Oy. All right, let's just do this thing.
The plot of this issue is pretty solid. Remender does a good job establishing the Red Skull as an overwhelming villain, showing the Avengers and Magneto on Genosha really struggling to land a hit against him. Moreover, Remender uses characters at their best and worst to advance the plot. Inspired by Xavier, Rogue manages to overcome the Skull's stoking of her mistrust of Wanda and, as a result, manages to save Wanda from him. Given what the Skull could've done with Wanda by his side, Rogue pretty much saves the day right then and there. But, the tension driving this sub-plot is our lack of certainty that Rogue will overcome her darker impulses, something that she failed to do for most of "Uncanny Avengers." Moreover, Tony Stark displays why he's the Marvel Universe's resident genius when he reveals that he found a way to block telepathic frequencies, freeing the Avengers from the sway of the Skull. But, the Skull reveals that he's been manipulating Tony's unchecked ego, using him to create two "Stark Sentinels:" they're crafted of adamantium and loaded with Tony's knowledge of the heroes' weaknesses, gleaned from his time running the world during "Civil War." By using Rogue and Tony's highs and lows to fuel the plot, Remender shows a great understanding of both characters. By using characterization and not convenience to get us from Point A to Point B, he also makes it all the easier for us all the more engage.
But, our ability to engage is overwhelmed by moments of just terrible writing. As he did in "Captain America" #25, Remender has inexplicably decided to emulate Bendis in the worst possibly way, randomly having characters spout one-liners without regard to the likelihood of the characters saying what s/he said. Storm in particular engages in banter that I don't for a minute believe would happen the way that Remender writes it. Moreover, the heroes that appear in Genosha do so with no explanation. I have no idea how the Skull got his hands on Cyclops, Genesis, or Quentin, and I've even read all the "March to Axis" issues. We're not given any hint how Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm discover that Alex and Scott are on Genosha. Don't even get me started on the random heroes that appear at the end in a two-page splash. Susan Storm without the rest of the Fantastic Four? Young Jean Grey by herself, despite the fact that she's currently lost in the Ultimate dimension? Beast, but not Rachel Summers, someone that seemingly would be helpful against Red Onslaught? Ditto Kitty, but not Emma Frost or the Stepford Cuckoos? It all makes not a lick of sense.
This issue started off so strong; Remender went straight for the heart strings. We see the Skull torture Alex by making him feel the comfort that he felt in bed with Jan and their daughter, only to take it from him. We watch Jan tell Tony about Katie, wondering why they all keep making the sacrifices that they make. We watch Rogue be reminded of the woman that she wants to be thanks to the fading image of her mentor. It really built up the sense that this series was going to be all about the characters and how this fight might be the one to break them. But, it all just goes off the rails, descending into the worst examples of cross-over excesses. It's disappointing, to say the least. If it was just one-liners, I could look past it, but it's just the shocking lack of attention to detail that sinks this issue. Maybe I'd be less mad if I hadn't read "March to Axis." I'd just figure that I missed something. But, I did read "March to Axis," so I shouldn't be this confused. I certainly shouldn't be this confused this early. It's usually not until halfway through the mini-series that the wheels come off the bus.
I really wonder what I should do at this point. I'm tempted to bail now, something that I normally won't dream of doing (hence why I have all "Original Sin" issues). Decisions, decisions.
** (two of five stars)
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