Magneto #10 and Uncanny Avengers #25 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm including "Magneto" #10 with this review since it essentially takes places within the confines of "Uncanny Avengers" #24.  We watch the Skull use Xavier's telepathic powers to torture Magneto with the memory of his concentration-camp jailer, until Alex, Rogue, and Wanda free him at the end of both issues.  It's not essential to understand the events of "Uncanny Avengers" #25, so you can skip it if you're looking for tie-in issues that you can safely avoid.  However, it does give the reader better insight into why Magneto ends issue #25 the way that he does, submitting to his rage and killing the Red Skull. 

Notably, Magneto does so without using his mutant power, beating the Skull to a pulp with his own hands (and, later, a concrete block).  One thing that "Magneto" #10 does give us that "Uncanny Avengers" #25 doesn't is the scene where Magneto bites on a capsule of mutant-growth hormone (MGH) once the Avengers free him, giving him the powers that we see on display in parts of issue #25.  I'm not really sure why Remender didn't include that part in issue #24, to be honest.  In fact, if I had one complaint, it's that the rescue scenes in both issues play out differently.  Beyond the MGH discrepancy, the dialogue is also entirely different.  It's not a fatal flaw, but it seems a weird oversight for two books where the authors are theoretically telling the same story.

Magneto's murder of the Skull actually allows for the release of Onslaught, clearly setting up the start of "Axis."  Thankfully, Remender doesn't just use it to segue into the main event.  He also shows how Magneto has returned to his roots.  Despite his efforts to change, the Magneto that we see here is exactly the same guy that we saw when he appeared in Cape Citadel.  He's not only fueled by his rage (a rage that we understand a little better after the trip down bad-memory lane in "Magneto" #10), but he's also confident that he, and only he, can save humanity.  We're beyond him helping Scott Summers implement his vision for mutantkind.  In other words, Magneto is back...just in time for the Skull to become Onslaught.

One interesting question left hanging out there is the future of Charles Xavier.  Alex himself starts to raise the possibility that Charles' brain could be used to resurrect him, and Remender seemed to be leading us in that direction last issue as well, with Charles speaking to Rogue in her memories.  Remender now appears to have taken that possibility off the table, with Xavier's brain clearly crushed in this issue, making me wonder what outcome this event is going to deliver.  Also, I don't think we ever got an explanation of why the Skull kidnapped Alex, Rogue, and Wanda in the first place.  Are we going to see him similarly start attacking the X-Men to fill his concentration camp?  Or, were they just there to set the plot in motion?

On the eve of "Axis," I can't say that I have a firm grip on the Skull's plans.  Sure, he's got his concentration camp, but it seems unlikely that he would think that he'd really manage to get every mutant on Earth into it.  It's clearly just a stepping stone.  The question is whether it's setting up something that we'll see in "Axis" or if it's going to be like "X-Men:  Prelude to Schism," where it has no impact on the actual story.  I guess we'll see.

*** (three of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #24 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

First things first, I've got to stress that I'm still not buying Alex's burned face.  In "New Warriors" #9, Sun Girl gets healed of the burns that she suffered in the fight with the Inhumans thanks to the "amazing" technology in Mount Wundagore.  We're really saying that no one associated with the Avengers can find a magical or surgical way to heal Alex's face, but an anthropomorphic dog and cat named Jake Waffles and Mr. Whiskers (respectively) can do so?  Sure, it's not like it's essential to the plot.  But, it's a reminder of the elements of the previous story that I still find unbelievable, like Alex and Janet remembering their time on Planet X.  Thankfully, Remender moves off it after a beat and hopefully these reminders will similarly fade into the background.

On the subject at hand, I thought that the entire sequence with Logan was great.  I loved that Remender had him actually accept that he was responsible not only for creating the Apocalypse Twins and Horseman Daken, but also for the sundering of the Unity Squad (since he tried to hide these crimes due to his guilt over them).  One of the reasons why I'm not a huge fan of Wolverine is that he's always seemed to get a pass that no one else gets.  It's actually why I was skeptical of Cap's furious response to these revelations in issue #9, because I wondered why it was only now that people started caring about the fact that their teammate was a remorseless sociopath.

However, everyone is now paying a consequence for giving Logan that pass to do whatever he wanted without facing the consequences, and I'm glad that Remender finally has him own it.  It shows some actual character growth, capping off his evolution from assassin to professor that we've seen in recent years.  Moreover, it underscores the growth that Rogue has already experienced, transitioning not just from villain to hero but also from someone who couldn't control her powers to someone that could.  It reminds us why she's so upset to see herself at square one again.  Remender puts Logan and Rogue on the same road to recovery, reminding us of the trauma that this team has suffered over the last few issues.

In taking these moments to establish where everyone was, emotionally, at the conclusion of the fight with the Apocalypse Twins, Remender really conveys the sense that we're reading about real people.  Too often, characters in comic books just bounce from trauma to trauma, but Remender makes it clear that the Avengers' current emotional states will directly influence the events of Axis.  I gets across the sense that it's hard to see how they're going to hold it together to face such an overwhelming threat as Red Onslaught, but I guess that it's why they're called heroes.

On a lighter note, I loved Magneto thinking that Rogue and Scarlet Witch came to save him.  Seriously, it was hilarious.  I loved Wanda essentially rolling her eyes at his ramblings about them turning traitor, dismissing him as if he were her racist grandfather that she was trying to keep quiet.  It was great stuff.  Remender could've gone for a much more straight-forward approach here, but this dialogue was so unexpected that it really brought you into the story all the deeper.

In other words, although we've had a bumpy few issues and some development that I'd rather forget, Remender puts us on firm ground here.  I'm ready for "Axis" now.  Bring on the Skull!

*** (three of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #23 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

To cut right to the point, my problem with this issue is that Remender gives us explanations for why a certain character is in a certain state that don't really make all that much sense when you think about them carefully.  Alex's body "processes cosmic radiation like a generator" and it body rejects skin grafts?  Why?  Does it also mean he can't heal from normal wounds?  What does processing radiation have to do with skin grafts?  If Beast thinks that he can use nanotechnology to purge the "death energy" that changed Banshee into a Horseman on a molecular level, why can't the same process work for Alex?  Also, Rogue absorbed Simon's psyche and suddenly she can't control her powers anymore?  Really?  What about absorbing Simon in particular prevents her from controlling her powers?  Does it affect her mind?  Also, why do the Avengers from the future still remember their future if it never actually happened?  Remender usually so carefully plots out his stories so that one development proceeds from a previous one, but it is definitely not the case here, unfortunately.

Also, a quick note on the art:  I don't dislike Greene's style.  It's not necessarily my cup of tea, but it definitely comes from a recognizable branch of comic-book art.  The problem is that the cover image is so beautifully realistic -- as if the Avengers were going to appear in your town at any minute to save the day, looking exactly like they do here -- that the discrepancy is too jarring.  Greene's work feels cartoonish in comparison, undermining the wrenching emotions that we're supposed to feel when reading this issue.

** (two of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #22 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

For a "conclusion" and a "finale," I have to say that I'm left with a lot of question after finishing this issue.

The issue is primarily focused on Alex's battle with Kang.  He decides to confront him to save the universe, acknowledging that he may lose his daughter in the process.  It would normally have been an exemplary heroic move, the culmination of Alex's attempt to redeem the Unity Squad and undo its failure to unite under his leadership, regardless of the costs.  It would've been a nail in the coffin of the old, insecure Alex Summers.  However, Alex appeared to have thought throughout the battle that he could somehow either find Katie without Kang or force Kang to reveal her location upon defeating him.  Given Kang's ability to hide her pretty much whenever and wherever, it seemed awfully naive to believe that Alex could find her after defeating Kang.  Moreover, Kang is Kang, so it seems even more naive to believe that he'd ever tell Alex the truth.  Alex accepts the fact that Katie is lost at the end of the issue when he has to tell Jan of her fate, but he clearly held out hope that he could find her throughout the battle.  As such, it sold Alex short in the hero department.  Rather than Alex accepting the possibility of a devastating personal loss to save children everywhere, he basically pretends that taking out Kang would have no consequences on his ability to find Katie.  By negating the consequences of Alex's actions, Remender makes the actions less heroic.  It's an odd way for him to have gone, particularly given the fact that his decision to kill off Katie wasn't all that much of a surprise.  After all, it seemed unlikely from the start that present-day Alex and Janet would be forced to raise a young child together in the aftermath of this story.  As such, why not let Alex just accept the sacrifice and be the hero?

Along those lines, we end this story with Alex and Janet mourning the loss of Katie, making it clear that it's future Alex and Janet still inhabiting present Alex and Janet's bodies.  It obviously leaves us with the question of whether present Alex and Janet's minds will be returned to them at some point.  I assume that they will be, and present Alex and Janet will no longer mourn the loss of a child that they never knew.  In fact, Kang says that he essentially manipulated Alex and Janet into becoming a couple, raising the possibility that the two won't feel the same way about one another once they resume control of their bodies.  But, shouldn't that have happened already?  The Avengers have clearly prevented the Twins from creating Planet X, so the future where future Alex and Janet existed is gone.  Shouldn't they be gone (in the form of their consciousnesses), too?

Beyond the Alex and Janet aspects of this issue, I'm still left with some questions.  Kang retreats once he realized that Alex and Sunfire have successfully prevented him from absorbing the dying Celestial's power.  But, I'm not sure the implications of his loss.  Were the worlds of the Chronos Corps' members restored, since the Earth is no longer destroyed?  Presumably, but, given Kang's conversation with Ahab, it appears that they may still be under his influence (if not thrall).  Why would they be, though, if they were no longer fighting for their worlds?  Moreover, why did Immortus act against Kang?  He clearly wanted to prevent Kang from collapsing all realities into just the one that he ruled, but it's unclear to me why Immortus would've wanted to prevent that.  Is it simply because it would've reduced his own power?  It seems unlikely that he was concerned about the universe laboring under a despotic god.

Turning to the whole idea of it being a "conclusion," Remender leaves pretty much all doors open here.  Eimin and Uriel seem to have survived, thanks to Daken and the Grim Reaper, and Sentry takes the body of the Celestial into deep space.  In other words, all the bad guys except Banshee survive to be bad another day.  I don't necessarily mind that, since the Apocalypse Twins were pretty great (and empathetic) villains.  But, it's hard to point to any real outcome of this story, other than Alex's scarred face.  If Alex, Janet, Logan, Shiro, and Thor remember their time in the future, then I guess that the story will have impacts beyond just Alex's scarring (something that we all know will get healed at some point).  Alex and Janet will need to handle losing a child, Logan and Shiro will have to move past the torture that they suffered at the hands of Eimin, and Thor will have to grapple with the knowledge that his youthful errors once destroyed the world.  But, for everyone else, they simply won the day.  The Celestial came to destroy Earth and, despite some drama that none of them understood involving Alex, Janet, and briefly Kang, they stopped him.  They didn't even destroy too much of New York City in the process.  I expected something a lot more emotionally complicated than that, and it's the distance between that expectation and the reality that explains how disappointed that I am with this issue.

I don't want to say that it totally obliterates the amazing story that Remender has told in this series.  After all, I loved Busiek's "Kang War" in "Avengers" #41-#55, and everyone pretty much forgot that everyone in Washington was killed by issue #56.  Once Remender went down the "X-Men:  Days of Future Past" road, it was clear that the heroes were going to ret-con most of this story.  But, I expected to be basking in the glory of a unified "Unity Squad," not trying to care about the death of Alex and Janet's child that we saw for one or two issues.  Until this issue, it seemed to be the whole point of this arc.  After all, time-travel stories generally result in the return of the status quo; it's the emotional toll on the heroes that returning the status quo that makes these stories compelling.  Other than the five members of the Unity Squad having to deal with some stuff (if they don't lose their future consciousnesses), the heroes got off pretty light.

I'm not sure where we go from here.  We've been building and building to this moment, and it now just feels like we were where we started.  OK, maybe it's not that bad.  Rogue and Wanda no longer hate one another.  But, for 22 issues of stories, that seems like a story that we could've told a little more succinctly.

** (two of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #21 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Remender answers the question that I've been asking since issue #7, confirming that Kang always intended for the Twins to use Jarnbjorn to kill the Celestial.*  But, he does so much more than just that in this issue.  He also makes it clear how long of a game Kang has been playing.  He needed Thor to ensorcel Jarnbjorn so that it was capable of slaying the Celestial and Exitar.  He needed the Twins to kill the Celestial so that Exitar would come to Earth seeking vengeance.  He needed Exitar to destroy the Earth so that he could convince the future super-villains to form the Chronos Corps.  He then needed Thor to return to the past so that he could prevent Exitar from destroying Earth.  At the end of this issue, it all comes together:  the Chronos Corps holds off the Avengers while Kang drinks in Exitar's life force, becoming a cosmic force in his own right.  It is the work of a highly skilled manipulator, and Kang finally stands triumphant at the end.

But, on some level, this issue isn't about Kang.  After all, Kang has seemingly been triumphant before; we have no real reason to believe that he'll stay so for long.  Instead, this issue is really all about Rogue and Wanda.  I've previously criticized Scott Snyder for writing "Batman" as if everyone is merely there to teach Bruce the lesson that he has to learn that month.  Characters are constantly acting against type simply because it advances the story that Snyder needs to tell.  But, Remender proves why he's telling a higher level of story here.  Everyone acts according to his or her established character as the story unfolds, and, along the way, each character learn the lessons that s/he not only needed to learn, but that the events logically forced him or her to learn.  Rogue learns to trust Wanda because she realizes the dangers of acting rashly, something that Rogue clearly needed to learn.  (Her actions leading to the destruction of Earth also seem to be a good inspiration for learning this lesson).

As a result, after almost a decade, Wanda now stands fully rehabilitated in the eyes of the superhero community.  After "Avengers:  The Children's Crusade" and this story, it feels emotionally real, like Cyclops' slow descent into darkness.  It wasn't just Remender waving his hands to make it happen.  As a reward, we now have a fully united Unity Squad.  A lot of authors would've rushed the moment, particularly as the memory of "Avengers vs. X-Men" faded.  The squad would've just been presented as united, and, to be honest, we probably would've accepted it.  But, Remender took his time, and now I'm really excited to read about a truly united Unity Squad.  Of course, they just have to survive next issue.

* I'm going to go down a rabbit hole here, so I'm putting it at the end for anyone not as anal-retentive as I am.  We've been at this story for 21 issues, so it's hard to remember all the details at times.  But, if I remember correctly, the Twins were initially in our time implementing a plan for Kang.  It was originally unclear if the murder of the Celestial was part of Kang's plan or if the Twins did it on their own.  It now appears that Kang manipulated the Twins into killing the Celestial, even though it wasn't part of the plan that he told them that they were implementing.  Although it's not essential, it would be interesting to learn, at some point, what plan the Twins thought that they were following for Kang.  If killing the Celestial was a deviation from it, what did Kang tell them that they were being sent to this time to do?  If it was part of plan, where did the Twins actually deviate?  Was it the Rapture and Planet X?

***** (five of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #20 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Wow.  Just...wow.

This issue is everything that I hoped that it would be.  Scott throws in his lot with Alex, rallying the X-Men to hold off Magneto's team so that the Avengers can escape and resurrect the Earth.  At some point, everyone realizes the lunacy of trusting Kang, but they're more or less forced to play off his sheet of music if they want to resurrect the Earth.  Proving their point, Kang asserts that he's been manipulating Eimin and Uriel from the start, giving us the first hint that he's (as usual) playing a long game.  I honestly have no idea how Remender is going to wrap up the story, and this uncertainty is just part of the excitement that I feel.

At this stage, the only real questions left on the table are the future of Alex and Janet's daughter and the nature of Kang's long game.  The answers to these questions are where Remender is really holding his cards close to his chest.  It's pretty clear that Rogue, Simon, and Wanda are going to be resurrected, since Logan insists that they return to the time before Rogue dies.  In fact, the most logical play seems to be returning to a point before Rogue kills Wanda, since, as Thor says, the reason why the Earth was lost was that the X-Men weren't there to help the Avengers stop the Twins.  The moment Rogue died, we all knew that this part of the story, at least, would be ret-conned.

But, Remender isn't similarly tied to a resolution when it comes to the questions about Katie and Kang.  It seems unlikely that Kang would keep Alex and Janet's daughter in the revised continuity, since it would be a little awkward for them to be united by a daughter that they don't yet have.  But, Scott and Jean have certainly been there with Nate Grey and Rachel Summers.  Remender could certainly walk us through that door, given the precedence.

But, it's Kang's plan that really up the ante on this story.  Kang claims that he was manipulating the Twins all along, seemingly answering my most burning question about this arc:  he either engineered or, at least, allowed the death of the Celestial to put in motion the destruction of the Earth.  Even if he didn't give birth to the idea himself, he didn't stop the Twins from doing it.  To this end, it raises the (minor) question if originally intended for this outcome when he stole Jarnbjorn in the first place.  Either way, why would Kang go through all this effort -- manipulating the Twins to create Planet X, rapture Earth's mutants there, and manipulate the Celestials to destroy Earth -- simply to undo the end result?  What about a resurrected Earth better suits Kang and his plans?  I can't wait for that answer.

Along the way, Remender does an amazing job of the characterizations, from Janet's rage at Kang for kidnapping Katie to Alex and Scott's warm reunion.  Also, Acuna's art continues to be the perfect match for Remender's story.  I've often said that this series is an excellent example of two great artists at the top of their game, and this issue is a perfect testament to that.

***** (five of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers Annual #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Remender really embraces the Mojo concept in this issue, turning the annual into a fun critique of modern comics.  Mojo meets with a bunch of network executives who inform him that "structured character arcs, foundation, stories with 'something to say'" take longer and cost more to produce.  They encourage him instead to create a story "to confound the masses, spinning an endless web of strange mysteries that keep...feeble-minded viewers lost and guessing."  The executives posit that no one will admit that they're confused and will therefore embrace the story.

To my mind, it's basically Remender's lament over the type of stories that Hickman tells, with each month only adding to the confusion of the previous issue, rather than the ones that Remender tells, with each month adding to the intricacy of the overall plot.  Compare and contrast "Avengers World" #5 and "Uncanny Avengers" #21 to see my point.

Mojo follows the executive's advice, creating the "Avengers of the Supernatural" and using them to kidnap the Uncanny Avengers.  "Act Two" of this play involves Mojo throwing both teams of Avengers into high school, the ultimate audience draw.  It's honestly worth the price of admission to see Alex's "elitist outsider," complete with sexy tank-top, fighting with Thor's aggressive jock.  Combined with Remender's spot-on critique of the modern comic-book story, Renaud's solid art, and Adams' gorgeous cover, this hilarious framing device makes this issue a gem of meta proportions.

*** (three of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #19 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

One of the marvels of the story that Remender is telling is that he really manages not to rush it.  Rather than Kang's Chronos Corps simply attacking Eimin and magically finding a way to bring back the Earth, Remender forces them to do it the hard way.  They have to locate all the surviving members of the Unity Squad and send back their minds, a la "Days of Future Present," to the current present in order to correct the mistakes that they made.  Clearly, it'll be several issues before Remender wraps up this story, allowing the reader to just take a breath and enjoy the ride to the end.

Of course, we have a few hurdles in front of us.  First, Eimin is holding Sunfire and Wolverine hostage.  (Moreover, she has them perpetually ablaze for their crimes against mutants.  Remender makes you wonder if they'll be in any condition to help the Chronos Corps, with Eimin letting us know that they stopped screaming years ago, hinting at the horror that they've experienced.)  Second, Magneto released Wasp to use her as bait so that Cyclops and Storm could lead a team to Alex's HQ and discover why he destroyed the tachyon dam.  Finally, Alex refuses to leave Planet X without his daughter, so he's not exactly on board with the plan to send back only the Unity Squad's consciouses.

Remender "resolves" these problems brilliantly, since they really only cause more problems.  Thor takes the Chronos Corps on a frontal assault on Eimin to free Sunfire and Wolverine.  Although I'm really excited about the grudge match between Eimin and Thor, the Corps no longer have the advantage of surprise.  Magneto seems poised to kill Havoc, but Remender hints that both Cyclops and Storm harbor some suspicions about Eimin and Planet X, raising the possibility that they'll believe Alex if he gets a chance to tell them the truth.  (Lest we think that they don't have reason to be suspicious, Eimin informs Banshee and Daken that she wants them to kill the X-Men and blame their deaths on Kang to rally Planet X against him.)  Finally, I loved Kang grabbing Alex's daughter and disappearing into the time stream.  Remender actually does leave open the possibility that Katie will survive into the present, promising a substantial change in Alex and Janet's status quo.  (I'd imagine a present Alex could consult with his brother on the parenting skills needed to raise a child from an alternate future.)

I really can't believe how nuanced of a story Remender is telling.  He somehow makes you still question the outcome, as if it's possible that the heroes will fail and not be able to resurrect the Earth.  It also has Alex step into the role that his brother has so long played.  You have to wonder if Alex won't understand Scott more after this experience.  I can't think of Alex ever having more personal stakes connected to his leadership than he does here, and Remender really does an amazing job conveying those emotions to the reader.  Again, I just really have no idea where Alex is going to be, mentally, at the end of this story, another sign that Remender is doing a phenomenal job of keeping us guessing even when we know the broad outlines of what the final resolution will be.

**** (four of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #18.NOW (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Game on!

Remender hurls us six or so years into the future, where Alex, Hank, and Janet wage a three-person war against Eimin and her forces on Planet X.  Remender makes it clear that Eimin has told her version of the past to the mutants when they awoke from stasis, placing blame for Earth's destruction on Thor for attracting the attention of Exitar the Executioner (and, clearly, gliding over the role that she and Uriel played in that process).  He also puts all sorts of fascinating questions on the table when it comes to this new world.  Clearly, mutants have human children, as Alex and Janet do, so Eimin must do something with them.  But, how much do the mutants know about it?  Do they just not ask too many questions for fear of upsetting their Utopia?  I'm hoping that Kang and his Avengers, who arrive at the end of this issue thanks to Alex and Janet finally destroying the tachyon dam, don't save the world too soon, because I'd love for Remender to have time to develop this world more fully.  Thankfully, they don't have an easy road ahead of them.  Even if Kang and his Avengers have arrived in the future, the tachyon dam is still in place in the past.  So, if they manage to defeat Eimin, they still have no way of sending someone into the past to stop Exitar from destroying Earth.  I can't wait to see how they solve that problem.

Finally, Acuna's work is amazing here.  He delivers a sparkling world of glass and steel to serve as a backdrop to Hank and Janet's fight with Magneto's X-Force.  He conveys a real sense of fluidity to their mid-air battle, while at the same time reminding us how different of a world Planet X is from Earth from just the flashes that we see of it.  It's just so great to read a story where everyone is in top form.

(Also,with Kang back in the game, I'm intrigued to see if we finally learn what role Kang played in the Twins killing the Celestial.  From the start, it appeared that he coordinated the attack, but, given that the Twins seem to believe that the attack was the moment where they put their plan to deny Kang Earth into motion, it's still unclear to me what Kang originally intended to happen.)

***** (five of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #17 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

When the Grim Reaper kills Captain America, Remender makes it definitively clear that the events of this arc will somehow be retconned.  Put aside the deaths of Rogue, the Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Man.  Ignore the possibility of Alex and Jan having a daughter, as Remender implies here (clarifying the narrator from last issue).  Captain America doesn't die (unless it's a company-wide cross-over event, but even then it'll be quickly retconned).  Of course, then Exitar blows up Earth, making it all the clearer that this story isn't going to stick.

However, at the end of the day, Remender and McNiven do such a great job of making this story so grandiosely epic that even I don't care about continuity anymore.  If retconning the events of the arc at the end is the way that we get to read amazing and innovative stories like this one, then I'm all for it.  (The "amazing and innovative" part is important.  Otherwise, you just get "Age of Ultron."  BURN!)

I thought the best part of this story was Odin's explanation that the Earth failed itself.  On some level, it's representative of one of the answers of the Fermi paradox, that societies advance to the point of being able to enter the cosmic stage, as Odin puts it, or they destroy themselves with the technology that would've enabled them to do so.  In the hands of other authors, it would've been treacly or, at least, overly simplistic.  But, Remender really sells it, having Odin himself note that he was pulling for Earth.  But, Odin claims that Earth failed to put aside its differences and thus doomed itself.  Remender doesn't directly connect the dots, but Odin is clearly referring to humanity and mutantkind failing to come to a peace that would enable them to advance.  It's this divide that Eimin and Uriel manage to exploit.  (In fact, you could argue that mutantkind's own internal distrust got in the way, since Rogue killing the Scarlet Witch prevented her from possibly realizing that the Twins were tricking her and correcting for it.)

Along the way, though, our heroes are tested and actually fail.  Cap rallies himself to buy Janet some time to destroy the tachyon dam, but it's too late, since Janet's failure to kill Grim Reaper essentially condemned Earth to destruction.  (Remender leaves the ethical implications of that decision to us, and my college professor obsessed with the "trolley problem" probably has new material for the Fall semester.)  Thor fails to stop Eimin and, as such, fails to stop Exitar from destroying the Earth.  Iron Man and company can't manage to hold off Exitar.  Again, this failure -- or, at least, the consequences of this failure -- requires retconning.  But, it's so rare to read a story about superheroes failing on this large of a scale that Remender is truly in uncharted waters here.

**** (four of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #16 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is essentially all about characterization.  On the surface, it seems like it's about the plot, given the epic "Street Fighter" battles:  Cap vs. Eimin, Janet vs. Grim Reaper, Thor vs. Uriel.  But, we don't really learn anything new here.  Sure, we get confirmation that the Twins want to destroy humanity because it failed to stop the coming genocide of mutants and destroy Earth because they want to deny Kang the planet to conquer.  However, that revelation (such as it is) isn't all that surprising.  We are also reminded that Kang manipulated Thor to get his hands on Jarnbjorn, though it's still unclear if the Twins using it to slay the Celestial was part of Kang's plan.  (I'm doubting that it was, given that Immortus is fretting over the end of the Earth in 3191, presumably precipitated by the end of the Earth in 2014.  But, if so, it's still unclear what Kang's original plan for the Twins and Jarnbjorn was.)

However, despite these plot moments, this issue is really about the heroes' trials.  A wounded Cap outmaneuvers a more powerful foe.  A desperate Jan has to decide if she will kill the Grim Reaper to save Earth.  A mournful Thor has to face the consequences of his youthful mistakes and make them right.  Remender includes so many wonderful moments along the way, like Thor recommitting to his fight after finding Wanda's body or Cap taking a beating to get Eimin right where he wanted her.

It's interesting to ponder what the future holds.  Both Cap and Thor are left scarred here (Cap's face, Thor's arm) and it makes me wonder if their injuries -- and, presumably, the deaths of Rogue, Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Man -- are going to be undone.  But, Remender continues to keep his cards close to his chest, so it's anyone's guess.

**** (four of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #15 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue isn't as character driven as the last one.  However, it's still exciting, since Remender lays bare the Twins' plan for the first time.

First, we discover that Eimin had foreseen Wanda's betrayal; as such, the Twins incorporated it into their plan.  When Wanda raptured Earth's mutants to the Twin's spaceship to fight them, the Twins made sure that they were actually delivered into waiting sarcophogi that'll keep them in stasis on the way to Planet X.  In other words, the Twins never needed Wanda to rapture them to Planet X; they just needed her to rapture them to the spaceship and the Twins would take them the rest of the way. Second, we learn that the Twins used Jarnbjorn to kill the Celestial in order to attract Exitar the Executioner, a Celestial executioner who decides to destroy Earth as punishment for the Celestial's murder.  With these two revelations, the Twins' plan becomes clear:  the Twins save the mutant race by taking them to Planet X and then destroy the human one for their sins against the mutant race.  (In case you missed the point, Eimin recites the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark for most of this issue.)  It also explains why Kang was forced to save the various characters from Marvel's future in last issue, since the destruction of Earth would clealry impact them negatively.

At this stage, with the totality of the Twins' plan revealed, the only real mystery is what Kang is going to do.  In previous discussions of the Celestial that Uriel killed, it was unclear if he did so as part of Kang's plan (which the Twins have somehow disrupted later) or if the murder of the Celestial was actually the thing that disrupted Kang's plan.  I'm guessing that we'll find out more in the next few issues.

In terms of character moments, as I said, this issue is light on them, but Remender did include a nice one, where Cap feels that the deaths of the Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man are on his head, since they happened since the Unity Squad was divided and that he's the reason that it was divided, because he couldn't follow Alex's leadership.  It's nice to see this moment and lays the seed of hope that the team may actually be able to continue after they (presumably) defeat the Twins.

I have to say, although I only gave this issue itself three stars, Remender is doing an amazing job telling such a tightly scripted story in a way that isn't written for the trade paperback.  I consider this story the best Avengers story since the Kang War and I can't think of higher praise than that.
*** (three of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Rogue and Wanda have been on a collision course since the start of this series and Remender brings it to an end that feels inevitable when it comes, with Rogue's mistrust of Wanda blinding her to the possibility that she might actually be wrong about her.  In that way, it's a familiar story about the arrogance that comes with power, with Rogue using all the means at her disposal to impose her will on reality.  The twist, of course, is that she therefore becomes exactly what she claims to hate about Wanda, something that she seems to realize as she stands over Wanda after delivering the killing blow.  (Wanda makes the point, too, just in case Rogue isn't self-aware enough to get there on her own.  When Rogue tries to justify her action by saying that Wanda was too dangerous to live, Wanda asks what Rogue is.)  But, Remender doesn't stop there.  Rogue not only pays for her crimes (against both Grim Reaper and Wanda) with her life, but Wolverine, in a way, is forced to pay for his crimes as well.  After all, Rogue is motivated to kill Wanda because she feels like she knows what the real Logan would want her to do, ignoring his earlier injunction against killing Wanda.  Moreover, Logan begs the Reaper to spare Rogue's life, something that drives the Reaper to comment on the irony of Logan asking for mercy.  Simon is the only one left able to make a noble sacrifice, giving his life to power Wanda's spell to call mutantkind to her side to stop the Apocalypse Twins.

Remender keeps your emotions high throughout the issue, making you feel a profound disappointment in the failure of the characters to meet heroic ideals.  In fact, he makes this disappointment all the more profound by calling into question whether the deaths will make matters better, as heroes' deaths usually do.  We open the issue with an unnamed father telling his unnamed daughter about the "truth about the day they celebrate as a holiday and the true cost of [their] failure."  But, he caveats this term, telling his daughter that [he and her mother] called themselves heroes but "behaved as anything but."  In other words, the outcome may be a good one (inspiring a holiday), but the squabbling that left three Avengers dead may have done little to contribute to it.  Dr. Doom in 2099 seems to echo that point when he refers to the "infantile bickering" that may have caused the collapse of the Universe that we also see at the start of this issue.  (Seeing Kang save the various heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe's future was awesome, in no small part because it makes you wonder what he's planning.)  Remender makes it clear, in this way, that the heroes will likely win the day, as we all know that they will.  But, it won't necessarily be because of some noble sacrifice.  It's not Thor killing Janet Van Dyne at the end of "Secret Invasion" or Nightcrawler sacrificing himself in "X-Men:  Second Coming."  The resolution may come in spite of the heroes, not because of them.  Now, that's some fascinating stuff.

***** (five of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #13 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue could've been just a pro forma bridge issue, the one between where the villain reveals his plans and where the heroes stop it.  But, Remender doesn't take his foot off the accelerator here, using the opportunity to spend some time on characterization.  To that end, we get all sorts of interpersonal drama that advances plots established in previous issues in a strong way.  In fact, Remender shows that he really understands the two most important hallmarks of an "Avengers" book:  romance and squabbling.  In the first instance, we've got Havok and Wasp's budding relationship and Wanda and Simon's rekindled one.  Will Wasp survive to deliver on her promise of nookie to Alex?  Will Simon be able to defend Wanda when she pulls off her plan to stop the Twins?  Of course, segueing to the second instance, Simon may have to defend Wanda from Rogue.  Willing to believe that Wanda is the bad guy that she always knew that she was, Rogue follows Logan's exhortation to stop Wanda before she can conduct the Rapture.  Will Rogue's lack of trust in Wanda mean that she stops Wanda before she can save mutantkind from the Twins?  It's these questions that show how tightly constructed this story is.  The romance and the squabbling isn't just there for fun; Remender makes them integral to the plot, since their outcomes will have a direct impact on the larger story that he's telling.  Finally, you add in the somewhat heavy-handed (but pretty hilarious) metaphor of a deaf Cap not being able to hear Alex and you realize just how good this series is.

**** (four of five stars)

Uncanny Avengers #12 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

It took some Googling, but I was eventually reminded that the camps depicted this issue -- with Ahab as lord and Rachel as hound -- were a result of the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly and the ensuing passage of the Mutant Registration Act, as depicted in the classic "X-Men:  Days of Future Past."  Kelly is saved in that timeline, but later assassinated in the "X-Cutioner's Song" event; the Mutant Registration Act eventually becomes the Superhuman Registration Act explored in the "Civil War" event.  As such, it would've been unclear what circumstances would bring about the creation of the camps in the existing timeline; Remender essentially steps into that gap here.  We learn that the Red Skull eventually uses Charles Xavier's powers to take control over the Scarlet Witch.  Armed with their powers and revealing certain secrets about mutant "crimes" that incite the human population, the Red Skull creates the world of the camps.

However, I'm less clear on the events at the end of this issue.  At this point, the Apocalypse Twins appear to be fulfilling Kang's wishes, leading mutantkind on an exodus from Earth.  I assume that it's to make it easier for Kang to conquer Earth, though Remender hasn't explicitly said that.  The Twins have hinted that they're implementing Kang's plan under his supervision, but that they've planned a twist, though we don't what that twist is yet.  Based on this issue, it appears to be the theft of Jarnbjorn, given the Scarlet Centurion's panic over its disappearance and its apparent link to the disintegration of Kang's empire around him.  In fact, in issue #8, the Twins did directly tie Jarnbjorn to undoing Kang's "crime," though we also don't know what that crime is yet.  However, as far as I'm aware, the only thing that the Twins have done with the axe is murder the Celestial, something that sounded like it was all part of Kang's plan in issue #7.  If it was, then they obviously use Jarnbjorn for something else, though we haven't yet seen it.  If it wasn't, then why does the murder of the Celestial lead to undoing Kang's "crime?"  (In fact, I almost wonder if the Twins murdering the Celestial on Kang's behalf isn't the crime.  If so, what do they do with Jarnbjorn to undo it?)

I get the sense that we're close to the big reveal, but I do find myself hoping that it comes somewhat soon.  I'm still enjoying this storyline thoroughly; it's just getting harder to keep all the details straight after this many months.

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

Uncanny Avengers #10:  Reading this issue, I almost felt like Remender was talking about American politics, given the events of recent week.  Wanda wondering whether the violence is ever going to end with people like Apocalypse, Cyclops, and the Red Skull taking such extreme positions.  Moreover, she notes that she's essentially lost hope that it will because no one seems to care, talking about how the riots that the Red Skull inspired faded from the public's attention after two news-cycles.  Given that the shutdown is already a distant memory, Wanda's instincts here ring remarkably true.  Remender has done an excellent job of making you feel like you're reading events that are happening in reality and this issue's eerie parallels to American politics increases that feeling all the more.

Given how much I loved Remender's arc in "Captain America," I'm thrilled to see Steve talking about the repercussions of Dimension Z here.  However, it also made me realize that Steve was there for longer than he's been an Avenger (something that I think I read somewhere else in another review but only really realized here).  It continues to raise some interesting questions, particularly the idea that Steve is off his game at a time when the Avengers really can't afford it.

Along those lines, Remender does a great job of reminding us just how great of a threat the Twins are.  They've chose their Horsemen perfectly, though why they're attacking the specific Avengers remain unclear.  Why do the Twins need Wanda and Wonder Man?  Why do Havok need to be saved and Thor need to be removed?  Is Daken supposed to kill Logan?  We don't know the answers to those questions yet, though Daken (along with the other Horsemen) make it clear that the Twins themselves have those answers.  In fact, Daken does really make you wonder what weakness the Avengers could possibly exploit to defeat the Twins.

Uncanny Avengers #11:  Although it veers close to the bright burning sun of excessive narration, this issue does manage to give us a LOT of information.  We learn that Kang intervened in Eimin and Uriel's life in order to convince them to save mutantkind from its eventual massacre at the hands of the Red Skull.  To do so, he suggests removing them from Earth, for the selfish reason of removing future opposition to his eventual rule.  However, despite disagreeing with Kang's reasoning, the Twins come to accept the answer and create Planet X.  We learn that it's why they wanted Wanda and Simon, for her to perform the Rapture spell, using Simon's power to amplify her hex and whisk away mutants to Planet X.  Then, the Twins were be the gods who saved mutantkind.

Or, will they?

Remender places some doubt on the Twins' motives there, as we learn that it wasn't the Twins who ordered Thor to survive, but the Sentry himself.  (In fact, the Twins wanted Thor dead lest he stop the Rapture.)  The Sentry implies that he saved Thor to help save humanity, so some part of him seems through the Twins' words.  Are the Twins going to wipe out Earth once they "rescue" the mutants?  Are they really just trying to get the mutants to Planet X to harvest their energy or something?  Remender isn't saying.  Meanwhile, we still have other remaining mysteries, like Logan's role in this affair, since they do seem to be harvesting his energies, for an unclear purpose.

Curioser and curioser.

Uncanny Avengers #9 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I love this series, but, man, this issue is rough, since Remender covers little actual ground here for the amount of space spent on dialogue.  Moreover, the ground that he does cover doesn't make a lot of sense.

First, the main event of the issue, the division of the team into X-Men (and Thor) and Avengers (and Havok), makes little sense if you take a moment and reflect on the circumstances that lead to it.  It happens essentially because Cap suddenly decides that Wolverine is little more than a murderer.  I have a number of issues with that.  First, as a soldier, it seems unlikely to me that Cap would be that upset that Wolverine would kill a child Apocalypse.  Would Cap not have killed a child Hitler if he had the chance?  I know that we're dealing with a high level of moral relativism here, so it's entirely possible that Cap see a difference between assassinating a child Hitler and a child Apocalypse.  However, Cap really focuses more on the murder part rather than the child part.  As such, we're really left with the impression that he's more upset that Logan murdered anyone.  Again, I'm not saying that Cap wouldn't be upset, but his rage here seems disproportionate.  I mean, do we not remember that Thor essentially murdered Jan to save the world?  It would seem hard to forget that, since they're both standing right there!  Moreover, Logan made this decision as a member of X-Force, not the Avengers.  It's not like he was running a secret squad of Avengers...like Cap was, during the Secret Avengers days.  Remember when Cap stepped aside to have other members of the team torture someone?  I do.  Maybe he wants to confess that to the group.

But, for argument's sake, let's say Cap was really outraged that Wolverine killed a child Apocalypse and that he feels betrayed because Logan really did commit to putting aside his murdering ways when he agreed to become an Avenger.  Fine.  However, he and Alex decide that the best way to handle the situation is to have this discussion in front of the entire team?  A team that is volatile on a good day?  Logan didn't merit a discussion about these issues behind closed doors, just the three of them?  Even if Cap didn't think he deserved such a courtesy, neither he nor Alex anticipated how accusing Logan of murder in front of the team might force everyone to take sides, particularly given how many times the issue of murder has divided the Avengers in the past?  Really?  To me, it's completely unrealistic and, more upsettingly, unnecessary.  Remender had already done a good job of building any number of issues that could've split the team in the way that it splits here.  For example, it would've been totally plausible for Rogue and the other X-Men to leave because they felt that Alex was debasing mutantkind by calling on the world to see him as a person before a mutant.  Why chose an issue with so many obvious flaws when you could have used a better one?

I was also less thrilled with other parts of this issue, such as the somewhat awkward attempt to make Uriel human.  (Also, did Remender need to rub in the fact that Havok is straight?  Sigh.)  But, the disastrous Logan plotline overshadowed any other qualms that I had about this issue.  Hopefully, everyone will reunite next issue and I'll be able to pretend that this one never happened.

Uncanny Avengers #8.AU (HERE BE SPILERS!)

Of all the "Age of Ultron" tie-in issues, this one is the most clever, advancing the story that Remender is currently telling in "Uncanny Avengers" while at the same time giving us a glimpse of the new future created by Wolverine after he killed Hank.  Remender accomplishes this seemingly impossible task by focusing on Kang and the Apocalypse Twins, with Kang using this new future as a proving ground for the Twins.

We don't really learn anything new about the "Age of Ultron" storyline here, other than the fact that Thor died at some point, causing Odin to lead the departure of the Asgardians from Earth and ceding it to Morgana Le Fey.  (Previously, it was unclear to me whether Thor was dead or departed with the Asgardians for reasons not yet revealed at the time.)  Remender does confirm certain pieces of information that we've previously gleaned in the "Uncanny Avengers" storyline, such as the Twins spending time in Red Skull's camps after his onslaught on mutantkind and the death of Angel at Wolverine's hands.  But, for the most part, Remender uses this issue not to advance the plot, per se, but to develop the Twins as sympathetic characters.  Kang's the one who sent them to the camps (repeatedly) to crush the humanity from them, hardening them to serve as the saviors of mutantkind when the time comes.  However, the Twins know that he's evil and it's clear that they're trying to find a way to reconcile their need to save their endangered people with their desire not to further his own personal agenda.  Uriel in particular is shown struggling with the need to appease Kang (and keep his sister safe) while preserving his humanity and Remender uses Rogue brilliantly to tease out that struggle.

It still remains to be seen the role that Kang plays in this new dark future, particularly if the Red Skull is seemingly running the camps.  Does the Skull work for him or is Kang just biding his time to take on the Skull, something that has happened by the time the adult Twins arrive in our world?  But, that question is actually not an "Age of Ultron" question, but an "Uncanny Avengers" one, which shows how well Remender did in blending the two storylines together.  In fact, if you're not reading "Uncanny Avengers" and got this issue only for the "Age of Ultron" tie-in aspects, you're probably disappointed.  But, given how the reverse is generally true, it was a pleasure to be on the positive side of that situation for once.

Uncanny Avengers #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

As Cap himself says, Remender is playing a deep game here.  Every issue, I think we're heading to a resolution and yet every issue Remender raises more questions than he answers.  Most of the time, this description is the tell-tale sign of an author (or, more likely, editors) desperately trying to prolong a story that has long passed the point of being interesting (***cough****the Clone Saga***cough***).  However, here, Remender's story is so ambitious here that the new questions only serve to make it all the more fascinating.

More than anything, I was surprised by how much we learned about the Apocalypse Twins in this issue without really knowing what their actual plan is.

First, Remender is surprisingly direct in laying out the Twins' goals and motivations.  They reveal that the Red Skull's crusade against mutantkind brings about the dark future that the X-Men have often confronted, where mutants like Rachel Summers were used as hounds for Ahab.  Moreover, they reveal that several heroes inadvertently helped Kang manufacture this future.  They blame Thor for giving Kang Jarnbjorn, allowing him to crack Apocalypse's Celestial armor and prevent anyone from ascending to Apocalypse's throne.  As a result, no one is able to rally mutantkind and defeat the Red Skull, leading to mutantkind's decimation.  Similarly, Wolverine and his X-Force did little to help the situation, killing En Sabah Nur as a child and allowing Archangel to die, also ensuring that no one would ascend to Apocalypse's throne.  With mutantkind decimated, Kang clearly is able to take control.

But, the beauty of Remender laying out the "past" of this dark future is that it doesn't necessary spoil what he has in store for the future of our actual present.  (Follow that?)  The Twins note that they have found a way to use Jarnbjorn to undo Kang's "crime," but they don't tell us how they will do so.  In fact, it's unclear exactly what Kang is doing in this dark future.  Is he its overlord or is he acting more behind the scenes?  Moreover, we learn that the Twins are planning their own version of Ragnarok, but they reveal few details.  Do they plan on eliminating all humankind?  Plus, we don't know everything that we need to know about their past.  How did they come to turn against Kang?  It seems that he simply dumped them into the concentration camps where mutants lived in this dark future.  If so, why didn't he just kill them before they had the chance to betray him?

Furthermore, Remender keeps several other mysteries on the back burner.  Who's the "her" who the Twins thought would join them after the destruction of Rio?  Who manipulated Captain America into South Sudan?  Kang?  Is he trying to recruit him to stop the Twins?  Moreover, Remender seems to lay the groundwork for the reveal that the current Angel isn't who we think he is, given the Twins' comment that Archangel was replaced by a fraud and Logan's comments that Warren is dead.  Remender also doesn't turn his focus entirely from the Avengers dysfunction, showing how the secrets that they all keeping (Thor and Jarnbjorn, Logan and Archangel) not only reflects how little trust they have for one another but also makes it worse (such as when Janet discovers Logan and Rogue colluding in the back of the jet).

Moreover, amidst this grand story, we have moments of real characterization.  Remender portrays the Twins as sympathetic characters, scarred by their past and trying to prevent it from happening in the future.  They feel the burden of their responsibility, even as they seemingly plan genocide.  He also spends time playing Sunfire off Thor, reminding us of the potential that this series has as characters with previous experience with one another try to find a way to work together.

Eight issues into this series, I have little idea where we're going, but I'm entirely confident that it'll be awesome.

Uncanny Avengers #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Although I was initially a little surprised by the high level of vitriol that we see here amongst the Avengers, I have to say that I eventually came to realize that Remender is actually presenting a pretty damn realistic portrayal of how this group would interact with one another after the events of "Avengers vs. X-Men."  Remender has made it clear that Rogue will no way forgive Wanda for her role in M-Day and I can totally buy that.  Moreover, Wanda is trying to stay civil (even though she finally gives up doing so here when she refers to Rogue as a "floozy"), but you can just tell that she believes that she made amends (since she did help Hope restart the mutant race, after all).  In other words, it all fits.  Similarly, I totally buy that Jan would make comments about the X-Men not being "real Avengers" and then proceed to hit on Havok.  (She does have a thing for blondes.)  Even Logan defending Rogue fits with the idea that we're still Avengers and X-Men on this team, name to the contrary.  I think the adjustment to this sort of profound in-fighting comes from the fact that Bendis made the Avengers into a shiny, happy family who never fought.  But, constant bickering is a long cherished Avengers tradition and I'm actually enjoying watching Remender resurrect it.

Remender really does an amazing job of keeping all the balls in the air here and making you wonder where we're going next.  Although the main focus of this issue is the arrival of the Apocalypse Twins, Remender reminds us that the Red Skull is still out there fomenting anti-mutant hysteria.  He also sets up a future story with Havok dispatch Rogue after Magneto.  Turning to the matter at hand, we learn that Kang didn't need Jarnbjorn to pierce Apocalypse's armor, as appeared to be the case last issue, but a Celestial's (assuming that Uriel killing him was actually part of Kang's plan).  I would still love to know how it wound up falling into Baron Mordo's hands (as seen in the end of issue #6) or why Logan would know about Jarnbjorn (since it was his ancestor who was on hand for Thor's fight with Apocalypse).  But, I feel like Remender will get us there, given how carefully he's handled such dangling plot threads so far.

Obviously, the big question now is why Uriel and Eimin have returned at this exact moment.  Is it all part of Kang's plan or are they acting on their own?  It seems like a good time for Kang to send them to the present, if the goal was to stop Genocide from gaining Apocalypse's powers.  But, where do we go from here?  I can't wait to get that answer!