Avengers 6, Captain America 4, Captain Marvel 10

Avengers 6
Hickman (w) and Kubert (a) and Martin (c)

Hickman continues his run on Avengers by examining one character closely while we see a bit about certain other characters through their actions in the background. I think I like that format. I love that we get to see new characters through a light shined directly on them that doesn't reveal everything but reveals a lot. Sometimes it comes at the expense of action but I'm not typically reading this story for action. I think if this went on for the entire run, it might grow old (like, for instance, if you viewed events in a story through a series of interviews with characters in that series, I might be a little sick of it after one issue). Still it's early enough and we have a lot of new characters to learn about so this format is working. Yes the action and the story is important to comics, but I know that I personally read more for the characters than for the stories. A good story and good action will help a story, but if you have compelling characters, I'll read whatever you put in front of me. I'd watch Black Panther read the phone book.

Look, I got a little off-track. The point is that I like this format for what it is. Right now, I think it's working great. It's bogged a couple of the stories down, perhaps, but not in any major way. I think we still have the gist of what's happening, if not every specific. It's also a book I consistently have to give all focus to. There's not a panel that doesn't cede some information to us about some character or about something far deeper than I'm used to going into in Avengers comics. Along the way, he's built up some very interesting characters. Of the most recently diagrammed characters (Hyperion, Smasher, and now Captain Universe) this one seems the most interesting to me. I liked a lot of stuff about Hyperion's story and about Smasher's character, but this one seems like a very intriguing wrap of both story and character. Captain Universe is, essentially, the mother of the universe. She has stationed herself on this Earth because it holds a prime position in the axis of the multiverse (which MIGHT be the nerdiest sentence I've ever typed). She is sharing the body of Tamara Devoux, a host she claims is "broken," as the Mother is herself (the Mother being Captain Universe). Shang Chi coaxes Tamara out to talk with him about her past and eventually we find out that she had been in a coma for ten years following a car accident that may have also taken the life of her young daughter. Shang Chi reports that they don't have any information on the daughter, dead or alive, and Tamara fades back into the Captain Universe persona.

It's a really interesting idea of the two minds needing one another for reasons beyond our intimate knowledge. It also leaves us with the knowledge that Tamara is clearly very broken, which is tragic, but also that Captain Universe has some cracks in her as well, which is a little scary given her amount of power. In this issue, we also see some tensions rising as the new Spider-Man (who seems to have made it into Avengers) gets into a spat with Cannonball and Sunspot and accosts Tony over it. This is not a perfect team and I'm not sure it'll have to be. If we keep seeing this rotating roster, it's not a necessity that the team melds perfectly. Interesting dynamic possibilities. Still a solid book.

Captain America 4
Remender (w) and Romita Jr. and Janson (a) and White and Loughridge (c)

I'm not even totally sure why I love this book. I really love Remender's writing, something kind of intangible that makes me appreciate the series. As I said in yesterday's post, I like John Romita Jr.'s pencils in this book, something I thought I'd grown a little tired of. The colors remain perfectly dark and different for this new dimension. And I'll always love Captain America, so there's that going for this book already. But, like I can't really put my finger on why I love Remender's writing style, I can't really put my finger on what it is that draws me to this book so much. I think a lot of it has to do with the idea that this is a whole different side of Steve Rogers that's being portrayed. With a character over 70 years old, it's not easy to find new ways to look at certain characters. Steve's childhood is ripe for that and Steve as a father himself is a fascinating new twist. There are real roots to Steve's character. That was always something that you always kind of read into the character because he's so moral. It started with the idea of Steve himself, the guy who was unfit for military service but was willing to do what it took to serve. Remender's gone back further and shown how he got to that point. How hard it was, in his life, to become a person who would be willing to sacrifice everything to help. How his mother, a remarkably strong woman, made sure he stayed on that path, even when times were worst.

Remender parallels the story of Steve's childhood with the story of Ian's childhood. Different times; Ian grows up more as a Hope to Cap's Cable, constantly on the run and trying to stay one step ahead of someone forever chasing them while a disease chases the father figure. So, I suppose, it's pretty similar to Cable and Hope. Whatever, doesn't make it any less powerful. There's the other difference, too, which is that Cable couldn't bring Hope home because he wasn't willing to risk bringing her before she was needed. If Cap had the chance to bring Ian back to Earth, he very much would. In fact, this issue dives into that, trying very explicitly to get them home. Cap thinks he's found a way, but Ian has questions of his own. It leads to Cap telling Ian of his parentage, or at least allowing the Zola in his chest to tell Ian of his parentage. All kinds of interesting things happening in this book. And I don't think I'll ever stop finding it adorable watching Cap talk to Ian. If you're not reading this book and you're a fan of Captain America, you're a bit crazy. I'm sorry it had to come to this, me telling you, someone I don't know, that you've lost your mind, but that's where we are. This is adding layers to Cap that I wouldn't have dreamed of before this series. It honestly never occurred to me to think of Cap's childhood, but Remender has nailed it down so perfectly. It's not like he's taking and changing continuity or backstory; he's adding his own and it fits the character wonderfully. Cap always worked with just the idea of "yeah, but he's a good dude." If this had been executed poorly, it would have just looked silly in retrospect. We could all survive with the Cap origin we knew, with the Cap personality we'd been given. Instead, Remender makes you care about young Steve and everything he went through and, subsequently, improves the character. Really well done.

Captain Marvel 10
DeConnick and Sebela (w) and Andrade (a) and Bellaire (c)

Everything I was saying about Avengers is kind of the opposite here. I think that the Avengers is doing an interesting thing by, occasionally, pushing story to the side to deal with character. So it's not the OPPOSITE, per se, in Captain Marvel, it's just kind of the perfect mix. It's obviously a different format; we're talking about Hickman writing about a team with a majority of characters we don't know and need explaining as opposed to DeConnick writing mostly about one character who's been around a while and has a huge story developing around her. Obviously there are big difference in how each writer should approach these books. However, what's been so impressive about DeConnick's book so far has been seamlessly giving us really good stories tied with wonderful character work. There's been enough in every issue to laugh at or smirk at or sympathize with or hurt for while simultaneously giving us phenomenal stories that challenge Carol and challenge her character. Not every character in the Avengers can be tied to a story that fits them because that would leave a bunch of other characters with a story that means very little to them. Captain Marvel's stories will all apply to her because she's the one dealing with them. If that makes any sense.

Look, what I'm getting at here, in a very long-winded way, is not anything new to anyone who's been reading this blog. I think this book is incredible. I think DeConnick knew exactly the character that she was coming in with and knew the stories that were important to tell with that character. I think she knew how Carol would act in any situation and then she creates those situations and lets Carol act the way she will. There's a little fear coming ahead from the crossover that's coming because, as DeConnick has said in interviews, a fate that is second worst only to maybe death is coming to Carol soon. What that means is still vague, though DeConnick notes on her tumblr that it's still a decision she thinks Carol would honestly make. Like with Dan Slott in the aftermath of ASM 700, I trust Kelly Sue implicitly with Carol Danvers. She hasn't done anything to make me feel like she wouldn't know what she's doing with the character. In fact, I think it's been so great that it's pretty well out of her control by now. What Carol does is what Carol does. DeConnick is just kind of transcribing it. That's how well this comic matches the character. Whatever these threats for the future (and there seem to be plenty brewing for Captain Marvel) mean, I'm sure we'll get a great book out of it when it's all said and done. If you're not buying this, regardless of if you're a fan of the character or not already, you're out of your mind. Even more out of your mind than you were for not buying Captain America. I'm...I'm sorry this whole post has come down to me telling everyone that. I don't know how we got to this point, guys.