Saturday, February 20, 2016

Uncanny Avengers Annual #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

OMG, this issue is terrible.  It serves as a back-door pilot for the "Scarlet Witch" series, but it does the opposite of its goal, convincing me not to get that series.

Robinson uses the "lost tales of one of the other Captain Americas" approach to tell the story of four magicians trying to track down an escaped Nazi magician in 1947.  I know, it sounds pretty awesome, actually.  The problem is that Robinson still relies too much on exposition-heavy dialogue that makes getting through the issue a slog.  When you add in the Emerald Warlock's awful Irish accent and the Ghost Dancer terrible Jamaican patois, it was downright unpleasant.  The issue is also filled with awkward moments, like Dr. Voodoo somewhat oddly telling the Dancer that he misses his face (as if they were former lovers) and the Dancer randomly asking the Warlock if he even did it with Angela Harkness.

But, the writing isn't the only craftsmanship problem that weighs down the issue.  The art is also confusing at times.  For example, during a conversation between the Warlock and the Dancer, one of them mentions that he quit drinking; the Warlock appears to have said it, based on the conversation bubbles, but it actually seems like the Dancer is the one that meant it (since the Warlock is seen accepting the bottle of rum from the Dancer's wife).  It might seem like a small issue, but, combined with the difficult-to-read dialogue, it just exacerbated the sense that the issue was virtually unreadable.

Adding in the weird plot twist at the end of the issue, I just found myself angry that I spent $4.99 on this issue.

(zero of five stars)

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