First, a moment of silence for another cancellation. Marvel has decided to end Journey into Mystery with issue 655. This is a depressing one all around. The book, which split from Thor in 2011 during Fear Itself and was, for my money, the best part of Fear Itself, featured an amazing run by Kieron Gillen focused on Kid Loki in a sort of novel-like approach to comics. That run ended with issue 645 and Kathryn Immonen has done a great job on the title since, shifting the focus to Asgard's premiere warrior, the lady Sif. On top of the fact it's been a solid run with some great moments, it means we lose the only female led book written by a woman other than Kelly Sue DeConnick's Captain Marvel (which is, of course fantastic, and appears later in this post, in fact). I think Marvel has been taking the right steps with promoting its female characters but it's a gradual process, and not one that people seem overly willing to speed up. Watching this book falter is upsetting on a couple of levels; it raises questions about the readership and about gender in comics as a whole. Of course, these are easy questions to put to the side because, in truth, Sif isn't a huge character in the Marvel Universe (not on the level, at least, of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, etc.) and she's Asgardian. Both of those things could just as easily have contributed to the book's sales as much or more than the female-led aspect. My hope is that that's true (though it's still always depressing to see a bold choice in lead characters go uncredited) and that we have more female-led books and more women writers at Marvel in spite of this cancellation. As is, though, check out all of Journey into Mystery, from Gillen's masterpiece on Loki to Immonen's examination of what it means to be the greatest warrior of Asgard with Sif. On to the next section (I had been planning to write this top half for Monday since news of the cancellation broke late last week and promptly forgot about my plans entirely by the time Monday rolled around).
Age of Ultron 10
I haven't been overly thrilled by this series but things are bound to happen that impact the larger Universe with the conclusion of this event. It's easier to judge an event knowing all parts so we'll have a better feel for how this one rates after it ends, though it won't change some things about the series. This issue is also set to feature a slew of artists including Joe Quesada, Alex Maleev, and Butch Guice, among series regulars Carlos Pacheco and Brandon Peterson. Should have something to like in there and it's worth at least checking in after the conclusion to see the shape of the Universe going forward.
Captain Marvel 13
Carol's Enemy Within storyline continues here as we bounce quickly from last week's Avengers Assemble. We know our enemy, we know our heroes, and we know a bit about our problems. How will all of this slot together when it's all said and done? It's an interesting story and DeConnick's reinvented Captain Marvel remains one of the best characters in one of the best books Marvel has right now. Keep reading this one, as I keep recommending it.
New Avengers 7
One of the easier things to do on a week that features a handful of Avengers books is to pick what books I'm most excited for. Yes, I am an Avengers fan in general but really, it comes down to the fact that Marvel NOW has brought the best Avengers stories I've read in a long time. New Avengers continues to impress me every issue with the story, the weight of the story, the characters, and the phenomenal art (which, along with the colors, mimic the weight of the story). I don't envision a time when I won't be excited for this book. I never want to envision that time.
Uncanny Avengers 9
This is another in the line of solid new Avengers titles launched with Marvel NOW (the main Avengers book is too, and also comes out this week, but it's been bumped to keep things very nearly almost fresh in this post). This is the only Avengers team that was brought together for a purpose beyond "stop bad guys/things." The Avengers were hand-chosen by Cap and Iron Man to be the best of the best and to form little teams to dispatch everywhere. The New Avengers were brought together by their past and by the weight of the problem. This team was delicately selected to represent a bond between Avengers and X-Men. That, by itself, creates a tone for the book that Remender has made sure to capitalize on. This book may be the strongest at creating its tone that Marvel has and it's worth reading for everything it can do.
X-Men Legacy 12
I have been blown away by the quality of this book time and again. Adding to how happy with the book and the character of David Haller I am already, last issue was breathtaking. David's conviction and Spurrier's dedication to breaking out of certain superhero tropes floored me and the most incredible part was that it was EASY TO DO. All David had to do was continue saying what he'd been saying all through the last couple issues: he wants to get rid of his powers. I can't wait to see more this week of how David interacts with the Red Skull, who will no doubt be caught somewhat off-guard by this approach (don't forget, Red Skull's greatest enemy is Captain America, who would never give the Red Skull any sort of upper hand).
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