Avengers #12.1: It's the Avengers turn for a .1 issue, and Bendis returns to a plot point from the first arc, planting the seeds of the return of Ultron. I enjoyed this .1 issue less than some of the other ones, mainly because it still has some of the flaws that annoy me every month in this title. Although we at least see some of Spider-Woman in this issue, Hawkeye and Spider-Man are criminally ignored. Hawkeye doesn't get in a word, and Spider-Man's reduced to one (pretty funny, granted) one-liner. Moreover, even Spider-Woman's appearance barely counts, since she's all Women in Refrigerators here. The think tank of evil geniuses was clever enough, I guess, and the Wizard and the Thinker actually had some decent banter. But, I had to raise an eyebrow when it's revealed that basically the entire plot of the issue was just to get the Avengers in the room so they could just happen to witness the return of Ultron. Ultron announces that he's not ready to fight the Avengers and disappears, destroying the mad genius' secret lair (while, miraculously and conveniently, not killing anyone) in the process. This bait-and-switch gambit left me feeling kind of cold. It's similar to what Bendis did with the aforementioned first arc, where we were told the Avengers had to go to the future to defeat their kids, only to discover it was a ruse to get them to convince Ultron to let Kang defeat him. Bendis apparently thinks these sort of bait-and-switch plots keep us on our toes, but instead they just leave me annoyed and disappointed that I didn't get the story I thought I was getting. Moreover, we see a great example of pet peeve #1 here with a clearly-Steve-Rogers-not-Bucky-Barnes Captain America appearing on the cover. I know that the point of the .1 issues is to project future storylines, and we know Steve Rogers will soon be Captain America again. But, it felt cheap.
Generation Hope #6: This series continues to be a surprising treat every month. Gillen has not only created compelling characters but, after only six issues, has also given them complex relationships with one another. Kitty is a great choice for a team liaison and I'm waiting for the inevitable conflict between Hope and her. I like how Gillen makes Hope not a 100 percent likeable character. You're rooting for her, but she's also obviously going to have a moment where she learns she's not as capable of a field leader as she thinks she is. Kitty has been fighting the good fight since she was a child -- just like Hope -- and at some point Hope is going to have to listen to her. Gillen's newest light also continues to be innovative and weird -- I mean, how do you fight a fetus? I can't wait to see how this fight goes down. All in all, it's a great book that's telling better X-Men stories than "X-Men Legacy" and, until recently, "X-Men."
Secret Avengers #12.1: This issue was so well done that I was about to congratulate Ed Brubaker for another excellent installment. But, then, I looked at the title page and saw it was Nick Spencer. Welcome aboard, Nick! This issue is a return to form, of sorts, for the title. I say "of sorts" because it's not like this title has been around that long to have a form to which it can really return. But, the Shadow Council has pretty much dominated this title almost from the start, so it's nice to see Spencer re-focusing it by embracing the .1 concept and giving us a self-contained story focused on espionage, the type of story I thought this series would give us (instead of the aliens and Nazis). We get the requisite amount of espionage here and Spencer hands the team a loss, something, to be honest, you just don't see that often. It actually may be my favorite .1 issue yet!
Starborn #5: I'm canceling this title. It's OK, but I find the writing to be a little too weak to justify $3.99 a month. It was a cool concept, but the author seems stuck just giving us scenarios where the main character acts like a rube. Did I mention the $3.99 a month?
The Traveler #6: I'm tempted just to say "see 'Starborn' #5" here, but I'll give it a go. This issue is odd. To be honest, I'm surprised I hung in here as long as I have, given that I pretty much hate time-travel stories. But, this issue is pretty much a testament to why I hate them. The whole Amelia Earhart schtick felt forced, and it's unclear to me why Abaris is holding her and the other people as prisoners. Daavi seems to imply that that Abaris doesn't know exactly why they're there, but that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me. He might not care what the repercussions of them being there are, but it seems like he'd at least know why they're there and how the "random space-time warps" work. Similar to "Starborn," I liked the concept behind this story in the beginning, but I don't think it justifies an ongoing monthly series, particularly at the cost of $3.99 a month. Ciao, Traveler. Good luck.
Uncanny X-Men #536: This issue is stressful! Gillen does a great job here giving everyone dynamic personalities, taking them beyond just talking heads meant to move along the plot and instead giving us a subtle building of tension as they all interact. Kruun is both struggling to be a diplomat while at the same time planning his revenge. Colossus is trying to be compassionate toward the Breakworld refugees, but can barely control his hatred of Kruun. Scott is trying, as usual, to balance all sides and Emma, as usual, is skeptical (and right). I love that Kruun SCHOOLED Magneto, something you don't see every day. I didn't read the original Breakworld saga (though I'm inclined to hunt down a TPB), so I'm pretty sure I'm missing some subtleties. For example, I'm not entirely sure how Kruun got his hands on the formula that negates the mutant gene, and I'm not sure if it's meant to be permanent. But, for the most part, Gillen does a great job, just like last issue, of giving you what you need to know without over- or under-simplifying it. I really love what he's done with "Uncanny." It's gone from a book I more or less just got because it involved the X-Men to one of the books to which I most look forward each month.
X-Factor #218: Guido got shot last issue, and we see Monet struggling to shake off Ballistique of the Three Ladies Who Blow Up Things (or whatever they'll eventually be called) in order to get him to the hospital. Unfortunately, she's pretty much on her own, since JJJ, Jr.'s folks have Siryn pinned and the Black Cat is engaged in battle with Rococo. It's a pretty solid issue, with David, as usual, doing a great job keeping the action sequences tense. When we eventually get to the hospital, I actually thought they killed off Guido. But, the truth is a lot scarier: if Layla really did revive Guido, then, unless her power has changed, he has no soul. I can't wait to see what the repercussions of THAT will be. I think (hope) David is going to wrap up this Three Ladies Who Blow Up Things storyline in the next issue, because I'd really like to return to the Shatterstar/Longshot conundrum.
Generation Hope #6: This series continues to be a surprising treat every month. Gillen has not only created compelling characters but, after only six issues, has also given them complex relationships with one another. Kitty is a great choice for a team liaison and I'm waiting for the inevitable conflict between Hope and her. I like how Gillen makes Hope not a 100 percent likeable character. You're rooting for her, but she's also obviously going to have a moment where she learns she's not as capable of a field leader as she thinks she is. Kitty has been fighting the good fight since she was a child -- just like Hope -- and at some point Hope is going to have to listen to her. Gillen's newest light also continues to be innovative and weird -- I mean, how do you fight a fetus? I can't wait to see how this fight goes down. All in all, it's a great book that's telling better X-Men stories than "X-Men Legacy" and, until recently, "X-Men."
Secret Avengers #12.1: This issue was so well done that I was about to congratulate Ed Brubaker for another excellent installment. But, then, I looked at the title page and saw it was Nick Spencer. Welcome aboard, Nick! This issue is a return to form, of sorts, for the title. I say "of sorts" because it's not like this title has been around that long to have a form to which it can really return. But, the Shadow Council has pretty much dominated this title almost from the start, so it's nice to see Spencer re-focusing it by embracing the .1 concept and giving us a self-contained story focused on espionage, the type of story I thought this series would give us (instead of the aliens and Nazis). We get the requisite amount of espionage here and Spencer hands the team a loss, something, to be honest, you just don't see that often. It actually may be my favorite .1 issue yet!
Starborn #5: I'm canceling this title. It's OK, but I find the writing to be a little too weak to justify $3.99 a month. It was a cool concept, but the author seems stuck just giving us scenarios where the main character acts like a rube. Did I mention the $3.99 a month?
The Traveler #6: I'm tempted just to say "see 'Starborn' #5" here, but I'll give it a go. This issue is odd. To be honest, I'm surprised I hung in here as long as I have, given that I pretty much hate time-travel stories. But, this issue is pretty much a testament to why I hate them. The whole Amelia Earhart schtick felt forced, and it's unclear to me why Abaris is holding her and the other people as prisoners. Daavi seems to imply that that Abaris doesn't know exactly why they're there, but that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me. He might not care what the repercussions of them being there are, but it seems like he'd at least know why they're there and how the "random space-time warps" work. Similar to "Starborn," I liked the concept behind this story in the beginning, but I don't think it justifies an ongoing monthly series, particularly at the cost of $3.99 a month. Ciao, Traveler. Good luck.
Uncanny X-Men #536: This issue is stressful! Gillen does a great job here giving everyone dynamic personalities, taking them beyond just talking heads meant to move along the plot and instead giving us a subtle building of tension as they all interact. Kruun is both struggling to be a diplomat while at the same time planning his revenge. Colossus is trying to be compassionate toward the Breakworld refugees, but can barely control his hatred of Kruun. Scott is trying, as usual, to balance all sides and Emma, as usual, is skeptical (and right). I love that Kruun SCHOOLED Magneto, something you don't see every day. I didn't read the original Breakworld saga (though I'm inclined to hunt down a TPB), so I'm pretty sure I'm missing some subtleties. For example, I'm not entirely sure how Kruun got his hands on the formula that negates the mutant gene, and I'm not sure if it's meant to be permanent. But, for the most part, Gillen does a great job, just like last issue, of giving you what you need to know without over- or under-simplifying it. I really love what he's done with "Uncanny." It's gone from a book I more or less just got because it involved the X-Men to one of the books to which I most look forward each month.
X-Factor #218: Guido got shot last issue, and we see Monet struggling to shake off Ballistique of the Three Ladies Who Blow Up Things (or whatever they'll eventually be called) in order to get him to the hospital. Unfortunately, she's pretty much on her own, since JJJ, Jr.'s folks have Siryn pinned and the Black Cat is engaged in battle with Rococo. It's a pretty solid issue, with David, as usual, doing a great job keeping the action sequences tense. When we eventually get to the hospital, I actually thought they killed off Guido. But, the truth is a lot scarier: if Layla really did revive Guido, then, unless her power has changed, he has no soul. I can't wait to see what the repercussions of THAT will be. I think (hope) David is going to wrap up this Three Ladies Who Blow Up Things storyline in the next issue, because I'd really like to return to the Shatterstar/Longshot conundrum.
