Amazing Spider-Man #801: This issue is lovely. As I mentioned in my review of last issue, I have a complicated relationship with Dan Slott. After I wrote that, though, I realized you have to have a complicated relationship with someone after ten years. The people who claim they loved every issue of the 180-issue run? I either don’t believe them or don’t think they’re paying that much attention. Like Dan says, I’ve loved Spider-Man since I was eight years old, and I take that relationship seriously. I couldn’t possibly love everything Dan did here. In fact, the only real umbrage I took with Dan is the period when he implied if I didn’t love his work I didn’t love Spider-Man. Thankfully, Dan moved off that position, and we’re better for it. It’s like a relationship after successful couple’s therapy. The scars are there, but you don’t focus on them anymore. These last few issues — from “Go Down Swinging” to this one — are a reminder of the best Dan Slott had to offer, and I’m glad we got to go out this way. Happy trails, Dan!
Avengers #3: We don’t really learn too much here, to be honest. Instead, everyone breaks into teams specifically to find out more. Loki kidnaps Cap and takes him on an exposition tour of the situation, showing him the “Progenitor” Celestial at the center of the Earth who’s allegedly the cause of the current problems. Carol and T’Challa head to Alpha Flight to learn more about the bugs emerging from the center of the Earth (the ones Dr. Strange and T'Challa fought last issue). Tony takes Dr. Strange with him to see the Eternals and learn more about the dead Celestials. Thor and She-Hulk go interrogate Odin about his role in the death of the Celestial that he and his Prehistoric Avengers allegedly killed. Finally, Robbie hopes his car can track down Dark Celestials. (I guess the car is his partner?) All in all? That's a bold move, Cotton. Let’s see how it plays out.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #20: I’ll admit I’m reading this series mostly from a sense of obligation at this point. But, the good news is this issue is fun, and the surprise revelation at the end could set up a fun few issues. (Hopefully.) But, this Abigail storyline has to wrap up soon. I don’t even understand why Ben is still working on it. First, his face appears healed here, presumably after his heroics during “Damnation.” I get that helping Abigail will help his soul, but he could probably do countless other things on a larger scale that would accomplish the same goal more quickly. I don’t understand why we’re stuck with this one.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #20: I’ll admit I’m reading this series mostly from a sense of obligation at this point. But, the good news is this issue is fun, and the surprise revelation at the end could set up a fun few issues. (Hopefully.) But, this Abigail storyline has to wrap up soon. I don’t even understand why Ben is still working on it. First, his face appears healed here, presumably after his heroics during “Damnation.” I get that helping Abigail will help his soul, but he could probably do countless other things on a larger scale that would accomplish the same goal more quickly. I don’t understand why we’re stuck with this one.
Captain America #704: OMG, this issue is a mess. Man, I am glad Coates is coming soon.
Jack has somehow commandeered a laboratory that is conveniently full of scientists who know how to run a machine that can read Pursur's mind. Jack has apparently deduced the Super-Soldier Serum is deadly to anyone with a Kree gene after he realized it was killing his son, Steve. (Steve apparently has a recessive Kree gene, but we're never told which of Jack's ancestors mated with a Kree. Whatever. We have bigger fish to fry here.) For some reason, after realizing the Serum was deadly to the Kree, Pursur decided to expose every human to the Serum rather than destroy it. Jack says it's because destroying it would've raised "flags," but Waid never explains why exposing all of humanity to it was Pursur's only other option. Plus, I'm still not sure what exposing humanity to the Serum accomplished for the Kree. If they're all sleeper agents, why not activate them to prevent them from rioting and then use them against the Skull? I mean, what's the point of sleeper agents if you can't activate them in time of distress? Don't you have sleeper agents to avoid exactly the outcome we have here, where the Kree are forced to send its armada such a long distance to quell an uprising? Anyway, Jack hopes to torture Pursur into revealing the locations of the storage facilities containing the Serum, but Pursur withstands the assault. Jack then just uses his miraculous technology to painfully rip the information from Pursur's mind, uttering only a caustic "Pity" as he does so. (Yeah, I'm definitely rooting for this guy, Waid. He's a real winner.)
Meanwhile, we learn the Red Skull was able to broadcast Jack's message to all humanity last issue because somehow Jack's attack on the Cube imbued the Red Skull with its powers. (That wasn't clear to me last issue.) As such, he's now single-handedly taking on the Kree armada. However, Jack realizes he can't do it alone, so, once he gets access to the Serum, he uses it to create large-scale chemical weapons and commits genocide on the Kree. (Steve would def approve, Jack.) With the Kree devastated, he then tries to warn the United States about the Skull, but the Skull stops him before he can. He asks the Skull to honor their deal for the Skull to save his son, but the Skull refuses. Although Jack was seemingly running the military base where the mind-reading machine was held, he now claims he's a fugitive who would be killed by the first soldier who sees him. I'm not really sure why, though. He claims it's because he's collaborating with the Skull, but the whole problem is no one is aware of the Skull's existence. If they were, Jack wouldn't need to rally them to his cause. Anyway, Jack tells the Skull he'll capitulate to save his son, and the Skull is willing to accept his capitulation as a sign he won the war with Steve Rogers. But, no, Jack doesn't have a change of heart at the last minute, realizing the real Captain America would abhor the tactics he used here. No, instead he reveals the Skull is the Cube. When Jack grabs the Skull's hand to kiss it, he reveals he's really using his touch to exert his will over the Skull as one would do over the Cube. He then rallies all Americans to join their will with his will, defeating the Skull once and for all. Later, he tells his son they have to show "eternal vigilance" as the cost of peace, as Steve taught them.
If Jack is supposed to be Steve's surrogate, Mark Waid apparently thinks Captain America is a genocidal, tortuous, xenophobic despot. Oy. Ta-Nehisi, take us away!
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #1: Man, I teared up again over a JJJ, Jr. story! Zdarsky is really re-inventing him as a character. I didn't know he needed to be re-invented, but Zdarsky makes a convincing case for it here, as Jonah continues to face the mistakes he made in the past. It's a pretty compelling story, folks.
Spider-Gwen #33: Latour gives us a fascinating take on Gwen's imprisonment here. First, he uses her relatively light sentence (after Foggy drops any charges related to Peter's death) as an exploration of privilege, as Gwen realizes anyone who didn't look like she did would've gotten a tougher sentence. But, she also feels like the lighter sentence robbed her of the punishment she feels she deserves for her role in Peter's death. Her light sentence denies her her penance, meaning her responsibility still weighs on her. When Captain America tries to recruit her for an Earth-65 Suicide Squad, Gwen refuses in part because she doesn't want that sort of redemption. She doesn't want to be saved. It's hard to see how Latour is going to wrap up this story in one issue, but, man, I'm there.
X-Men: Gold #30: This issue is beautifully drawn, which is a shame, because it's terribly written. Unlike real life, everything one reads in a comic book comes from an author's mind. The decisions characters make are ultimately decisions the author makes. As the reader, we feel connected with those decisions if they feel right. After years of following a character, you have a sense of how they'd respond to a given decision based on various authors using a consistent portrayal of them. Remy proposing to Rogue on the spur of the moments makes sense, not only because he's a romantic but also because he loves her deeply. Rogue accepting his proposal makes sense because, as Remy himself says, she sees in him the man he wants to be. But, those decisions are based on groundwork other authors have laid, most notably Kelly Thompson in the recently concluded "Rogue and Gambit" mini-series. Guggenheim's couple was Kitty and Pitor, and he fails them miserably here. Kitty Pryde goes from the confident, self-assured woman she has always been to one easily swayed by her best friend's doubts. She goes from taking the initiative to propose to Piotr to abandoning him in front of their family and friends when she suddenly realizes she can't marry him. When he finds her, she can't even remotely summon an explanation. Guggenheim is the one who ultimately set us on this path, and it seems unbelievable we end here. I don't mean it in the sense that it's unbelievable we wasted so many issues to get to this moment. I mean, it literally feels unbelievable that the events -- as they related to Kitty and Pitor -- would unfold the way they do here. Everyone here -- Remy and Rogue, Kitty and Piotr, us readers -- deserved better.
Also Read: Daredevil #604; Infinity Countdown: Black Widow #1; Infinity Countdown: Champions #1
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