Not-So-New Comics: The January 17 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Venom, Inc. Omega #1:  (Man, that’s a title.)  This issue is fun.  That said, I can’t say this event has been the best plotted one I've ever read.  I’m pretty sure if I re-read it I’d be able to find all sorts of glaring plot holes.  (Like, I still don't really understand how Maniac just happened upon his spitting power and how it didn't really require any effort or resources.  Also, I’m not sure I buy the idea Price could only possess someone once because they developed anti-bodies in their blood after the first exposure.  That just seems...convenient.  See?  Plot holes.)  But, Spidey is pretty hilarious in this issue, from his abortive attempt to rally Flash (only to realize Anti-Venom's healing factor would heal Flash's wounds and eliminate the need for Spidey to rally him in the first place) to Spidey tripping on his way to tell Flash about the anti-bodies.  So, overall, I’m going to call it a win.  As I said earlier, it recalls the excellent “New Ways to Die!” story from the “Brand New Day” era, and that alone is reason to give it a read.  Also, I’m glad to see Peter and the Cat in a better place.  I mean, it makes no sort of sense she'd suddenly stop hating him.  After all, it was Dr. Octopus (as Spider-Man) taking everything from her that inspired her to hate Spidey.  It doesn't make a lick of sense she'd be so blasé about it happening again, particularly when he's more directly responsible for her downfall this time.  (Again.  Plot holes.)  But, I'm just glad the feud is over.  Similarly, I’m glad Eddie convinced her to give up her attempt to become a crime boss, because I never really bought that either.  (Man, I have not been happy with "Amazing Spider-Man" for a while.)  Again, Eddie’s appeal doesn’t really make sense — in a way, he’s just mansplaining to her that she never wanted to be a crime boss in the first place — but I’m just glad she’s no longer a bad guy (#bringbackthecat).  In other words, Spidey is fun here and the Cat is who she should be, so I'll take it.

Avengers #676: The authors dive right into the mysteries the first issue of this event raised, namely who the mysterious Avenger is and why the Earth was planet-napped.  Color me impressed and intrigued.

The Avenger is revealed to be Valerie Vector, a.k.a. Voyager.  She was (allegedly) a founding member of the Avengers and (allegedly) stayed with the team for a long time, including the transition to the Cap-led team in issue #16.  However, in the "Let the Game Begin" arc (according to Comic Vine), the Avengers were forced into a competition as part of a wager between Grandmaster and Kang (as happened in those days).  In issue #70, Voyager (allegedly) faced Victory, the Electromagnetic Man, but her “portal field” reacted with his powers and she was (allegedly) thought lost in the ensuing explosion.  In the present, she tells the gathered Avengers she wasn’t lost, but “removed from normal existence."  She watched time pass helplessly from the void.  It was only when the Earth was stolen that she was somehow re-synced with the Earth again.

First, I have to give an incredible amount of credit to the art team here.  A lot of Valerie’s history is told through flashbacks to famous moments in Avengers’ history.  Valerie is inserted into these moments in the same art style as was prevalent at the time, and it’s fun to see.  But, the best moment is her depiction as lost in time, where she floats above a series of “Avengers” covers, showing the passage of time through the progression of issues.  It’s so remarkably clever.  It makes it clear the entire creative team is bringing its A game.  Moreover, the editors successfully use some winks and nudges in the “as seen in” boxes to hint it’s not the full story.  Everyone (allegedly) remembers Valerie when she appears, so it almost seems like her story is true.  But, her appearance is obviously way too convenient, and I can’t wait to see what the authors have planned.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, we get to the heart of the matter:  the Black Order and the Lethal Legion appear and immediately engage in battle.  However, two disembodied voices (who I wouldn’t be surprised to learn were Grandmaster and Kang again) remind the parties of the rules and send them to their respective corners until the “Pyramoid” appears.  (I again have to praise the art team.  The fight sequences are spectacular, so life-like you feel like you’re right there watching them.)  At the urging of the disembodied voices, the two teams go their corners, and we learn Earth was chosen as the location of their conflict because of its “designated obstacles,” i.e. the Avengers.  The Black Order decides to take out the Avengers preemptively, and they explode Avengers Mansion just as the team was coming to some agreement on how to survey the situation in a world without communications systems.

I can’t say I’m thrilled to see the Black Order, because I associate it with the terrible incursion storyline Hickman forced on us.  (I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I'm still not buying it.)  Looking at its previous appearances on Comic Vine and Wikipedia, I've actually read almost every issue where its members have appeared, from the "Infinity" event to "The Unworthy Thor."  But, I still don't understand anything about them.  They're all pretty much interchangeable amoral bad guys.  I’m not familiar with this alien Lethal Legion, and I’m doing my best to avoid going to Wikipedia to do research, because I feel like it could spoil the surprises the authors have in mind.  But, this initial fight sequence shows how great of adversaries these two teams can be, so I’m perfectly happy to give the authors a chance to rehabilitate the Order for me.

Given everything that happened, you’d be forgiven for thinking this issue was confusing, but it’s really not; the authors did a great job of keeping up the momentum while not rushing anything.  They don't address all the mysteries, obviously.  We have smaller ones, like why Beast was so concerned over Jarvis’ scans or how the folks pulling the strings decided which heroes to “pause.”  We also don’t know what the stakes of the conflict are.  But, after two issues, I have to say my expectations are high now for one of the best Avengers stories of all time.  (No pressure, guys.)

Generation X #86:  Strain is clearly clearing the decks before this series’ last issue, but she manages to do so in a way that doesn't feel rushed.  Jubilee visits Quentin on Krakoa and remembers Nathaniel’s warning, that Quentin wants to feel like he’s wanted even if he doesn’t admit it.  Quentin is terrible as usual, bragging to Jubilee the Phoenix gave him part of its power (in “Mighty Thor”) so he doesn’t need anyone.  But, when Jubilee learns the school has disappeared, he’s right there with her as they race to the scene.  Meanwhile, as Monet goes all horror-movie villain on the kids, hunting them like prey, Chamber and Husk try to buy the kids some time to escape.  Benjamin saves Nathaniel from falling debris, and the confluence of his heroism and their impending death inspires Nathaniel to kiss Benjamin through his shirt.  When Monet eventually touches Nathaniel, we see moments from his past, where he’s abused by his mother (with his father’s knowledge) and learns his boyfriend is attracted to someone else (even though he hasn’t acted on it).  Nathaniel has alluded to these moments in the past, so it’s nice to see Strain get the chance to make Nathaniel a fully formed character before the series ends.  Speaking of happy endings, Jubilee and Quentin arrive, and Monet strips Jubilee of her amulet and throws her into the sun.  Panicked at the thought of losing Jubilee and her promise to give him someplace to say, Quentin exhaust his Phoenix powers to cure her of her vampirism, probably the nicest thing he’s ever done.  I can’t wait to see how everyone rallies to take down Monet next issue.

Mighty Thor #703:  I haven’t written a lot about this series lately because it’s going so smoothly.  But, I had to compliment this issue.  Everyone is on fire here.  First, other than Peter David, I just don’t know if anyone plays the long game as well as Jason Aaron does.  The moment where Jane is standing in front of the hammer, with her friends standing there wondering what she’s going to do, brings together a storyline he’s spent years crafting.  I legitimately had no idea what she was going to choose, but I expected to see Jane as Thor saving Asgard from the Mangog at the last minute.  Seeing her return to her hospital bed instead makes me happy, because, as everyone keeps telling her, the world needs Jane Foster just as much as it needs Thor.  Dauterman and particularly Wilson bring their A game here, and it’s a helluva A game.  I didn’t know half the colors Wilson uses to show the Mangog’s march to Odin existed.  But, it all comes together spectacularly, as Odinson arrives to convince Odin to at least die wearing his boots and swinging his sword.  Father and son bonding time to come!  It seems pretty clear Odinson is going to prove worthy again by defeating Mangog.  But, Aaron has also been implying Mjolnir has its own agenda, so we shall see.  What a great time to be a Thor fan.

Nightwing #37:  This issue is...terrible.  In theory, it should be a great issue, because it’s the origin of Dick’s beef with the Judge.  But, it's just not.  We begin with Dick approaching a casino owner he knew in his early days as Robin; she was known then as Baby Ruthless, a teenager fighting crime in Blüdhaven to save her dad’s bodega.  Bruce and Dick were investigating a series in murders in Gotham committed by unsuspecting pawns in possession of the now-famous golden casino chips.  The people they killed were responsible for building Blüdhaven’s first casino, and we learn the Judge, at least then, was mostly focused on stopping the casinos.  The Dynamic Duo and Baby Ruthless foil his plan to crash a barge carrying radioactive material into the construction site (thereby rendering it uninhabitable).  However, Robin’s overeagerness allows the Judge to escape.  Dick also alludes to fighting him in college, a story I’m sure we’ll see.  But, the big development is Baby Ruthless reveals she quit her costumed career when King Sturgeon took over the Judge’s gang.  (I’m not sure why she quit being a crime fighter when Sturgeon took over the gang; she states it like they were connected, but I don’t see the connection.  Also, I'm not entirely sure why the Judge left either.)  Dick realizes Sturgeon might be the key to stopping the Judge, but Guppy is poised to kill him (his father) now that he's in possession of a certain casino chip.  Guppy's plight really infuses this issue with emotion.  We see some thugs bullying him into helping retrieve something from the bay, and then he's embarrassed when they won't give him a share of the take.  He tries to tell his dying father he's running his own gang, but he also doesn't have the money to buy the medicine his father needs.  But, Guppy's plight is overshadowed by the terrible narration Humphries uses throughout the issue.  In theory, we should believe Dick and Ruthless are having a conversation about the good ol' days, not just spouting text blocks as they are here.  It’s the problem when you try to retroactively create an arch-nemesis and ally for a character all in the same arc; you’re going to have to rely a lot on flashbacks.  But, the narration is so awkward it’s hard to focus on anything else.  We’re supposed to believe Dick feels great guilt for allowing the Judge to live and continue to kill people, but mostly I just rolled my eyes.  I'm not hopeful it's going to get better either because we still have to get through the college incident.  [Sigh.]

Rogue and Gambit #1: All I know is I would’ve loved to have seen the looks in the pitch meeting when Kelly Thompson suggested sending Rogue and Gambit to a couples retreat that may also be a mutant-conversion camp.  I honest to God cannot think of a better premise of any mini-series ever.  I love Thompson’s work on “Hawkeye,” so I’m so excited to see what she does here.  From the start, she gets down Rogue and Gambit’s relationship perfectly:  not too clear, not too vague.  The awkward space between those positions is front and center here.  It’s hard to do that, particularly with dialogue that sounds natural and not a recitation of talking points, but Thompson strikes exactly that balance here.  (I loved Rogue teasing Gambit that Deadpool is a better kisser.  But, I also appreciated the vulnerability Gambit showed when he told Rogue it felt like he was the only one trying to lift their mountain of baggage anymore.)  I was caught by surprise when Rogue said she’d lost control of her powers, because I don’t remember that from “Uncanny Avengers.”  (Wikipedia says I should've known that.)  Regardless, I can’t wait to see where we go here.

X-Men:  Gold #20: I’ve been hit or miss on this series for a while, and this issue is a good example why.  Guggenheim rushes the ending in a way that makes no sense to me here.  He’s got a pretty great “out of the frying pan, into the fire” scenario, with the X-Men trapped on a hostile desert planet somewhere in the Negative Zone.  Kitty is with a dying Peter in a sandstorm, Storm has to fight off a spider-like creature, and Logan is with the rest of the team in the ship trying to find a way off the planet.  Instead of drawing out the dramatic tension for two or three issues, we get deus ex machina after deus ex machina.  Storm somewhat miraculous stumbles upon Kitty and Peter in the storm, Ink has a healing touch that stabilizes Peter, Kurt finds an inter-dimension portal generator he just happens to recognize from his time on the Dartayan ship (even though I imagine he was in the brig and not the engineering bay), and Storm “digs deep” to summon electricity to power the generator (even though we firmly established her powers don’t work on this planet).  Despite everyone’s doom and gloom predictions, they’re basically in “danger” for 15 minutes or so until the problem is solved.  It’s all just too easy.  So far, everything about this series is like that:  we stop just short of something significant or profound happening every time.  Hopefully “X-Men Red” soars.

Also Read:  Batman #39, Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man #299, Star Wars #42

Not-So-New Comics: The December 13 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #792:  This issue is pretty solid, to be honest.  Flash - now Anti-Venom - manages to siphon off the symbiote from Eddie and place it in a container Dr. Steve built.  Flash and Spidey flee, and Flash convinces Spidey (at least for the moment) to let the symbiote live, given the bond he shares with it and his faith in his training it to be a better “person” (for lack of a better word).  (It’s super-creepy to see it acting like a puppy.)  Flash expresses concern about the rogue symbiote out there, and it took me a minute to remember he was on the phone whit his protégée when Lee Price and his gang of symbiotes attacked her.  Pete uses part of the symbiote to conjure up a device to track other symbiotes, and Flash and Spidey follow the pings.  Meanwhile, Felicia is furious at her squad after they fail to rustle up something worthy of tribute to the Five Families.  (Can I just say how happy I was to see Killer Shrike in the mix?  MORE KILLER SHRIKE!)  But, Price and the symbiotes arrive, and, one-by-one, he infects Felicia and her crew.  (I really need a primer on how Price’s symbiote works.  It seems like he’s able to create new symbiotes really, really easily, without any inputs.  Is he eating 8,000 calories a day like cross-country skiers?)  Of course, Flash and Spidey arrive just in time for all of them to turn their attention on them.  Uh-oh!  As I said, it’s a really solid issue that captures some of the fun of the ‘90s era cross-overs as well as the excellent “New Ways to Die” story from a few years ago.

Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider #11:  We have a lot going on here, and I can’t say I’m totally clear on all the connections and details.  As far as I can tell, someone named Black Marvel put the new Hornet in touch with Prodigy, and Prodigy in turn told Ricochet to keep an eye on Thorne, without telling Ricochet about his (Prodigy's) connection to Hornet.  If he had, Ricochet likely wouldn't have sided with Ben at the start of this story, which he only did because Hornet was trying to hijack Cassandra's humanitarian convoy and Ricochet came to the fairly logical conclusion Ben was the lesser of two evils.  But, it's unclear why Prodigy wouldn't reveal that connection.  Ricochet is upset not only because he doesn’t know this new Hornet but also because Black Marvel is allegedly dead.  (That happens a lot, though, Ricochet.  I mean, if you're going to be in this business...)  Meanwhile, Death confirms Ben’s deterioration is due to his brutal attack on Thorne, but his face is the least of his worries when Cassandra makes it clear she knows he’s the Scarlet Spider.  Elsewhere, Thorne makes Hornet and Ricochet swear revenge, and Prodigy arrives on the scene just in time to arrange that:  they kidnap Cassandra Nova and have Slate tell Ben he has 24 hours to surrender to the police for his beating of Thorne or they’ll kill Cassandra.  A lot of the narrative until this point focused on Ricochet trying to be a stand-up guy and the Slingers being heroes, so it seems a little outside character for them to threaten Cassandra’s life in order teach Ben a lesson about morality.  Also, Prodigy is a little too conveniently all-knowing here.  In addition to his involvement in this mystery surrounding Black Marvel and his connection to Thorne, he also knows Slate was part of something called the Diogenes Initiative.  I always trust David to give us the answers we want, but it may be time to start doing that.

Detective Comics #970:  Tynion does a great job here of showing Tim barreling towards his future in a way consistent with the character he is now.  Instead of learning a lesson from the arrogance that led his future self to believe only he alone could solve Gotham’s problems, Tim is repeating this mistake by believing only the team alone can do so.  He wants Batgirl to bring the Birds of Prey into the team’s "system."  Then, they would hack the GCPD’s response system so the officers address less dangerous threats while the team’s strike forces respond to the more dangerous ones.  It’s exactly the kind of brilliant idea Tim would totally develop, but Tynion shows how Tim’s belief in his Utopia is dangerous.  Jacob warns Kate people are aware of Tim's attempt to supplant the government, and the military is preparing a strike force to take out the team.  Meanwhile, the Victims Syndicate makes its first strike, capturing Clayface to show the world Batman is working with a dangerous super-villain.  (It’s one of those moments where we’re supposed to believe no one’s put that together so far, and I could just suspend my disbelief enough to buy that.)  Meanwhile, Lonnie has developed a series of cyber-assassins who imitate the team’s movements, which spells trouble for everyone.  All in all, it’s a great second installment of the “Fall of the Batmen,” showing how serious of a threat not only the Syndicate working with Lonnie is, but Tim on his own is as well.

Falcon #3:  I wasn’t really digging Blackheart as the villain here, but Barnes has me convinced.  First, he represents exactly the sort of wish fulfillment that could actually tempt Sam, given how world-weary he is right now.  Blackheart offers a world where African-Americans aren’t second-class citizens, the same dream Blackheart offered Dre.  Moreover, he really develops the relationship between Sam and Shaun.  Sam approaches the struggle from an old-school perspective, telling Shaun being a hero isn’t about choosing your battles but fighting the ones you have to fight.  But, Shaun punches several holes through those arguments, pointing out taking on gangs isn’t the same as taking on demons, as much as Sam insists it is.  Barnes gives Shaun a really clear voice, particularly through using modern references (I loved him changing his shield’s name from Beyoncé to Rihanna because he realizes Beyoncé is probably going to stay with Jay-Z).  It makes him more than a superfluous sidekick, as Joaquin was.  I really look forward to seeing where we go from here.

Star Wars #40:  The best part of this issue is something we haven’t previously seen, namely Leia doubting the wisdom of Luke’s commitment to the Force.  Chulco and Ubin lead a Partisan assault on the mining citadel to distract the guards while Benthic and Luke break into the citadel to bring down the shield, allowing Han and Leia to torpedo it into oblivion.  Assembling at base, Chulco convinces Luke to accompany him on his pilgrimage to the void because he’s lost his connection to the Force.  Leia is furious at Luke for going, dismissing his desire to become a Jedi as a luxury they can’t afford.  Gillen makes sure to remind us Leia comes to this position honestly; we see the last conversation she has with her father, as he orders her to smuggle out the Death Star plans.  It also recalls the conversation Leia had in "Star Wars Annual" #2 where she admits she’d sacrifice Alderaan again to keep the dream of the Rebellion alive.  Gillen is reminding us of the burden of leadership she feels.  However, he’s also showing her as green; she thinks she sees the larger picture, but she doesn’t really.  That said, she’s not wrong they’ll miss Luke in the short term as Queen Trios reveals to General Kanchar the citadel was just a test run:  she’s now deploying the Leviathan, a “Continent-class crawler,” to break the crust.

Titans #18:  I wanted to love this series, but, at this point, I acknowledge I’m done.  This issue wraps up the Troia story in a remarkably simple way, with Donna just punching her into a portal and thereby snapping her connection to her avatars.  It’s supposed to be a big moment, where she refuses to accept she’ll become Troia.  But, everything implies she’ll totally become Troia, driven insane by her immortality.  Nothing Donna does here changes that.  Moreover, Roy admits he loves Donna to Troia, something Donna conveniently overhears.  Roy’s profession of love is a bad call on many levels, mostly because it fuels Troia's rage by reminding her how she loses everyone she loves.  Why remind her of love when it’s exactly love that hurt her so badly?  Moreover, Donna is open to Roy’s love, something Abnett hasn’t even remotely hinted in the past.  Everyone else is reduced to just shouting talking points.  In other words, it’s a mess, and I’m over it.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #3:  We get a number of interesting developments here.  First, Michael is sent after Barry Allen, making it somewhat clear his series is going to be dedicated to taking out this world's DC heroes.  Here, Barry is a schizophrenic genius inventor; he’s developed an armor and pharma supplements that give him the Flash's powers.  He’s convinced (or his paranoia has convinced him) artificial intelligence is going to eliminate humanity, so he’s killing the geniuses working on it.  Michael is dispatched to kill him, and we’re supposed to believe he instead supports his vision.  (He's likely only saying he does to move Barry where he wants him.)  Moreover, Cray is able to deploy his power after the scientist studying it reveals it’s related to emotions; he imagines having sex with her and it deploys.  (We later learn she’s somehow able to see his thoughts.)  Finally, it seems the female member of the team who took out Green Arrow last issue might have a long list of metahuman kills.  It's not entirely clear how these stories tie into the larger story Ellis is telling in "The Wild Storm," but we'll see.

X-Men:  Blue #17:  We get a non-canonical take on 2099 here, showing us a world where the original X-Men took over Alchemax and put the focus on the “X.”  We’re not really privy to how exactly they did so, but the kids are horrified to learn they’ve subjected humankind to the same sort of bleak existence mutants suffered in the “Days of Future Past” storyline.  The X-Men 2099 are trying to right that wrong, stealing and distributing medication for the humans the new Legacy Virus has afflicted.  Cerebra eventually fixes their time-travel device and convinces Hank to travel to the past in the hope their actions there can ensure this future doesn’t happen.  The other X-Men resist, but Hank makes the decision to go, and they suddenly find themselves confronted with a past version of the Generation X team.  I wasn’t really a fan of the “Cross-Time Caper” when we first got it in “Excalibur,” and I can’t say I am here.  Although Bunn makes a good attempt to shock us with each new setting, we’re barely introduced to those settings, making it hard really to connect to those emotions.  Also, I still don’t really understand why the time paradigm has been unlocked.  Previously, the past was the past, but now it isn’t?  I’m not sure the answer is going to be all that interesting.

Also Read:  Bloodshot Salvation #4; Pathfinder:  Worldscape - King of the Goblins #1, Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Lord of the Jungle #1, Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Red Sonja #1, and Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Warlord of Mars #1; Youngblood #7

Not-So-New Comics: The December 6 Non-X Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #148:  This issue wraps up a little anti-climactically, to be honest.  Drax discovers the Shi'ar traitors within the Nova Corps:  a group of Corpsmen who released Thanos as part of a deal with the Fraternity of Raptors to make the Corps look bad.  (I'm not sure what the Guardsmen got from the deal, to be honest.)  Drax stumbles upon this secret when he saves a woman and her two children from said Guardsmen.  They were going to kill the woman and her children because the Ultron virus had infected them, but the woman reveals to Drax the virus activated telepathic powers that allowed them to escape the virus' influence (as well as discover the Guardsmen's plans).  It's a little simplistic, but it works, and Duggan makes it clear we're going to see this woman again.  Meanwhile, Peter and Rich return, lying to Adsit that everyone on the planet they investigated was dead in order to protect the information about the power stone from falling into the traitors' hands.  Duggan does spend some welcome time on characterization, showing Peter's futile effort to engage with Drax and Gamora.  Gamora claims she didn't tell Peter about Rich because she didn't know he didn't know.  I guess it's a sign of how bad their relationship is right now, though I'm not sure I buy it.  With the announcement the series is ending at issue #150 so Duggan can move onto his grand plans for the Cosmic Marvel franchises, it feels like he's just trying to close the curtain as quickly as possible here, distracting from the excitement of seeing Peter and Rich in action together again.

Amazing Spider-Man/Venom:  Venom, Inc. Alpha #1:  I didn’t have too high of expectations for this issue, but Costa and Slott do a good job bringing those of us who are unfamiliar with Venom's status quo up to speed.  Flash is FaceTiming with one of his former students in Philly (I remember that part), and we learn she’s a symbiote-possessed hero called Mania.  He watches as a group of thugs attack her with fire and sonics, stealing the symbiote from her.  Flash asks Spidey to help him get back the symbiote from Eddie Brock (who apparently stole it from him at some point), since he’s worried the attack on Mania presages trouble in Symbioteland.  Spidey refuses, so Flash follows Eddie into Alchemax, where he apparently receives treatments to keep the symbiote’s anger under control.  Spidey follows Flash thanks to an audio Spider-Tracer he tagged on him, so he’s listening when Flash confronts Eddie.  We learn the scientist in charge of the project developed a whole batch of antidote, saying (inexplicably) it would be convenient to have a lot on hand in case he actually kills the symbiote.  (I honestly have no idea what he means by that.  How would the antidote save a dead symbiote?  Wouldn't it just make it dead-er?)  But, it's convenient from a plot perspective:  as the symbiote struggles to pick between Eddie and Flash, Spider-Man pours the antidote all over them, turning Flash into Anti-Venom.  Meanwhile, the thugs who stole Mania’s symbiote appear at a bar where the Looter is regaling the crowd with his story of how he barely survived an encounter with Venom; they then forcibly infect him with Mania’s symbiote.  Of note, they’re all also bonded with symbiotes, which seems...bad.  I’m not sure why they chose the Looter as Mania's host, but I’m guessing we’ll find out more later.  As I said, it’s a solid start, and it’s made all the better by Stegman’s outstanding art.  I’ve always felt like the Spidey books were under-using him, and I’m glad to see him given a chance to strut his stuff here.

Avengers #674:   I haven't been a huge fan of this series in part because it's lacked a certain heart:  everyone has been more assholic versions of themselves than usual.  But Waid delivers heart in spades here.  In their long journey to the center of Counter-Earth to disable the vibrational device, Vision admits to Viv she's meant to live a normal, human lifespan.  After encountering the version of himself who lived thousands of years, that means he's going to have to bury her.  It's why he's so protective of her, because he can't imagine having to do so.  It's an incredibly touching moment, made all the more so when Viv sacrifices herself to save the day.  Waid actually seems to imply Vision could've saved her but Viv chose to sacrifice herself, as if she saw something on the other side, where we encounter her at the end of this issue.  Waid's work with Viv has been the highlight of "Champions" and I'm definitely intrigued to see where he goes with her.  In terms of the "Avengers," this cross-over event did indeed feel like an old-school story, in line with the Legacy goals.  Of course, at times it felt a little too much like one, essentially replicating the plot of Hickman's run on the title.  But, I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming weekly event.  The Avengers have been meandering for a long time, possibly since Bendis' run on the title.  (I wasn't a fan of Hickman's aforementioned run, as he essentially told a "Fantastic Four" story with Avengers characters.)  If Waid could manage to evoke Bob Harras' Gatherers story or Kurt Busiek's Kang War, we'll be on the right track.

Batman #36:  King yet again does a remarkable job teasing out Bruce's emotions as Lois and Selena press Batman and Superman to call the other one about the engagement.  Over the course of unknowingly investigating the same case, the two men admit why they can't bring themselves to do so.  (Clark and Lois are investigating why some company called "Twenty Corp" is profiting from railroad insurance speculation while Bruce and Selena are following a plutonium shipment.  To be honest, I had to re-read the issue to follow these storylines.  King is making the point the subject of their search is less important than the conversations they're having, but, as the reader, he might've done a little more to make the plot clear.)  Each man respects what the other one has done with the losses he's suffered:  Clark marvels Bruce isn't trying to burn down the world after his parents were taken from him, and Bruce is amazed Clark doesn't squish us all like ants.  Clark respects Bruce's decision not to trust him completely because his past doesn't allow him to trust anyone completely, and Bruce feels his engagement would be beneath Clark's notice because he respects him as essentially a god.  (They also view the other one as choosing to do what he does, whereas they see themselves as having to do it.)  King happily doesn't give short shrift to Lois and Selena here.  In case Bruce is hesitating in introducing Selena to Clark because Selena would deduce his identity, Selena lets Bruce know she's already done so.  For her part, Lois also tells Clark to stop worrying it means Catwoman will know his identity because she's clever enough to have put two and two together a long time ago.  It all comes to a head when the two couples emerge on the same floor of an office building at the same time.  (In case you're wondering, Twenty Corp was run by Dr. Axe and Dr. Echs -- i.e, two Xs adding to XX, or 20 -- and they were using the proceeds from the railroad insurance to buy the plutonium.  How'd they get the money?  Why, by using their powers to destroy trains, of course.)  Again, it's another excellent character-focused issue from King, particularly since King essentially allows the tension -- and misconceptions -- between the two men remain.

Captain America #696:  You should read this issue for Chris Samnee's art (it's a wonder no one put him on "Captain America" until now) and Joe Caramanga's great testament to the American dream in the letters page.

Hawkeye #13:  Marvel remains committed to showing the aftermath of "Secret Empire" in a way we usually don't see.  Normally, events are maybe mentioned once or twice in the first month or so after they end, and then we never hear about them again.  But, several series, like "Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider" and "Captain America," continue to explore the aftermath months after the event ended.  It's...refreshing.  Thompson gets into the game here, re-introducing Eden Vale from "Generations:  The Archers" and sending her after Clint after her daughter died in the Las Vegas bombardment.  ("Generations" and "Secret Empire!"  It's a two-fer!)  Eden tries to recruit Katie into killing Clint by offering to use her powers to pull people through the time stream to bring back Kate's mother.  I'm not sure how Eden knows Kate's mother is dead, but she doesn't seem to know Kate's pretty sure she's actually alive.  We'll see where we go from here.

Nightwing #34:  This issue has...problems.  An enraged Blockbuster attacks Dick and Raptor, but misses punching them, something Raptor himself notes.  But, then Raptor crumbles; he's drawn as if his bones all turned to jelly.  He eventually dies, but I honestly don't have any idea if Blockbuster actually did hit him or if something related to the Blockbuster serum killed him.  Meanwhile, the Run-Offs manage to save everyone in the casino by putting Orca's antidote in the sprinkler system, but it seemed to me like they probably should've focused on the bigger threat, namely Raptor successfully using Pigeon's birds to distribute the serum to the whole city.  Also, Pigeon is maybe dead, and Dick used the last bit of antidote on Blockbuster.  It's almost like DC is canceling this series, given how hurriedly Seeley seems to be wrapping up loose ends here.

Also Read:  Batman:  White Knight #3; Darth Vader #9; Spider-Man #235