Captain America 23, Captain Marvel 6

Captain America 23
Remender (w) and Pacheco (p) and Taibo (i) and White (c) and Caramagna (l)

The mysterious armored figure who emerged from Dimension Z sets out for Avengers Mansion and quickly makes his way in, hacking and evading security before managing to dodge Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk on his way to the elderly Cap, who manages to pin the figure despite his sudden age. Of course, the figure removes his helmet to reveal that he is, in fact, Steve's adopted son Ian, returned from the dead (he fell into the same biomass in which he was created so, you know, no harm done) and a couple decades older and wiser. Steve is beyond happy to see him and embraces his son while Ian tells the Avengers how dire the situation is already getting. Meanwhile, Falcon and Jet attempt to break into the main tower of Dimension Z while the Avengers provide a distraction, though it seems bound to fail as Zola already seems aware of their presence. However, not all is lost as Falcon and Jet happen to stumble upon an older and long-imprisoned Sharon Carter.

There's a ton happening here as we march towards the upcoming event AXIS and the emergence of a new Captain America. Dimension Z has put down roots and both Ian and Sharon have re-appeared alive, to the chagrin, undoubtedly, of all those people shouting that Remender had fridged a character who has been around for more decades than most of those readers have been alive (LOOK, I am still a bit peeved about ANXM, even a day later). Even despite the sheer amount of ground Remender has to cover, the issue moves pretty well and manages to keep the pace and the tension up, crucial to the developing storyline. Also, it's really nice to see, after twenty-two extremely tough issues for him, Steve having a nice day. Sure one of his arch-nemeses is invading the Earth looking to unleash his consciousness on the people, but Steve's son is alive and soon he'll likely find out his girlfriend is too. Nice to see him so happy.

Total Score: 5/5


Captain Marvel 6
DeConnick (w) and D. Lopez (a) and Loughridge (c) and Caramagna (l)

Refusing to leave the peaceful Torfans to their almost assured death at the hands of the brutal J-Son, Captain Marvel becomes a one-woman army to defend the refugees, taking down ships one-by-one while not allowing any to reach the planet. Meanwhile, the Torfans enact a peaceful protest, seating themselves and refusing to move at the hands of the attacking Spartoi. The leader of the Torfans sends Jackie and Gil to take Carol's place holding off the ships and sends Carol to destroy the vibranium mines, which she does with ease. J-Son is furious and promises revenge but, as seems to be his defining characteristic of late, he swears revenge on a peaceful people he admits to having poisoned all on a live broadcast to plenty of people, courtesy of Tic aboard a Haffensye ship. J-Son has no recourse but to leave, which he does swearing revenge and just swearing while Captain Marvel intimidates and Jackie and Gil taunt. With her ship repaired and the gratitude of the Torfans, Carol sets off again for a new adventure.

I like this issue and I like a lot of single moments in it, but overall it's hard for the issue not to feel a little preachy and a little like it's trying too hard to find those single moments. CAPTAIN MARVEL, both this new volume and the last, has defined itself by big and wonderful speeches and lines (like the oft-quoted/printed/tattooed/whatever else'd "We will be the stars we were always meant to be") and it's hard not to see a couple times in this issue where dramatic lines not dissimilar to the tone and weight of that keep coming up. That's probably just the cynic in me. It's also hard to point specifically to the peaceful protest as "a little preachy" because I tend to agree with peaceful protests and it's hard PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW to wonder about the efficiency of them or chastise them or whatever it was I hoped to accomplish when I started this paragraph (WHO KNOWS). Look, let's not get into it here. It just occasionally felt that way to me and it might be equal parts because I was reading too much into it and because I don't super love the supporting cast of this arc. WHATEVER. It's still a good issue, as evidenced by the following strong score and ALSO I'm sorry if I just made it sound like it's not a very good issue because, you guys, it still really is. OH, final point, I don't like J-Son as a villain, I find him very boring.

Total Score: 4/5

Captain America 22, Black Widow 8

Captain America 22
Remender (w) and Pacheco (p) and Taibo (i) and White w/Loughridge (c) and Caramagna (l)

Everyone needs a rest once in a while and I can't think of anyone in the Marvel Universe after the past few months who needs one as badly as Captain America. The serum-less and frail Steve Rogers spends a day in his big bed at Avengers Mansion watching his reputation be tarnished and his ethics questioned by a number of SHIELD critics in the wake of Nrosvekistan and watching Louie while Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and (kind of) Thor try to find some trace of the serum in his blood and to restore him to Cap status. Steve is roused from his bed at last, though, when a portal to Dimension Z opens and Zola's minions come pouring out with Zola himself discussing his plans with the Red Skull.

I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it again: every book needs a sort of rest issue now and again to slow things down and to keep the intensity of the action-based issues high by giving something to compare against. That's what this is for CAPTAIN AMERICA, a solid rest issue that establishes where we stand right now and what we should be thinking about as the series continues (mostly Zola, Red Skull, the serum-less Cap, and the fact that Jet and Falcon have, against Falcon's better impulses, started up some sort of a relationship following a wine-fueled night). It's a very good book and one that manages to reset the pace and tone, exactly what Remender set out to do, while still not resting on its laurels, preferring to still push the plot forward.

Total Score: 5/5


Black Widow 8
Edmondson (w) and Noto (a and c) and Cowles (l)

While Isaiah tries to secure some funds for their operation, Black Widow has a new job: stealing back some key data for a client from a courier on a train in Prague, or a reverse train heist, as she calls it. She easily makes it on to the train and recovers the package but she's surprised when Winter Soldier turns up, hired to stop an international gang from robbing the train. They work together well to get off the train and evade the attacking gang but Natasha is shot in the leg in the process and the two make their way to an empty house for Bucky to patch her up and for them to plan the next move. Bucky insists that she leaves before the gang catches up to them, arguing that her job was to secure the briefcase and that his was to handle the gang. She accepts reluctantly and begins to leave before Bucky calls out to her again. Unable to say anything to her about their one-time relationship (thanks to Natasha's complete amnesia of it), he wishes her luck and she leaves. She returns home to find a new lead waiting for her from Maria Hill while Isaiah has been taken by some anonymous party.

It's no surprise for me to say that I absolutely adore this book and that this issue, one that teased a Winter Soldier appearance that would team the two for the first time since Natasha's memory wipe at the hands of Leo Novokov, had a particular draw for me. Edmondson and Noto deliver as the book is appropriately exciting and fast while also being layered and heart-breaking. Edmondson handles the team-up extraordinarily well, not letting on (save for a few quick lines that could go either way) until the very end that something is on Bucky's mind while making their interaction feel like two spies who are really good at their jobs and who have an obvious chemistry together. Noto continues to amaze as both Natasha and Winter Soldier look incredible (my girlfriend pointed out how consistent Noto is in Natasha's appearance, something that you can't always expect from this medium) and setting their fight against some gorgeous backgrounds and colors. Another month, another great BLACK WIDOW issue.

Total Score: 5/5

Captain America 7, Indestructible Hulk 8

Captain America 7
Remender (w) and Romita Jr., Hanna, and Janson (a) and White (c)

The issue starts by delving again into Cap's past, but this time from the perspective of present day Cap (or, more specifically, the Cap of two years ago, who farmed the land with the Phrox and Ian. Remember, an absurd amount of time has passed while he's been here) as he looks back on the man his father was. He reveals to Ian that his father collapsed under the pressures of his time and was unable to stand back up, something Steve is able to more easily understand now that he's been raising Ian. Ian asks if Steve will ever disappear on him and Steve admits that his intense desire to not be like his father has led him down a wholly different path altogether; instead of abusing the ones he loves, he becomes emotionally unavailable to them. He promises Ian he'll never disappear. Flash forward to today, as Cap works his way through Zola's tower to try to find Ian, who is being brainwashed by Zola. Steve has already subdued, but not killed, Ian's sister Jet so Zola knows he's on his way. Jet is freed by some of Zola's minions and pursues Steve again. Meanwhile, Steve is having a hell of a time in this assault, forcing his already broken body further and further until he is again confronted by Jet. She attacks him but her heart isn't really in it and Steve escapes the fight momentarily to save a Phrox from being mutated, a process Zola has been enacting to further his plans (soon revealed!). He saves her but it leaves the two of them dangling from the walkway with only Jet around to save them. Steve convinces her to act on the impulses she's been feeling lately, including her confusion about Steve and the recent guilt she's experienced at Zola's plans. She tells Steve the entire plan (now revealed!) which involves Zola infecting many powerful people of Earth with the liquid consciousness he infected Steve with, though a greater dosage, and effectively create a world of Zolas run by Zola. The plan is already pushing quickly forward and Steve needs to find a way to derail it and to save Ian. Jet makes him swear to save Ian and then tells him where her brother is. When he gets near, he is shot through the side of his stomach by a seemingly fully brainwashed Ian.

There is so much happening in this issue (hence my really long description) and it's hard to break it all down. Steve reveals that the memories of his childhood that he's been experience aren't just there for the reader's benefit, they're there because they've recently forced their way to the top amidst all of these new experiences. This, tied to his understanding of his own psyche and emotions (the idea that he pushes people away as a response to his father's abuse) gives us such a different view of Steve while keeping so nicely to the character itself. It's unimaginably difficult to write an entirely new angle for a character while being somewhat handcuffed by 70 years of backstory but Remender has proven again and again that he's more than capable of it. Now Steve will have to face the hardest fight of his long life as he battles Ian to try to save him all while Zola furthers his own plot. This is an even harder fight than Steve had with Bucky back when Bucky was Winter Soldier because a.) he's actually spent more time with Ian over the years they've been stuck here, b.) he physically raised Ian like a father, as opposed to Bucky who was more of a best friend or even brother with maybe a hint of father mixed in, and c.) Ian is a child. Come back next time for an even harder inner turmoil for Steve, if that's the sort of thing you want to see. It is admittedly rather painful as Steve is forced to deal with all of these things, as well as dealing with numerous physical injuries that he is constantly diagnosing and working through. Still, brilliant book.

Indestructible Hulk 8
Waid (w) and Simonson and Wiacek (a) and Charalampidis (a)

We learn a little bit more about the semi-suicidal Patty as well as about the way Mjolnir is viewed in the scientific community as this Jotunheim arc concludes. Patty has a degenerative brain disease that is all but incurable at this point but she is the sole provider for her father. Suicide would mean that the insurance companies wouldn't give him anything but dying at the Hulk's hands would surely compensate him, as opposed to her simply dying from the disease and leaving him alone and with nothing. Bruce tries to get her to believe it's curable or at least worth trying to cure but she's a bit of a hard sell. They talk about why Mjolnir is immovable but she's not interested in it unless it has to do with a cure for her. Meanwhile, they devise a plan to return home with a lot of soft science (I'm supremely happy that I'm not a scientist because I can just read whatever writers say in here and be like "yup, makes total sense to me. I'm sure this is a real solution") which is ultimately interrupted by the Frost Giant possessing Randall revealing himself and leading his fellow Frost Giants in an attack on Midgard. They are eventually rebuffed by Hill, on the other side of the portal, and Hulk's emergence. The whole team, including the rather wounded real Randall, make their way back to Earth and Thor and Hulk part ways for the time being. Bruce hopes that the whole experience has opened Patty's eyes to not being alone in the universe because, as he says, "alone" is poison. Next issue will team Hulk (or pit against) with Daredevil in a clash of Mark Waid authored heroes.

This arc was certainly interesting and it was very nice to see Simonson drawing Hulk and Thor together (even if he made Bruce and, by relation, Hulk's hair somewhat Osborn-like). The story went a long way to develop the characters that Waid has introduced to Banner's world, which definitely needed to be done after several issues that focused on Hulk and/or Banner working with SHIELD. This book is going to have to toe an interesting line of keeping Hulk available for SHIELD while focusing itself on Bruce and his work with the science he's dedicated himself to. The conceit of this book, which makes it very different from most Hulk books, is that Bruce is determined to make something of himself after all this time as a super-scientist and it'll be neat to watch as Waid puts that in the forefront and tries to leave Hulk a bit on the sidelines, as much as you can leave Hulk there. It's largely untested waters and it'll be fascinating to see if Waid can still make a compelling book when you take one of the more famous characters in Marvel history and put him on the bench in favor of the other half of him. If anyone can do it, though, it's probably Waid.

Captain America 6, Captain Marvel 12

Captain America 6
Remender (w) and Romita Jr., Palmer, Janson, and Hanna (a) and White (c)

Cap is PISSED. Just looking at the cover of the issue should really define what happens next. Captain America gets angry occasionally. Dude hates injustice and cowardly actions and terrorism and everything else on those lines. So he occasionally flips out at some villain or gets worked up at some other hero or person or something. But he's not usually angry. Angry is more sustained and less reactionary. Cap often shouts about stuff at villains while he's hitting them with his shield. He has kind of a low-level disappointment with a lot of the things in the world and in his country and in the people, but he's not often really angry. Right now, Cap is angry.
Ian is back with Zola and demands answers from Jet about why she would side with Zola, who murdered the innocent Phrox. Jet gives him the corporate lines about how Cap is a kidnapper, not a father, and how Zola is just trying to get his family back together. However, Jet is having her own problems finding Steve as negative after he spared her life. On top of that, she's never really had interactions with other humans, let alone human males, so she has all sorts of conflicting emotions about Cap. It's an interesting development, and one that makes some amount of sense given her upbringing, and one that's made all the more interesting by the end of the issue. BUT WE'LL GET THERE. Cap storms the mutates of Zolaland like never before and annihilates his way through their forces on his way to Zola and Ian. Ian gets more of a talk from Zola about how Zola only wants the best for his family and how Ian will have to understand that, even if it means reprogramming him to feel that way and brainwashing him to show Cap as figurative vampire who takes in younger men and trains them to be murderers before they die themselves (Bucky, Nomad, other Buckys, etc.). It's a compelling enough argument for Zola to make, though Cap has raised Ian for ten years or so now and it seems tricky to convince the boy that his father is an abductor with ill intents. However, he does look a bit brainwashed by the end, though this could be a ploy like one Bucky tried to use when Faustus tried to brainwash him into hating Cap. Meanwhile, Cap has tracked down Jet (showering, it's a little weird, honestly) and threatens her with a gun he's taken from the mutates. She remains calm, saying that he won't shoot her, he's too good of a person, but that he also won't ever get to Ian and doesn't deserve to. Cap fires the gun. It had been point blank on Jet's face but we don't actually see her in the panel that he shoots it, so all bets are off.
There are still a ton of interesting things happening here. Jet's feelings towards Cap paired with Ian's feelings towards Cap (very different feelings) make for a somewhat unpredictable dynamic as Cap tears through Zola's base. Also, Cap sees the doorway that had been the portal that brought him here and contemplates going out and getting help before returning to Ian, but decides against it. He also reveals that, because Marvel time is so messed up, he's actually spent more time now in Dimension Z than he has in the present day, presumably since being frozen in ice. This is his normal now. It's an incredibly interesting idea and it'll be interested to see where it goes or if it gets resolved or something. Cap's anger pervades this issue and demands your attention as a reader, really pulling you in and gripping you as we watch Cap struggle with losing Ian and with seeing Zola's mutates (which have Cap's face in horrible, twisted ways). Another strong issue. Excited to see where we go as this arc continues.

Captain Marvel 12
DeConnick and Sebela (w) and Andrade (a) and Bellaire (c)

Captain Marvel's fight continues against Deathbird, as does her inability to fly. The two come at odds somewhere in the middle of the issue as Carol can't really help herself and lifts off just enough (after totaling her flying motorcycle when she picks it up and uses it to hit Deathbird) to sap the power right out of her. It's enough, fortunately, as the fight ends with Deathbird in custody though it does leave Carol sick and weak. Throughout the issue, there's also a dialogue going between Carol's doctor and a doctor who had a patient with similar symptoms to hers, despite her Kree physiology. That doctor reveals his patient was none other than Helen Cobb, friend and idol of Carol as well as a fellow pilot. Cobb's doctor reveals that she had started hallucinating before her death, but that her reports of these hallucinations were so vivid that they seemed real, to the point where she even smelled like she had been places the doctor knew she couldn't have. Carol's doctor, who has more experience with superheroes, points out that things that are impossible happen every day in this world, so they can't rule anything out. They decide that maybe this is foul play and that someone is pulling these strings, including Helen Cobb's disease and the fire that took her life and which seems to also include Deathbird's attack and maybe even Carol's disease. The culprit is revealed to be Yon-Rogg, a Kree officer who had allegedly died in the same explosion that gave Carol her powers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the original Captain Marvel titles.
This is a very interesting decision, delving so far back into Carol's history and pulling a villain out of the ether to torture this new Captain Marvel. Yon-Rogg has a long-seated hatred of Carol and is clearly a bit unbalanced. He's also obviously not one to object to using Carol's loved ones as cannon fodder in his hatred. On top of that, she still can't fly and her powers are waning but she's going to be angrier than ever when she finds out what's happening. Now we're going to head into Captain Marvel's very own event, "Avengers: The Enemy Within," which will start in May with a one-shot prelude and continue through July in four parts, spanning DeConnick's Avengers Assemble book in issues 16 (part one) and 17 (part three) and Captain Marvel 13 (part two) and 14 (part four). This will put Carol at odds against her Avengers teammates as she makes decisions that DeConnick promises will be devastating and important, but also the decisions she truly believes Carol would make. If that's not the most worrying sentiment, I don't know what is. This will definitely be an event to pre-order and pick up as it goes on. Trust DeConnick to know what she's doing here, as she's sculpted two wonderful books for Marvel in Captain Marvel and Avengers Assemble already. Very excited and more than a little nervous.