Leftovers 7-30-14

Alright all my buddies, here's the deal. I am committed to telling you about every Marvel book EVEN WHEN I have no motivation to do so. So let's play a game wherein I blaze through the last ten books I have to review (TEN, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THAT?) in thirty minutes or less. CAN WE MAKE IT HAPPEN? Only time will tell. Worth noting that secretly I'm pushing to knock out ten in ten minutes but that seems improbable, particularly given my propensity for expounding.

100th Anniversary Special Guardians of the Galaxy 1
Lanning and Marz (w) and Duarte (a) and Delgado (c) and Sabino (l)

The ragtag group of Guardians decades from now battle a Silver-Surfer-extra cosmic-power-imbued Galactus dead-set on consuming Knowhere to gain the knowledge and power of the Celestial whose head Knowhere is. The Guardians fight back alongside Galactus' saboteur herald Vance Astro, who is actually Peter Quill in disguise. The universe is saved and check out Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, in theaters now. Total Score: 2/5











All-New Ghost Rider 5
F. Smith (w) and T. Moore (a) and Staples w/Sanz (c) and Caramagna (l)

Robbie Reyes has to decide if he wants to use the spirit of vengeance within him to, as his teacher wants, change his community through positive action or, as the spirit Eli wants, burn it all to the ground. As a gang fight between Zabo and his men and Grumpy and his men breaks out, Robbie is forced into action to save his brother and the other innocents around. Mr. Hyde rips Grumpy in half and begins to beat on Ghost Rider but overdoses on drugs in an attempt to keep Ghost Rider down. Robbie decides to try to be a hero for the community instead of a monster. More good stuff from this book. Total Score: 4/5

Avengers World 10
Spencer (w) and Checchetto (a) and Mossa (c) and Caramagna (l)

All of the storylines we've seen in this book so far converge to begin to feel like some greater force is driving them. China's newly revealed SPEAR helps SHIELD and the Avengers in the fight against the dragon carrying Madripoor while Iron Man tries to "debate" Andrew Forson on live TV to poor results while Morgana Le Fey's army of the dead begins to march on Earth and while Cannonball and Sunspot bring the children of the Avengers back to the present. So much happening, so much still to come. Lots of fun writing and fun moments here and I AM TAKING TOO LONG. Total Score: 4/5

Cyclops 3
Rucka (w) and Dauterman (a) and Sotomayor (c) and Caramagna (l)

Cyclops and his dad end up stranded on a desolate planet as a result of a ship failure and Cyclops accuses his dad of being a drug addict. Corsair reveals that he's not addicted to drugs, per se, he's kept alive by the drugs he's been taking and the amount he has will only last him through 27 or so days so it's either they get off the planet, which seems unlikely, or they spend a nice final month together. Not a bad story and this certainly gets to the heart of the series quickly. Total Score: 4/5










Guardians of the Galaxy 17
Bendis (w) and Bradshaw and Oeming (a) w/Wong (i) and Ponsor (c) and Petit (l)

Captain Marvel has saved Peter Quill and he calls his ship back to him, sending it crashing out of its lock-up, before he takes it to fly straight at his dad in the city, pulling off at the last second. He and Carol need to find the other Guardians. Gamora and Angela call in quickly enough to just be picked up and they fly to a point in space where Drax is getting beaten by Gladiator, rescuing him easily enough. With J-Son's crimes revealed, the Supreme Intelligence wants nothing to do with him and returns Rocket peaceably, also giving their best known location for Groot. With the team re-assembled (except for newbie Venom, who intentionally avoids them on Knowhere), they're ready to enter ORIGINAL SIN. This arc screams of an ad for the movie: some stakes but ultimately a way to introduce each character without too much actual characterization. Total Score: 2/5

Iron Man Special 1
S. Ryan (w) and Handoko (p) and Poggi, Yeung, Livesay, and N. Lee (i) and Redmond (c) and Cowles (l)

So this story is still going then, hm? Total Score: 2/5

Iron Patriot 5
Kot (w) and G. Brown (a) and Charalampidis (c) and Cowles (l)

With Terrence Rhodes in the Iron Patriot suit punching at the villain, Rhodey has to stand around and hope that his dad hits the manual release on the other guy's suit. He finally does, launching Rhodey out of his inert suit and into the fight himself. He punches and punches at the villain, breaking plenty of his own body parts in the fight against metal, but eventually subdues him, though it comes too late to save his father, who took quite a beating in his own fight. Someone was pulling the strings on the villain but Rhodey never did figure out who and the villain himself gets smothered in his hospital bed by another mysterious character. Is this a win for America's new defender? Who knows? Still, pretty fast read and this continues to be easily my favorite book from Kot, who doesn't have the time to get into his writing patterns that tend to annoy me elsewhere. Total Score: 4/5



Original Sin 3.3 - Hulk vs. Iron Man
Gillen and Waid (s) and Waid (w) and Bagley (p) and Hennessy (i) and Keith (c) and Petit (l)

As Extremis-powered Hulk destroys Iron Man's labs in the hopes that the hero will come rushing home, Iron Man continues to investigate his own memories, praying that something is wrong. Iron Man hopes to lay low while he tries to figure things out, heading for Troy in the thought that Hulk won't realize to go there, even if Banner would have. However, he's not accounting for smart-Hulk and he's met by massive resistance when he touches down. The city, though, is built to be defensible and takes the fight to Hulk long enough that Iron Man can sneak away to his armory. On his way he realizes even more about that night that will make him look EVEN MORE VILLAINOUS. Still some interesting stuff, though I'm not a huge fan of Bagley's art here and I'm already a little tired of the "OH NO, I ALSO DID WHAT" endings of these issues. Total Score: 3/5

Secret Avengers 6
Kot (w) and Walsh (a) and Wilson (c) and Cowles (l)

Lady Bullseye is still alive and wants a meeting with Black Widow, enough that she's taken over a bullet train with a dirty bomb on it. Hill sends Widow and Spider-Woman to deal with it but they quickly learn that it's a trap (well, more than the trap they expected) as someone set another sentient bomb like their own new teammate Vladimir on the tracks and it opens a portal out of the world, sending Black Widow and Lady Bullseye through it. Meanwhile, MODOK announces that something had sex with the Fury to cause its pregnancy and Hawkeye tries to find Coulson only to be led to Deadpool hanging out with AIM. Some weird stuff here. I think the tone is starting to settle in on this book, which is an upside, but it still feels weird to have a book that's trying to go almost full-bore humor play with such big pieces of the Marvel Universe, pieces that have distinct personalities already and don't necessarily fit this way (I always dislike the Black Widow-as-bloodthirsty-killer design you occasionally see in books). Still, climbing out from under me really hating this book. Total Score: 3/5


Personal Total Score: 35 minutes or so. SO VERY CLOSE. I had to ramble on and on, didn't I? I just had to give extra summary when no one asked for it.

An apology - and some reviews and picks

My friends, my followers, people who clicked on this link completely by accident (who even ARE you?): You are owed an apology. I missed a couple posts this week (as I've not so subtly been hinting, that may be happening more often lately as I'm away from my computer more and more often). I had been traveling to a wedding a ways away and spending some time with family which is NEVER AN EXCUSE FOR NOT REVIEWING COMICS. I'm kind of kidding. Those who understand blogs likely have guessed that I don't make money on this blog (not for lack of asking for money) and so it often has to take a backseat to actual life events. Still, this is something that I like to do and I've been astounded to find that some people even seem to like to read. As such, I'm going to continue to make a concerted effort to update as regularly as possible. There may be changes coming soon but for now, I'm going to try to keep running things as smoothly as I can. AS FOR THE MISSING REVIEWS...


Iron Patriot 4
Still moves pretty well, this issue finds Rhodey unable to fight back against his captor, determined to kill the ex-president, but Lila and Rhodey's father are still capable of retaliation and manage it somewhat nicely. 4/5

Nova 18
An ORIGINAL SIN tie-in finds Nova discovering his friend the Watcher has died and trying to seek his killer for revenge. His search brings him to New York and he (sort of) assists in the fight against Exterminatrix and The Orb, getting caught up in the truth bomb and learning that his dad maybe wasn't so righteous as he'd hoped. Lots of drama with Sam and some really fun writing as we see a few team-ups happening in the background. 5/5

Wolverine and the X-Men 5
I'll be honest (because I'm tired): I still rather don't know what's happening in this book. Quire doesn't believe he and Evan will be forced to kill each other some day, Fantomex protects the World from Honest John, and Storm returns to the school to stop John's attack dead. Moves rather well, seems pretty spirited even if it's a little hard to follow. 3/5

Ultimate FF 3
This book has been cancelled due to POOR SALES AND NOT AT ALL DUE TO SOME TERRIBLY STUPID RUMOR SPREAD AROUND BY BLEEDING COOL. It will end with issue six (sadly, due to a sickness, issue six wasn't even written by Fialkov). Anyway, this issue was okay, I think the book overall is trying really hard to be something but it's getting a little stalled and now, obviously, it won't have that chance to save itself. 3/5



THIS WEEK'S PICKS

Daredevil 5
This book is great, you guys. Get on board with it if you somehow haven't already. Nice look from Waid this time at some of the anger stored away in Matt and at how he's living his life these days. Plus, it's just a nice book to look at.

Elektra 3
Look, this book's real pretty. I think it's a really interesting story and there are nice looks here and there behind the curtain at Elektra (I was legitimately taken aback when she referred to Daredevil as "Matthew" in this issue) so the character and the story certainly isn't hurting this series but I really like this art, you guys.

Thunderbolts 27
I recognize that maybe I'm coming in with a bit of an Acker/Blacker bias here but this issue was really fun and refreshing, nice to see that the spirit of the book will carry even as the creative team changes. Edges out NOVA, which was also a heap of fun, and AVENGERS WORLD, which continues to be interesting.

Iron Man 26, Iron Patriot 3

Iron Man 26

Gillen (w) and Bennett and Ross (p) and Hanna and Ross (i) and Guru eFX (c) and Caramagna (l)

Malekith, unable to defend himself from the other six rings and their wearers, makes a deal with Tony: he'll give the ring up if Tony will get him out of the area safely. Tony is wary but agrees, preferring, as Malekith puts it, to win than to take revenge. Tony returns to Earth with the rings intact and hides them away in his encasement. something is happening with the Bride (from way back in the Extremis storyline) and it may just be tied to the fact that Tony has discovered that Arno is trying to perfect Extremis. It's a problem Tony will have to deal with later, though, as four rings has brought them closer to their own goals, which seem to be constructing a ring of their own.

The book is appropriately dark, both in tone and in art/color, for the sorts of shady goings-on that are happening here. Between Iron Man making a deal with Malekith to protect him from the ring-bearers and Iron Man discovering who some of the other ring-bearers are and Arno trying to work the kinks out of the extremely dangerous Extremis and the two of them concocting something to do with the rings, there are a lot of threads here and exactly none of them guarantee any sort of a happy ending. There are outcomes, potentially, that may be less terrible than others available, but many of the possible outcomes are very worrying for Iron Man and it's impossible not to recognize that to some extent in this story. Well done overall.

Total Score: 4/5

Iron Patriot 3

Kot (w) and G. Brown (a) and Charalampidis (c) and Cowles (l)

Rhodes nearly dies from his time underwater but his mysterious savior/possible attacker revives him with a jolt of electricity as a homemade defibrillator. Rhodes attacks him but is forced to stop when the armored man threatens James' father and Lila. Meanwhile, James' father throws himself at the kidnappers, who seem to have some personal issue with him, allowing Lila a chance to run. Back with the masked man, a former agent of SHIELD, James learns that the man has kidnapped him in the hopes that he'll assassinate the former president for him, throwing the country into a civil war over how soldiers are used.

It's a compelling enough story and, I'd say, the most compelling aspect of it is how fast each issue reads. I try not to compare a writer's work to his other work (I do this unsuccessfully OFTEN) but it's hard to separate that I haven't really liked Kot's work with Marvel to this point, mostly because I think it's trying too hard to hit too many points and it ends up slowing an issue down or needlessly complicating things. Here, Kot has an interesting story and seemingly complicated moral decision for our protagonist to make and he's keeping the exposition and the dialogue to a minimum, letting both the art breathe and the story to stand on its own. Each of these issues has read quickly but not because they're uninteresting or poorly written or anything along those lines. They're gripping and compelling and Garry Brown's art and Jim Charalampidis' colors work extremely well with the tone and the content.

Total Score: 5/5

This week's picks

Slower week of releases this week and some pretty clear picks jump to mind. Then why are we wasting time when we could just be getting to it?

Daredevil 2

Things stay interesting in issue two of Matt Murdock's new stay in San Francisco. Waid, Samnee, and Rodriguez introduce him to some new friends and new foes and to people maybe somewhere in between. It's a lot of fun without ever forgetting its plot or its goals. On top of it, as has been true with this book from day one, even back in the Paolo Rivera days because of course even in the Paolo Rivera days, the book is gorgeous and conveys everything it needs to artistically while remaining one of the top books out there for interior art (and cover art, hence why Samnee was nominated this year for best cover artist at this year's Eisner's after a win for best penciller/inker last year). The spirit of this book persists and the tone that Waid and his various art teams worked so hard to establish still permeates through the series even after all of the tense events at the end of the last volume and the move to San Francisco to kick this one off. Really great overall comic book and I can't recommend it enough, you guys.

Elektra 1

Really great first issue for this new series, one that writer W. Haden Blackman will have to work hard to make relevant in a day and age where so many books are coming out and a seemingly B-list character will have to really stun to stand out. So far, so good. As I talked about in my review this week, Elektra is a tricky character to write over a long term but Blackman very clearly has plans for her and very clearly know what he wants to do with the character. On top of it, Mike Del Mundo, phenomenal, Eisner nominated cover artist for my beloved X-MEN LEGACY, is already crushing it on the art for this series. There's a lot happening in this first issue and a story that looks interesting, though it looks like it may have the ability to trump any sort of character developments. We'll have to hold out on any of those judgments and just really focus on how neat this first issue was.

Iron Patriot 2
This one gets the nod over AVENGERS UNDERCOVER, THUNDERBOLTS, and UNCANNY AVENGERS because it was a very good book but also because it surprised me with how good it was. There are certainly still nits to be picked here but it's a series I didn't expect much out of; I've had some troubles with writer Ales Kot in the recent past and I don't know how much I trust an Iron Patriot series to really shine but if Kot and artist Garry Brown can keep the book going like this then I think there's a real opportunity for an impressive series. It's another in a long list (one that also includes ELEKTRA) of recent risky series for Marvel to take a chance on and hopefully another one that will pay off. I love how many risks Marvel is taking but I do worry a little bit about flooding the market with books and how expensive those books have become (Robert Kirkman was in the news recently talking about Marvel's business plan of exclusively 3.99 titles) and what that will mean for books with smaller general followings. Still, hopefully the cream rises to the top and the books that deserve to be kept are kept when the numbers start getting crunched.

Avengers Undercover 3, Iron Patriot 2

Avengers Undercover 3
Hopeless (w) and Green II (a) and Beaulieu (c) and Caramagna (l)

Cammi is furious with Cullen that he brought them to Arcade without asking any of them, saying that it should be their choice if they want to go seek revenge. The team is divided on the issue but doesn't have much time to fight it out because any sort of plan needs to happen now, as Arcade has opened a new "Murder World," which is essentially just crazy old billionaires paying to fight to the death. The team splits up with one group going to shut down Arcade's power and the other, along with a near-comatose Hazmat, distracting Arcade. Arcade is thrilled to see them, talking to them about how high they'd all risen and how they'd never get that high again, himself included. Just as they're nearly defeated, Death Locket manages to fry the high processing computer near Miss Coriander that powers Arcade and suddenly he's back to just being a guy. They pound on him but don't quite go to killing until Hazmat wakes out of her stupor and recites the words Arcade said to the group when he killed Mettle: "Whatever you say, kid. Welcome to Murder World." She fries him as video is relayed to Baron Zemo, Madam Masque, Hellstrom, and Constrictor.

Story
Things continue to heat up in AVENGERS UNDERCOVER as these would-have-been heroes turn to murdering Arcade amidst the least debate about revenge maybe ever. Even Cammi, who believes they should have all been asked prior to being sent to Arcade, relishes in the revenge part. The turn, of course, is that Hazmat goes the extra step and destroys their enemy (we, I suppose, don't necessarily know he's dead, but that seems hard to come back from) without any sort of debate, though her teammates have varying degrees of shock and horror on their faces (important and well done by Timothy Green II, which, I think, may be the name of a Disney movie?). Between this and the video sent to Zemo and the others, who excitedly watch the outcome, there are plenty of great places for this series to go and it's off to a strong start. 5/5

Characters
There's a lot happening in this issue and much of it is plot-based but that doesn't mean Hopeless doesn't have time to establish some character in here. There's a slight look at everyone if just in their willingness to fight or the way the others regard their willingness to fight (there's a fun moment where Death Locket eagerly volunteers to help fight her way through the billionaires to reach the control panel and she's met with surprise by her teammates). It's rare that a story so plot-heavy and so revenge motivated, particularly surrounding a team, manages to bring out its characters so well but that's what we have here. Hopeless, of course, helped himself enormously in AVENGERS ARENA by making all of these living and breathing characters but dropping them into a new series would only require a new reader to know the most basic of facts about them to really become invested quickly. Solid work. 5/5

Writing
The tone of the book is what it needs to be, nothing particularly outstanding about what's created here as the key to this issue is all in the story and the characters. The dialogue flows pretty well and each character has a unique voice and attitude. I don't know that there's a lot more that Hopeless needed to do here to improve on his story or characters through the writing or the tone or what have you but he does solid work nonetheless. 5/5

Art
The art is appropriately chaotic as the kids rush through the new Murder World on something of a time-sensitive mission. The emotions of these characters are what drive the art here as everyone brings a different level of reluctance or of anger to this journey and it all comes out in their faces, leading up to the important reaction shot of Hazmat's attack on Arcade. Great work by Timothy Green II who, as I stated before, may be the same Timothy Green who had an odd life in a Disney film that I find myself disappointed to discover I know so much about. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Not a ton to add. Really like this book so far just as I really ended up liking ARENA. I also think the team that Zemo has pulled to be his new Masters of Evil is an interesting team-up. Should be fun to watch as things unravel.

Total score: 5/5


Iron Patriot 2
Kot (w) and G. Brown (a) and Charalampidis (c) and Cowles (l)

Iron Patriot is underwater, the suit malfunctioning with Rhodey still in it. His last hope is to eject out of it, though the eject is pretty specific in that it will launch the suit like a rocket while ejecting its operator. Rhodey points it out at the monster stomping around the water, effectively taking it down, as he makes a last push to swim to the surface. He barely makes it but passes out as he gets there. Meanwhile, his father Terrence has been captured by terrorists (though he put up a fight) and his niece Lila, who evaded the first round of captors, gets picked up as well. Things go from bad to worse as Rhodey is picked up in a helicopter by two men claiming to be journalists but working for whoever is behind the attacks that have struck all over the country. They drop him off in New Orleans where he nearly passes out from compression sickness before being approached by an armored individual, the apparent mastermind behind all of this.

Story
IRON PATRIOT is off to a hot start as a full-on attack on America has been the driving force behind the start of the series. There's so much happening story wise but Kot does a good job making it manageable to understand while also making it chaotic enough to see how rampant it is. It's a tough line to walk, one where Kot needs not to overwhelm the audience with information right at the start of a new series but does need to show just how serious the problems are, particularly in a book for a non-A-list character. So far, so good. 5/5

Character
Most of the characterization in this issue comes from the actions that these characters take. Rhodey acts to take down the monster while trying to save himself as a second priority, Terrence chooses his moment and takes down one of his kidnappers (until the second one gets the drop on him), and Lila cleverly evades capture and learns as much as she can about her grandfather's abduction before being fooled by more terrorists acting as police. There's nothing particularly outstanding about any of the character developments here, nothing that would shock to the core or anything, but everyone acts in a very specific way and it gives a great sense of our players in this book so early on. Every book doesn't need to have a shocking revelation for a character, it just has to make sure the characters acts in an appropriate way for that character and Kot is doing a good job maintaining status quo as the plot drives things forward. 5/5

Writing
The tone here, one of desperation and chaos, shines through and carries the writing of this one. There's some narrative and some dialogue that helps put things in perspective and establish our characters but the key here is the tone, one that shows us just how bad things are. The book reads extremely quickly with so much action and so little dialogue and narrative but it's not an insubstantial read for that. It's just the sort of book that will surprise you when the end comes because you assumed you had only read maybe half an issue only to find, nope, plenty happened and they just covered a whole issue. Well done. 5/5

Art
I had some opinions on Garry Brown's faces last time out but they don't really persist into this new issue as everything Brown does, with the assistance of Charalampidis' colors, adds to the tone and the desperation of every situation. The faces, the emotion, the action, it's all well drawn here and it adds to the story rather than taking away from or simply maintaining. For now, it seems Brown is perhaps the perfect guy to draw this book. 5/5

Miscellaneous
I don't have a lot of experience with Ales Kot, having only seen him on books like SECRET AVENGERS recently but the experience I had had given me pause. I'm surprised and delighted to say that this issue stepped right over that pause and turned out to be a pretty great read. Of course, the series will still hinge on the reveal of the bad guy (got some suspicions on that front, as I'm sure anyone reading this book does) and the purpose of these attacks, but as a stand-alone couple of issues, these have really worked.

Total score: 5/5

Comics this week

Another relatively short list for comics this week, this one going EVEN SHORTER than last (usually that means we're prepping for a couple heavy weeks in a row, which fits with the upcoming ORIGINAL SIN). Still easy to highlight the five to look out for most.

Avengers Undercover 3
Writer Dennis Hopeless won me over so completely with AVENGERS ARENA that this book has been on my radar since its announcement. Now that we're a couple issues in, it seems like it's living up to the standard set by its precursor. Obviously it'ss  till early and this is very clearly a different form than the other one took (this book placing our characters far more in the larger universe), but I'm happy to keep pointing to this one and recommending it.

Daredevil 2
Daredevil continues to make his way around San Francisco as this new series kicks off. Within one and a half issues, Waid has already established a bit of our new status quo. Still plenty left to learn plus the tease of Daredevil running afoul of another hero. Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez have done such a stupendous job with Daredevil over the last couple years and I expect this new volume won't be any different. Well, I mean, it'll be different but like, you know, it'll still be...you know what, I don't need to explain myself to you, you get it.

Elektra 1
I'm interested to see how an ELEKTRA solo title will work but I'm more interested in specifically how this ELEKTRA solo title will work, considering the phenomenal art that's shown up in the previews for this series. I don't have many expectations for this series so I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised or mildly annoyed! Ready for anything!

Iron Patriot 2
I'm being a grown-up by picking this one because it is certainly the more compelling pick. Like with ELEKTRA, I'm not sure how a full IRON PATRIOT solo title will work, though I think Ales Kot has made some interesting decisions to start out. So, though I am more eagerly anticipating the new THUNDERBOLTS, I'm being a grown-up and choosing IRON PATRIOT because it's the more interesting pick and I'm an adult and you should all, each and every one of you, be proud of me.

Uncanny Avengers 19
We're back to Planet X as reinforcements come to assist Havok and Beast in their attempt to stop the Apocalypse Twins from ever having done everything they've already done. This puts the audience in the dubious position of rooting for Kang and a bunch of other maybe-heroes because we totally want to see the Earth restored and everyone we like in comics brought back to life. It's another issue of UNCANNY AVENGERS so here I go, recommending it again.

All-New Ghost Rider 1, Silver Surfer 1, Iron Patriot 1

All-New Ghost Rider 1
F. Smith (w) and T. Moore (a) and Staples and Daniel (c)

Robbie Reyes lives in East LA with his brother, a handicapped child, and works on cars at an auto shop during his days. Desperate to get his brother out of their neighborhood, he trusts no one and does the work every day, hoping to earn and save enough every day to get them to a safer place. The first issues shows Robbie at work, protecting his brother from bullies, and steering his brother back home past crime scenes and gun shots. Late at night, he breaks into the shop where he works and takes the car he's been working on (which seems like a modified Charger BUT I have what could quantifiably be called the tiniest amount of car knowledge and I'm guessing at that based on the fact it kinda looks like Michael's car in Burn Notice. Seriously, that's the research I did on this) out to a street race, where the winner will be given fifty thousand dollars. He's on the verge of winning the race when a helicopter shines a light on him and demands he pull over. He tries to outrun and outmaneuver it, believing it to be the cops, but is eventually forced into an alley. He emerges from the car with his hands up, ready to give himself up in the hope of leniency, but he's promptly and brutally gunned down, slaughtered by men who apparently aren't cops but are a big ol' drug cartel seeking the contraband in his car's trunk (what, did you not even CHECK the trunk Robbie?). The men leave Robbie in the alley and set the car ablaze, preferring to leave no real evidence. The fire engulfs Robbie and out of it comes the all-new Ghost Rider, with a fresh set of wheels.

The best way to describe this book is "kinetic." It moves well both in pacing and in the art style. Tradd Moore's cartoony style allows him to draw speed lines and shooting flames without the slightest hint of irony and that's what makes the book work. Felipe Smith does his part by crafting a character who we can't help but like (literally can't help it. It's a real save-the-cat moment to have his first real act be saving his wheelchair-bound brother from the absolute worst people in the world but its hard to even see that as overly cynical because this is comics and comic characters are BUILT on doing exactly that sort of thing, brother or not) and with whom we sympathize. We want him to get out of East LA and we understand why he's willing to "borrow" the car to do it, even going so far as to enter an illegal street race and risk imprisonment or what-have-you. Also nice is that the appearance of Ghost Rider doesn't come as a complete surprise despite the fact that Robbie Reyes seems like an entirely good guy and Ghost Rider is a spirit of vengeance because Moore's art shows the spirit creeping in around the edges well before the final transformation. I could see people being turned off by the cartoony style of the book, perhaps even especially core Ghost Rider fans, but I think it's the best way for this book to work. Definitely a solid opening for ANGR (a pretty fantastic abbreviation for the series, far ahead of ALL-NEW X-FACTOR'S ANXF), worth checking in on before it gets too involved.

Silver Surfer 1
Slott (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)

Dawn Greenwood lives in Anchor Bay, a small seaside New England town, where she and her father run a very popular bed and breakfast while her twin sister Eve advertises for it worldwide (hard to say that you have to suspend your disbelief that a B&B would advertise all over the world when I'm going to go on to talk at great length about a character called the Silver Surfer without any such warning). Eve travels the world, just as she's always wanted, while Dawn stays at home in the little town she's always loved. Recently though, it's started to dawn on her (DAWN, GET IT?) that maybe she's missing out a little. MEANWHILE, Silver Surfer, in his endless quest to redeem himself for his past with Galactus, has saved the people of Brundlebus 3 by rekindling their sun with his power cosmic (they are a tiny people) and has subsequently been tabbed as champion by the very secretive Impericon, a planet that takes great pains to shield itself from Heralds of Galactus. Surfer is unsure what any of this means but he allows himself to be taken there and, eventually, agrees to be their champion against the foe they've been fighting for so long, a potential world-destroyer named the Never Queen. Unfortunately for Dawn Greenwood, Zed of the Impericon takes precautions in case their chosen champion refuses to help and, with a machine called the Motivator which shows the past, present, and future of a given champion, Zed has learned that the being who means the most to Silver Surfer in all the cosmos is Dawn Greenwood and has subsequently captured her in the hopes that Surfer will comply. Surfer is outraged that they would use such means, particularly as he had already agreed, but admits he doesn't know who Dawn is.

It's a brand new solo title for Silver Surfer and this one shows hints of sticking around. It seems like people are ready for a new SILVER SURFER and the team-up of Dan Slott's often fairly light-hearted writing and Michael and Laura Allred's always light-hearted and colorful art seems to be a near perfect blend. The first issue maybe cuts a few corners here and there, particularly with the introduction of the Motivator, a machine that seems specifically built to move this plot forward, an almost literal deus ex machina but like, one that just moves the story along instead of ending a story, but overall it's a good read and one whose tone and pace certainly work well. One of the strengths of this issue is the pacing; though there's a lot to establish here, as with any new series, Slott makes good use of quick cuts to keep the book flowing and to make sure readers want to keep up. No one really has time to feel bored throughout the course of the book which ensures people will at least have some sort of opinion by the end; the worst situation would be if no one finished the book, as is sometimes the case with Marvel cosmic characters and with regular human characters getting a spotlight, particularly new ones. It's certainly a good start for a book that I expect to do pretty well, particularly if this is the kind of effort that Slott and the Allreds are going to keep putting forth (which, knowing all of their past work, I'm sure it is).

Iron Patriot 1
Kot (w) and G. Brown (a) and Charalampidis (c)

It's a new age for James Rhodes as he trades in his War Machine look and name for the more peaceful sounding (depending on who you are) Iron Patriot. With the new name comes a new take on his role in the world; he's no longer going to be a weapon for the United States military to wield, but rather a homeland based defense and recovery asset. He's going to do what he can to make the United States better and to help the world where he can. His new role, which has been approved by Congress and the president, also means that he's been spending a bit more time with his father, Terrence Rhodes, and his niece Lila Rhodes, daughter of James' deceased sister. Lila is a budding engineer and quickly jumps to her uncle's aid when a member of Congress decries Rhodes' new position. As nice as the sentiment is and as powerful as it apparently is in this world (her online video supporting Rhodey goes viral very quickly), it unfortunately paints a bit of a target on Lila as a shadowy organization after Rhodes decides that they'll be kidnapping two people instead of one in their attempt to hurt Rhodey. He's hurt enough, though, when he attacks randomly appearing monsters in the Gulf of Mexico and his armor shuts down.

A new direction for Rhodes and a focus on his family life are the cornerstones to this young book and I think it's probably a good way to go. There have been enough stories about Rhodey's involvement with the military (though obviously this still plays on that because it's unavoidable) and with Tony Stark that getting away from it and deciding to focus on his family and, in turn, Rhodey as a person is likely the best way to get new stories out of him. There are very few military-based Marvel superheroes and even fewer that are military while they're superheroes. There are certainly stories to be told with the new Iron Patriot and writer Ales Kot clearly wants to explore those sorts of stories. Overall, the book works pretty well and the art style, though nothing particularly groundbreaking, works for the tone of the book. As nitpicky as this seems, the end of the book feels a little off as suddenly the narration changes to an almost memoir-esque narrative, with Rhodes talking about the events we're seeing in the past tense. It could very well be building to something bigger down the line with the tense change and the more formal sort of tone, but in the moment it's jarring and foreign. Still, doesn't ruin the book overall which is a fine first issue. Hooray, three for three on first issues debuting this week! Marvel is taking risks and launching new solo titles and they're WORKING. TWO of these, it should be mentioned, feature a minority in the lead role (I don't think "silver" is a minority). Long overdue and still probably not enough.

Comics this week

AAAAAAAHHHHH guys we got too comfortable! After a crazy loaded January to kick off 2014, we all settled right into a considerably slower February and March, reading and reviewing maybe 14-17 books a week, a totally manageable number. Now that number SKYROCKETS up to the mid-twenty range! We're talking 22, maybe 23 (if I count CAPTAIN AMERICA: HOMECOMING, a cinematic tie-in book, which I may or may not depending on availability and also how stressed I get) new releases this week. There are a handful I am not so excited about but, as ever, a bunch that I'm very excited about. Let's read about those some, hm?

All-New Ghost Rider 1
I'm not a big ol' Ghost Rider fan, whether we're talking Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch or whoever. WELL THIS ISN'T ANY OF THOSE. Robbie Reyes picks up the (Robbie) reins as the all-new Ghost Rider in this already well-liked (well, by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort in any case) series. In any case, the book looks interesting as Marvel continues to want to put out a variety of different looking books for different types of fans. Hoping for a good debut for this all-new character.

Avengers Assemble 25
This is the final issue of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, a book that has been steadily one of the more fun books in the Marvel Universe, giving us a look at how the Avengers work together and how they deal with some of the more not-so-Thanos related problems that may crop up. Continuing the arc with Spider-Girl, the Avengers will all finally come back together to stop the wicked Toxic Doxie herself, Dr. June Covington. Should be a good finale from aces Kelly Sue DeConnick and Warren Ellis.

Hawkeye 18
Back over to Katie-Kate on the other side of the country for some more West Coast Adventures! Things are right on the precipice of getting pretty crazy as the deranged Madame Masque has tracked her prey down and now no one in her new life is safe (except, one would hope, Lucky the dog). I know everyone at this point has checked this book out and also loves it so I hardly have to recommend it here but lookie here, that's what I'm doing.

Silver Surfer 1
Dan Slott kicks off a brand new SILVER SURFER series with artist Michael Allred and it aims, presumably, to humanize everyone's favorite cosmic being, the ever-popular Silver Surfer. Guys, I'm a pretty big Norrin Radd fan and a big fan of both Dan Slott (who I'm eager to see on a non-Spider-Man related book) and Michael Allred. Hoping that this one is a great new beginning to a an often under-seen character (though I have some amount of worry that, based on some of the promo art and previews, that it will kick off a little too similarly to the eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who).

Uncanny Avengers 18
Guys, I struggled and struggled with this one. There's so much coming out this week that it was really hard to pick the top five. Do I pick SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN 30? What about AVENGERS 27 or NEW AVENGERS 16? And ANOTHER new launch with IRON PATRIOT 1? Man, who's to choose? So I went with UNCANNY AVENGERS because we ought to show it some respect. It's been building to this Planet X for a long time and now, fresh off the destruction of Earth, we're ready to see what it looks like after all that. Plus, talk about a sure thing. This book has been solid for 17 straight issues. Not many others out there can say that (it doesn't help my case that HAWKEYE is sitting right there, two entries up from this).

Captain Marvel 1, Fantastic Four 2

Captain Marvel 1
DeConnick (w) and D. Lopez (a) and Loughridge (c)

Six weeks from now, Captain Marvel is in outer space with some new and alien crew-mates, on the run from the Spartax Secret Police and on the search for certain materials at an outpost. They pretty quickly get into it with a couple of roaming Spartax Secret Policemen and are forced to separate. Cut back to six weeks ago, when our story begins, as Carol and Iron Patriot attempt to stop what seems to be a missile from hitting New York. She grabs it and tosses it, giving the two a chance to examine it in the air. It's not a bomb, as it would happen, but instead some sort of containment for an alien creature. The alien is delivered to SWORD while Captain Marvel returns to her home in the Statue of Liberty, where she's recently welcomed Kit and her mother to stay after Kit's mother lost her job. As Carol puts Kit back to bed (she got up when Carol returned home), Iron Man beckons her to come with him. He tells her that he thinks the Avengers should have someone out in space monitoring any potential threats to Earth or even just things Earth should be aware of. His time with the Guardians of the Galaxy made him aware of how dangerous space may be for Earth and he wants to be prepared. She volunteers to take the first shift, which would be about a year or so in space. She breaks the news to her disappointed but understanding boyfriend Rhodey and she sets off, hoping to find where she belongs.

I think this is a tricky issue to write and it kind of shows. This is a book being rebooted not because it was doing poorly or because it needed a fresh start but because Marvel wanted the boost of a new release in the midst of new release season instead of just before a wave of new releases. This is, anyway, the company line. That said, there are pros and cons to sending Carol to space just as there are pros and cons to having to reboot a series so soon after the last one "concluded." Some of the pros and cons of the latter include needing to try to reach a new audience while similarly retaining one fresh off a great and well loved volume while some of the pros and cons of the former are that Marvel cosmic is ALWAYS a risky move. It's, of course, currently rather in vogue as Guardians of the Galaxy and the comic by the same name have paved the way for introducing more mainstream audiences to the space side of Marvel comics. Of course, that doesn't make it entirely less risky, just means it's got a bigger sandbox to play in. I guess what I'd say, then, is that this isn't a bad issue, just an issue that has found itself in the precarious position of trying to set up a new world without completely dismantling the old one. With that said, I think that the next few issues have the ability to get progressively stronger as the new order falls a little more into place.

Fantastic Four 2
J. Robinson (w) and Kirk and Kesel (a) and Aburtov (c)

The strange monsters that burst from the Baxter Building are revealed, by Franklin Richards, to have come from his secret pocket universe which is currently, as Franklin puts it, sick. They are extremely resilient creatures and it takes Reed a while to concoct something that will neutralize them. By the time he does, they've wreaked havoc all over New York and drawn the attention of plenty of Avengers and other heroes alike. Like his solution with Fin Fang Foom in issue one, Reed's solution this time requires Johnny to act as a catalyst for the cytotoxin he's developed and which will need to be dispersed in the atmosphere. He warns Johnny that it may have negative effects on anyone close to it while it disperses but Johnny decides they can't wait any longer and flies off with it. The cytotoxin works, rendering all the beasts unconscious, but it also knocks Johnny out of the sky. When the F4 catch him, he reveals that he can't feel his powers any more.

The pocket universe Franklin refers to in this issue is the controversial HEROES REBORN universe that it was revealed he had created back in the late '90s when Marvel attempted to reboot some of their major franchises with more modern takes on some of their key heroes after their apparent deaths at the hands of Onslaught. Interestingly, series writer James Robinson also wrote the final issue of all of the HEROES REBORN rebooted titles back in the '90s so he has some first hand familiarity with the universe he's reintroducing here. Despite all of the fighting and the race-against-the-clock mentality of Reed developing the cytotoxin (which happens kind of anticlimactically), it's hard to say this was a particularly exciting issue. It's also hard to be TOO interested in Johnny losing his powers as this is something of a frequent trope of superhero comics and, more importantly, is something that happened in just the last volume of FANTASTIC FOUR, albeit in a slightly different way. Of course, before Fraction's run (and part of Hickman's run, I suppose), I could never find myself interested in the Fantastic Four for some reason so being kind of bored by this one just fits the mold.

Black Widow 1, Iron Man 20

Black Widow 1
Edmondson (w) and Noto (a and c)

Black Widow kicks off her new solo book with a couple of quick missions and a sense of how the book is going to play out. We join her in the middle of a mission as she convinces a possible suicide bomber with a gun who is hiding out in a hotel room, ready to detonate if it comes to that, that she is working on his side and that she was hired by his employers to get him out of the tight spot. She relaxes him with a bit of a backstory and a shared heritage (the bomber is also Russian). When he inevitably opens the door to her, she cuts the detonation wire and takes the gun from him before strapping him up to a rope to rappel him down the building with and pushes him out the window to the cops waiting below. Twenty hours later, she's meeting in Central Park with her lawyer/manager Isaiah to get her next assignment. They talk about her reasons for taking jobs and why she's not in it for money beyond the money she needs to repay debts and live life and so on. There's a nice moment where Natasha seems to zone out and watches a woman play with her red-headed daughter and her son. Another 36 hours later and she's in Dubai trying to stop an assassination by taking out the target's bodyguards, as well as the bodyguards of the man with whom he's meeting. Once everyone is down and Natasha has breached the room, she explains the situation to him and puts a bulletproof vest on him before shoving him in front of a window. The sniper planed across the way fires at him, hitting the vest, and Natasha shoots a rocket back. Fifteen hours later back in New York, she tells a not-quite-adopted cat the story and wonders if she's too far gone to pay back her debts.

Obviously this comic is taking a lot of its cues from The Avengers and the "I've got red in my ledger" mentality of that Natasha. Not to say that she doesn't have those feelings in the comics throughout her history but it's being brought into focus here and it's hard not to feel like it's trying to match the movie. That, of course, doesn't mean it's not a compelling story to tell. The more important thing to it, though, is the way that Natasha carries and conducts herself in the midst of all of this and that's what Edmondson, already, is proving he can do. This Natasha is already proving to have everything I like about Natasha's character and, as yet, none of the weird psychotic sort of tendencies that are sometimes ascribed to her. Occasionally people will write her with a sort of psychopathic cold-blooded thing that I don't think is fair but I think comes from the idea that she has been an assassin and a mercenary and everything else. Certainly she's not entirely normalized but some writers can make that lean a little too far and make her almost bloodthirsty. That very clearly isn't Edmondson's intent and he gives her a couple of really human moments throughout the book, between watching the mother and her children and her conversation (which is simultaneously sweet and no-nonsense) with a cat and a couple of wistful stares (between this book and one of the Marvel previews books lurking around out there). Also, I'm ashamed that I've gone this far in analysis and not mentioned Phil Noto's frankly incredible art. The only thing I'd really heard about the book before I read it was that everyone was saying how great the art was. I assumed it would be very good; people's word and Phil Noto's reputation and history wouldn't lie to me. But I'm not lying when I say every person was absolutely right, the art is amazing in this book. Natasha looks stupendous and very real, the supporting characters all have real personality built in, and the set pieces are gorgeous. Great, great art. Very fun book and a great way to kick off the new series.

Iron Man 20
Gillen (w) and Bennett and Hanna (a) and Guru eFX (c)

The christening of Troy has been interrupted by one of the Mandarin's rings, specifically, as Tony realizes, the Remaker. Unwilling to sit by and let it happen without her, Abby Burns (just got that, "burns") jumps in with her newfound Mandarin ring, the Incinerator (see, burns). The ring and Abby talk back and forth about ways to further destroy Stark and about how she's using the ring and so on before a ring-caused solar flare shorts out all electronics in the area (of course, not including Stark's suit, he's beyond that) and Tony has to flee to check on Arno. Arno is safe, having taken his own precautions against this sort of thing in the past, but Burns escapes and tweets a video of herself next to a space satellite. Tony vows to find her and to find the Remaker but starts to understand just what all of this means; the Mandarin's rings are loose. He and Rhodey pay a visit to SHIELD's high-security weapons vault to check on the rings and see that they're all there, but Tony quickly realizes that one of the rings, the Liar ring, is actually creating a false image of all of them; it subsequently disappears, leaving Tony and Rhodey to wonder where the rings are, who has them, how long they've been gone, and how long they've been apparently sentient. The rings, meanwhile, have decided to escalate things now that Incinerator and Remaker have shown their hand.

There's a lot going on and a lot to like in this series. The idea of the rings as sentient and dead-set on destroying Stark is certainly something that changes the playing field a bit and makes Mandarin an exciting and almost entirely new foe. There's also an undercurrent of mild suspicion around Tony that is both warranted and unwarranted. Rhodey points out that everyone's a little worried about what Tony's up to with this city and these new ideas and locking himself in his lab for weeks at a time, but Tony counters it with his usual "whenever I'm up to something new, the military worries, even though I'm pretty definitively one of the good guys." There are valid points to each argument and it's clear that this debate is one that Gillen will shine light on as we keep pressing. The art looks good and fits the issue well, particularly the action of the issue. There are some bits of the issue that I had to re-read because I started to gloss over them, particularly with Abby. She's a tricky character to read because she's suddenly so at home with this ring and so quickly adapting to possible supervillainy. She's also somewhat irritating, which doesn't help matters. Still, the good easily outweighs the bad here and it's nice to see a re-imagination of one of Iron Man's classic foes. But, you know, not like the re-imagination in Iron Man 3. Which was garbage.

Quick hits on NYCC announcements

I almost certainly won't catch everything that was announced at NYCC but here are some quick thoughts on what I did hear.

Captain Marvel relaunch
Not really thrilled by relaunches while the series is still going and this isn't the only series doing that. Still, there were rumors that this series was going to be cancelled so this beats that, and we've still got Kelly Sue DeConnick writing the series as Captain Marvel goes, it sounds like, into space. Weirdly not news? Still excited about it but it is an odd announcement.

New Warriors
New New Warriors series written by Chris Yost and starring Justice, Speedball, Scarlet Spider, and Nova, among others. Nice that Yost will still have Scarlet Spider to play with after the series ends and happy that he's on another book. Could be fun.

Silver Surfer
A new Silver Surfer series by Dan Slott and Mike Allred. Gonna hold off judgment on this. Dan Slott's a good writer but I haven't seen him on anything but Spider-Man for so long and Surfer's a very different character. Allred's art will suit the Surfer well though.

Punisher
New Punisher series from Nathan Edmondson with Castle moving out west. I have no thoughts on this.

Ghost Rider
All-new Ghost Rider series coming from Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore. I don't know too much about either of these guys (though Tradd Moore did one of my favorite Young Avengers variant covers, so there's that). But Ghost Rider coming back to the Marvel Universe is...interesting. I guess. Ghost Rider will also be jumping on to the current Thunderbolts team. Because we needed more crazy murderers, it would seem.

Iron Man and Deadpool Infinite Comics
Haven't heard too much about the Deadpool one except that it will be a 12-part comic facing Deadpool off against Dracula (or making them work together, perhaps). Kieron Gillen and Al Ewing will collaborate on the writing of the Iron Man infinite comic. I tend to like the infinite comics but long form ones are an interesting idea.

Loki: Agent of Asgard
A new Loki-driven series by Al Ewing which will find Loki as an older Loki again working as a sort of spy or double agent or something else that seems to suit him. Sad if the young Loki is going away but the idea fits the character.

Miracleman
Reprint of Neil Gaiman's 80s series Miracleman which will lead to new material from him. Very cool. Never got to read Miracleman but can't help but love Gaiman and the idea of new Gaiman Marvel material is pretty awesome.

Elektra
New Elektra series. Haven't heard much about that but heard that it's happening. Not sure how many stories there are out there with Elektra as a lead but she's doing pretty well in the universe these days so let's see where this one goes.

Fantastic Four and FF ending in January
Writing was kind of on the walls for this one as Fraction moved off of these books for Inhumanity. Still, pretty major books (well, at least one of them) to be flat-out ending. Don't be surprised to see more announcements tied to these moving forward.

Iron Patriot
James Rhodes is the new Iron Patriot and he's getting a new series all his own in March. Interesting decision here. I liked Iron Man 2.0 when that was going on a couple years ago and the character's a good one. Curious as to where this is coming from.

All-New Invaders
Haha whaaaaaat. Starring at least Winter Soldier, Human Torch, and Namor. Haha, whaaaaat. Pretty pumped about that, you guys.

Inhumanity
Launches in January.

Ultimate Comics: Cataclysm
A new event for the Ultimate Universe that might feature the end of that universe and probably has something to do with Galactus (bad omen for the characters in Hunger right now, hm?).

Lego Marvel
The video game announced a whole slew of new characters including, but not limited to, Iron Fist, Power Man, Havok, Taskmaster, Polaris, Aunt May (yes, she's playable), Captain Britain, Black Bolt, Ant Man, and Moon Knight. Pretty excited for this game.

Avengers World
A book that will, it seems, tie directly into the main Avengers series that will serve to better focus on some of the characters (particularly the newer characters to the team) who have been relegated to the background to make way for the plot. Could be interesting, though that's kind of what I saw Avengers Assemble doing. I worry they'll spread themselves too thin. People will only buy so much. Right?

Black Widow
B-Widz gets another solo series, this time written by Nathan Edmondson with Phil Noto art. I'm a big Black Widow fan so another solo series is welcome news. Hopefully this one can change things for a pretty great character who, somehow, hasn't been able to sustain her own book. I think the stories and potential are there, we just need to see it (or sell it).

Avengers Undercover
Dennis Hopeless' follow-up to Avengers Arena finds some of the survivors infiltrating the Masters of Evil to try to bring them down from inside. Interesting concept and it will probablyw ork out nicely for the characters. Excited to see Hopeless writing some of these guys more.

X-Factor
Not only does X-Factor return to the Marvel Universe, but it returns with Peter David still as the head writer. Certainly not upset to hear that. Not everything is the same, though, as X-Factor will now be a corporate team consisting at least of Polaris, Quicksilver, and Gambit. Interesting for sure.

Secret Avengers
Secret Avengers gets a rebrand, a slightly different team, and a new creative team as Spider-Woman joins up with Hawkeye, Black Widow, Maria Hill, Coulson, and Fury. Presumably the mind-wipe business will be erased from this new series (WORDPLAY). A little sad since Secret Avengers seems to be finding its footing just now under Spencer.

The Trial of Jean Grey
Six-part series. I could not care less.


Like I said, there's probably more, but that's all I've got for now. Tons of news, lots to digest. Let me know if you saw something I didn't, okay?

Secret Avengers 3, Hawkeye 9

Secret Avengers 3
Spencer (w) and Ross (a) and Wilson (c)

I think that the seeds are here for a good book. Maybe it's that I'm coming out of the books a little less confused than I've come out of Avengers and that Avengers is a bimonthly book so there's less time to wonder what comes next, but it's hard not to sit this book next to Avengers and wonder who's doing the better book. It's an unfair comparison for sure because Avengers is bimonthly and is on issue nine while Secret Avengers is only through issue three and has probably as many seeds planted (if not more) than Avengers had at issue three. However, sitting in my future chair secure in the knowledge of the way things are turning out over in Avengers, it's hard not to wonder about this book. It seems like things slowed down a little in this issue. That might just be because I tend to zone out a little when SHIELD gets involved (particularly problematic given the fact that these Secret Avengers are essentially the SHIELD Avengers team, as they point out in the series). However, both Avengers and Secret Avengers are planting seeds and sprinkling water and fertilizer on them so we can eventually see the results. Right now, I'd say the seeds sprinkled in Avengers are blooming a little more impressively. Again, this is totally an unfair comparison to make because Avengers has triple the books out over Secret Avengers right now, but I think the mystery is in the telling right now. Avengers is featuring new characters Ex Nihilo and Abyss playing roles we're unsure of and doing things we're not familiar with whereas Secret Avengers is featuring longtime villains AIM establishing a UN formally-recognized nation and asking us to question what they're up to and our answer has to be "something sinister." No one reading this book would believe (and I don't think that Spencer is asking us to) that AIM is up to anything near legitimate. Now they've stolen the Iron Patriot armor from the US government and are planning to put Mentallo into it. There are interesting things being built, particularly in Taskmaster's maybe-allegiance to SHIELD and in the idea that these Secret Avengers have to be brainwashed  to be accepted in missions, but none of that is really featured in this issue, which I think makes it a weaker issue than the previous two (which have featured both of those things in some order or another).
This book feels like it's still kind of finding its footing. Maybe I'm putting that onus on a book that doesn't deserve it but that's the way it's coming off right now. I don't think my own comparisons to Avengers are particularly fair but they're a little hard not to jump on to. I do think there are things happening right now and off-panel that are going to work to this book's favor and I'm still interested in seeing how Hulk and Winter Soldier (both teased for this team) are going to fit into the narrative, but I think right now we're reaching a pretty crucial point in this book, a point that's going to decide the type of book this is going to be. I think the SHIELD-run Avengers is an intriguing idea, especially when the members have to be brainwashed to accept missions, but SHIELD has never been a particularly interesting organization and that's even more true when Nick Fury (original, not current) isn't in charge. Fury always has that wheels-within-wheels thing going on that makes him an incredibly dynamic character and one who can usually be trusted but you never know quite why you're trusting him. Otherwise SHIELD often comes off as a bit inept at the best of times and entirely irritating (Maria Hill) at the worst. It'll be hard to structure an Avengers book around the organization but I think it's probably possible. The next few issues will go a long way in showing if this book is capable of it.

Hawkeye 9
Fraction (w) and Aja (a) and Hollingsworth (c)

This Hawkeye series, for the past nine issues, has done things that no other mainstream comic does. I think it does a lot of those things. It constantly plays with the narrative and the time in a way that no book, particularly books from Marvel, is willing to consistently do. It focuses on character in a way that most books don't. It humanizes its main superhero, an Avenger, in a way no other book can. It highlights relationships in a real way that no other series tends to do. And it does all of these things expertly. Through nine issues, Hawkeye has appeared in his Hawkeye costume for maybe two full pages, if that. Fraction joked during the holiday issue that Clint has now officially appeared in more panels with a Santa hat on than in his costume. It was a joke in that it was funny, but not in that it was untrue. I can't remember the last time Hawkeye shot someone with an arrow. That might be because I have a bad memory but it also might be because I don't think it's happened in months (real time, not book time). If you ask people who have a fleeting sense of Hawkeye or even who are big Marvel fans but have only seen Hawkeye in the Avengers books what Hawkeye's about, they'll say he's an archer and he has a purple costume. I can almost guarantee that. People who have seen him more might mention that he's hot-tempered and brash for someone with no powers. All of these people are right. So how is it that a book about Hawkeye wherein he never wears his costume and rarely shoots arrows is one of the best books being distributed by anyone anywhere?
It's a really great question and it all comes down to this creative team. I'll be honest, Hawkeye was one of my favorite characters early on in my comic reading but the last few years had kind of put a damper on him for me. He's an Avenger but his solo titles don't tend to last so it can be a little hard to get a true sense of him. He's snarky, sure, he's hot-tempered, definitely, he's a regular guy, okay. All of these things are somewhat true (regular guy is a push) but it's more or less what we had before this series. In recent years, his biggest writer was probably Bendis, who clearly loves the character (I might say a little too much) but who didn't have a ton of time to characterize because he was writing a thousand other characters between all his Avengers books so he mostly keyed in occasionally with something snarky. Fraction has changed that all by delving deeply into Clint's personal life and, as the book states at the start of every issue, the things he does when he's not being an Avenger. It's a bold move and it's paid off time and time again. This issue finds the women in his life, Black Widow (the work wife), Mockingbird (the ex-wife), Spider-Woman (the friend-girl), and Kate (Kate) trying to figure out what he's been getting up to in non-Avengers time. It's a really great idea because a.) it puts us in a place where we get to see Clint's relationships through a nice little lens and b.) it really cements the idea that this is truly the stuff he's doing when he's not an Avenger. It's often hard to kind of separate heroes out from their various allegiances and teams and what not because you'll get a pretty constant stream of guest stars in a book and references to the teams they're on or it's simply in the reader's mind. Fraction and Aja want you to forget all of that and realize that the Avengers know far less about what's happening in Clint's life than we'd assume, to the point where they don't even know where he lives, let alone what he's doing with his time. It's a really brilliant idea and it's presented wonderfully. Meanwhile, the plot moves forward as Natasha has a great scene wherein she catches Penny/Cherry (whose real name is finally revealed as Darlene Penelope Wright) and learns that Clint's in real trouble. We also get Kate and Bobbi beating up some tracksuit Draculas who are hanging outside of Clint's apartment and finally we get the clown from hell who shoots one of Clint's supporting characters and presumably fan-favorite Grills/Gil. This book really has everything; interesting plot, compelling threats, and fantastic characters. And it's all for 2.99 a month. Worth every cent and some (but don't take that as authority to raise the price, Marvel execs who no doubt read this).