.
Either way, I'm not sure that the Iron Nail is right about the impact of the destruction of Nrosvekistan. Sure, it'll be a public-relations nightmare. The United States might even get sanctioned. But, once again, can't the United States just say that the Iron Nail took control of the helm of Gungnir? It should be pretty easy to do. I think (again) Remender's point is that truth is so fluid in the present that no one will believe the United States. That may be true in terms of the public, but I doubt that countries are going to invade based on that premise. Moreover, even if the public does turn against the United States, are they really going to stop using Facebook? Are they going to stop buying iPads? In a way, the Iron Nail's point is actually proof that his plan won't work: truth is so fluid, no one actually really cares about it anymore. Even if people buy everything that the Iron Nail is selling, they're not going to be moved to action. Remender could actually have that be the conclusion of this arc; after all, we don't have to believe the Iron Nail is correct to appreciate the horror that Gungnir destroying Nrosvekistan would be, regardless of the fall-out.
My other problem with this issue, beside some seemingly obvious solutions to the problem at hand, is the talky nature of the script. Remender usually has a lot of monologuing in his stories, but this issue takes it a little too far, in my view. Everyone just talks and talks and talks. It's not that nothing happens, but I found myself not really paying all that close attention by the end.
** (two of five stars)
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