Avengers #11 - Written by Jonathan Hickman, Art by Mike Deodato Jr.
Splitting up the characters into different groups - Captain Marvel and Shang-Chi both fly solo, while Sunspot teams up with Cannonball and Black Widow and Spider-Woman work together - is definitely the smartest element of this issue. Each approaches the investigation differently, and in doing so they all demonstrate why they deserve a place on the Avenger's roster. Carol for her leadership and intelligence, Shang-Chi for his kung fu and investigative skills, Sunspot and Cannonball for their friendship and novel approaches, Jessica and Natasha for espionage.
While it is nice to see each Avenger have their place on the roster justified, some of their's methods prove to be more interesting than others. Shang-Chi's role in this book is based around building up to a fight against a small army of ninjas; however, this fight takes place largely off panel, leaving the reader wishing for a stronger climax to his arc. Spider-Woman and Black Widow have the opposite problem, as the book jumps straight to the resolution, once again robbing Deodato of the opportunity to show some action. Hickman clearly intends to paint Natasha in a morally grey light by showing her dead victims but it may have been wiser to show her actually committing the murders, rather than showing only the aftermath.
The Captain Marvel and Sunspot/Cannonball team ups fair better. Carol engages in a high stakes poker match with some sort of supervillain type, in which their banter is every bit a part of the game as their cards. The two of them work off each other well, trying to get the other to divulge secrets, and the resolution proves to be satisfying as it both gives a bit of insight into Carol's character as well as advancing the plot forward, something Hickman has struggled with combining in the past. Sunspot and Cannonball are mostly here for comic relief, as they entice some AIM agents to party with them, and for the most part the jokes land well, but they don't manage to move the plot anywhere past where Carol leaves it.
The final page reveal by Shang-Chi ends up making him seem to be the most capable of the little group of Avengers, but there is little else in the book to support this assertion. Hickman's decision to focus on the action in the casino pays off well for Captain Marvel, but for a book that puts Shang-Chi front and center on the cover, it probably would have been a better idea to put his battle against the ninjas front and center and shuffle the other three arcs into the background. Final Score: 6.5/10
Avenging Spider-Man #20 - Written by Christopher Yost, Art by Marco Checchetto
Yost manages to squeeze a lot into this issue, starting with Spider-Man taking out an AIM cell in the US and ending up with Spidey facing down the Hulk in the bowels of the Helicarrier. In between, Otto manages to outwit SHIELD and do battle with some strange Russian goons. The action here isn't anything you haven't seen before in a Spider-Man comic; Otto jumps, flips, punches, shoots web, and so on and so forth. The action definitely isn't the star of this comic, taking a backseat to Octavious' character. Yost continues to knock it out of the park in this area, putting his arrogance and disgust with his fellow heroes front and center, with his genius only a few short steps behind. His criticisms of the Secret Avengers are both hilarious and stinging, as are his abrupt dismissals when they attempt to speak with him.
Also standing out in the character department is the Chameleon, who is presented primarily in a Hannibal Lector-esque cell in which he is undergoing a therapy session. Chameleon's responses, while brief and seemingly harmless, nevertheless chill to the bone. Yost and Checchetto work together beautifully here, as Yost brings the perfect setting and foils to let Checchetto bring forth subtle body language and facial expressions that, even though a full mask, clearly convey that a cold blooded killer lurks behind the other side of the glass.
Avenging Spider-Man doesn't change up its formula too much this issue, but luckily its a formula that works. Yost continues to alter his tone of his stories to sync up with the guest stars, keeping everything feeling fresh, and while the action isn't very exciting, Otto's gloating has yet to become old, even when it's front and center in 2 different books every month. The cliffhanger here promises a big showdown for Spidey next chapter; I hope that Yost is able to rise the challenge he has laid out for himself and provide a truly epic confrontation between Hulk's brute strength and Spider-Man's intelligence, but I remain confident that at the very least Otto will have some good put down prepared for Banner that'll make the book worth reading. Final Score: 8/10
Deadpool #9 - Written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehen, Art by Mike Hawthorne
The sheer level of ridiculous in this comic (seriously, Benjamin Franklin's ghost is a huge member of the supporting cast) can no doubt be a tough sell for some, and little is done in this issue to win over those that didn't find the first 8 issues to their liking. Those that have been enjoying this series, however, will likely enjoy this issue as well. Deadpool isn't really hilarious in this issue, although his supporting cast picks up the slack a bit in the comedy department, but the action sequence - in which Deadpool has to kill a lifeguard with the powers of Aquaman - is well done, with a few good quips exchanged and a nice twist ending.
What falls flatter, however, are the attempts that Duggan and Posehen make to confront Deadpool with the ethically dilemmas of being a mercenary and killing good people. It isn't exactly a novel concept, and it feels like Deadpool could - and did - face the same questions during Kelly and Way's runs. Its possible that the book is building to some greater revelation here, but right now Wade's character arc feels like a retread.
The demon plot, however, is unusual for a Deadpool storyline (maybe almost too much), as are the supporting cast members, so the book as a whole doesn't end up feeling too stale. Some solid action and a legitimately shocking twist ending keep Deadpool #9 from being a failure, and fans will be satisfied - if not overjoyed - with this issue. Final Score - 6/10
Wolverine #3 - Written by Paul Cornell, Art by Alan Davis
One of the smartest moves Cornell makes is to pair Wolverine up with Nick Fury Jr. Fury and Logan (or James, as Cornell would like us to call him) have a great dynamic with one another, two soldiers being able to kick back and talk shop before heading into battle. Fury's relatively new status to the greater Marvel Universe also allows him to act as something of a foil for Logan. He acts as a mouthpiece for many notions that have developed around Wolverine, in particular his status as a loner and his reputation as a beserker. Cornell uses these opportunities to demonstrate how Logan has grown past these roots ("I've never called myself a loner. I like people" is an easy favorite for quote of the week), and demonstrates his intelligence and experience in a battlefield setting as he chides Fury for suggesting he jumps out of the car and onto the roof of the enemy base.
The action, or rather the lack of it, also serves to demonstrate the kind of character Wolverine has grown into. The primary action scene revolves around security guard in some powered armor, and Wolverine initially tries to avoid the conflict by presenting his Avengers ID card, only taking offensive action when the guards attack one of their own to get to him. Once he does decide to take action, however, Logan brings the fight to an abrupt end, using precise slashes shredding the armor of the guard without hurting the man inside. Through this scene, Cornell demonstrates how Logan has abandoned his roots as the battle hungry warrior of Claremont's X-Men, and has grown into a man who fights - and kills - only when he has explored all other options. Alan Davis also deserves special mention here, as its his art far moreso than Cornell's writing that showcases Logan's skill; the few panels that do feature Wolverine attacking the guard display a surgical precision, with a sense of speed and efficiency that is rare to see in a comic.
This is the issue of Wolverine that I've been waiting for since the book relaunched. It steps up to the plate and leaves no doubt in the readers mind that it understands the growth Wolverine has undergone under Remender in Uncanny X-Force and Aaron in Wolverine and Wolverine and the X-Men, and assures us that this new character will not only be as interesting as the old one, but very well may be better. Final Score: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment