These sorts of event-related short-story mini-series are always hit or miss. Unfortunately, they're almost always "miss;" see, for example, the disastrous "Fear Itself: The Home Front." (Just writing that title makes me twitch.)
Unfortunately, this issue isn't that much better. The first story is completely laughable, building on the premise that a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent discovered Deathlok's identity as a result of the Watcher's Eye revealing the truth to him, and he approached Deathlok because he was a "fan." Right, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are so impulsive that they approach mind-controlled cyborg assassins just because they're a "fan." The agent seemed surprised when Deathlok assassinated him despite Deathlok, you know, being an assassin (the thing that inspired the agent to be a fan in the first place). [Sigh.] The entire story was really just a teaser for "Deathlok" #1. Given how terrible it was, I can safely say that I won't be picking up that series.
The second story stars the "Young Avengers." I'm nervous about anyone writing the team not named "Heinberg" or "Gillen," and this issue confirms that this fear is well founded. Oy. First, when did Noh-Varr start working for S.H.I.E.L.D.? North probably needed to convey that information to us. I pretty much collect every comic that mentions the word "S.H.I.E.L.D.," and Noh-Varr working for S.H.I.E.L.D. is news to me. (It also doesn't make a lot of sense, given that the Avengers kicked him off the team for his actions during "Avengers vs. X-Men." If he's not welcome on the Avengers, it seems a stretch that S.H.I.E.L.D. would want him.) Second, the actual plot of the story makes no sense. David, Noh, and Teddy go to New York to see if they can get more information about Oubliette (Noh's ex), but they get distracted by some crazed woman screaming at them from a house. Since everyone is supposed to have been evacuated, they decide to ditch their (fairly important) mission (given that Oubliette is connected to the Watcher's death somehow) to find out why she wasn't evacuated. But, it turns out that the Hood kidnapped her in the few minutes since they last saw her, and he apparently wants them to work for him. Was it a set-up? The crazed woman doesn't really seem to be all that comfortable, implying that she didn't know that she would be used for bait. Also, when did the Hood get creepy powers that involve weird things coming from his mouth? Also? The art is terrible. Words fail me.
I should've known better than to get this series...
* (one of five stars)
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