Avengers: No Road Home #2: I was perfectly OK with this series not serving as a sequel to "Avengers: No Surrender." After all, the first series was a fun romp, so I was totally down with Marvel get the band back together for another one. But, the authors do actually make it a sequel in an unexpected way. In a flashback to Nyx and her children murdering the Olympian gods, we learn Zeus imprisoned Nyx somewhere until the sun disappeared. Well, the Challenge and the Gamemaster managed that when they moved Earth during their challenge, freeing Nyx to seek out her revenge. The authors then rely on a similar format as the first series, as Voyager sends three teams of Avengers to beat Nyx's children in capturing the shards of her soul that Zeus scattered around the Universe. But, the authors go one better here, as it isn't all about the action. Clint provides an increasingly dramatic narration throughout the issue, as he talks about how people often ask him how he does what he does, fighting alongside and against gods. He admits he's just lucky, but his luck seems to have hit a wall: he awakens in a hospital room missing the thumb on his right hand. Clint barely has time to process that when the Hulk reveals himself, ready to exact his vengeance. It shows the authors are working multiple stories on multiple levels, just like the first series. I'm definitely happy I picked up this one.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3: OMG, this issue was awesome. It turns out Leilani -- the mother of the two orange-skinned kids -- is the daughter of the dictator of Under York, an underground version of New York accessible by a magic elevator. We learn Under York used to interact with our New York, but the dictator cut off ties, forcing Under York to stagnate. (Apparently all our best ideas -- like the Empire State Building -- come from Under York.) Peter and the Rumor manage to break into the dictator's penthouse and nab Leilani. Peter gets shot in the process, but he manages to scale the miles-deep elevator staff with the two women after the Under Yorkers cut the power. The Rumor warns Peter to prepare for a small war. I know it sounds insane, but Taylor's script really sells it; I could read Peter and the Rumor bantering all day. Taylor manages to capture the spark of a Spider-Man story without weighing down the issue with all of Peter's usual bullshit. This issue really carries on the great tradition of Zdarsky's work in "Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man." I can't wait to see where we go from here.
Guardians of the Galaxy #2: OK, this issue is really good. Like, really good. First, Cates makes it clear that Peter is spiraling into alcoholism and depression because he can't get over the fact Gamora killed him. That's...sound. (To be honest, I barely remember her killing him, and I definitely don't remember how he got resurrected. Oh, "Infinity Wars." You were such a bullshit event.) Cates does a great job of not telling us this information, but showing it to us, through Peter's late-night call to Kitty. Phyla-Vell even tells him he looks terrible when he delivers some uniforms to her and Moondragon. But, Peter doesn't just get to sleep the sleep of the drunk, as he has to break up a fight between Ghost Rider and Groot. This part of the issue is the only part I disliked. I'm still struggling with the characterization of Groot as an adolescent surfer, and Ghost Rider doesn't really sound the way Frank Castle sounds. That said, their fight is hilarious, as Ghost Rider inadvertently creates an army of mini-Groots by cutting off parts of him. They're fighting as Ghost Rider learned Beta Ray Bill and Groot plan on saving Gamora. Peter invites him to leave if he wants, notably telling Beta Ray Bill and Groot to do the same, showing he has no intention of saving Gamora. Castle leaves, leading us to realize just how big of a story Cates is telling. The Shi'ar have rescued a now-scarred Starfox and some other "heroes" who fell into the vortex, and Castle joins their crusade to find Gamora. Also in this group is Nebula, who suggests they'll find Gamora through the "stupid boy she loves:" Nova. Peter might be upset about that, particularly since he thinks he and Groot are the only ones who know where Gamora is. We also see Hela and the Black Order in action here, as they shake down the Collector to discover Thanos' head is in the Negative Zone. Does no one burn a body anymore?
Nightwing #57: Although Lobdell's plot is fine here, it's Kaplan who really makes this issue sing. It's the first one in the Ric Grayson era where Ric feels like a character in and of himself. Kaplan makes it clear that Ric's moral compass is essentially the same as Dick's: he's moved beyond words when he accompanies Bea to a community meeting with a councilman eager to destroy a homeless shelter to build a parking lot for a new stadium. Bea reveals she grew up homeless, and it's a clever move on Lobdell's part. It would feel ridiculous to watch Dick Grayson, ward of wealth, try even to comprehend that, but Ric is another story altogether. Kaplan also really sells Ric finding himself agreeing to work with the Nightwings, particularly in playing up the hilarity of Detective Sapienza exerting such a sense of ownership over the identity. Despite the jumble of authors who've worked on this story, they've carefully built each supporting character piece by piece; no revelation has felt forced. At this point, they all feel like fully fleshed out characters at this point, and, regardless if Ric recovers his memory, I hope they all stay. But, it isn't all about the perfect tone Kaplan is able to strike. Lobdell using the Joker's Daughter in a war against elites doesn't feel over the top. She kidnaps the councilman and sends him into a fancy restaurant as a suicide bomber, interrupting all the conversations praising gentrification happening at the moment. If that isn't a 2019 plot device, I don't know what is.
Return of Wolverine #5: Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what happened here. Like, sure, I get Persephone's evil plan to kill all of humanity and then resurrect them as her mindless slaves. But, I'm still not sure how Wolverine himself was resurrected. If I had to guess, his fire claws were some sort of secondary mutation that activated once he was encapsulated in the adamantium, allowing him to claw his way to freedom. Or maybe Persephone gave him that power? I honestly don't know. Soule does manage to wrap up the primary story about Persephone in a believable way (Logan destroy the space station, natch), but I'm surprised after all the preceding mini-series and then this series I'm still not clear on how we got to this point in the first place.
Uncanny X-Men #12: Man, you put Scott and Logan together and they can really find themselves some trouble. Logan somehow knows O.N.E. is keeping a group of mutants hostage, and he and Scott pretty roughly break into the relevant base. Logan tries for subtlety by posing as a O.N.E. solider and kidnapping another, but the plan goes hilariously awry when the kidnapped soldier yells out Logan is trying to break in the base. Once they deal with the soldiers, they encounter the en-Warlock-ed New Mutants, who O.N.E. has tried to turn into living Sentinels. We learn Magik and Rahne have managed to emerge from the techno-organic virus, with Rahne positing because they're also shapeshifters they have a certain immunity. They also discover a few Jamies as well as Havok, who O.N.E. is using to power the base. Magik is unable to use her powers to teleport, and O.N.E. soldiers pounce on them all as they try to escape. Someone at O.N.E. has implanted bombs in the Madri, and Strong Guy sacrifices himself to take the brunt of the blast. Thankfully, said blast knocks out the field disrupting Illyana's powers, and the team manages to escape, with O.N.E. Director Callaghan now aware the X-Men have returned. I have to say, Scott and Logan find themselves with a helluva team. Even if the New Mutants have to stay on the sidelines, an X-Men team of Cyclops, Havok, Wolverine, Rahne, and Magik is no freaking joke. As I mentioned in my last review, Rosenberg really imbues this issue with a "What If...?" sense, as if we're reading "Days of Future Present" come to life. You really have no idea where we're going next.
The Wild Storm #20: This issue is really more about letting Davis-Hunt and Buccellato run wild as they depict Midnighter and Apollo make short work of a Skywatch team sent to capture (or kill) them. But, we do learn some interesting things along the way. First, Miles is under obvious strain and asks Ben Santini, the leader of the Razors Alpha CAT, for advice. He suggests Miles uses IO's resources to engage in violence to distract people from the evils of "dark capitalism," implying IO has been behind civil wars, school shootings, terrorist attacks, and other violent acts. Miles listens to his advice and then dispatches Ben to give Ivana and Jackie their "pension plans." Meanwhile, Skywatch's spaceships arrive at Midnighter and Apollo's farm, and they annihilate them before they can hurt anyone in town. Along the way, based on a sketch of Apollo's eyes, it seems like he's actually some sort of android. One of the spaceship's pilots panics and hails Skywatch on an open line, allowing Jennie Sparks to travel to Skywatch HQ. Once Midnighter confirms no one in the town was hurt, the two of them depart.
Also Read: Avengers #15; Batman #65
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