Marvel Reveals Two Secret Avengers

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CBR: Marvel Reveals Two Secret Avengers

Though my first guess was wrong about the character who turned out to be Beast, I'm still really excited to see him on this team. I feel like he's been a bit underutilized on the X-Men, and I always really liked the idea of him as an Avenger. This pick seems to indicate that the term "Secret" in the title doesn't indicate a "black ops" assassin team, given Beast's disapproval of the X-team equivalent, X-Force. Also, these teasers reveal that some of the details have been removed from the silhouettes to make their identities harder to guess. Nevertheless, I stand by most of my guesses from my previous posts, but I would like to talk a little more about the one character I couldn't pin down.

"I excel through adversity."
I still can't narrow this one down, but I do have a few more guesses. Captain Marvel (Noh-Varr) is still at the top of my list, though I express an increased degree of skepticism now that there's supposed to be a former Dark Avenger appearing in the new New Avengers line up. I'd also like to add Nova to my list of guesses, as the quote is definitely fitting for someone who's lived through Annihilation. That said, I expect this won't actually be the case. Honestly, the Avengers seem a little beneath him at this point - defending one corner of a single world isn't really much to write home about when you're regularly saving the galaxy. Not to mention it will make very little sense if he's hanging around Earth in Secret Avengers but is halfway around the Milky Way in his solo book or Realm of Kings. I know it's not new for characters to play double duty in multiple books, but the distances involved here seem to go beyond standard allowances of cognitive dissonance. Finally, now that Beast has been confirmed, I'd like to add Wonder Man to my list. We haven't seen him in a while, but he and Beast have a lot of history and make an amusing pair. I'm not sure he "excels through adversity," though he did die and come back to life once upon a time, so that's at least something in his favor. Time will tell, I suppose, I expect two more characters to be revealed tomorrow.

X-Men Legacy 234, X-Factor 203

Let's talk X-Men. Well, X-books, anyway. Both of these are essentially fulfilling the same role of passing the time between a previous arc and upcoming Second Coming tie-ins. Speaking of Second Coming, I'll likely not be reviewing each individual issue, but rather taking it in blocks of perhaps four or so issues.

X-Men Legacy 234
This issue is notable in that it's the first that really seems to focus on the "new direction" this book is supposed to be taking (which is to say, Rogue). At least, I assume it is, though it's still not really clear to me if it's just going to be about Rogue, or if it's supposed to be a Young/New X-Men replacement. At any rate, this one's about Rogue and how she gets around. Okay, that's sexist and unfair, but seriously, this issue's a little more soap opera heavy than your typical comic book. A plot contrivance requires Rogue to sap some of the Stepford Cuckoos' telepathic powers for the day. This complicates her encounters with the various romantic figures in her life; she has a heart to heart with Gambit, makes out with Magneto, and possibly catches some awkward stray thoughts from Iceman. She also finds time to help Indra start reconciling his moral beliefs and the nature of his powers. Though I'm honestly not sure how I'm supposed to feel about the whole situation, it seems to me that convincing a young man to dismiss pacifism and become comfortable with violence is a little irresponsible.

Basically, if you like Rogue and all that drama that comes with her, you'll likely enjoy this comic. If not, you're probably not going to find this particular outing very meaningful. Even the art's not much to write home about.

X-Factor 203
Another filler issue, this one featuring Strong Guy and Monet St. Croix. We're actually thrown into the middle of the story, as Monet has somehow been kidnapped and Strong Guy is hitting up the local drug kingpin in Generic South American Country for information on her whereabouts. As it turns out Monet and her father are being held captive by Baron Mordo, who wants to make use of Monet's Penance form in much the same way her brother Empath did, using her as a source of some vague life energy. Strong Guy dukes it out with some golems but apparently not before Mordo can successfully restore himself with Monet's help. And that's pretty much where this issue ends. It's not a bad story, but there's no indication that it's going to be continued in the next issue (which is supposedly a Second Coming tie-in), so we're basically left with a story with no beginning and no end. Art's pretty decent, though Strong Guys hands appear comically small next to his giant arms, even for a character for whom this tends to be typical. I did enjoy the Baron Mordo cameo, and I hope it implies a guest appearance by Dr. Strange in the near future. I guess what I'm saying is that the merit of this particular story will depend on whether it's successfully concluded in an upcoming issue or if it's ultimately tossed aside for the sake of Second Coming.

Dark Wolverine 84, New Mutants 11

Dark Wolverine 84
Garbage.


New Mutants 11
An interesting addition to the Siege line, Hela calls on Dani Moonstar to repay a favor she granted back in the “Utopia” story line in Uncanny X-Men and Dark Avengers. She tasks Dani with collecting the souls of dead gods and bringing them to Hel. See, normally the dead go to Valhalla, in Asgard, but since these folks were already in Valhalla and died again, they have to go to Hel. Which is, I assume, different than Hell (that extra “l” makes all the difference). I don't know how any of this holds with Norse mythology, but I can only assume it's previously established comic book lore, so let's just go with it. At any rate, Hela transforms Dani into a Valkyrie (which, oddly enough, still includes her X-Men “X”) and sends her off to the field of battle at Asgard. However, once she arrives, Dani decides to join the battle instead of performing her duties; this has tragic consequences in the form of the Dísir, creatures which prey upon the souls of dead gods. Realizing her mistake, Dani returns to her duties, defending the dead gods against the Dísir and escorting those still... “alive?” to Hel, though she is still roundly criticized afterward by an angry Hela. Overall, an enjoyable addition to both Siege and New Mutants, which sees Dani grappling with her impetuous and often violent nature. My only to nits to pick with this issue are these: first, I'm not a fan of the manga-esque art style (though this is more a reflection of personal taste than the artist's competence); and second, the other New Mutants are portrayed as being too busy gambling to care about the news coming from Asgard, which seems a bit out of character.

Dark Wolverine 84
I guess I should write an actual review, but Jesus, what the hell did I just read? And why? This book was so bad I can't even crack jokes about it. It was so bad I don't even want to review it. It's so bad, when it sits around the house, it sits around the house. Wait, I think I got mixed up. At any rate, what should be apparent at this point is that I hated this issue. Daken has turned into one big anti-hero cliché, and the writers seem determined to ride that train right into the ground. In terms of the plot, there is absolutely no reason for the Fates to be involved with Daken other than to give this book an excuse to tie in to Siege and piggyback off its sales. Bullseye is pretty much completely out of character for the whole issue, and the art's atrocious. My recommendation: save your money for a decent Wolverine comic, I hear Wolverine: Weapon X is quite enjoyable.

Uncanny X-Men 522

Meh. Absolutely nothing happens in this issue that wasn't telegraphed in the last. Actually, not a whole lot happens in this issue, period. Magneto brings Kitty Pryde back, but if you read the last issue, you already know that. The X-Club strings scientific sounding words together into nonsensical phrases; something about making satellites hallucinate so they don't detect the giant bullet of impending doom returning to Earth (I guess that sort of thing makes people nervous). With a final act of will Magneto pulls Kitty from the bullet as it passes through the planet. But wait, there's a twist! Kitty can't unphase, so she sinks to the center of the Earth. That last part's not true, but this contrivance certainly draws attention to the glaring logical errors that are inherent in Kitty Pryde's power set. And hasn't this exact plot device been used with Kitty before? Like, 30 years ago? Now Nightcrawler needs to get injured so the pair of them can move to the UK and form a team that's actually worth reading about.

Overall, a lackluster end to a meandering store arc. The art's mediocre (why the heck is Kitty's outfit clinging to her cleavage?) and there's a bonus story tacked on to the end that's equally boring. Fraction spends most of the issue dumbing down the dialogue of supporting characters so Cyclops sounds smart. I'm actually kind of impressed that Fraction managed to take the return of a mainstay, fan-favorite character and make it so thoroughly uninteresting. Here's hoping Second Coming is more enjoyable, but I won't hold my breath.

Thunderbolts 142, Avengers: The Initiative 34

Last of the shorter reviews, I think. I'll have a few more longer ones for books released last week. Mighty and New Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, and maybe a few others will likely be up next week sometime, as that's about how long Marvel tends to take getting them to me.

Thunderbolts 142
I suppose I should preface this by saying that I haven't been a big fan of the newest incarnation of this team. That this is a team that is (with a couple exceptions) either unrepentantly evil or at least morally ambivalent seems to run counter to the traditional themes of redemption in this book. Not to mention that having a team that consistently points in the wrong direction on the moral compass sort of requires they lose more often than not. The book itself hasn't been bad, per se, though it has been rather hit or miss, with the quality of any given arc usually more dependent on guest or supporting characters than the titular team.

All that said, I definitely enjoyed this issue. I felt like the story got off to a shaky start, but it really hits its stride here. While USAgent's always been sort of a poor-man's Captain America, the face off here between him and Nuke (AKA Scourge) works really well. I've always found Scourge to be a rather flat and boring character, and while that's still true, at the very least this story plays to his particular variety of bland and uninteresting. I really like the idea of Amadeus Cho being able to take on Mr. X thanks to his dizzying intellect (even if some fans like to decry him as a bit of a Mary Sue character). The spear of Odin is bad ass, even if it's not clear to me how the physics of it work (I'm not really sure what Ant Man means when he says it's "floating like a jet ski"... does it literally fly when no one's controlling it)? The art's not perfect, but it works pretty well with the story; lots of frowning and shadowy faces, which is a bit cliche but nevertheless appropriate. I did find the dialogue to be pretty unimpressive (especially between USAgent and Scourge, yeeach!), so if that's a turn off I'd probably suggest avoiding this issue.

One way or another, it's an exciting issue, and I'm looking forward to the final installment. Time will tell if Ant Man and Paladin's change of allegiance will turn the tide or be too little, too late. And I'm curious to see what USAgent's eventual fate will be; while he's even more redundant than usual now that Steve Rogers has returned (not to mention still super unlikeable) I'm not sure he deserves the treatment he receives at the end of this issue.

Avengers: The Initiative 34
Avengers: The Initiative is another title I haven't been following all that closely, but I picked it up because it ties into Siege and has "Avengers" in the title. Turns out, it's also another tie in that I've enjoyed more than the main Siege storyline. Really, this issue has what Siege (and a lot of large scale BMB stories) lacks - character development. In the same number of pages as Siege 3 we get all the excitement of the big battle scenes plus some poignant vignettes about how the events are affecting some of the individuals involved. The Taskmaster has become a wonderful villain, so I hope we see more of him once this series ends (on a side note, is his face actually a skull? When I read him when I was younger I was pretty sure it was a mask, but it seems pretty expressive these days). And Frank and Rachel had better get a happy ending or I'm going to be rather upset. I also hope we're seeing the foundations of the new New Warriors in this book with Robbie and Vance's reunion, as I'd very much like to see Robbie shed his angsty Penance persona and return to the more lighthearted Speedball.

The Marvels Project 7, Secret Warriors 14

A couple more quick ones. There'll be a few more up over the next few days, most likely.

The Marvels Project 7
I've been following this series since it began and I've enjoyed every issue, though I sometimes think I don't have a thorough enough grounding in Marvel Comics history to fully appreciate the book. On the other hand, the fact that these may be unfamiliar characters adds a certain degree of suspense, because unlike an ongoing series, it's less clear if certain secondary characters will live through the last issue. Regardless, it stands very well on its own, and Brubaker's writing thus far has been superb (which shouldn't be surprising, considering he's working with Captain America). This issue wasn't my favorite, as it seemed to contain a lot of narration (which I assume is setting the scene for the final issue), but it still has its exciting parts. The art's pretty good, and suits the subject matter, and I enjoy how the subdued colors serve to make the brightly colored uniforms of the various superheroes stand out. I'm excited for the final issue, and a little bit relieved it's ending, as it's gotten to the point where I'm having trouble remembering how the series began.

Secret Warriors 14
If Marvels Project is difficult to follow from one month to the next, Secret Warriors borders on impossible. I can't keep these guys with funny hats straight. Good thing they're color-coded, or I'd have no clue what's going on. Part of the problem is that I'm not familiar with Nick Fury's extensive backstory, though I can't imagine most readers are much better off than I am, since the character hasn't been extensively published since the early 80s. As such, it's often difficult to tell how I'm supposed to feel about what appear to be key plot points, like the appearance of Orion (what happened to his penis?!) or the reveal of the woman with the world's longest name. But at least Nick's interesting, which is more than I can say for the titular Secret Warriors. They just feel so unnecessary; it's clearly a book about Nick Fury vs. Hydra, there's no reason to shoehorn a superhero team in there, especially one as bland as this. All bitching aside, this is one of the better books Marvel is currently putting out, and it fills an important niche in a line largely populated with superhero comics. The stories have been pretty well written thus far, and the art's decent, too. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a little espionage in their comic experience.

Doomwar 2, SWORD 5

So I'm getting a little behind on all the books I want to review, and as a result I think I'm going to devote the next few posts to less in-depth reviews for books that (for various reasons) I don't feel capable of talking about at length. And I plan to throw up some stuff that's not review related in the near future, as well. At any rate, let's begin!

Doomwar 2
I haven't been following Black Panther at all, so it's tough for me to talk to much about this book. I'm familiar with T'Challa, but not so much the other characters associated with him or recent events in his book. As such, I'm a little out of my element in this series, but nevertheless I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. X-men I can handle, though; it's always fun to see Logan, Kurt and Pete out in the field doing what they do best, but I hope we get to see more of Ororo, she's a bit out of her element as the damsel in distress. Having not read Black Panther, it's not 100% clear to me if Shuri's bloodlust is par for the course or foreshadowing of something more sinister to come, but it seems to me that if Wolverine's telling you you're going to far, you may have a problem. It'll be interesting to me to see if this somehow results in T'Challa's eventual reclaiming of the Black Panther mantle. Eaton's art has been quite enjoyable thus far, though some of the action sequences can get a little muddled. The only thing that really bugged me was Doctor Doom threatening T'Challa's mother with a gun; has Doom ever held a gun before ever? He can shoot lasers out of his hands, but he's holding a Glock to a woman's head. At any rate, I'm looking forward to future issues, and I hope the rest of the series can keep up the pace these first two have set.

SWORD 5
SWORD, we hardly knew you. I think it's safe to say I loved this series, and I'm sorry to see it end prematurely. Gillen's writing has been superbly enjoyable, as he does "space cowboy" to a T, and his dialogue is quite amusing. I'm sad that we won't get to visit the more intriguing characters more in depth, particularly Death's Head and Unit. I was even warming up to Sander's art, long faces and all. This issue gives a solid send off to this splendid series; Henry Gyrich receives his just deserts (as usual), the Drenx are roundly thwomped, and half a dozen (literally) out-of-this-world Marvel characters get cameo treatment (particularly Beta Ray Bill). If you haven't been reading it, I'd strongly recommend picking up the back issues or TPB (if we ever see one).