Best Marvel comics of 2013 (part one of five): Not quite the best

It's that time of year again, the time when everyone starts pulling up the year-in-review lists and begins to wave away the year with little blurbs about bits of it. Hm. That wasn't exactly poetic. Whatever, moving on. LAST YEAR, I wrote this year-in-review list about five days into this new blog with nothing but a shoddy memory and a love of comics. This year I'm coming at it with much of the same in my arsenal but ALSO, fortunately, armed with a YEAR'S WORTH OF BLOG POSTS ON THIS VERY SUBJECT so suddenly I remember far more comics deserving of this list.

Marvel put out an awful lot of books this year and I reviewed just about every single one of them (this is my way of patting myself on the back, obviously). What's particularly impressive about that is that I genuinely liked PROBABLY the majority of them. There were still a distinct number of books that did not really move me or did not carry a lot of weight with me or that I fully did not like (the X-Wing of the Marvel Universe will be not-so-mysteriously absent in this countdown) but by and large, I really enjoyed this year at Marvel comics. Considering that, I decided to stretch this review to the top TWENTY books released by Marvel this year. I figured I would just end up with a section of "these books only didn't make it because there wasn't room" that was as long or longer than the top ten so why not just expand? Guys, I have the authority to make that call. That said, let's start with the "these books only didn't make it because..." section (even this ended up being long enough that I wanted to separate the 16-20 picks into a different post...geez guys).

Books not appearing in this list for, you know, reasons

Avengers Assemble
Really fun book, the most fun of the AVENGERS titles but one that ultimately couldn't crack the top twenty in a stacked competition

Cable and X-Force
You guys, this one was really close after a really strong opening. I felt that it kind of stumbled in the middle and I don't think, in retrospect, that Salvador Larroca's art really fit the book well enough to give it that last little push. Still a fun book, for sure, and one I'm sad to see end but one that was ultimately just a hair too weak.

Dark Avengers
I can see this making the top twenty with very little effort if it had continued a bit longer. Really fun spin by Jeff Parker with an intriguing cast and an ever-interesting story behind it.

Indestructible Hulk
This one's another one right on the cusp but I think it was really hurt by event tie-ins. I'll temper that by saying it had consistently interesting tie-ins but, in the end, it wasn't able to spend enough time telling its own story and had to waste too much telling everyone else's.

Thor: God of Thunder
I think the incredibly strong opening arc (led by Esad Ribic's great art and an interesting premise from Jason Aaron) overstayed its welcome just a bit and then led into a considerably weaker second arc. I would say that telling two stories in a little over twelve months was a downside to the book but there's a book that cracked the top ten that's pretty much on par with that so it's not really a valid excuse.

New Avengers 6, Dark Avengers 190

New Avengers 6
Hickman (w) and Epting and Magyar (a) and D'Armata (c)

This incursion is different for a few reasons. The first is that the team is somewhat ready for it, having created ways to destroy the opposing world if necessary. Second, it's happening over Latveria, adding all sorts of potential problems to this work. Third, as Black Swan explains, the world that's coming has blue skies and not red. Blue, she says, signifies mapmakers, who deplete the Earths of all living substance to power themselves, then allow that Earth to continue its path towards other ones. Eventually, a piece of that dead Earth is meant to break off and lead the mapmakers to the newly discovered Earth so they can start the process all over again. Though the team has far more time to destroy this incurring Earth (and far fewer moral qualms, given the fact that the planet is already dead, which is not to say no moral qualms), the piece of the Earth will break off within an hour and doom the new Earth (the 616 Earth). The team goes to the dead Earth as Doom and his son fight off an invading army from the dead Earth (they serve as sort of a distraction, it seems) and manage to blow it up. When they return to the 616 Earth, they put Black Swan in her cage where she begins to telepathically communicate with the similarly trapped Terrax. They may be coming to some sort of arrangement. Meanwhile, it seems like the piece of the dead Earth may, in fact, have arrived as Doom's men bring him an artifact.

I will admit there was a little less Doom than I was kind of hoping for here, but I think that this is probably a better way to throw him into the mix. Instead of making him fully aware of everything, he knows some basics (other Earths are attacking this one, the Illuminati are somehow connected) and will be thirsting for more. Keeping him in the dark will just make him more hostile, which is especially great considering we already have someone on the team who is purportedly willing to do whatever it takes to save this Earth without concerns (Namor). The character relationships are growing and the characters on an individual basis are becoming incredibly interesting, even if they were already. Black Panther has always had the willingness to do whatever it takes but his intelligence almost always made it so that he could win every situation without huge, huge sacrifices. Now he has to cope with blowing up other worlds to save his own, which can hardly count as a win. One of the more fascinating things about Reed Richards to me has always been the fact that seemingly every alternate universe Reed we see is evil in someway or another, whether he's been corrupted by knowledge or is just sociopathic, preferring intelligence to human emotion. He's kind of straddling that line here as he forms a strange bond with Black Swan and knows that her cold understanding of this situation is going to prove useful. There's a lot happening in this book in the immediate and in the background that will inevitably boil up. It's very exciting to get to watch that happen.

Dark Avengers 190
Parker (w) and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotocolor (c)

The mysteries of this alternate universe unravel as Reed Richards reveals that the whole world was a sick experiment of sorts by AIM, meant to twist the genius heroes of the world into open warfare so that they could steal the weaponry that was created. They were able to steal a sliver of time from Kang after he had recently attacked the Avengers and had been exploiting that sliver of time to create this little pocket world. With the sliver closed, everything will return to normal and this reality, if it's remembered at all, will only be remembered as a sort of bad dream to whoever was involved. However,  if the sliver closes with the actual Dark Avengers still inside (it's their appearance that has destabilized the sliver as a whole), they could be erased from existence. The issue features a lot of little team-comes-together moments and everybody-helping-out bits as the Dark Avengers join with the few remaining heroes of this world to take down Grimm and Tony. After Reed explains everything, they find themselves chasing down the AIM unit that's busy escaping through the sliver themselves and they manage to pour out of the sliver, beating up (or possibly killing, who knows with this team) the AIM unit and shutting down the sliver forever. There's a quick page of the heroes of the 616 shaking off the bad images the sliver created and the team re-emerges just outside of Avengers Tower. Skaar leaves, free of the team, and the rest of the team seems destined to stick together, except for Ai Apaec, who June steps on. There is still some intrigue left over from this arc as we're not totally sure if June is controlling certain aspects of US Agent (who has no intention of bringing the team to prison, as they were headed the first issue of this long arc) or anyone else, but more or less, this book is closed.

As I said in my pre-game this week, I was very disappointed to see that this series was ending. I do think there are more stories to be told by this team and I can't say that there's anyone out there who should be telling them more than Jeff Parker. His wit and quirk mixed with the impressive stories he's wanted to tell both here and on Red She-Hulk have made these books, which could have been disasters as they abruptly followed on the heels of Thunderbolts and [Red] Hulk respectively , something different in this Universe full of great, if sometimes same-y, stories. It's been nice to learn more about these characters and to question their motivations while also exploring a world pushed mad by AIM and what happens if the heroes of our world are pushed just a little too far. Don't be surprised to see these characters used again soon or appearing in other books across the U, but be saddened that we lost this particular book.





Also, quick note, this is my 200th post on this blog. Thanks for everyone who's been reading and all of you who haven't, even. Just, thanks to everyone.

Comics this week

Another somewhat short week with a bittersweet bent to it; somehow Dark Avengers is releasing its last issue this week without me realizing ahead of time. I'm somewhat depressed about it, but I suppose I'll get into that more when I choose it as one of my five to watch for this week. SPOILERS, Dark Avengers 190 is on there.

Captain America 7
I'm excited for this book whenever it comes out. Of course, Cap's my favorite hero out there so I know I'm likely to be excited for it for my own personal reasons but I can't stress enough how interesting I'm finding this series. From seeing new angles of Steve's life (including as a child and as a father) to leaving Cap in a place where the flag on his uniform doesn't really mean much and he can't hope for support to come, every part of this series is dedicated to exploring different facets of Steve Rogers and Captain America and it's all great.

Dark Avengers 190
I was rather sad when I checked the new comic list and saw that this was the final issue of Dark Avengers for a few reasons. First and foremost, this book has been interesting all the way across and has featured a team of villains who might be heroes in a place where heroes are villains. Very interesting in its conceit. Also, it follows a trail of other cancelled books like Winter Soldier, Age of Apocalypse, and Red She-Hulk which have all featured heroes who maybe aren't quite popular enough to sustain a solo book but also don't really fit into any team or take place somewhere on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe. There are books far more deserving of cancellation and there are corners of the MU that are over-saturated with books so we see too much of them. Dark Avengers was different and had already gone to different places. Also, it means (unless I'm forgetting something) Jeff Parker isn't writing a regular book for Marvel and that's a shame after fun runs on Dark Avengers and Red She-Hulk. Hurtful, guys.

New Avengers 6
I love this book. I don't know if there's more to say than that. I love everything this book has done and every place its been willing to go. It's a very dark story with appropriately dark characters delving into the darkest places they can go. They've been trying to keep the incursions on the down-low and have attempted to keep the information between only themselves, to the point of erasing Cap's memory of the disasters. However, it's going to be awfully hard to do that for this issue as the newest incursion is happening over Latveria. Adding Doctor Doom to this mix is very exciting for me. Doom fits so interestingly into this equation and I'm thrilled about where this could go.

Uncanny X-Force 5
This is going to be a very important issue for Sam Humphries' X-Force issue as it's the issue that will bridge the first two arcs. The first arc wasn't a bad arc but it certainly didn't blow me away either. This issue will help establish the team and its goals and the way that the team interacts with one another outside of an event. Not to say that an event won't start up in this issue (it probably will) but there's likely to be a bit of cool-down to establish the team a bit further. This issue will be crucial for setting up the rest of the series so here's hoping for a strong showing.

X-Men 1
Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel return into the Marvel Universe with a new X-Men title. The most notable thing about this series, though, is the decision to make the team an all-female one, featuring Storm, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rogue, Jubilee, and Rachel Grey. There are some cases where this kind of team would feel like pandering (and make no mistake, Marvel comics should absolutely be pandering. Well, not pandering, but they should 100% be featuring more female driven-comics) but this team works on paper. It's a very powerful team with a lot of character but also it seems to have a reason for these women to come together. They don't feel just thrown together out of nowhere, they're all friends and they're fighting for the same causes, by and large. This is a big deal book because Marvel needs to see more female-led books survive and thrive. It's also a flat X-Men book, without any sort of bells or whistles on the name. This isn't X-Treme X-Men or All-New X-Men. This is X-Men, plain and simple. Calling this book "X-Men" shows a dedication to this team and the female-led principle, now the audience (and the writer and artist) need to make that pay off.

Cable and X-Force 7, Dark Avengers 189, Thunderbolts 8

Cable and X-Force 7
Hopeless (w) and Larocca (a) and D'Armata (c)

One of the things that's been so fun about Cable and X-Force so far is that, despite Cable's ability as a good strategist and the team's overall competence in their respective fields, sometimes things just don't work out. There are often variables that Cable can't foresee, for one reason or another, and the plan goes south amazingly fast. In the first story, Cable and X-Force were stunned to find how quickly the disease infecting the fast food chain had spread and how resilient it was to any of Dr. Nemesis' remedies and were also surprised to find Deathlok involved, among other setbacks. Already in this seemingly smoother plan, after a successful first half, Cable finds himself face-to-face with his fugitive father Cyclops, and Boom Boom and Domino find that the alien they're trying to break out to reunite with his ship is less than cooperative. I will say, this is the only time I've really thought to question Cable's plan. Even if it's necessary to get the alien out so he can pilot the ship, we maybe should have done a little more research on this alien to find out just how creepy and not helpful he might be. Of course, Cable hasn't come across the alien yet, which has attacked every other member of the team so far, so maybe Cable will turn up and force him into submission or blackmail him or something. On the other hand, it does seem like they need this SPECIFIC alien to prevent the future Cable has seen, so maybe they're just out of pleasant options.
So Boom Boom and Domino break the alien out while Dr. Nemesis and Forge take a quick jaunt into space for Dr. Nemesis' benefit. Cable talks with Cyclops, who says that he trusts Cable and if there's anything he can do to help, he's available. Domino hits on Colossus a bit and tries again to convince him to leave with them but Colossus refuses, still preferring to serve his time in the prison. After the alien knocks out Boom Boom and Domino and brings them onto his ship, which he hijacks out from under Dr. Nemesis and Forge, he gives a threatening message to Colossus before taking off in his ship with the rest of the team. Cable pursues in a stolen SWORD ship.
The writing in this book continues to be fast-paced and largely fun. There are some great character relationships developing here. I really love the Forge-Dr. Nemesis dynamic that Hopeless has created and I'm kind of intrigued by this Domino-Colossus relationship. I don't mind Domino but I'd never found her super interesting. I guess that I've been most interested in her when she's teamed up with Cable or Cable and Deadpool or something and I tend to be a fan of the Kitty-Colossus relationship, so I wouldn't have expected myself to care about this fling at all, but it's interesting to watch develop. I also love Colossus and I think the arc he's going through right now is fascinating and fits the character really well. You do have to ask how long he's going to keep himself on the bench, knowing he could help his friends. Exciting questions abound and NEXT TIME, dear readers, we had to SPACE.

Dark Avengers 189
Parker (w) and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Events are moving quickly again in Dark Avengers as the not-dead Moonstone phases into Stark's lab to break Ragnarok out and meet up with the other Dark Avengers who are in battle with Doc Strange. Strange imbibes all of Iron Fist's chi energy as he goads Danny into attacking, making him even more formidable. It's a little sad as a fan of both those characters in the 616 to watch Strange drooling to kill Iron Fist, as I think they're relationship is pretty fantastic in the normal universe. Meanwhile, Al Apaic organizes a bit of an attack himself, directing US Agent to the Cap of this world's shield, which US Agent uses to deflect Strange's attack and kill Clea. Apaic uses all his poison on Strange, killing him and releasing Skaar from his spell, allowing him to turn on Grimm and spare Reed's life. Moonstone and Ragnarok begin to try to leave Stark's lab and are confronted by Stark himself, who kills Pym with a blast Moonstone phased through. Ragnarok tears into Stark and destroys the armor, only for them to watch as a brain in a helmet flew away. Pym reveals, with his dying words, that he kept replacing bit by bit of himself to make room for more weapons until only the brain was left. Moonstone then leads Ragnarok away from Stark's and towards Thor's hammer, still in the crater Thor died in. Ragnarok lifts it and is transformed into something that looks a bit less like Thor.
So things have definitely sped up after a couple issues of the pieces fitting themselves into place. Now the Dark Avengers have seen to the end of Strange and have put Grimm and Stark very much on their toes. Assuming Skaar can escape with Richards and meet up with Ragnarok and Moonstone and the three heavy weights can find the other team members, things could get real interesting real fast. I've already been interested in this story (though I am glad to see it pick up its pace a bit again) and now I'm very intrigued to see how the rest of the arc plays out. AIM has something up their sleeve and Tony has just launched his "Iron Omega," which seems to be kind of an endgame for all he's concerned. Meanwhile, lingering in the background is the Namor-Sue Storm threat of destroying New York and the worry that Reed might not be able to open a portal back (he probably will though...then again, there's no reason this team COULDN'T stay out here). The resolution of the story is also something to be excited about, as we can learn what AIM's game is behind all of this and exactly what happened to devolve everyone so quickly. Fun stuff ahead for this book.

Thunderbolts 8
Way (w) and Noto (a) and Guru eFX (c)

There are a couple of great little twists in this book that make me excited about the way the Thunderbolts can run as a team again, after what I found to be a little bit of a stall in the first arc. I was intrigued by this team after seeing the first cover and who was going to be in it, and I still am, but I was a little turned off by the pacing of the first arc (and, in truth, I wasn't a fan of Dillon's art and that took me out of it a bit). I think now we're reaching some really interesting points, as we're seeing the skill and competence of this team mixed with the warring personalities. Let's get to the twists in a minute. First, the plot.
On the hunt for whoever is using gamma-powered armor to decimate the Middle East, Red Hulk's investigation brings him to a former American living as a terrorist in (of all places this week) Chechnya. He interrogates the man and finds out about a local arms dealer who seems to have had a run in recently with the person behind the gamma armor. The TBolts wipe out the little terrorist cell and leave. They plan an attack on the arms dealer, still trying to get answers, and this is where we start to get to our twists. Red Hulk has teamed Deadpool and Punisher together in an interesting call of, essentially, "these two could handle one another if one turned out to be a problem." Deadpool reports to Red Hulk that Punisher is champing at the bit to take out all these people contacting the arms dealer, as is his way, and he fears that he might jeopardize the mission. Red Hulk tells Deadpool to keep his eyes open and take Punisher out if he has to. Of course, Punisher isn't acting that way and Deadpool is trying to set him up so he might be able to attack him. Meanwhile, inside the location, the scummy arms dealer is meeting with terrorists and makes a note of how much he likes women in burkas because he can wonder if they're as pretty under there as he might imagine them to be. Though the last arc and the general layout of these kinds of books might lead you to believe that it's Elektra in this burka. Punisher and Deadpool have their eyes on the meeting from a perch in a window and Deadpool pulls out a handgun to use on Punisher. A gun fires and, at the turn of the page, we find that Elektra wasn't in the burka but had a sniper rifle trained on Deadpool and took him down before he could make his move on Punisher. Out from under the burka comes Venom ("out from under" isn't exactly the right phrase, as the symbiote was creating the burka) and he, Elektra, Punisher, and Red Hulk tear up the place, finally getting to the arms dealer. They start to question him before he receives a phone call from the guy they're trying to find and it detonates an explosion.
Things are, like in each other book in this review, heating up again. The team is doing everything I would have hoped this team would be able to do. The twists of Venom in the burka and Elektra prepared to take down Deadpool changes the dynamic of the book. The Venom in the burka bit shows that Way isn't afraid to play with your preconceptions, which is always a nice touch for a book to have. The Elektra-Deadpool-Punisher thing is more what we can expect from the team. This team has a purpose and it will do what it has to do achieve it. If that means taking out a key member of the team, it will be done without second thoughts. Good issue and it feels like we've put this book back on solid footing.

Avengers 8, New Avengers 4, Dark Avengers 188

Avengers 8
Hickman (w) and Weaver (a) and Ponsor (c)

As I said in my pre-game this week, this is the new Avengers' series first two-issue+ story since the first arc. We've taken every issue between to fill us in about some newly created character or other. It's fitting that this is the longest arc since the first one as it's apparently tying into the first arc more than just featuring Nightmask, who was created in that first arc. Nightmask who, along with Captain Universe, seems to be the only one who comprehends what's happening right now brings the Avengers to the new Starbrand, a being who has the power to defend a planet while it rises to a new level. Starbrand is a student named Kevin Connor and he has just discovered that his enormous amount of power has leveled his school and killed over three thousand people. He panics over the news and the Avengers start to make a path for the outside the blast radius except Hulk, who charges the new superhuman. Defensively, Starbrand shoots Hulk into space. The Avengers, a little less comforting and a little more wary now, approach Kevin to try to take him in for tests and questions, which alarms Kevin and provokes another attack. He's hit by Mjolnir but dusts it off before blasting Thor and Hyperion away. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel and Hulk share a moment as she flies to retrieve him and flings him back at Starbrand, at least knocking him down for a minute. Nightmask and Captain Universe stop the battle so Nightmask can take Starbrand and show him what's happening. Nightmask shows what he can of the conflicted system. Nightmask explains the system is conflicted because the builders had other, older systems that weren't meant to be used in tandem with this newer system. He then brings Starbrand "home" with him to Mars and Ex Nihilo and Abyss.

There's plenty to work with going forward and certainly a story worthy of the Avengers. I've made this argument before, but an Avengers story is hard because it has to be fairly self-contained but also present a big enough problem so as to actually require the Avengers, and not just Captain America or Iron Man or Thor. This story is doing an excellent job balancing that. It's a story that keeps to itself quietly enough (spare the three thousand dead civilians at the school) but has possibly catastrophic consequences and the characters involved are enough to take down any single or two Avengers. I am really enjoying this new series and I think it's headed in a great direction. Hickman and his artists have brought back a feeling of an epic scale that I think has been rather missing from Avengers books recently. Marvel is doing a fantastic job in Marvel NOW! of making the many Avengers titles feel bigger and more serious than they have over the last several years, if ever. Avengers, New Avengers, and Uncanny Avengers are all better books than I would have hoped for in my wildest dreams. They, as a unit, are the single best thing I can point to in Marvel NOW! to explain why I think Marvel's at the top of its game right now (not to mention all the other great books that have spawned from this new lineup).

New Avengers 4
Hickman (w) and Epting and Magyar (a) and D'Armata (c)

The next incursion event has happened a little sooner than the New Avengers were hoping. Black Panther and Reed Richards have come up with an idea, a bomb of sorts, to be prepared to destroy any incurring worlds. Tony Stark, meanwhile, has begun construction on a sphere that will weaponize the sun. Both plans require more time when the newest Earth appears over 616's. Doctor Strange has turned to dark arts to find a way to stop any incursion. He's found a spell that could work but will cost his life. When the incursion begins, a new Earth appearing over Ellis Island, Beast suggests they enter that world and search for that Universe's infinity gems. They agree to attempt it before using other and more fatal means, though they realize it would mean someone needing to stay behind to operate the gems from their native universe. Doc Strange mentions that his plan requires much of the same sacrifice, so the New Avengers all travel into the incurring Earth, which has a statue of Magneto welcoming them as opposed to the Statue of Liberty. As they begin to argue about where to start searching, Black Bolt directs their attention to Galactus, who has set up shop in the new Earth and is creating his conversion machine. It turns out Galactus is aware of the incursions and also requires it to stop, lest it destroy the universe of which he is a constant. Terrax, Galactus' herald, explains this to the New Avengers, who are now torn between allowing Galactus to continue, ridding them of their problem, or taking the time to try to defeat him when they should be looking for the infinity gems.

It should be no secret to readers that I think this book is the best Marvel book coming out right now. That's not said lightly. Even if you read the review above this one, you should know how not lightly it's said. It's in competition with a ton of other books (Avengers, Captains America and Marvel, Hawkeye, Uncanny Avengers, to name a few) but I'm constantly blown away by it. I love the moral dilemmas, I love the struggle this team is facing, I love that it's a problem seemingly only worthy of the Illuminati, and I love the characters in the book. I talked above (and I've talked before) about finding problems big enough that the Avengers have to solve them without requiring a Universe-spanning event. In a way, I think it's harder for this New Avengers book to find problems like that because they also have to be intensely challenging moral questions on top of finding big enough and contained enough problems. This story falls very much into that range, asking its team to make the hardest possible choices while also being unable to involve anyone besides themselves. Phenomenal book and another phenomenal issue (I also can't say enough how great this art team is, with Epting pencils, Magyar inks, and D'Armata colors. Each issue is gorgeous on top of the great stories).

Dark Avengers 188
Parker (w) and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Skaar says his goodbye to the apparently dead Moonstar after a devastating attack from one of Grimm's creatures. He doesn't have much time to mourn, though, as he and Reed Richards uncover a pair of AIM spies who appear to have time-warped in. One escapes but Skaar stops the other from phasing away and Richards infuriates Grimm enough to leave the spy behind for Skaar to question. Meanwhile, the majority of the team is stuck trying to cross Hell's Kitchen to get to Strange. After questioning from a bunch of street heroes (Misty Knight, Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, Daredevil, and Colleen Wing among them), the team is released from their webs by Spider-Man ("befriended" by Al Apaic) and they continue towards Strange, who promptly kills Spider-Man, the street team's strongest hero. Finally, we see into Pym's lab, where he's supposed to be making a neutron bomb for Tony before Namor and Sue Storm attack the city. He has, instead, been working to revive Ragnarok, who finally wakes up as the issue ends, able to see some form of Moonstone, who gestures to him to be quiet.

A lot happened in this issue that sets up even more to happen in the next one. I don't want to sound like this issue is spinning its wheels and not going anywhere, because there were some big developments, but it does seem like the last couple have been pushing us towards a climax that has yet to be seen. It seems impossible, though, that we won't get some answers next time, what with most of the team being confronted by Strange, one member working on what seems to be the core of the problem in this world (the AIM spies, who Richards believes might have put this all in motion), and a couple members in the basement of Stark's territory. It's all coming to a head and it feels like everyone is in a place to make something happen. It's still interesting to me to see where everyone has ended up in this strange and broken world. Daredevil, wearing a version of his yellow costume, has given up hope for heroes while his allies seem a little more optimistic. There's something up with Tony, who apparently refuses to reveal his face. Grimm is incredibly angry and bitter over something that's happened to Alicia Masters. It's all very interesting and I think whatever the reveal is about AIM will either enlighten us to how everything could have turned so ugly or disappoint us about it. Time will tell.

Dark Avengers 187, Ultimates 21

Dark Avengers 187
Parker (w) and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

I think I'm never going to not have fun finding everyone in this dark and twisted universe the Dark Avengers are in. Like I've said while talking about this book before, there are a lot of things about this new universe not to like, largely revolving around the fact that Manhattan is separated into different territories all controlled by jerk-versions of heroes of the 616 and it seems like Manhattan is the only city left in the world AND Captain America is dead. STILL, there's plenty to like about the situation. As I keep repeating, I love that new writers to a longstanding series get to turn the character just a little bit to show us a new part of them. In this case, Parker is able to take the characters we know and either bring out their darkest sides, corrupted by this world, or just show them in a different light. It's the benefit of playing in alternate universes and Parker clearly knows what he wants to do with it. There's a bigger story going on here, sure, about how some of these guys got this way. Not for all of them, necessarily, but Reed Richards keeps begging Ben Grimm to listen to him, that the cosmic rays are having a secondary effect on them all (except Reed because his mind is too squishy). Jury's still out on if Doc Strange is a creepy old man just because that's a part of him lying under the surface (Fraction's Defenders series touched a bit on that a couple times) and if Tony Stark has been broken by this world or if he's somehow altered. We'll see more, presumably. The joy of this issue was the street heroes emergence.

I mentioned a couple reviews ago that I was excited to eventually see Iron Fist's area, which had been hinted at. Turns out the street heroes have banded together to keep Hell's Kitchen in their control. A different version of Spider-Man (who MIGHT be Apaec himself? At least, the Apaec of the Dark Avengers, posed as Spider-Man for that team, has sensed something different about him and can communicate in weird spider language with him) has webbed the whole area up to detect intruders entering. Daredevil, Iron Fist, Shang Chi, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and Hawkeye are all present in this area and handily take down the three Dark Avengers they can see (Scarlet Witch, Trickshot, and US Agent; Dark Spider-Man is chilling with this world's Spider-Man) without allowing them to explain themselves. Everyone in the group seems particularly affronted by US Agent, dressed in his normal costume again, as they see him as a Cap knockoff and this group is clearly all firmly in Cap's camp. Meanwhile, Skaar and Moonstone are in Thing's camp and Moonstone has been forced to fight for Thing's amusement in gladiatorial sort of battles and may or may not die at the end? The "to be continued" text seems to think she does, but I have my doubts. I still am really enjoying this book. Jeff Parker is keeping himself to the outskirts of the Marvel Universe with this book and Red She-Hulk but boy is he doing a bang-up job in both places.

Ultimates 21
Humphries (w) and Eaton, Magyar and Hennessy (a) and Milla (c)

Nick Fury wasn't a traitor! Of course, if you were reading Ultimate X-Men, you probably knew that, as long as this WAS Nick Fury, he was still a good guy. Dude helped the mutants, of COURSE he's a good guy! But anyway, everything else hit the fan this issue. Iron Patriot attacks the Hydra camp and clears a path for Falcon to get Fury and get out but Fury and Hawkeye break out before Falcon gets there. Meanwhile, SHIELD and President Cap determine that Fury wasn't the traitor but that another ex-SHIELD agent, now under the guise of Commander Crimson, was and that she has a potential WMD that she uses to level Tony and his fleet of Wasp bots and blow a crater into the ground that seals around them. After the smoke clears, everyone meets up and Fury announces that he's going to put together a small unit to infiltrate and disassemble Hydra as opposed to sending in the Ultimates and having the majority of the enemies flee. His first recruit is Nails, a girl from the Hydra camp he'd infiltrated who had shown reluctance with Crimson's methods and who Crimson would have killed if not for Fury. TURNS OUT, she's this Universe's version of Abigail Brand.

Like the situation in Dark Avengers but on a bigger scale, one of the fun things about the Ultimate Universe has always been waiting for 616 people to show up. There are a ton already there, a ton who have died, and a ton of new characters who have popped up exclusive to the 1610. Still, there are so many characters out there so it's pretty neat when a new one crops up, even if it's just Abigail Brand. They're little bones for the dedicated Marvel readers and they don't really throw anything off for people who only read Ultimate stuff, if such people exist. I thought that the Ultimate Universe stuff was a little hokey when it was first created. I understand why they did it from both a monetary and logical standpoint of "let's give readers a new universe so they don't feel so bogged down by the decades of stuff that came before modern comics." However, a lot of what happened seemed a little too...I don't really know, off, I suppose. I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it's because I read that stuff when I was younger and I could only ever compare it to the 616 and it didn't sit as well. Maybe if I went back and re-read it, I'd be more accepting. I don't know. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I think the Ultimate Universe has really found its voice and knows the stories it wants to tell. It's separated itself enough from the 616 to effectively tell those stories and I think the whole universe is really moving in a good direction. Well done, Marvel, well done.

This week's picks

Like I said at the onset of this week, I was surprised by how few books came out. Nine books reviewed means one-third of those are going to be recommended, as opposed to the one-fifth or so I've been recommending. It FEELS like the stakes are both higher and lower because there are fewer choices. Or maybe it doesn't. Actually, it doesn't. I know which ones are my picks.

Hawkeye 7

On top of the fact that purchasing this book grants money to a good cause, this is a good book. In truth, just because the profits go to charity I'd be recommending this book. But this is a great book. It tells a cohesive story that fits within the parameters of the character. It also continues the fascinating trend this book has had of Hawkeye not being in costume and not using his arrows. There have been several times where he has used arrows and at least one full issue based around his arrows, but by and large, considering the one thing you think of when you think of Hawkeye is typically "bow and arrow," they have been absent. This issue, he doesn't fight anything he can use his arrows on anyway. So he uses his "pretty good guy" powers instead. It's a pretty moving tale with a lot of fun dialogue and still some good action. Solid entry, great series.

X-Men Legacy 5

Like I said in my review, this is a fine book. There's plenty of action, plenty of self-examination, plenty of actual interior examination, everything. The story is incredibly compelling, as are the characters (I'll say it again, Blindfold is interesting in this book. BLINDFOLD), and it shows no sign of stopping. The art style and the colors fit the tone really well, something super important to its success. For example, I adore Jamie McKelvie and think his art is just incredible, but I couldn't see it in this book. It shouldn't be as clean and as meticulous. It needs to be stretching the borders and fighting against the characters. That's not me trying to slight it and say it's not well-drawn because it totally is. It's just me saying it's a particular style that really works for the context. You're missing out if you're not reading this book.

Dark Avengers 186

I cannot say definitively that this book will appeal to everyone. TECHNICALLY, I can't say that definitively about any book but I do anyway. But I understand a bit of mistrust on this one. Alternate universes, alternate and questionably-moralled Avengers teams, alternate versions of heroes acting non-heroically, plenty of warning signs to people who hate things that are alternate. And I can't blame you, I'm often the same way. However, this book has lured me right in. I'm interested to see what the Dark Avengers do, how they handle themselves in their first solo arc post-Thunderbolts (this title switched over from Thunderbolts pretty recently). I'm also, despite myself, REALLY interested in how this world turns out, with 616 friends viewing each other as enemies and all-out super-powered war on the horizon. Pretty exciting stuff.




ANYWAY, SUPER BOWL TODAY SO MY REAL PICK OF THE WEEK IS GO 49ERS.

Avengers 4, Dark Avengers 186

Avengers 4
Hickman (w) and Kubert (a) and D'Armata (c)

Hickman's Avengers run continues with another somewhat confusing plot. The confusion this time comes largely from the focus on an individual character, which is interesting given what I predicted in my pre-game post this week. I had speculated and hoped that we would start seeing smaller teams sent out on missions and that would allow us to examine characters a little more closely. In this case, the team we largely dealt with comprised of Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, Thor, Hawkeye, and Hyperion (fun side note, a "small" Avengers team these days is still bigger than the original Avengers when the book started. Granted, the problems are a little bigger than Loki making Hulk feel misunderstood or a Space Phantom, but here we are). Attentive readers might note that we know an awful lot about the first five Avengers I just mentioned and not a huge amount about Hyperion. This is probably true even for people well-versed in Hyperion prior to this book (which I'm not and really no one is as this is a different Hyperion than any of the others we've seen). So we get a lot of his backstory which is probably harder to follow if you're trying to determine the whole time if this is stuff you already know rather than just taking it as new information. Alas, such is my curse.

Based on the origin we see in this issue, what we know of past Hyperions, and the way he acts in the present, this is a pretty high-powered and intelligent dude. His goals are a little unclear, as is his past (beyond a certain point). It makes him a character worth watching. I'd like to see now if Hickman intends to run an arc focused on Hyperion or, as I'm anticipating, to jump to another team at another spot and maybe focus on someone else. Remember, what we saw here was only a third of the revealed team (not including Captain America, who we see and is in direct contact with this team, but doesn't appear with the Avengers). This issue is kind of a self-contained issue of a bigger story. We're continuing from the first arc, where organic bombs were launched at Earth to create life (and destroy the present life). They've found six spots and have cordoned off most of them from the population at large. There are a couple the Avengers aren't allowed to attend to, thanks to foreign governments, and one they haven't yet gotten to, a spot in the Savage Land. The six-hero team goes to this spot and finds AIM there running experiments already. The place quickly proves dangerous as it rapidly grows when exposed to an outside agent. The Avengers handily take down the AIM squad and contain the area. We learn after, as an audience not as the Avengers, that there's a seventh spot that the Avengers have overlooked, a spot in Norway that AIM is already fast approaching.

I'll be interested to see if Hickman stays in this arc, which is clearly not over, or proceeds somewhere else for the time being to return to this later. Like I said, I'll also be interested to see if he jumps teams and shows us the newer members. At this point, I'd be surprised if he focused an issue on a key cog in the Marvel Universe (your Spider-Mans or your Wolverines or your Iron Mans) beyond giving us their personality through dialogue and actions. I would assume he'll continue like this and give us better looks at the people we can't read thirty other current books about. It's a neat idea and, like I said last week, I think it makes a lot of sense to have a huge Avengers roster with little teams assigned to each problem. It's the same as the way the Avengers have been treated in recent history but with way more organization. An openly rotating team is far better than three or so distinct teams that meld together whenever they want to. I'm enjoying this book so far.

Dark Avengers 186
Parker (w) and Pierfederici and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

This story has sucked me right in. Most alternate universe books are decent enough but you're always checking your watch, waiting for the characters to return to their rightful universe (I check my watch when I'm impatient about a comic. It's a Captain America watch so I feel like he goes "hey, I'm in an alternate universe too right now and you love that book. But I get it; you're still waiting for me to go home"). This one has none of that. Even though it's the driving motivation of the book and most of our narration, given the Dark Avengers are just as in the dark about this new universe as we are, it's easy to forget that a.) they're our main characters, and b.) their priority is to find a way home. That's not a slight at the book, not me saying "GEEZ, has this guy FORGOTTEN what they're doing here?" It's me saying I'm so genuinely engaged in the plot in this world that I forget the plot as it pertains to the known world.

Doctor Strange is controlling Skaar and Moonstone to attack Iron Man's forces and Thing's forces, respectively to make it seem to each leader as if the other is ready for war. Strange intends both forces to fall or at least be weakened enough for him to crush them both. The Dark Avengers out of the fight, Scarlet Witch, Trickshot, Ragnarok (unconscious), Al Apaec and US Agent are watching the events unfold from within Iron Man's area and Al Apaec determines that Skaar and Moonstone are being used and suggests they kill Strange to free their powerhouses. Meanwhile, Thing has captured Reed Richards, who has come from his own ruled area to try to reason with Ben about goings-on beyond their understanding. As Iron Man and Thing begin to fight, Namor and his wife Sue Storm crash the party with some intense flooding and threaten to destroy the area in 24 hours. The individual forces (other than Reed, who is still with Ben) return back to their bases to prepare.

It's really engaging and it's undeniably interesting. Though we know a lot about this universe, there are plenty of questions still to be answered (or to remain unanswered, such is the curse of "in media res") and it seems like Reed has a theory that the Dark Avengers are going to have to hear if they intend to return home. I'm pretty excited to see where this goes, even though it has no impact on any book outside of this one. That's always a sign of a good book, especially in such an intertwined Universe as Marvel's.

Avengers Assemble 11, Avenging Spider-Man 16, Dark Avengers 185, Ultimate Iron Man 4

Avengers Assemble 11
DeConnick (w) and Caselli (a)

I was skeptical starting this book. It started releasing around the time of The Avengers in theaters so I pegged it as a tie-in book or a cash-in book. I'm willing to say I was wrong. Comics are still a business so there certainly was a cash-in aspect, releasing a new Avengers series to coincide with a huge blockbuster and give readers a jumping on point to start buying comics. It's a gateway series. It's not necessarily a bad thing to get new readers, but often the book has to be a little dumbed down (dumbed down isn't the right word; it has to be more understandable for non-comics readers who are less willing to deal with timeline splitting and alternate dimensions and resurrection at the onset of a new comic) and sacrifices something that a hardcore comic fan, if such a thing exists, wants to see. This arc has proven that there are real benefits to this book beyond as a jumping-on point, something I'll repeat that I am in favor of.

There is definitely a decided lack of the kind of timeline splitting, alternate dimensions, resurrection, etc. plot lines that you see in a lot of the established series. Still, there are meaningful character moments, Avengers-level threats, and the team camaraderie you want to see out of a team like the Avengers. I'm not a hundred percent sure where it fits in the greater Marvel Universe (something that always keeps me off-balance), but I think I've heard it's meant to coincide with 616. I could be wrong. I think it fits there, though it could also fit into the cinematic universe. These are the kinds of questions that the book doesn't want to have to delve into at the fear of losing new readers, and rightly so, so I'll leave it be and just enjoy it for the characters and the stories.

I do enjoy it, for what it's worth. I will say it's probably one I wouldn't be buying regularly considering the level of comfort I have with the Marvel Universe and the level of money I have to spend on comics. It's still a fun book with a lot of worthwhile aspects, not least of which is watching a Hulk interact with the Avengers again (and don't tell me that Red Hulk was on the Avengers in Bendis' run because he fought with them a couple times, then disappeared into background character and occasional "hit things really hard" character). Definitely worth reading if you're looking for a way into comics. But watch out, that's how they hook you.

Avenging Spider-Man 16
Yost (w) and Medina (a)

Boy, that Doc Spidey is sure having a hard time adjusting to Spider-Man's social life, huh? I do think it's necessary to have the same issues come up ("hmm, he's acting strange, oh, now he's acting kind of normal almost as if he's covering the strange, sheesh, he's getting pretty brutal with these guys, I wonder if everything's okay, OH WELL") with each hero/group he "meets," especially as Spider-Man is so entrenched in every corner of the Marvel Universe, but I can definitely see it wearing thin. It's the same complaint I have about any attempt in media to portray Hulk ("OH GOD, it's Hulk! Everyone run! Oh wait, he seems to be saving the day? What a weird thing! Now he's leaving. Boy, I feel like we've learned something today"). These things might be the way it would really play out, but it can wear on a bit.

THAT SAID, this issue has some more interesting moments to it. On the plus side for this story, Doc Ock's whole personality has been a little skewed by imbuing it with Peter's memories, so we're seeing a newish Doc Ock too, meaning it's kind of a learning experience for everyone. It's still fun to watch the way he interacts with people and with other heroes and likely will be for some time. His new approach, brain before brawn, is worth mentioning again here as it does feel like a significant change, and an interesting one at that. Also, he beats up Wolverine at one point, rather impressively, so that's worth checking in on. Still fun to read and useful if you're trying to get a full read on Doc Spidey's new persona.

Dark Avengers 185
Parker (w) and Edwards (a)

The Dark Avengers just took the role of the Thunderbolts in this book a couple months ago, after a bit of a crossover between the two. My head has still been a little reeling from that and trying to figure out who is who (I wasn't a regular Thunderbolts reader before the switch so it's all a little tangled in there) but things are starting to come together. What DOESN'T help is that the Dark Avengers are in an alternate reality where New York, the last remnant of civilization in this world, has been divided into factions by remaining former heroes who are all trying to make a play for full control of the city. But again, it's all clearing up for me, which is useful because it's definitely a good story.

There seem to be several factions, including the four we've seen most prominently, Doctor Strange's, Iron Man's, the Thing's, and Mr. Fantastic's. We've also heard mention of ones controlled by the likes of Namor and Iron Fist. It's a bit of fun, inherent to these alternate reality stories, waiting to see where your favorite alternate reality heroes have ended up. I'm pretty excited that, in all this desolation and destruction, Iron Fist seems to be doing pretty well for himself. Anyway, in terms of plot we DID see, Iron Man has captured (Dark) Scarlet Witch, (Dark) Spider-Man, (Dark) Thor, (regular) US Agent, and maybe (Dark) Hawkeye (I say "maybe" because I didn't see him in this issue and don't remember him in the last one). He has Hank Pym working on analyzing ways to control them when, last issue, Scarlet Witch changed his attitude toward her. He spends this issue helping her (while remaining loyal to Iron Man; he doesn't particularly know that he's helping her the way he is) restore her teammates and learn about the society around them. Meanwhile, Skaar and Moonstone are under the control of Dr. Strange, who intends to use them to start a turf war between Iron Man and Thing.

While the story is a little much to dive into, it's compelling once you're there. There's a nice part where, in order to confuse the Thing's and Iron Man's forces, Strange makes Moonstone appear as Captain Marvel, causing her to wonder what "fetish" men have that they have to keep dressing her up as Carol Danvers characters. There's also the always readable "need to find a way home" story lying underneath of the mystery of this society. Like I said, it's a little much to dive into halfway in, but it's certainly worth reading and this issue felt a lot more straightforward than the last one (though again, that could have been my own confusions).

Ultimate Iron Man 4
Edmondson (w) and Buffagni (a)

This mini-series comes to a conclusion as the true power behind the Ultimate version of the Mandarin comes to light. It seems the Mandarin is a business entity in this universe, picking up shares in every influential company to keep a finger in many a sinister stew. Stark Industries, because of the sins of Tony's father, is now caught up in a revenge scheme for the Mandarin, who intends to destroy the company by ruining its stock and relations to other companies through what essentially amounts to acts of terrorism. The Mandarin has already taken control of all of Tony's assets, including his satellites, and begins to send the company's own drones to crash into military bases. Tony, unable to activate his suit, argues with them for a bit over what his father had done before Rhodes tracks him down and begins an assault in new Iron Giant-esque War Machine armor. Tony tracks the caretakers of the Mandarin and gives them a speech about his father's principles and, with help from Jarvis, manages to override their systems and upload a virus, devastating the Mandarin for the time being.

There's a good bit of father-son understanding here as Tony lauds his father for the decision he made to cut ways with Mandarin when he figured out that their intentions were not so savory. Overall, the ending's a little weak but then I wasn't too huge on the whole series. I don't know why, but it takes a lot to get me to care about Stark Industries. I think, if I were to guess, it's that I'm probably not reading comics to see how a business is operated. Not that that's overwhelming in many Iron Man books, but it comes up enough to sometimes cause me to check out. A bit of deus ex machina and we're back to square one, with a possible Mandarin resurgence likely planned somewhere. If you're keeping up with the Ultimate Universe, this is one of those books that really lets you see a little deeper into one of the less viewed areas of the world, but otherwise there's not a huge amount there. Not poorly written or illustrated, just another book in the sea.


Stay tuned tomorrow for X-Men day, which has become my very favorite thing to plan out, especially given that there's usually more than enough X-Men books per week to fill up a full day's schedule.