Amazing Spider-Man #789: Brand. New. Day! Slott has Bobbi toss off that comment as a wink to us, and, man, it worked. I'm loath to trust Slott here, because I've been disappointed so many times before. But, this issue feels exactly like the issue I've been waiting for him to write every since the excellent "Big Time!" Peter's interactions with Bobbi are amazing, the scene with Robbie at the "Daily Bugle" was great, and I cheered when Harry and Liz kissed. Even Betty and Flash return! (No, no, no, don't get your hopes up too high, JW. It's all a trick! Peter is going to make a deal with Mephisto to get Mjolnir and become Spider-Thor. You know it.)
Slott does an excellent job of immediately establishing Peter's current status quo. After one date, he's living on Bobbi's couch. She notes it's been weeks and she's managed to find an apartment and a job, but he's sitting on her couch wearing her shirt. He's avoiding Harry's calls and the media, as they report constantly about the implosion of PI. However, he's incensed when the "Bugle" runs a critical story about him, and he confronts Joe in the newsroom. But, Joe's not having it: he notes Peter's incompetence resulted in working-class people like his Uncle Ben losing they jobs, and Peter accepts he's right. He also notices the science writer has gotten something wrong in his article about Pym micro-processors, and Slott seems to be setting up Robbie hiring Peter as the "Bugle's" new science writer. Meanwhile, Betty invites Peter to Flash's birthday party. He's accosted by an angry mob on the way, and he bails on the party after hearing everyone (including MJ) talking about how royally he screwed up everything. (This scene is important, too. Slott fanwanks us by having someone refer to the time they bought Petey furniture when he was down and out the last time, but MJ says he's way too old for that now. It's part of the tone Slott is striking, that it's time for Peter to act like an adult. It's a little harsh and not entirely fair, but also maybe a little true.) Everything looks up later when Bobbi tosses Peter his Spider-Man costume and they go patrolling. They save a food truck from the Griffin, and Spidey wins over the previously hostile crowd in so doing. Slott seems to be setting up "Peter Parker No More!" redux, as Spidey kisses Mockingbird and realizes life as Spider-Man is going well.
Immonen, von Grawbadger, and Gracia make this book (and Peter) look better than literally ever. (Peter can lie on the couch in sweatpants for all future issues and I'd buy them.) That said, my only complaint is they occasionally make him look too young. As fetching as he looks in a tight t-shirt staring into the refrigerator, he looks about a decade younger than his friends. It's not just a nitpick: it undermines the story Slott is trying to tell. Peter should look like an adult if we're going to expect him to act like one. But, it's a minor complaint. Slott has me (even me!) hopeful we're returning to form here. Fingers crossed.
Falcon #1: This issue is a mixed bag. Like Slott in "Amazing Spider-Man," Barnes has Sam return to being a street-level hero as he decides to solve the gang problem in Chicago. It's exactly what you'd expect Falcon to do. Barnes also does a great job with Patriot here. I was never really a fan of the "new" Falcon, whose presence on Sam's team always felt forced. Conversely, Rayshaun is a great character that Marvel slowly developed over time. He has the same urgency to be in the field as Joaquin did, but his character also has more depth as a result of him seeing the devastation of Las Vegas firsthand. Spencer didn't really do much to develop Joaquin as a character; he woke up one day as a falcon-human hybrid and basically saw no downside to that. Rayshaun is an improvement. That said, both Sam and Rayshaun seem to be heading for a rude awakening. Listening to Sam, gang violence is basically just a reflection of poor public-policy choices; John Gotti would've become a florist had he been given the right incentives. It's here where Barnes makes the odd decision of revealing the gang violence is happening because Blackheart is the mayor and one of the gang's leaders is beholden to him. It removes all agency from everyone, from the people making those bad public-policy choices to the gang members themselves. I'm hoping Barnes uses Blackheart as a metaphor for evil, a reflection of the fact some people really do embrace violence as the preferred way to solve their problems. If he doesn't, it's going to undermine the story I think he's trying to tell.
Ms. Marvel #22-#23: I somehow missed issue #22 when it was released, but it wraps up the Josh arc pretty well. Josh is unapologetic for the decisions he's made, but Willow doesn't turn him into a total villain: he believes in his cause (whatever it actually is, because I can't exactly say I understand it for sure), but he doesn't believe in the extreme measures Basic Becky is willing to take to further it. Kamala makes the insightful point that she didn't believe Josh is this person, but sometimes you have to believe people when they tell you who they are. It's...dark. But, issue #23 is a breath of fresh air as handsome Kareem arrives from Pakistan. This sequence is amazing for a number of reasons. First, Kamala's homeroom teacher wants her to show around the new Pakistani exchange student, and she and Nakia are outraged the teacher thinks somehow she knows him despite Pakistan having 200 million people. But, of course, she does. (Her parents didn't tell her because they were too busy helping Amir and Tyesha prepare to move to their new apartment before the baby comes.) Second, Mike hilariously pretty much throws herself at him, and it lightens the mood a bit. I have to admit it's good to see Kamala's supporting cast. Willow also does a great job with the Red Dagger and Ms. Marvel's interactions, with Kamala furious he's already got a legion of Instagram fans (thanks to his surfer's hair) as they try to stop a runaway train. (Also, I think they included a "Station Agent" shoutout in here, and, if so, mind blown.)
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #13: The thing that's always so fun about this series is you're never really sure what Aphra's plan is. For example, in this issue, you're left wondering if she arranged the auction of Rur specifically to steal the artifacts she returns for cash at the end of this issue, or if she really did intend to auction Rur and just had to steal the artifacts to make the best of a bad situation. With Aphra, you just never know. The ending is even better (and I'm not just talking about the Beetee-narrated letters page, which should continue now and forever). After re-reading the entire arc, it's pretty clear Gillen is writing for the trade. Aphra mentions not expecting to get a happy ending in issue #11, a theme that comes up again in this issue. Initially, I couldn't figure out the connection to the Museum of Bar'leth, one of the two places where she returns the aforementioned artifacts. I had to re-read issue #12 to realize Aphra returned some of the artifacts to the Shadow University and then clearly sold the rest of them to the Museum. That's our Aphra. I'm also not sure if I'm supposed to recognize this "Dukan," a name mentioned by a group of figures who accosts Aphra on the beach at the end of the issue. (See her aforementioned inability to have a happy ending.) I don't remember Aphra killing alone named Dukan before, but I guess we'll see.
Uncanny Avengers #28: First, I have to thank Izaakse for finding an excuse to keep Johnny Storm in his underwear. He's in them so often I was almost surprised to see him wearing honest-to-goodness clothes later in the issue. Izaakse isn't just great when it comes to delivering Mr. Easy-on-the-Eyes Storm. His panel work is really spectacular, and he uses a number of layouts that evoke the 1960s, just what a Legacy issue demands. It's not just the artwork that invokes the Legacy idea. Beast and Wonder Man meet at a Midtown bar to marvel at how they find themselves in such poor shape. Beast is finally coming to terms with how he's let his uncontrolled ego push him into a series of bad decisions -- from bringing the original X-Men to the present to doing nothing to stop a fascist dictator from taking over America. For his part, Wonder Man recounts his "dead/alive/angry/dead again/alive again/angry again" history, and it's a wonder he's not totally insane. The duo find themselves stopping Whirlwind from escaping the police and decide (again, in keeping with the Legacy theme) to return to basics. Zub is taking two great characters who Marvel has criminally misused, drawing a line under their past, and relaunching them into the present. But, he doesn't stop there. I was wondering a few issues ago why Jan wasn't leading this team, and she actually answers that question here. It's not because she isn't a leader; she just isn't the leader of this team. She notes everyone looks to Rogue for leadership; in fact, they're all still on this officially disbanded team because of her. It's 100% true, and I have to really applaud Zub for this insight into the characters. As I've said before, this series to me is the Avengers series. With Johnny suddenly coming into Reed's money and Dr. Voodoo summoning mini-Juggernauts to rebuild the Mansion, it's pretty clear we're on solid footing here for the foreseeable future. Avengers assemble!
Also Read: X-Men: Blue #13
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