Avengers

Secret Avengers #17

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secret-avengers-17-coverAlthough I liked the makeup of the team I had given up on Secret Avengers as a regular monthly title during their John Steele story arc. Over the first dozen issue the comic was very hit-and-miss for me and appeared to be still struggling to find itself. And I was pretty sure three straight months of Fear Itself tie-ins wasn’t going to help.

However, last month writer Warren Ellis took over the title and I decided to give it another shot. I so impressed I picked this issue up without even reading it before I got home. That was a big, big mistake.

The storyline is the kind of odd story Ellis is known for that could (and probably was) a Authority tale he never got to tell. Steve Rogers, Agent 13, War Machine (but can we really still call him that without the shoulder cannon?), and Valkyrie head off to Eastern Europe where entire villages are disappearing. What they discover is a giant demon truck traveling across the landscape with a zombie cyborg at the wheel. Sadly, it’s not as good as it sounds.

…

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Avengers #14

/ / Comics

avengers-14-coverThis Fear Itself tie-in has quite a bit going for it, but in the end doesn’t quite work when it asks the reader to care about a character that’s only slightly less ridiculous than Rocket Racer. The entire issues centers around the retelling of the Red Hulk‘s battle with Hammertime Ben Grimm outside of Avengers Tower.

The fight itself works well, as does the opening capturing the uncertainty of the other members of the team at Steve Rogers‘ choice to make Red Hulk an Avenger. What doesn’t quite work is the apparent (i.e. not really) end of the Red Hulk at the hands of the possessed Thing.

I don’t mind the elevated nature as the heroes say kind words about the Red Hulk for apparently (but not really) giving his life in a futile cause, but given the level of reference displayed here you’d think they were talking about someone on the level of Captain America (all the more empty given the absence of any body foreshadowing that this isn’t the end of the character). Good idea. Bad execution. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Avengers #12

/ / Comics

avengers-12-coverThe final issue of the Infinity Gauntlet story arc begins and ends with a little slight of hand. Personally, I would have liked the Thanos storyline to play out in a different way, but what we get here certainly works (even if it is slightly disappointing).

We also get all the Infinity Gems joined together for the first time in years and under the control of a single master – Iron Man. Once all the gems are assembled together Stark faces the same dilemma of everyone who has worn the gauntlet – do I use this power to fix the world? Although not that surprising, his conclusion is dramatically well told and does line up with Stark’s personality. There’s no question, this is the choice he would make.

In the end the Hood goes back to jail, the Red Hulk becomes a permanent member of the Avengers, and we see Steve Rogers making a compromise he wouldn’t have made three or four years ago. It may not be as good as the last issue, but it’s still worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Avengers #11

/ / Comics

avengers-11-coverWhat’s most interesting about this issue is that the entire story is presented from the perspective of Uatu, the Watcher. As the issue begins Parker Robbins holds three of the Infinity Gems. By the issue’s end all five of the gems will be located, but the last by a figure you wouldn’t expect.

Although the dialogue is limited here, we get plenty of action and quite a bit of narration from the Watcher which gives us insight into the limitations of Parker Robbins’ imagination. It’s actually a very clever plot device to explain why Robbins is able to beat back the heroes rather easily but at the same time not able to use the full power of the gems. Uatu also gives an important insight into the Red Hulk as well.

Uatu’s presence helps underscore the importance of the events and the power of the gems, as does the power of the Mind Gem pitted against the Earth’s most powerful telepath – Charles Xavier.

Oh, and the surprise guest who makes his appearance on the final panel? Yeah, that’s pretty damn cool, too. Must-read.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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