Amazing Spider-Man #799: Holy fucking crap, this issue is amazing. In fact, this arc is so good I feel like Slott is redeeming himself for all the terrible storylines over the years. (I’m looking at you, “Superior Spider-Man.”) First, Slott reminds us how strong Peter’s “web” of “amazing friends” is: the Human Torch is watching MJ, Miles is watching Aunt May, and Silk is on the “Bugle” team. Peter asks Anti-Venom to keep an eye on JJJ, Jr., and Flash reports he already has JJJ, Jr. (as we saw last issue). But, JJJ, Jr. bolts from Flash to run to his apartment and FaceTime Peter so he can tell him he slipped and revealed Peter's identity to the Goblin. Peter’s stoney faced look is amazing (and handsome, oy), and JJJ, Jr. is panicked when Peter cuts off the connection. JJJ, Jr. pledges to make it right, and I’m more sure than ever he’s dying next issue. Meanwhile, Peter contacts Clash, letting him know he’s been watching him and approves of his Robin Hood schtick. He then asks him to watch the Osborns like the hero Peter knows he is. With all the players set, the game begins. Harry, Liz, and Mark awaken to discover the boys are missing, but Liz reveals she had Normie chipped. As such, they head to the Port Authority, where they find them with Emma. Emma tells them they're idiots, as she was trying to save the boys before Norman found them. On cue, Norman arrives and reveals “Emma” is Harry’s long-thought dead mother, Emily. Dun-dun-DUN! ("The Clone Conspiracy" maybe?) Clash reports the Goblin's arrival to Peter, and the Torch arrives to work with Clash, hitting the Red Goblin (and, most importantly, the symbiote) with fire and sonics. However, Norman reveals the combination of the Carnage symbiote and Goblin serum gives him all the powers of Carnage and the Green Goblin but none of the weaknesses. He not only makes quick work of this pair, but also dispatches Miles and Silk without breaking a sweat. Flash gives him more of a challenge, as he's surprised by Flash's ability to harm the symbiote. But, he correctly plays to Flash’s sense of heroism, as Flash spreads himself too thin trying to heal the dying heroes surrounding him. Norman overwhelms him, and Peter (with Immonen showing us a lovely shot of his abs) pulls on his costume and leaps into action, busted leg and all. Norman chases after his family, and Peter arrives to marvel in the devastation. Flash uses his last ounce of power to heal Peter’s leg, just as Norman does what I was worried he’d do: he turns Normie into a symbiote. When Harry suggested he take Stanley and Liz take Normie, Normie had once again complained Harry cared more about Stanley than him. Norman clearly plans to use that rage against Harry. It’s...brilliant. Honestly, I don’t know how Peter wins here. Norman is all-powerful, and it’s not in an unbelievable way. Slott has built this story slowly, and the combination of Carnage and the Green Goblin really just feels like Norman may have found the key to winning. You almost believe he really is going to kill everyone next issue. Plus, Slott’s weakness is usually his scripting, but he’s solid here. You can feel JJJ, Jr.’s desperation to make things right with Peter. Moreover, Peter is legitimately scared, not only by what Norman may do to his family and friends, but also for himself. It's legitimately exciting. Throwing in the fact Immonen and the art team are on fire, this title is finally at the top of Marvel’s game where it deserves to be.
Avengers #689: The authors do an OK job wrapping up the story here, though I'll admit I felt something missing. Maybe it was because Lightning's gambit to save the Earth (as well as the Human Torch and Red Wolf) via a game of Texas Hold 'Em with the Grandmaster felt too self-servingly heroic. He wins the game because he's willing to be forgotten. In fact, it's probably more the narration surrounding the game that does it, as Lightning keeps telling us how heroes don't do what they do to be remembered. Making matters worse, the fight with the Challenger was ridiculous at points, from Jan (and not Nadia) creating "nano-acid" arrows for Hawkeye to Sam connecting telepathically with the Challenger because Doreen guessed he evolved from birds or dinosaurs because he was an alien. (No, really.) In fact, the Challenger never really seems like a threat beyond the moment he seemingly obliterates Wonder Man; everyone else -- including Squirrel Girl and the Wasps -- easily lands punches. In the end, Wanda casts a spell that seems to channel the Avengers' hearts and souls into a magic blast that destroys the Challenger, and it's so effective you wonder why she didn't do it earlier than she does here. (I think we're supposed to believe she was inspired when Voyager rallied the Avengers by reminding them what being an Avenger meant to each one of them.) I'm not saying the issue is awful; it's OK, due largely to the art team really conveying a cinematic scope to the fight with the Challenger. But, if they dialed back Lightning's over-the-top narration and showed the characters really struggling with the Challenger, it would've been a lot stronger issue, where we would've been kept guessing from start to finish.
Batman #45: If the goal of this issue was for me to find Booster Gold hi-lar-ious and subscribe to his series, it was a major fail. His schtick was tedious by the third page, and I can’t believe I was subjected to an entire issue of it.
Infinity Countdown #2: Holy crap, Robbie is Talonar! No way! This issue is insane, and I mean that in the best possible way. Something about the Guardians lends itself to a certain amount of believable ridiculousness. Duggan plays that card expertly here, from Rocket appearing on Xitaung in a Galactus suit to Groot wanting to murder everyone. That said, it's still hard to tell where Duggan is going. Last issue, he used the fight on Telferina as a stalling tactic, and, in this issue, the Guardians are still fighting to protect the Power Stone. You have to wonder when something will...happen. But, it's fun, so I'm game.
Ms. Marvel #29: This issue is really, really lovely, and I’m just happy it’s out there in the world. Bruno’s honesty with Kamala is bracing, and Kamala has to find a way to match it if they’re going to coexist (if not become friends) again. Her initial response to his overture feels immature, as she blames Bruno for hiding Mike from her. Bruno makes it worse for her by continuing to show how much he’s matured: he reminds her that he found her kissing the Red Dagger on the Circle Q rooftop and confesses that he always thought he’d be her first kiss. Her subsequent conversation with Sheikh Abdullah is an amazing testament to Wilson’s skills as a writer, as it perfectly encapsulates the divide between children and parents when it comes to love. Amidst it all, Wilson also imbues the issue with humor, from Bruno’s roommate hilariously asking Bruno to be his cultural interpreter in a developing country like America to Zoe falling for the new meaner girl version of herself. It's hard to imagine a better comic-book series than this one.
Nightwing #43: Moreci does a solid job getting down everyone’s voices here, with Dick feeling overly responsible for this ad hoc team, Roy just happy to be throwing some punches with his bro, and Damian being...Damian. It’s not necessarily the strongest issue in terms of plotting. After all, Roy magically understands the complicated science behind the League of Assassins' plan to use a device to suck the oxygen from Gotham but doesn’t know what “subterfuge” means. But, it’s still fun, and I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing more of characters like Arsenal and Damian in this series. Higgins did a solid job building out a supporting cast for Dick with the Run-Offs, but something about having Dick’s old-school allies and friends appearing in an issue really kicks it up a notch.
Tales of Suspense #104: As Rosenberg says in his letter at the end of this issue, Bucky, Clint, and Nat are three of my favorite characters, and it was a real joy seeing them together. I loved that Bucky and Clint don’t develop a deep sense of respect for each other at the end of this issue; Clint thinks Bucky’s a homicidal maniac, and Bucky thinks Clint is an incompetent buffoon. That feels right to me. I also loved that Natasha is in charge from start to finish. She has a mission, and she intends to complete it. Rosenberg made it clear Natasha had to eliminate any possibility of her returning in another cloned body, because she couldn’t find herself under the Red Room’s control once again. (My only real question is that I honestly didn’t understand the role Anya and Yelena played. I thought all the clones Natasha used on her various missions were her own clones, and not Anya and/or Yelena's. It’s probably the only instance of Rosenberg writing for the trade here, as I’m sure their roles would be clearer if you read all five issues together.) I also totally bought that Natasha had to let go of Clint. His vision of her as a better person might have worked before she died, but it doesn’t work any longer, after what she has to do here. But, I also love that it pushes her to chose Bucky, at least as a partner. (Rosenberg made it clear she doesn't actually need either of them.) In other words, Rosenberg returns Natasha to the land of the living in a way that stays consistent with her character but doesn’t come without consequences. I couldn't ask for more.
X-Men: Blue #26: Now, this issue feels like an old-school “X-Men” story. The entire creative team in on fire here. Alex and his cronies unleash Mothervine, and the new X-Men scramble to help the emerging mutants handle their powers. They encounter Unuscione as she tries to fend off two Sentinels arriving to "help" her and two emerging mutants. However, her secondary mutation proves to be unstable; Xorn and Daken try to calm her to prevent her from randomly blowing up everyone and everything around her while Lorna and the rest of the team battle the Sentinels. (See? Old school.) The Sentinels claim they’re there to help, but no one believes them. They shouldn’t, either: it turns out Alex and his cronies can control everyone Mothervine affected. Emma is appalled, but Alex assures her they’ll have taken out Miss Sinister before she can use that army against them. (I’m...doubtful, as Emma is.) Meanwhile, they send the Marauders after both the new X-Men and Magneto, while using their control of the emerging mutants to bolster the Marauders' numbers. It’s a tough time to be an X-Men. Bunn’s plotting isn’t just excellent; his scripting is great. Lorna gets in a solid one-liner as she encourages anyone other than Bloodstorm or Daken to comfort the victims, and Jimmy is demonstrably upset over the idea his DNA (and the DNA of other mutants from his world) was somehow used to create Mothervine. The art team is also great, delivering a kinetic battle with Sentinels and using unique perspectives — like showing Magneto and Ferris through the gauze of a hospital curtain — to keep you engaged. This continues to be the main X-Men title for me, and I'm actually loathe for the kids to return.
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