Duck Fox

Image Credit: Marvel

8.0/10

• You want to see a Wolverine story that puts him back to his roots: AKA, an incredibly violent badass who doesn’t work well with others.
• Amazing double page spreads depicting death and destruction, and brutally realistic fight scenes excite you.
• Short hairy guys do it for you. Hey, if it works for Storm…

• You’d rather get the trade after he comes back from the dead.  
• You prefer to jump in after all the setup and exposition. 
•  You know X-Men through the Fox films and you can’t go back to Wolverine being a short stack of a man. Not that there’s anything wrong with being short. (There is…. Trust me, I know…. L)

Superhero comic storylines generally fall into one of three categories:

1. The one-off: A single issue that explores a specific subject. A story is crafted and completed within a single issue. Usually the more trivial stories are tackled this way, and sometimes they're used for PSAs in a "very special episode" kind of way. 
2. The arc: A series of issues tie together to form a cohesive, but independent unit. Most comics since the late 80s, early 90s take this approach. Most people probably credit this almost soap operatic style to Chris Claremont as he mastered it on the X-Men books of the 80s-90s. 
3. The event: Usually a crossover of several books; long lasting ramifications for the status quo, or at the very least, starring character's personalities, powers and/or motivations, are in store. Often events have a lot of hype and lead up only to leave people underwhelmed or frustrated that the arc being done before the event was interrupted.

Jonathan Hickman, however, pulls the narrative structures of all three into his increasingly faster paced epic duo of books, <i>Avengers</i> and the darker <i>New Avengers</i>. And while I may have said this book was not for everyone a few months ago, the past few issues have picked up the pace and paid off on dangling plot points in a major way, making it a must read if you have ever liked any of the main characters.

When we last left off, the Illuminati had just seen into the past of another world-- Earth 23099-- as the heroes there faced destruction. Ultimately it proved to be a lesson for our 616 heroes, and they kicked their otherworldly spying into high gear. Most of the past seven issues since then have focused on the group getting more prepared to do what may be necessary-- destroy another Earth to save their own. Amidst the preparation, Bruce Banner figures out what's going on and has a hold-your-breath confrontation with Tony Stark about it. Eventually Tony is convinced to let him in on the whole Illuminati thing, and now Bruce is working to ensure they never have to use Tony's antimatter bomb devices. The real meat of things, however, comes in issue #17, when The Great Society is introduced. These guys are a group of alternate dimensional heroes with clear inspirations from DC's Justice League.

The current issue has an epic fight between the two groups, with Doctor Strange ultimately stepping in to calm things down using mystical powers that are a fair bit darker than what we've witnessed him using before. Summoning a Cthulian horror, Strange ends the most recent New Avengers by using this monster to turn the tide against the Great Society.

But New Avengers 20  pales in comparison to the mindbending annual. The first annual in Hickman's New Avengers run brings us another Strange centered story, this one exploring his distant past, his not-so-distant past, and his present. First going back to when the good Doctor was merely an MD, arrogant and unstoppable with his surgical prowess. Stephen Strange had never met a tumor he couldn't excise. Never believed the best course  of action was to simply provide hospice for a patient. Just as the current Doctor Strange doesn't believe in the inevitability of death--of a young Princess brought to the monks that imparted wisdom to him long ago, or of his Earth. The annual brings the common themes together, showing how Strange is willing to sacrifice a little piece of his metaphysical self by taking the demon plaguing a young princess sent to learn the ways of monks within him. The "B" story explores the reverse of this theme-- Strange encountering the inevitability of a patient who has a cancerous tumor. Against advice, Stephen attempts to remove the malignancy, only to fail and be left in a crumpled heap.

Doctor Strange's journey across these couple of issues highlight one of the reasons such a seemingly all-powerful character can remain so human and interesting. Even though Stephen has always fought to protect the innocent, using his skills as surgeon or mystic to ward off evil, pain and death, he's also toyed with dark magic. And now it's threatening to eat away at the little bit of Stephen Strange that is left.

So while New Avengers has always been epic, the current arc, exploring Doctor Strange's slow descent into darkness is a definite reason to start reading.

Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, is perhaps the least subtle superhero of all time. And yet, the draw to one of Marvel’s oldest characters (first gracing the cover of Marvel’s predecessor, Timely Comics’, Captain America #1 in 1941) is his genuine heroic spirit. Instead of being thrown into the deep end of superheroics because he just so happened to invent a super weapon that could be worn as a suit of armor, or being bitten by a radioactive spider, Steve Rogers was, from the beginning, a hero. A guy willing to put his life on the line and fight for his country, despite some obvious physical shortcomings. In exchange for a dose of a highly experimental “Super Soldier Serum”, Rogers becomes more capable of putting his money where his mouth is, and does so splendidly. Captain America carried the US through World War II, both in books and in reality. Then he went and got himself frozen in ice. Luckily, cryogenics in Marvel is super advanced, because he thawed a couple decades later and became one of the core members of The Avengers.

The first story arc of Rick Remender’s Captain America downplays Rogers’ hyper realized heroism in favor of a more bizarre story involving Cap being spirited away to Dimension Z by Arnim Zola. Here he finds and raises a young boy for ten years, barely keeping the two of them alive as Zola’s army hunts him and as the other residents of Dimension Z try to take his or the young boy (Ian’s) head to Zola in exchange for peace. The art is handled by John Romita Jr. There’s really nothing else that needs to be said about the quality—I’ve yet to come across a book from JR JR that looked anything less than beautiful, his run on The Amazing Spider-Man was probably the best run of art the series had (not to get off topic, but Stracyzinski’s authorship was also amazeballs. I’d check out that entire run if you haven’t already).

An entire story that takes place in an alternate dimension over a decade? Sounds like it could be hard to pull that off and then jump back to the main Marvel verse, but Remender manages it beautifully. The obvious “time dilation” solution keeps Cap from returning to a world 10 years older, of course, but the impressive part of Cap’s transition from otherworld warrior back to righteous American crime fighter only works because of what Cap brings back. Physically, there’s Jet Black, Ian’s “sister” from Dimension Z. Originally a true follower of Arnim Zola, Cap convinces her to come back with him and live a normal life just as Ian turns to the dark side. Jet Black gets her character focused entry in the series’ 15th issue as well, but more on that later. The more important bit of baggage Cap has is internal-- his pain from the loss of Ian and Sharon coupled with his feeling of being a "man out of time" again.

That said, bringing Cap back to the main Marvelverse isn’t made out to be some chore, instead it’s handled mostly off panel in John Romita Jr.’s final issue as artist. Captain America is tasked with taking out a failed Weapon Plus project, code named “Nuke”. This guy may be familiar to veteran readers, but his story here is certainly unique and gives Captain America an intriguing villain that parallels Cap’s own recent experiences. In their showdown, Cap realizes the parallels between Nuke and himself, both of them being veterans of the same war, now living in a world at peace. The allegory for PTSD and the real world difficulty of veterans transitioning to civilian life shouldn’t be lost on anyone, and issues 11-15 or so are pretty sobering. Cap understands Nuke’s pain on two levels, being literally the WWII vet, but also being a “vet” of Dimension Z’s residents’ infighting and squabbles. For ten years Cap was alone and fighting to protect himself and his son. Now he’s lost his son to Dimension Z and has to learn how to live without the constant threat of death every night before he goes to bed.

The finale to this first part of a larger arc is in issue 16, where Nuke literally explodes after being transported to the S.H.I.E.L.D Hub facility, killing all the agents there and freeing a mysterious new villain named “Mindbubble”. Mindbubble takes center stage next issue where it is revealed he’s manipulating. Cap naturally blames himself for not realizing the true intention behind Nuke, but the current story is less focused on Cap making amends and more on exploring the murky world of covert and clandestine operations. S.H.I.E.L.D. is naturally hiding something that Mindbubble is, also naturally, attempting to acquire for his organization’s own nefarious ends. Issue 17 takes a new angle by depicting Nick Fury’s systemic destruction of a secret HYDRA base. At least that’s what it appears to depict until the final pages, where it is revealed he’s actually attacked agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And not the TV show.

The current issue expands on MindBubble’s plot as well as gives us some answers on what S.H.I.E.L.D. is up to. Cap and Falcon team up and break into the secret drydock in the Sahara desert; meanwhile, Maria Hill is also infiltrating the base, intending to destroy the mysterious “Gungnir” tool too keep it out of Mindbubble’s grasp.

Jet Black, who was tasked with finding out who Mindbubble is, turns up information by torturing a cyborg in Mindbubble’s employ. The moral quandaries of torture are mostly overlooked by Cap, whose in a hurry for the info, and he learns Mindbubble used to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist working on the Weapon Minus program to create weapons and soldiers that would kill more humanely. He mixed the super soldier formula with LSD and tested it on himself, causing his own insanity and bloodlust. Mindbubble’s powers work by emitting “Dream Maps” from his noggin to any unsuspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s. The Dream Map then makes all their deepest desires appear to them in a twisted LSD style hallucination. And much like LSD, the hallucination can prove fatal. Actually, it always does, as eventually the Dream Map creates one’s darkest fear and kills the poor affected sap in the worst way they can imagine. Jet Black ominously warns Cap that the only way to escape the Dream Map alive is to kill yourself while trapped.

During Jet Black’s briefing, Falcon takes up arms against a tank trailing the heroic duo, and the issue closes with him taking one for the team and Cap managing to finally make his way to a giant helicarrier; Mindbubble’s objective. And on the horizon? Dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. combat aircraft…
The current arc is quite obviously creating some synergy with the upcoming film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A major element of the upcoming film is the interplay between freedom and privacy, and the limits government organizations have and how best they are enforced. The current arc in Captain America leans on these questions, and it’s little wonder why with the frequency of scandals involving alphabet agencies these last few years. The NSA scandal was the big one, but there are certainly lots of questions to ask about the idea of exchanging liberty for security. Tying them to Cap’s Dimension Z PTSD may just be enough to get him out of his rut.

On the whole, though, Remender’s Captain America has been a thrilling throwback to the idea of heroism that Steve Rogers embodies. Remender doesn’t get bogged down in creating a new threat every week, or constructing some huge, bloated, nonsensical serialized story. Instead, he places Captain America into dire situations and lets us see why he’s capable of escaping them and coming out the other side a better man. It’s because he was forced to work himself half to death while taking care of his sick mother. Because he spent years readjusting to a world that had left him behind, and trying to reconcile his status as the nations’ most famous hero with the identity of Steve Rogers, who was hardly celebrity material. The man that Steve Rogers is today was heavily informed by his past, as with all of us. The reason he’s capable of doing so much good and being so inspiring, both to those within the pages of the book and those who simply thumb through it every month, is because of that mantra that he’s come to live by: “You always stand up”.  Really, if we at home could just commit to this, I’m sure we’d all feel a little more heroic too.

Series Verdict: Read It Like a Fox

8.0/10.0

Image Credit: Marvel

Okay, I'm man enough. I can admit I was completely wrong. In my last review, I lamented Black Widow's lack of ambition, and "popcorn quality." This issue has me eating all those words and not a single kernel of popcorn.

The third issue--titled "Foliage"-- opens similarly to preceding books. Natasha's narration outlines her feelings about her home, or lack thereof. A home comes with distractions. Like the cute black cat that keeps scratching at her door (we now have a name, Liho!). Natasha's neighbor also notices the little furball and shows up at Natasha's door stoop, ostensibly to remind her not to feed the strays. But she's sporting a noticeable bruise, and the conversation soon turns from black cats to black eyes as Natasha reminds the woman, Ana, she should leave her husband. Unfortunately, Ana does have a home. This theme of not wanting to leave a home when you've got it, and not being able to find one if you don't already have one returns later in the issue. For now, the issue slides into the "espionage of the month."

Black Widow has been tasked with retrieving a wrongfully convicted man in Argentina. Angelo, the man she's tasked with rescuing, is only half thrilled when Widow shows up, convinced she's not up to the task. Much like me going into this review, he's pleasantly surprised. Widow tries to keep it all business and not let thoughts of Ana and her abusive husband enter her mind as she guides Angelo through the prison and into the wilds of the surrounding jungle. As usual, this little spy vs. wishes-they-were-spies segment is wonderfully crafted. Widow's narration explains her incredible skill at blending in with her surroundings and becoming one with the environment as a side effect of her not having a place where she belongs. More beautifully put: "It is the unreachable truth to belong anywhere. The other edge of that is the unfortunate truth: you must first belong nowhere."

Several nonlethal takedowns later and Widow gets her escapee to his helicopter. It's here where the issue offers the obligatory twist-- Angelo isn't actually just a wrongfully accused schmuck, but instead he's got a past as a butcher... of people. Without getting into the hairy details, Black Widow makes an executive decision and throws him off the copter mid flight. She goes down with him, but when they land in the crocodile infested waters below her shiv givers her an edge. After all, crocodiles prefer their prey bleeding and weakened, so a nice stab wound to the gut is just what it takes to get their motors running.

The crocodile gets a nice meal, and Natasha Romanov gets to go home feeling satisfied she didn't help a vile murderer escape prison. I doubt she missed a wink of sleep on her comfy bed in her Buenos Aires safehouse. Said safehouse is where she calls our favorite lawyer/BAMF assistant, Isaiah, who tells her Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. is itching to have a talk with her. The tease of a Ukrainian embassy official in danger is good, but the real reason this issue is so amazing is the closing moments in Natasha Romanov's life. The final three pages consist of Natasha returning home and storming over to her neighbor Ana's home. More poignant narration ensues, this time about how home is less a physical place and more a psychic pain, and soon Ana's husband gets some physical pain as Natasha confronts him. Things go as you'd expect, and man is it wonderful to see this guy get a beatdown. And I'm not saying that because of the art. Well, not just because of the art. Seriously, the aesthetic that Noto has created is perfectly intact. Lots of attention to detail is sprinkled through the muddily colored panels, and the red outlining continues to invigorate the action scenes.

The real hero, though, is those last few pages. Now lots of comics have the werewithal to tackle a hard issue like spousal abuse, but despite generally being well meaning, you're likely to see it sloppily slipped into the tail end of a story where the abuse victim is a hopeless caricature and the hero fixes her life by throwing the guy in jail, or some other melodramatic aesop handled with all the originality of a Lifetime original movie or an afterschool special. While Black Widow at first glance may seem to repeat the first trope mentioned above (after all, Widow does deck the guy), it quickly veers into uncharted territory by Natasha not bothering to do anything other than advise Ana to leave. Not because she doesn't care, but because she understands that it's not always so easy to leave your home.

The theme of the entire issue-- what makes a home-- is brought full circle by Ana's silent shame as Natasha exits her home. The same place where a man beat her for months or even years. Natasha's beatdown is, in a lot of ways, her way of trying to fix Ana's home, and maybe even make herself feel like she's got a home she can go back to. But deep down she knows she doesn't have any such place. Just like Ana, she's good at making herself feel safe in a world where hundreds or thousands of people want her dead and where every little victory is overshadowed by the thousands of sins she's previously committed. But there's solace in the closing moments of the issue, when Natasha realizes that even without a permanent home, she's still got a place to go back to rest and regroup. A place to feel marginally safe in her crazy world. And really, isn't that something we can all relate to?

9.5/10

Fox Prints:

• I hope Ana is promoted to regular. We need more solid characters in Natasha's human life, since we've got Isaiah in her spy world. 
• So we got a drop in from the rest of the world, but I'm super glad it was Maria Hill instead of someone more... cartoony, for lack of a better word. This series isn't super realistic or anything, but it would be the kind of book where an Iron Man or Hulk could throw a wrench in the darker tone.
• The Letters Page is now titled "To Russian with Love." I approve.

Image Credit: Marvel

8.0/10

Fox Prints:

• The esoteric narration Natasha provides throughout the issue is very reminiscent of one of my favorite spy shows of recent years-- Burn Notice. 
• The most intriguing thing about this series continues to be its hesitation on incorporating the larger Marvel Universe. Isaiah is a whole new character, and so is Iron Scorpion. Aside from some name dropping you would scarcely believe this was a comic starring a part-time Avenger.
• That said, assuming some other well known characters drop by the series, who would you like to see? I personally would love a Daredevil-Black Widow team up; Daredevil has had a very enjoyable run so far and Matt would be the perfect person to help lighten Natasha up.

From the moment you pick up this first issue of Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto's Black Widow, you can tell it's not going to be your usual female helmed comic book. For one thing, the heroine's not sprawled sexily on the cover or awkwardly posing in a way that gives both her hips and breasts ample coverage (while, ironically, scantily covering both). The fact that Natasha Romanov's body is not on display at all on the cover was enough to pique my interest. The bold, block coloration was also a bonus. But the cover is not enough to warrant a purchase. Luckily, the rest of the issue is just as exquisitely put together.

Taking cues from Matt Fraction and David Aja's masterpiece, Hawkeye, Black Widow has a very similar structure. Even the recap page gives you a rundown on Natasha's many occupations and exploits before providing her more famous nom de guerre in big, bold, black letters. The issue then opens with the Black Widow in a very precarious position trying to talk down a hostage. Though it's not immediately clear it's Black Widow until she successfully lures the would-be bomber out by telling him her life story and dropping him from the top of the building. Don't worry, she attached rope to him!

Natasha doesn't take too much time off. Before you know it, she's off on another mission, though she makes it clear to her lawyer Isaiah she can't become too obsessed with the capital gains from her illicit activities. She's doing this for atonement, not for profit. And it's this bit of dialogue that serves to add a real depth to the idea of a character like Black Widow.

There are probably quite a few people who pick up this book that have no idea of Natasha Romanov's villainy from earlier appearances. The fact that she is a reformed Russian spy made it into the 2012 blockbuster, Avengers, but was given less attention than the other subplots. It was also muddled by her past with Hawkeye, and viewers ended up getting a much less satisfying arc for her character alone. So it's good that this new solo series attaches real weight to Natasha's villainous past, and examines her attempts to atone for her actions. It's also refreshing that this really does act as a solo series.

There hasn't been much of a mention of other super heroes. While Black Widow is an Avenger--and though that comes up--she very much has a real life outside of her superheroics. I mean, I know that this is a superhero book, so I'm expecting it to get more fantastic as things progress, and that's fine. But the thing that makes Hawkeye work so well is its humanized hero. Clint Barton is more down to Earth than Hawkeye, even though they're one and the same. That and lots of humor. Black Widow isn't quite as laugh out loud funny as the aforementioned Fraction book, but then it doesn't need to be. Natasha is still a somber soul who prefers to drink red wine alone in her apartment than fool around with Eastern European gangs. But the few chuckles the book does give are worth it, and the rest of dialogue avoids sounding too much like exposition.

But perhaps the greatest aspect of this already good book is the art. Phil Noto outlines Natasha's world in red, using a watercolor style to depict the body of characters and settings. The action is appropriately quick and brutal-- Black Widow moves and fights like a woman with skill instead of like a nigh invulnerable waif. She also shows off how much of a strategic genius she is towards the end-- feigning a takedown of another assassin's target in order to draw out his sniping position, and then using a rocket launcher to take him out. It's quite a clever sequence that is depicted deftly and fluidly.

It's sad to say, but women as leading characters in comics are not nearly as prolific as they should be. So it's always tempting to give series that are less notable a few extra points just for being from a different perspective. But there is absolutely no need to give Black Widow any extra props. Natasha Romanov's light, yet heartfelt opener is the kind of story that comic fans of all ages, races, genders etc. have been waiting for.

8.5/10

Fox It:

• You enjoy comics centered around strong, interesting female characters
• You enjoy comics centered around strong, interesting characters in general
• The cover gives you goosebumps

Duck It:

• Hawkeye wasn't your thing
• You're not into espionage stuff
• You're looking for more action

Cause and effect. This basic principle dictates literally everything in our lives. If we take an action, then we can be certain that it will have some sort of consequence. So it's fitting that the epic actions the Avengers took in Jonathan Hickman's space operatic limited series Infiinity have come back to bite them in the ass. Though what's also fitting is that Avengers World, written by Nick Spencer with assistance from Jonathan Hickman himself, is definitely not the appropriate starting point for newbies looking to figure out what all the fuss with Avengers is about. Taking the place of the second Avengers monthly issue, Avengers World picks up some of the threads spun by that book and New Avengers.

The book opens with Captain America and Bruce Banner approaching new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill, hoping to get into the nitty gritty of more closely incorporating S.H.I.E.L.D. operations with the operations of the Avengers. When the conversation actually starts, it ends up being about the mayhem happening all around the globe. There's crazy seismic and meteorological activity all up and down the Eastern coast of the US. Thor and Hyperion are on the job there, but Bruce still volunteers to figure out the origin of the problem. Meanwhile in Madripoor, people are rioting inexplicably, forcing Black Widow, Wolverine and Falcon to step in. At the same time in Velletai, Italy, Starbrand, Nightmask, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman encounter a mysterious object. Starbrand, being new to the whole "superhero" thing, touches it and activates it somehow, knocking electronics offline. But that's hardly the biggest problem-- Shang-Chi gets to have a nice conversation with a Hand ninja who reveals that Madripoor has secretly been built on the home of a giant tortoise.... But it gets crazier! In Italy, the object Kevin sets off apparently relates to deceased people somehow, because it starts screaming at him (though only he can hear it), warning him of some type of trouble down the pipeline.

We close with Smasher, Sunspot and Cannonball flying over A.I.M. Island and confronting a souped up beekeeper (as in, member of A.I.M. in standard A.I.M attire). Except, as Smasher takes a blast from the scientist's armaments, the island changes to Barbuda.

If you had doubts that this book would require frantic rereading, then they should now be alleviated. But even if you don't quite understand what's going on, you can rest assured that Avengers World is an excellent starting point. The action sequences are stunningly drawn by Stefano Caselli, and though the exposition is a little heavy at times, this is clearly a book that excels at setting up things. It's not quite a must buy just yet, but it's more than worth the price of admission if you're a fan of Hickman's other work.

8.0/10

• Fan of Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and/or New Avengers
• Want the full piece of the puzzle regarding the aforementioned series
• Need more cool, earthshattering action setpieces in your life

• Hard to follow for newbies
• Don't need to think with your action
• Can wait for the trade
  

If a superhero's job is to ensure the safety of the world, then can he ever really be doing the wrong thing so long as the end goal is to save the lives under his protection? New Avengers, Jonathan Hickman's companion piece to Avengers, asks just such a question... Along with about a dozen others. I gave a shoutout to New Avengers in my Avengers review but that little blurb was hardly worthy of describing this masterpiece of a comic. In Avengers, Jonathan Hickman created an epic, larger-than-life atmosphere for his heroes. But rest assured, the heroic characters were still occupying a very black and white moral space; it's clear who the villains are and it's clear who the heroes are. This did create a couple of problems in some early issues, as a matter of fact, as the Avengers went overboard with their heroism to the point of threatening to kill Star Brand in his first appearance. New Avengers, illustrated by Steve Epting, takes the opposite approach. It puts together several of the Marvel Universe's best and brightest minds and has them tackle the impending destruction of the Omniverse.

At first this sounds like an eyerolling "been there, done that" storyline, but rest assured that the threat to end all of reality is far more compelling than, say, Marvel: The End. Things begin when T'challa (the Black Panther) intercepts a mysterious woman who has arrived on Wakanda from another Earth. It's soon revealed that she plans to destroy the other Earth, and that is not something T'Challa's cool with. He manages to subdue her, but not stop her from destroying the alternate planet. After capturing her, he calls together the group of geniuses who secretly ensure the safety of the planet. You've probably heard of them from conspiracy theorists-- The Illuminati. Only this group is made up of Marvel superheroes. In addition to T'Challa, there's Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Black Bolt, Steve Rogers (Captain America), Stephen Strange (Doctor Strange), Namor the Submariner, and Tony Stark (Iron Man).

The group interrogates their prisoner, who is still known only as Black Swan, and discover that there is an Omniversal threat weeding itself through Universes, destroying the entirety of Universes by starting with Earths. I highly suggest reading the full explanation, but the image below should cover the basics of what you need to know about these cosmological events.

im in ur universez, killin ur earthz

Spacetime is contracting across the Omniverse, with all the many alternate Earths being the incursion point where Universes explode. Simple? Simple. Only now that the Illuminati know about it, they have limited options as far as saving their own planet goes. They could destroy the alternate Earth (or their Earth, theoretically, but come on, that's not going to be top of the list) and spare both Universes, or let the Earths collide and watch as both Universes go up in smoke. Of course, destroying another planet from an alternate Universe is hardly heroic. Which is why Hickman is so brilliant.

Make no mistake, the idea that these characters aren't 100% noble and moral does not mean they are suddenly despicable. Behind closed doors they are still generally decent guys, but much more realistically decent. Tony and Reed have the best interests for their own planet at heart, and so strive to make sure they save it, but they also understand the huge error in not properly preparing themselves. T'Challa, meanwhile, carries over objections from his first encounter with the Illuminati, and is very aware of how much of his soul he's losing to protect himself and his people. Indeed, there's an imbroglio between Wakanda and Atlantis that really adds depth and complexity to conversations between T'Challa and Namor as respective Kings of the two nations. With Professor Xavier's spot vacated, Beast becomes the successor and his lighthearted personality is quickly swallowed up by the darkness of the book. Really, the only character that refuses to compromise morals is Captain America, who is quickly jettisoned with a mindwipe courtesy of Doctor Strange. This particular action seems like it's likely to come back to bite the Illuminati in the ass soon.

Oh, and did I mention that the art is amazing?! The shadowed faces of all the main characters during dialogue. The sleek, cold vibrance of the armors and costumes. Every single panel is perfectly colored, with tons of blacks, grays and browns giving the book a somber mood throughout most of its run. Really, the only issue that's lacking is Simone Bianchi's muddier, less complete illustrations, which just don't fit the grim tone well enough to be worthwhile.

It's rather unfortunate that Bianchi stepped in for this latest issue too, because things are really ramping up with the destruction of Earths storyline. We've been treated to glimpses of alternate Earths before, but Universe 23099 is more fully explored in New Avengers' 13th issue. Well, as fully as it'll ever be, considering it's destroyed by mysterious beings previously mentioned by Black Swan, the Black Priests. In the main Universe, the bulk of the Illuminati are trying to come up with a way to build a machine the Black Swan insists will be necessary. After going over it for a while, Reed realizes he's actually built just such a machine before-- in Hickman's earlier run on Fantastic Four, he constructed The Bridge that would allow him to see into other realities. While they're pulling Reed's device out of the attic, Doctor Strange is up to no good, accessing something called the "Blood Bible," and seeking answers from it. While he's possibly turning himself insane, the Illuminati finally get a glimpse of some of the other players in this Omniversal conspiracy as they see the Black Priests slaughter their alternate selves by... talking. Or, at least, the Black Priests mention that all that matters are "the words," and from there alternate Illuminati turn to skeletons.

By the issue's end, Hickman has forced the Illuminati through the door he opened last issue, bringing the Black Priests to the fore and doling out some more hints of the other enemies (Ivory Kings, the Mapmakers) that will hopefully coalesce into more epicness for the Illuminati and the Avengers.

If you've learned anything from this and my Avengers review, you should realize that Jonathan Hickman has plans within plans and wheels spinning within wheels. But when it comes to New Avengers, the sheer scale of his ambitions does not muddle the character development. Just be sure to pick this up with Avengers if you decide to jump in. It's not confusing without the sister story, but it looks like things are going to collide sooner rather than later. Either way, definitely pick up these issues if you've got the scratch.

9.5/10

Enjoy It Like a Fox If:

• You're want the morals of your heroes tested
• You're into epic sagas with tons of allusions to prior in-Universe history
• You're a fan of the Illuminati

Duck It:

• You want lots of action
• You don't need moral ambiguity
• You kinda wish the Illuminati were more diverse

There Was Nothing. Followed by Everything. Swirling, Burning Specks of Creation that Circled Life-Giving Suns. And then... We Raced to the Light

I thought my first real post should be about something that I have become absolutely obsessed with recently. But first, background! NOTE: This post WILL contain spoilers. Read at your own risk...

I was not a huge comic fan. I followed absolutely no series with any degree of regularity, though I occasionally went through phases where I would remember the glory days of the old 1994 Spider-Man TV series and visit my local comic shop or Barnes & Nobles to pick up a couple of back issues, hoping to relieve the magic of the show through the comics. I actually started to do a halfway decent job of following said series in 9th or 10th grade (ah, seems so long ago now... Even though I'm still in my twenties...) when I picked up the first four of those Amazing Spider-Man omnibuses. Got through quite a few issues, but, like many people, it was only after The Avengers that I really went crazy with comics. I started by finishing Amazing Spider-Man (yes, all 700 issues. In about 2 months). Then I hopped into the fray with the Avengers themselves, picking up Hickman's first issue. I still dropped in and out kind of irregularly, but the biweekly schedule really helped me stick with this comic, since the waiting didn't kill me. And what is there to say but: Avengers is AWESOME!

I won't fanboy too much, but I'm quite disappointment that it's only recently been getting good reviews. It seems a lot of people were kind of disappointed by the tangential way the story is being realized. And, indeed, if you're one of those people that is used to reading the big, splashy events, or someone who likes checking into a comic for 3-4 issues to catch an emotionally resonant or light-hearted episodic tale then Avengers is not for you. Don't get me wrong, Hickman's run has included a few emotionally engaging storylines and moments-- a humanized Hyperion (a Superman Expy that gets rebranded now and again, with the In-Universe explanation being that each Hyperion is from a different Universe), a bittersweet farewell to an aged Smasher leading to his granddaughter taking up the mantle, a coming of age story that also reflects on what if the person who receives godlike power is absolutely unprepared for it, and a broken heroine who literally has all the power of the Universe itself and yet cannot actually change the tragic fate visited upon her own family. It also does big action pretty well, throwing movie favorites Captain America, Thor and Iron Man into battle with foes that are bigger and more powerful than anything they've faced before (in comics or otherwise) and tagging in with other heroes like the aforementioned Hyperion, Smasher, Starbrand, Captain Universe and more well known heroes like Spider-Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel and Wolverine.

The first issue is an aggressive assault on a new enemy, a creature who "forces evolution" unto unsuspecting sentient beings, whose home base is Mars, and the first arc ends with a storyline that sees the line-up face off against the very creators of life in the Universe. But despite having both awesome action and dramatic character moments, the series has lacked a lot of the stuff that makes comics familiar, and that's probably why I love it so much and why die-hard comic book readers dislike the tone and energy. Much like a serial television show or a Japanese manga series (just to keep it in the same medium), Hickman has constructed a general theme for the book, and follows up on it with a huge sprawling plot, only occasionally underlining and putting the theme in all caps for an issue. The theme is essentially "We Have to Get Bigger". Okay, so it's actually better to say the theme is "growth" or "improvement". That's what the first issue starts with, though. This idea that the Avengers have to be stronger so they can face stronger threats, many of which the team has no clue are even out there at the book's opening.

Captain America and Tony Stark come up with a holographic flow chart detailing new members, seemingly placing members closer to the literal inner circle based on importance. mini But Hickman doesn't place the spotlight on many of the Avengers that have become household names from the film. Quite the opposite-- he gives us a birds eye view of the team in most issues, and moves the pieces on the board, like AIM and the previously mentioned martian life forger named Ex Nihilo (along with "sister" Abyss), into position against the Avengers, but it's all very slow going. There are entire issues devoid of battle or deep introspection on the part of an Avenger, but then we get amazing moments like Thor's stand against the Builders in Infinity #4.


Now I'm not about to say Hickman's style of writing is perfect, but the way he brings an arc to a close is indisputably awesome. Of course now that the fight against the Builders has been chronicled, we're still no closer to finding out what the big threat that scared the Builders away from their home universe was.


And if Avengers 24.Now is any indication, we'll not be getting answers anytime soon. The latest issue of the series, released on December 24 (yeah, I'm behind) has the benefit of a nice, deflationary opening. Following a big event like Infinity with more insanity would be...off-putting, so thankfully, Hickman spins a slower paced yet still epic yarn. The story starts in a future where Franklin Richards and an unknown individual bearing the familiar "Rhodey" surname argue over taking a spin in Rhodey's time machine. Rhodey eventually gets the go ahead (and thank God, because I hear Richards has his own Galactus) and heads back to confront a pensive Captain America and Tony Stark. Cap is editing the flow-chart of Avengers, but Tony tells him not to limit his ideas to the design they've mocked up thus far.

The other Avengers, meanwhile, are celebrating at a light-hearted barbeque, and we get to see some nice banter between Thor and everyone, with his interaction with Captain Universe being particularly adorable. Both events are interrupted, however, by a crazy electrical storm which hails the arrival of Rhodey Jr. (or III... or IV). Rhodey reveals that there's a planet on an intersecting path with Earth. Yes, you read that right, a planet is fired at Earth from an unknown entity at an unknown time in the past (though probably a long time ago). The Avengers naturally come up with a fantastic plan to take it out. I haven't talked a lot about the art thus far, but it needs to be mentioned how awesomely this series is drawn and colored. There is a fantastic series of shots where Hyperion, Thor and the Hulk move their anti-planet machine into place, and it's expertly depicted thanks to Esad Ribic, Salvador Larocca, Mike Deodato and Butch Guice.

After their run-in with the planet, Rhodey reveals herself to Tony, and also builds a power source into the "rogue planet" which will allow the Avengers to draw as much power as they need from it. When her motives are questioned, Rhodey gives an explanation that is as cryptic as it is foreboding: Tony's secrets are about to be revealed, and soon everyone is going to want him dead. This seems like a clear callback to the first issue's 5th page, with a slew of Tony's armors broken and steaming in a pile of rubble.

And thus Hickman brings everything full circle, and probably makes people hate him again. But I love the little teases like this, and I genuinely cannot wait to see how this rogue planet story ties in with the upcoming Avengers World, and how New Avengers is going to be affected. But more on that when those series return for their next issues. For now, I hope you enjoyed our first Avengers review and expect biweekly updates which are less lengthy. This issue earns a:

8/10

Go Crazy Like a Fox If:

• You're into slow build up leading into huge payoffs down the line
• You enjoy rereading issues and picking up on new things each read through
• You've been dying to meet a descendant of Tony Stark and James "Rhodey" Rhodes
• Thor joking with the embodiment of the Universe gives you a giggle

Duck It If:

•  You like more standalone stories
• Cape comics aren't your thing
• You aren't willing reread issues or follow them VERY closely on the first pass