New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #9:  Wow.

OK, on the face of it, Heinberg wraps up everything here almost too neatly.  Ant-Man returns, Stature's death and Vision's murder are the catalysts for Iron Lad stepping on the path to becoming Kang, Wanda is off the hook, the Young Avengers partially disband, and the remaining members are accepted into the Avengers fold.  But, it didn't feel like it was "too neatly."  It all felt real, with each event, no matter how neatly it advanced the plot, flowing logically from the emotional reactions that the heroes had to preceding events.

Let's take Iron Lad.  I ended last issue hoping against hope that Heinberg would find a way to keep him on the team.  But, instead, within the first five pages, Heinberg makes him into the villain we all feared he'd one day become, and that transition feels real.  Heinberg so nailed the emotions that Iron Lad would be feeling -- his rage at the Avengers and Young Avengers not letting him take Cassie into the future to heal her -- that he leaves no question that Nate has crossed the line.  By killing the Vision, he goes so beyond redemption here that you aren't left wanting him to join the Young Avengers anymore because you realize he can't.  I've rarely read a more powerful sequence in comics than this one, and if you would've told me that Heinberg would've managed it in five pages, I wouldn't have believed you.

The aspect that was the most convenient was Cyclops letting Wanda off the hook for M-Day.  But, I'm hard pressed for Cyclops to have found any other way.  I'm glad Heinberg has Cyclops acknowledge the Billy was right, in his awesome tirade from last issue, that killing the Scarlet Witch wouldn't result in any justice being had.  Moreover, lately, it's almost laughable to think of Scott as anything approaching a moral authority.  This series, I believe, happens before "X-Men:  Schism," since Iceman appears at Cyclops' side, so Scott at least had some measure more authority, in terms of speaking for mutant-kind, than he does now.  But, it's still hard to follow his logic that the Scarlet Witch should be punished, but Magneto, who's part of his "Extinction Team" shouldn't.  Heinberg successfully made that argument last issue, which is why it was fairly easy to accept the fairly manner in which the Scarlet Witch's future was resolved.

But, Heinberg goes beyond the conflict about Wanda's future and actually, for once, makes it about her.  I loved the part where Wanda rejects the offers of Cap, Simon, Magneto, and Quicksilver to take care of her, finally (FINALLY) deciding that it's time she becomes her own person.  I've always been annoyed by the way that various "Avengers" authors have treated her as a fragile tool, a history Jamie Madrox himself notes when he comments on the likelihood that the Avengers will try to find her the next time Dormammu or Mephisto attacks.  She's always just been the powerful character who quietly saved the day, but whose fragility was what made her a sympathetic character.  Wanda appears to be playing a significant part in the upcoming "Avengers vs. X-Men" event, and I'm really intrigued where Marvel is going to go with her character, one who might finally be freed from her days as nothing more than a helpless pawn.

Lest we forget whose book we're reading, Heinberg brings us home in the end.  I almost got teary during the scenes of the five remaining Young Avengers sitting on the High Line.  I thought Heinberg did an amazing job with Eli here.  We actually see a superhero take real, honest accountability for his actions.  I thought it was a great speech, having him note that he's only seventeen years old and that he didn't want his mistakes to hurt anyone else.  Kate's comments were equally moving, talking about the loss of Cassie, the death of Vision at the hands of Iron Lad, and her lack of powers as reasons for her to leave.  But, it's Billy, who's always been the emotional core of the group that delivers the coup de grace, deciding that he was the enemy all along.  No one believes that, but Billy does, as we see over the next few pages as Heinberg and Cheung give us a play-by-play view of the last few months' of events in the Marvel Universe, as seen from Billy's window, where he's been licking his wounds.

But, heroes are heroes, and Heinberg doesn't leave us there.  Teddy and Billy's conversation is lovely, and, OMG, thank God they finally get some.  But, it's Cap's call to the four of them -- Billy, Kate, Teddy, and Tommy  -- to come to the Mansion to see the statue dedicated to Stature and the Vision (and someone else, who I didn't recognize) that really got me.  Again, from a narrative perspective, it's convenient.  Heinberg has pared down their roster and brought them under the auspices of the Avengers.  I wonder if they're going to appear in "Avengers Academy" or in their own back-up stories in "Avengers."  But, the important part is, again, Heinberg makes it feel real.  It doesn't feel triumphant.  It doesn't feel the way that they probably thought it would feel.  But, it feels real, because it's sad.  As Billy said, "There are no happy endings.  But you show up anyway."  'Nuff said.

I had some qualms with this mini-series.  It went on too long, lost its way a few times, and involved too many characters.  Heinberg doesn't really clarify how Dr. Doom manipulated Wanda into causing the events of "Avengers:  Disassembled" and M-Day or how he used the portal she and Billy opened to gain more power, not less power (as originally intended).  In fact, despite being the villain of the series and possibly revealing a major ret-con, Doom is totally absent here, meriting only a brief mention as the heroes debate where or not he actaully manipulated Wanda as he claimed.  I'm also not sure why Heinberg decided to swap out Stature for Ant-Man, who, I have to say, wasn't exactly such an amazing character that the masses were clamoring for his return. 

But, this issue was one of the best issues of any comic I've read in a long time, so we're good.  It's all good.  In the end, Heinberg used this mini-series to have our team mature and grow.  They learned some pretty hard lessons, but they also faced down the Avengers, Dr. Doom, and the X-Men, and won.  They kept the moral high road and they saved the world.  What more do you want from your heroes?

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #8:  OMG, finally, we get a new issue.  Unfortunately -- and I hate to say it -- I'm not entirely sure it was worth the wait.  Heinberg throws some curve balls in this issue that he doesn't totally explain, and I'm not entirely sure he's going to have time to do so with just one issue left.

First, I'm not entirely sure what the portal Billy and Wanda were trying to open was supposed to do.  It seems that it would somehow siphon off the power Doom stole from Wanda, but I'm not entirely sure how it was going to do that.  Also, Ant-Man is the only person who can distract Doom?  I mean, Ant-Man himself notes that he's already got the Avengers and the X-Men attacking him.  Why would Ant-Man need to dive into the battle by himself to distract him?  (The obvious answer is that Heinberg needed a plot device to get Scott to appear dead so that he could get Cassie to attack Doom, but I like to give Heinberg more credit than that.)

Second, when Billy and Wanda do open the portal, it somehow gives Doom MORE power, not less.  How'd that happen?  In fact, all along, Doom seemed to have more power than Wanda did, even before they opened the portal.  Why would that be?  Is it because Doom was more audacious than Wanda?  Again, Heinberg doesn't really explain.

Third, at almost the last minute, Doom seems to imply that he manipulated Wanda into destroying the Avengers and ridding the world of mutants, though we (again) don't get an explanation of how he did so.  Is that why he was "marrying" Wanda, so he could keep her close and continue using her powers by proxy?  Is that going to be the big reveal?  It would get Wanda off the hook for the murders (if Billy's impassioned speech in her defense wasn't enough), but I'm not sure how I feel about it.  One one hand, it's a pretty clever ret-con, because it's totally something Doom would do.  But, for it to work, we'd need to know why Doom didn't really act on the possibilities it brought.  I mean, we didn't really see him DO anything after "Avengers Disassembled" or "House of M."  You'd think, if Doom arranged the destruction of the Avengers and the end of mutants, he'd take advantage of the opening and try to seize power.  Given that he didn't, I'd like to know why, then, he wanted to destory the Avengers and rid the world of mutants.  Again, Heinberg doesn't really answer that question.

In other words, we have a lot of questions we need answered next issue, and I'm thinking one issue isn't going to be enough to answer them.

(I don't mention Cassie here, because I'm pretty sure she doesn't die.  I can't say for sure, because her death could be some sort of cosmic balance to Ant-Man's resurrection.  I will say, though, that the last scene showing the circle of heroes around her was really nicely crafted by Cheung.  I particularly liked Strong Guy putting his hand on Hulkling's shoulder while he hugged Wiccan.  It's a small moment, but it really made the seen all the more touching to me.  Well done, Jim.)

X-Factor #229:  Holy *%&^ing crap, you guys, this issue is amazing.  I mean, David packs SO MUCH into this issue.  First, let's start small.  He uses several minor moments in this issue to remind us that several ongoing sub-plots remain unresolved.  He addresses the ongoing questions about Longshot and Shatterstar's relationship by having Shatterstar refer to Longshot as his "brother," throwing a wrench into the theory that 'Shot was 'Star's father.  He also brings in a version of Rahne's child (a daughter, in this reality) to remind us that Rahne's son is still an unknown variable in "our" reality.  (I really have to give "X-Factor" #214 a re-read.)  Even though these incidents occur in an althernate Universe, so can't be considered canon in "our" reality, David uses them to remind us just how intimate long-time readers of the title are with the characters.  He really makes it a joy to be a fan of this title, because he makes it so exciting to be able to say, "OMG, I know what he's doing here."

Similarly, moving up the scale of importance, he also returns Madrox to his time-traveling shenanigans, bringing in Mr. Tryp and introducing the idea that Madrox is moving between Universes every time a Madrox dies.  It's an interesting device, because it raises all sorts of questions.  Is someone going from reality to reality killing Madroxes?  If not, why are so many Madroxes dying around the same time?  Is Layla involved, given that she arranged for the death of Madrox in the reality we see in this title?  If someone is killing Madroxes (as it seems), why?

Moving up another level, David doesn't just use this issue as a mirror to the normal setting of this title, but uses it to hint at things to come.  He introduces the idea that each of Madrox's dupes has its own power.  Um, wow.  I don't know if David necessarily plans on introducing that when Madrox eventually returns to "our" reality, but just the possibility of it happening is enough to keep the reader hooked.  Moreover, he really sets the stage for Havok to take over the team in a really spectacular way.  David is too great of a writer to simply kill off Madrox.  By hurling him into the multiverse at the same time as Havok needing something to do, David creates a more elegant solution, opening the door to future storylines in much the same way he did in sending off Darwin in a similar fashion.

For all these reasons, David gives us an excellent issue.  But, as usual, David goes beyond just impressing with a carefully constructed plot, delivering his usual combination of humor, suspense, and wit.  I honestly spent most of this issue not knowing where it was going, but enjoying the ride while we got there.  Best...series...in...comics.

New Comics!: The Avengers Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

"Avengers:  The Children's Crusade" is the bright spot this month for Avengers-related titles.  As I mentioned in the "Fear Itself" post, I HATED "Avengers" #17.  I'm excited by the groundwork "New Avengers" #16.1 lays here, but the issue itself is pretty ordinary.  I liked the "Captain America and Bucky" story, but I'm pretty sure I'll be hard pressed to remember what happened in "Captain America" and "Secret Avengers" when I pick up those books next month, after fairly unmemorable stories this month.  With all the terribleness related to "Fear Itself," it was a bummer to feel so meh about so many Marvel books unrelated to "Fear Itself" as well.  I was hoping for more than just one bright spot.

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #7:  I loved most of this issue.  Heinberg does an amazing job, particularly for someone who doesn't have decades of experience writing these characters, giving us perfect characterizations of such iconic characters as Captain America, Dr. Doom, and the Scarlet Witch.  The plot remains intricate, but I still generally remember what happened in the previous issue, even with the two-month gap between issues.  Heinberg does a good job keeping the Young Avengers in the mix even as this mini-series starts to focus more on the more big-name characters.  (Eli's impetuous decision to interrupt the spell was a pretty accurate portrayal of his character.)  Heinberg also keeps up the tension.  Since it's been made clear in "X-Factor" #225 that the results of this mini-series will, actually, affect the Marvel Universe when it's over, the fact that Wanda may -- or may not -- bring back all mutants really keeps you on the edge of your seat.  When you add Dr. Doom and his questionable motivations to the mix, it is really unclear how this series is going to end.  However, at this point, the end is the problem.  It's time.  This series at this point has spanned 16 months.  We have at least four to go.  I don't know why, but it's annoying me, to have the story extended over so many months.  Although, as I mentioned, I applaud Heinberg for maintaining the tension over the course of these eight issues (including the special) and 16 months, I think it's time to get some closure.

Captain America #3:  OK, to be honest, I'm still not really sure what's happening in this arc.  I mean, I think I sort of get it.  Bravo uses Jimmy Jupiter to transport Steve into the imaginary world where Bravo was trapped since the war.  To do so, he uses some crazy enormous Cap android created by the Red Skull as bait.  I get all that, I guess.  But, I'm still not really sure what Bravo's motivations are.  He seems to still be a good guy (I mean, people who kill Nazis are always good guys in comic books, right?), but he wants Steve dead.  Or, maybe he doesn't?  I'm still not sure.  I'm not even sure if he's angry, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure he wants revenge.  At any rate, McNiven's art is really what makes this book, which isn't normally something I'd say about a Brubaker-scribed book, but there you go.

Captain America and Bucky #622:  Although they're a little hokey, I'm still enjoying these stories.  I like how Bucky is narrating this series, because it's mostly giving me hope that this series is meant as a stop-gap measure to keep Bucky in our minds until they resurrect him.  (Hey, a guy can dream.)  At any rate, it's a pretty good self-contained story about Bucky dealing with his insecurities about being surrounded by the super-men of the Invaders.  I will say, though, at some point we're probably going to have to get past just "war stories."  I don't mean that the stories shouldn't be set during the war, but I think we're probably going to need some sort of epic Invaders arc or something to inject some energy into this book.

New Avengers #16.1:  OK, so, first, let's do the bad.  First, the art is this book SUCKS.  Awful.  I mean, it's truly awful.  I know it's sacrilege to say that because it's Neal Adams, but I really felt like he drew this book in five minutes while playing the violin and ironing the drapes at the same time.  Second, I don't buy, for a minute, that Norman Osborn would've been able to staff the Raft entirely with people who are loyal to him.  As I've said before and I will (unfortunately) likely say again, simply because one of your characters (this time, Wolverine) acknowledges that the plot device is ridiculous doesn't mean it's OK for the plot device to be ridiculous in the first place.  Are we supposed to believe Steve Rogers would let that happen?  Moreover, if it were true, then why would he wait until the Avengers were there to try to escape?  Couldn't his flunkies just have left open the door and ignored a boat docked at the Raft?  I mean, if he had such total control over the facility's staff, then why wouldn't you do it that way?  Why risk a battle with the Avengers? Third, who the hell is the squid lady on the last page?  OK, now, let's do the good.  I'm totally down with a year-long Norman Osborn arc.  Although I didn't read "New Avengers" during the post-"Civil War" era, so their beef with Osborn is something I only know from reading Wikipedia, I have followed all the aspects of his war with Spider-Man since, like, forever.  I think having them take on Norman will actually go a long way to setting this series apart from the main title, and provide a villain who's suitable for street-level superheroes.  (Hawkeye seems doomed to just stand around the streets watching the Avengers fight in the main title, but I've more or less resigned myself to Bendis' unforgivable mis-handling of him.)  I hope, however, that Bendis is preparing to pare down the roster at some point.  With the addition of Daredevil, the New Avengers have a ten-person roster, which is actually enough for two separate Avengers teams.  I love all the characters on the roster and I enjoy their interactions, but I think we might be able to enjoy them all the more if everyone weren't fighting for screen time, if you will.  We shall see.  At any rate, this issue is exciting more for what it promises than anything Bendis does here, but I'll take what I can get, particularly post-"Fear Itself."

Secret Avengers #17:  Meh.  This issue is OK.  It's an interesting enough story, and the ending is a surprise but one that comes from clues left by Ellis as the issue progressed.  Ellis is a quirky writer, preferring grim stories with a lot of procedural elements.  Everyone spent a lot of time yelling, "War Machine engaged," or "Valkyrie en route."  It's like last issue, when the Beast essentially narrated the issue with his scientific mumbo-jumbo.  Essentially, I've found both issue #16 and this issue...slow.  I know people really like Ellis, but so far I'm pretty bored by his version of the Secret Avengers.  But, he tells a story that makes sense, more or less, so I can't complain too much, I guess.  Although Ellis is probably better suited to the stated goal of this title (black-ops missions), I'm not entirely sure if I enjoy them.  Let's see how we go post-"Fear Itself" and we'll see if I keep getting this title.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #6:  OK, so I read this issue in my office at work and cheered loudly enough that I hope I don't get fired!  Ant-Man is back!  Wanda is the boys' mom!  Rictor is re-powered!  Hurrah!  Much to discuss.

I started off the issue a little confused (one of the consequences of the bi-monthly format Marvel has decided to use for this series) because I couldn't remember if we were still in the "Avengers Disassembled" past or in the present.  (I had to re-read issue #5 to be sure.)  Eventually, Heinberg confirms that we're in the present, which also confirms that Cassie's dad, Scott Lang, is back.  Hurrah!  I always liked Scott and thought his death in "Avengers Disassembled" was cheap.  (I mean, didn't Wanda have bigger fish to fry than a newbie Avenger?)  Heinberg keeps the hits coming, given that we also almost immediately get the second big revelation of the issue:  Wanda confirms that she is, in fact, Billy and Tommy's "mother."  That said, I though Tommy's argument about why he didn't care about the revelation (since she was just going to be taken from them again to atone for her crimes) was particularly well made, given that Billy seemingly hadn't fully appreciated the consequences of Wanda's return.  Heinberg adroitly uses this argument to keep the plot moving, with Beast proposing that everyone would be a lot easier on Wanda if she could undo M-Day.  As such, the group brings in X-Factor, which (as Jessica Jones exposits) originally got its start under Madrox by investigating why the mutants who lost their powers during M-Day did so.  The gang assumed that X-Factor could put them in touch with these mutants to see if the Scarlet Witch could successfully return their powers to them.  Madrox refuses, but Rictor volunteers as a test subject.

To be honest, throughout this series, I've been waiting for this moment, since Rictor (more so even than Moonstar from the "New Mutants") has been the poster boy for de-powered mutants who want to regain their powers.  I wasn't sure exactly how it would happen (or if it would happen), but when I realized where Heinberg was going, I was ecstatic.  (By the way, Heinberg writes a great X-Factor, from his portrayal of Madrox's anger at the Scarlet Witch to Shatterstar's concern over Rictor.  If David ever leaves the series, I vote Heinberg take the reins.)

However, we have three more issues left, so these three developments aren't going to be the end.  At some point, I'm guessing we're going to have to see some sort of negative consequence to the Young Avengers' (and Scarlet Witch's) actions here.  If this mini-series is going to be something other than a blatant ret-con exercise, we're going to have to see something balance out the positive developments.  It doesn't have to be a death or a de-powering or anything, but Wanda has to atone for her sins and the Young Avengers do have to face some sort of reckoning for the disruptions they've caused (invading Latveria, changing history, etc).  Beast, Hawkeye, and Jessica Jones essentially defy Iron Man's warnings and help the kids anyway, but, eventually, the Avengers are going to appear and aren't going to be as amenable to helping...kind of like the X-Men who appear outside Avengers Mansion at the end of this issue.  It's these questions that keep me waiting for the next three issues, because I'm really hoping that -- at least in terms of Scott, Wanda, and Julio -- we get to keep the wins we got in this issue, even though I doubt it.

New Comics!: The Teens Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #5:  OK, now we're getting somewhere.  After the somewhat odd (and ridiculously-named) "Avengers:  The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers" one-shot, we see Iron Lad fully intervening in the timestream, not only by saving Wanda and Billy from Wolverine (as he did last issue) but by bringing the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch into the past, or, more precisely, the moment Jack of Hearts blew up Ant-Man at the start of "Avengers Disassembled."  I'm torn on how I feel about the events in this issue.  Focusing just on the issue itself, it's exactly what I was hoping we would get.  The action moves quickly, it has funny lines, and we at least get to see some progress in the plot.  I actually gasped at the last page, the reveal that the Scarlet Witch was back, so clearly Heinberg is doing something right.  Focusing on the larger story the series is telling, though, I'm worried.  I liked Ant-Man so, to be honest, I'd be excited to have him return.  If it ends there, I'm good.  But, this issue reads like a thinly-veiled attempt at ret-conning not only "Avengers Disassembled" but also "House of M."  I mean, on some level, it makes sense that Iron Lad would want to make Stature happy and help her to see her dad again.  I can see how Patriot would be unable to stop him from doing that, despite accurately predicting what would happen in that event.  But, the fact that Iron Lad swears his technology works and, surprise, it doesn't just strikes me as overly convenient.  The fact that it's such a deus ex machina makes me feel that the editors are more concerned with undoing Wanda's actions than making us believe the story.  If they go all the way here and undo the mutant genocide, I have to wonder what the whole point of "Second Coming" and Hope Summers was.  I mean, it won't have been that big of a deal that Hope activated five new mutants if, a few months later, the Scarlet Witch is just going to re-activate all the depowered mutants anyway.  The "House of M" event has brought something unique to the X-Men, giving the team a certain focus that it lacked in previous years, when it was just Magneto v. all.  The introduction of Hope (who herself veers toward deus ex machina status) was at least allowing it to be undone slowly and elegantly.  Having Wanda just wave her hands and undo it would be cheap, and it would make some of the interesting stories still left to be told in a post-"Second Coming" world moot.  I complained before that not enough was happening in this book, but, now, I wish I was more careful in my wishing, because I'm worried where we're going here.  If it ends with the resurrection of Ant-Man, cool.  If it goes further, I'm concerned. 

Batman Beyond #4:   So far, "Batman Beyond" stories have existed on two levels:  the plot itself, focusing on the near-future present in which the comic book is set, and the back story, revealing - slowly - where this universe fits in Batman continuity.  This issue incorporates two significant elements of the current Bat-books -- "Batman, Incorporated" and the Unternet -- into the Batman Beyond Universe.  After having his identity revealed publicly, Dick Grayson announces that he was, indeed, Nightwing, the first employee of "Batman, Incorporated," and ceased being the costumed hero due to a catastrophic accident (he's wearing an eye-patch, which I'm guessing was part of it).  The back-up story involving Batman's best friend, Max, mentions the Unternet, which has appeared frequently in "Red Robin."  The "Batman, Incorporated" angle is clever; we see here more of the idea, elaborated in the other Bat-books, that "Batman" could've been multiple different people, a clever dodge that, to be honest, I didn't initially anticipate when Bruce revealed himself as Batman's financial backer.  As always, the Bruce/Dick relationship is the core of the Bat-books, so it'll be interesting as more is revealed showing us why the two aren't speaking.  The plot itself isn't super strong independent of the back story, but Beechen is building a world here, so I'm happy to give him the time to do it. 

Teen Titans #93:  Meh.  I continue not being super-impressed with this series.  This story's OK in a totally formulaic way.  Red Robin narrates about how they're all trying to be more than sidekicks, someone gets zapped into another dimension and the other Titans have to go find her (because it's never a boy), Kid Flash acts impulsively, Ravager is a jerk, etc., etc.  Even the love triangles are pretty boring.  I miss Damian, whose all-too-brief stay was the only thing that seemed to move the characters outside their very well-established portrayals.  We saw a positive side of Rose (and a negative side of Cassie and Connor) that we hadn't seen before.  I'll stay for the conclusion of this arc, but, if it doesn't get better, I think I'm done, sadly.

New Comics!: The Teens Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers #1:  OK, I'm going to put aside the sheer bizarreness of this issue's existence and address the issue itself first.  The good news is that it's fun, with a lot of winks and nods to the original "Young Avengers" mini-series.  We get an insight into the first few days of the Young Avengers.  We don't see Iron Lad's initial approach to Hulkling, Patriot, and Wiccan, but we see them training together and finding themselves fighting Electro.  I see here why Marvel has made the decision to only allow Allan Heinberg to work on the Young Avengers, because he adds grace notes here -- such as the boys' fanboy banter -- that I'm not sure another writer would add.  Having them fight Electro was a really inspired choice, since, after all, what fanboy wouldn't chose a member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery if he had to fight his first super-villain?  It was fun to see Iron Lad back in the fold (Eli actually has a friend...) and it makes me realize that I hope Heinberg finds a way to keep him in our time permanently (despite the fact that it's probably impossible to do so without some elaborate cheat that would wind up annoying me).  Also, I continue to take off my hat to Heinberg for creating a world where Billy and Teddy's teammates accept their relationship entirely.  I can't think of any other comic book or, really, TV show that does that, and I really applaud him for it.  Now, onto the negatives, unfortunately.  First, the art's off a bit in this issue.  It was occasionally hard to tell the difference between Billy and Nathaniel.  Davis was juggling a lot of stuff here (including creating looks for the adult versions of the Young Avengers), so I get why some details were a little loose.  But, the confusion it caused was still distracting at times.  Second, I honestly have lost track of Kang and who he is and whether he's supposed to be good or bad.  It's just all...so...headache-inducing.  Finally, and most importantly, why does this issue exist in the first place?  This mini-series has been dragging for the last few issues, essentially repeating the same plot over and over again.  Moreover, the bi-monthly format has exacerbated the sense that we're just spinning our wheels.  I would've preferred here an issue that actually advanced the plot as opposed to some other side show.  It's time to bring this mini-series to a close and for Marvel to decide what it's doing to the franchise.  We're talking about almost two years at this point for a (what was supposed to be) nine-issue mini-series.  Seriously, gentlemen, it's time. 

Generation Hope #5:  I'm really starting to like this series.  I'd actually put it up there with "New Mutants" as one of the better X-books.  It's certainly better than the core X-books.  This issue sees Hope flex her muscles a bit.  Gillen does a great job reminding us that Hope actually has two futures in play, one as a Messiah, but also one as a destroyer.  Her interaction with Emma Frost was fun, mostly because I actually found myself feeling bad for, and agreeing with, Emma, which doesn't often happen. 

Superboy #5:  In this issue, Superboy and Kid Flash race...[yawn]...and the Phantom Stranger [nod]...where am I?  Sorry, I fell asleep there.  Seriously, reviewing this issue is even more boring than reading it.  I love Superboy, but "Superboy" has been just dreadfully dull.  Lemire just keeps mining the same stories (the weird "Broken Silo" or whatever-it's-called attack on Smallville and Conner's troubled relationship with Lori Luthor) over and over again.   It's dull.  Sorry, it is.  Even the physical hint that Psionic Lad's arch-nemesis is who I think he is (see last review) wasn't enough to inject some energy into this book.  Plus, Conner continues to mope about Cassie, despite being the one who ended the relationship.  The whole series has felt wrong, and I'm surprised by the fact that I'm really thinking about dropping the comic that features the character that got me back into comics.  But, I think we're almost there.  I know it's hard to make Smallville exciting in a way that doesn't defy common sense (it's not going to have the same number of villains as Gotham, for example, and still be believable), but Lemire has to do something here and soon.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #4:  Ok, I love the Young Avengers.  I do.  I'd love them even if they didn't have the most functional gay couple depicted, like, anywhere in fiction.  The first few issues of this arc were great, because the Young Avengers are at their best when they're doing what adults tell them not to do.  But, here's the thing.  This series feels more like a companion series to what should be a much larger series, one detailing the return of the Scarlet Witch.  I mean, at the end of the day, we don't know that Billy and Tommy are the Witch's "spiritual" children, so it's still a little weird every time they're presented as such, no questions asked.  Plus, the bi-monthly format is really starting to get to me.  Is it really going to be a year before it's resolved?  At this point, given that the story is spinning its wheels a bit, I feel we probably could've had a six-issue monthly series and felt satisfied.  Hopefully Heinberg's got some great stuff in store.

Batman #706:  The latest installment in the "Hear No Evil/See No Evil/Speak No Evil" story arc is great.  I've really enjoyed this arc, because it's fleshing out Dick's cast of characters.  Catwoman, Catgirl, Robin, Peacock, I Ching, Sensei:  some old, some new, all awesome.  I loved Dick noting Damian's sudden interest in girls and Damian denying it in a perfectly adolescent way.  Their dynamic is the best part of "Batman and Robin" and I'm really glad to see Daniel keep it going in "Batman."  (Plus, can you imagine how much trouble a horny Damian could find?  The mind boggles.)  I liked how Dick defied Bruce by asking for Catgirl's help.  It shows that he's still running the show in Gotham and he'll do what he needs to do, even if it's not exactly what Bruce told him to do.  Like most Batman stories, I'm still a little lost with the plot mid-way through the arc, though I'm sure all will be revealed in the end.  I'm still not sure who actually walked into the antiques shop in issue #704 (I thought it was Sensei, but, based on his comments in this issue, I think he had already killed the proprietor before the shadowy figure arrived) and I'm still not sure how Dick knew to go to Prof. Sinnot's home in #705.  The Riddler connection is intriguing, and I hope we get to see some great Riddler/Robin banter in the next issue.  In other words, it's vintage Batman.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #19:  The "House of Hush" story arc continues here.  It's kind of been on a slow burn, and it doesn't get faster here.  The bulk of the story is a recollection by one of Judson Pierce's henchmen of his teenage encounter with the Joker.  It's a pretty good story, but I have to say that I'm ready for something to happen in this arc.  Despite being billed last issue as the primary feature, the "House of Hush" story actually took a back seat, page-wise, to the Ragman second feature (which doesn't appear in this issue at all), so it's been a while since something, you know, happened.

Dungeons & Dragons #3:  This series is seriously well written.  The characters are really well defined, despite the series only being three (well, four, including #0) issues into the run.  Rogers does an excellent job, for example, making Bree Three-Hands into a really fun character while, at the same time, setting up the possibility that she's going to sell the entire team down the river at some point.  The running jokes about Adric's poorly-laid plans haven't gotten old, and I'm always surprised how, at the end of the issue, Fell's Five find themselves in a worse position than they were at the end of the previous issue.  It's occasionally a little hard to follow what's happening, given how fast the action moves, but I'll forgive that just because the action is so well depicted.

Legion of Super-Heroes #9:  Um, I think I'm kind of done with the Legion.  I subscribed to the stand-alone comic based on the Legion back-up features during Superboy's run in "Adventure Comics."  But, I just ended "Adventure Comics" because I have no interest in the Legion Academy and I can't say the Durlan assassination plot is really all that interesting.  This storyline clearly could've been handled in one or two issues, rather than four or five.  Watching everyone just stand around the United Planets hall waiting for poorly-executed assassination attempts isn't exactly worth $2.99 a month, to my mind (nor, apparently, to Timber Wolf's).