Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artists: Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines
Well, so much for this weekly series. It was supposed to be weekly or bi-weekly right? Well, I'm throwing my expectations for on-time out the window for now on. Thank you Jeph Loeb for rushed ideas! Moving on, this issue focuses on the stage of grief of "Anger." The Mighty Avengers take their anger out the villain Tiger Shark, while the New Avengers take it out on each other. This book didn't do a whole lot for me, the New Avengers just seemed too sad to really be angry. If you're angry, then why do you invite Ben Grimm to come over and set up a poker game? I know that Ben holds poker games in the Marvel Universe, but are you really that upset that you're going to give away your "secret" hideout to a registered hero, regardless of who it is? Luke Cage can't go out and buy a pack of cards for you? Just send out Jessica Drew, no one knows who she is, and they'd be too distracted by her boobs and pheramones to remember her ever being anywhere. This cover insinuates a battle between the two teams, but nothing like that happens here.
Ed McGuinness does the art here, and I was so in love with his DC stuff that I find myself seeing DC characters in this book. Ms. Marvel is clearly Wonder Woman with Blond Hair, Iron Fist is Batman, and Luke Cage and Sentry are Superman. It's just jarring to see the faces and musculature from in different costumes. The only persons trully different are Spider-Man and Ben Grimm, just because one is made out of rock, and the other is supposed to be skinny. Honestly, this book doesn't do much to further the Dead Captain America storyline, and is perfectly skippable if you're short on cash. Next issue is Captain America with John Romita Jr. so that may turn out okay. D+/C-
Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis
Artist: Frank Cho
I didn't like last issue, but I did this one. The thought balloons in this issue were not just "UGHS" and "OH'S", but I still say I don't need to know who Iron Man wants to bang, or why men should not get married. Moving on, this issue finishes of the roll call spreads, so we see each member of the team get recruited in a day. Wow, that must be a record for Bendis and the Avengers. We get back to the female Ultron, and not much else happens. Janet figures out it is Ultron at the end of the issue, and we move on. Anything else that happens are the recruiting flashbacks and character moments that show Ms. Marvel as an inexperienced leader. She's learning, and the thought balloons are what show her vulnerability in this issue. Frank Cho is doing a good job here. He tends to favor some two-page panel laden spreads, which give this book a "widescreen feel." It worked last issue, but nothing happens here to merit it. Giving yourself room to draw big boobs and thighs is not good a good page layout I'm sorry. Ms. Marvel, with her thunder thighs, looks like the wrestler Chyna if she was a woman, and since when did Janet Pym have boobs as big as her head? One would think that with all the shrinking she does, that they would still just get in the way, but if that's how Frank Cho wants to draw them, fine, I'll deal. I like a little variety in my comic book women, Frank Cho doesn't. There are still a couple of ass-shots here and there, but not as gratuitous as last issue. The more I write about it, the more I find that there was less to like about it than I originally thought. C+
Writers: Daniel & Charles Knauf
Artists: Roberto de la Torre & Johnathan Sibal
Like New Avengers, Iron Man falters this week as well. Last issue was an interesting look into how Tony Stark runs S.H.I.E.L.D. This issue delves away from that, and goes into the Mandarin storyline that was teased last issue. Tony plays detective with the Extremis inventor Maya Hansen into a terrorist group that foiled a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission with some bio-technology that Iron Man can't disable. The portion of the issue that deals with the Mandarin is good, but not the best part of the issue. I'm really interested in Tony leading S.H.I.E.L.D. and having his own red and gold strike force that is almost like their elite officers. If they could turn this book into Rainbow Six type book, great, but Iron Man is no detective. He has other people to do that for him now, he shouldn't be doing it himself unless absolutely necessary. That point is made in the book, though as we see how Tony is having difficulties with his new responsibilies. He's spending too much time investigating, and not leading. Put Tony into his position full-time and this book will improve a good amount. I have a detective book. Two, both are Batman. This is Iron Man. He's about kicking ass. Another thing I like about this book is that the Knaufs don't write Tony as a jerk like Millar and Bendis may do. He's a real person to them, making this my favorite portrayal of Iron Man so far. He's not too cocky or weak, but the right amount of both as a character who has been an Avenger, but also has too much responsibilty now.
Roberto de la Torre is great on this book. If Lenil Yu weren't on New Avengers, I'd say he could do that book as well. His style is a mix of Maleev on the Confession and the best of what Patrick Zircher had on the last arc. No complaints here, though most of the great art moments were found in the last issue, and not here. It's still good nontheless. C+
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Lenil Yu
Okay, what the hell happened here? Issue 27 was a return to form for New Avengers, it was an action-packed romp, and actually had an interesting plot. Last issue, Bendis decided to "Tarantino it" and go back to the beginning to before the New Avengers got to Japan. So last issue and this issue we are juggling storylines, seeing more of the past than the more exciting present. Last issue we saw the new HQ, a disguised Sanctom Sanctorum, and the New Avengers traveled to the Helicarrier to get Captain America because "he didn't die". Issue 29 picks up here, and it's a trap by the Mighty Avengers. Rather than the brawl that the cover promises, Dr. Strange teleports them to safety. I felt left out here. They've been teasing the battle, but this issue doesn't deliver. The other half of the book is Iron Man berating Danny Rand at his corporation and gets intimidated by Rand's lawyer. He's Tony Stark, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. he shouldn't take crap from anyone. The fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked Luke Cage right at midnight when the act passsed, but won't bother here to take Danny Rand into custody is just perplexing. It seems like the actual law isn't yet written in the Marvel Universe or the Marvel offices. Story moments seem to override past continuity, even in Bendis' own book. Sure Luke Cage isn't the head of a national corporation like Danny Rand apparently is, but that didn't stop them from throwing Martha Stewart into jail. This issue ends like last issue, Elektra arrives, and teases the next issue. I sincerely hope that next issue we don't have the narrative jumping that we had in 28 and 29. If not, then New Avengers will continue to lose its luster that grabbed me two months ago with issue 27.
On the other Hand, Lenil Yu is still delivering great art. It looks great, especially in the fight scenes, but sometimes works against itself in the slow sections. A few parts in this issue feel slow, because they are talking scenes, and Lenil's current style calls for movement and excitement. A few people may have issues with his style on this book, but with the current fugitive status quo, I think the down and dirty look is great for the book, when its moving along that is. The slowness of this issue brought the grade down, here's hoping that it picks up next month. C-
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Lenil Yu
Spinning out of Captain America #25, comes the Fallen Son mini-series. Spotlighting a different person or team in each issue, as we travel through the five stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance) with the Marvel Universe. This is a really interesting idea, and if it's carried out consistently, may work well. The only thing that may hinder it is the rotating artist on each issue, but Lenil Yu is not a bad way to start. The book opens with Wolverine talking to "The Winter Soldier" (the Lamest title ever so we'll call him Bucky) about Cap's death. Wolverine does not believe that Cap is dead and is trying to get Bucky to go with him to verify the body. Bucky declines, so Wolverine seeks some other help from Daredevil. If he can't get Bucky to identify the body as the person who knows Cap best, then he'll get Daredevil, the human lie-detector, to verify his enhanced senses. With some help from the New Avengers, they get onto the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier to find Cap's body, as well as Crossbones. At the end of the issue, the denial plotline has been closed up satisfactorily, making this a well rounded stand-alone issue. If each issue of this mini-series deals with the emotional issue that it's modeled after, then bully for Jeph Loeb, as he's the only man who could write this, with the recent death of his son being the driving factor here.
If you don't think Lenil Yu is a great artist, you're wrong. His nitty gritty style is working for New Avengers, and works here too. His pencil shading rather than traditional inks adds some vitality to the art, making it different from anything else on the stands. Yu draws Logan as the short man we know him to be. He also draws a great Daredevil seen to the left. If there is one artist I wish DC would steal (eventually) it would be Yu, and put him on Batman or Hawkman. This is a great selling point on Yu's art, as Loeb really lets him cut loose, which helps the story. Go get this book for a good read and great art. I can't wait to read the rest of the issues to see if this was an actual story idea, or just another sales ploy after Civil War made so much money. B+
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Stefano Caselli
The initiative is starting, and you're coming along for the ride. If you are a young powered person, you must register and train. If you fail your training, you will be washed out, kaput, and disabled of your power. The story starts out introducing our new main characters, young heroes with powers who have registered. So basically, this book is starting off fresh. There are a few familiar faces here and there, but mostly new ones. A kid who flies on clouds, a super-athlete, a emo-kid who transforms into your fears, and a lizard girl. Some of these kids are naiive, others brash and irrational. The emo kid is definately an charicature, so far anyway. We get a glimpse of the program, recruiting, power analysis, and some training. Slott pulls no punches in re-iterating Marvel's new policy that young heroes don't have what it takes. That they are immature, and irrational. One of the more interesting characters in the issue is hurt by another youngster, telling the reader that no one is safe. Since we're starting off with a fresh cast, anything can happen, and it adds something to the title that may have been missing if this series starred the New Avengers or other better known heroes. Slott writes some good dialougue, the kids feel young, but in other places feels forced, the emo kid especially. This is a good starter issue, and worth a try, but the next two issues will be the ones where it has to stand on it's own feet and not the Civil War fallout's.
Cladio Casselli does the art here, and he fits the book to a T. His art is young, fresh, and funky. It shows some manga influences in the eyes and young faces, but his panels feel like classic comic book art. The adults look like adults, different from the kids in their faces and musculature, like they should be. If anything is going to turn me off of this book, it's not going to be the art. C+
