Avengers Arena 16, Avengers AI 4

Avengers Arena 16
Hopeless (w) and Moline and Pennington w/ Magyar (a) and Beaulieu (c)

In the wake of Nara's death, everything that's been so loosely tied together for these kids falls apart. Anachronism takes a swing at Cullen, Cammi blasts him for it. Nico and Chase turn on Reptil while, in the forest, a near-death X-23 hunts a nearer-death and radiation-leaking Hazmat. It's a full-on brawl with the remaining topside young heroes that gives the two kids under the surface, Apex and Death Locket, the chance to try to sabotage the system. Apex has spent the week, alternating between Katy and Tim, fixing Death Locket's arm-gun so that Death Locket can create a diversion while Apex tries to hack Arcade's computers and bring everything down. Death Locket finds it a little hard to create a meaningful diversion until she walks to original Darkhawk Chris Powell's in-stasis body only to see his eyes pop open. While Arcade investigates her scream, Apex hops down and starts hacking. She gets pretty far but not quite far enough to stop everything when Arcade gets back, dragging Death Locket with her new gun removed. He decides to keep them alive for now, letting them watch as everything topside goes crazy. Unfortunately for him, Powell is alive and has gotten out of his containment, sneaking up on him and hitting him on the back of the head with a metal bar and, as luck would have it, the protections on Arcade don't work underground.

We have two issues left of this pretty phenomenal series and the entire game has turned on a dime. The kids have hit their breaking point, a day away from the final, and now it's everyone for him or herself (or, in rare cases, themselves). Meanwhile, the kid we could best classify as the villain of the series, Apex, is working diligently with Death Locket, who had been her tool, to try to stop Arcade. It's a nice little turnaround, especially considering Apex was really the first, several weeks sooner than everyone else, to realize they'd have to play the game to win, no matter the consequences. Of course, in addition to that now, we also have the intrigue of Arcade's vulnerability underground squared off against a weaponless Death Locket, a somewhat machineless Apex, and a powerless Darkhawk. Who will win out and how will it impact the kids above ground? This is all very exciting and we're really rushing headlong to a conclusion now. As mad as I am at people who haven't read this series, I envy them because they'll have the opportunity to read it all at once at some point in the future. For as well as it's read in serial form, I imagine it will read very well as a complete work. Sweet Francisco Francavilla cover on this one too.

Avengers AI 4
Humphries (w) and Araújo (a) and D'Armata (c)

Vision loves the Diamond and what it represents but he's not willing to start an all-out war with the humans, especially not as a first swing. He believes that the humans can be reasoned with and that they can all live harmoniously. The AI in the Diamond don't like his new message, preferring war against the humans to defend the Diamond at all costs, the option that Dimitrios has presented. It sets up a sort of Xavier vs. Magneto style debate but, instead of the X-Men siding with Vision, no one in the Diamond seems happy with Vision and he's forced to leave and deemed a traitor, which all seems to be according to Dimitrios' plan. Meanwhile, SHIELD and Hank Pym have set up a strike team to try to extract what they need out of the Diamond but, of course, they arrive and find it's a trap. They're quickly outmanned and outgunned, forcing the human SHIELD agents back while Victor and Doombot try to push ahead. They find their way to what seems to be the center of the Diamond, where Doombot accidentally activates a booby-trap bomb. Victor throws him out of the Diamond and tells him to make sure everyone else evacuates while he tries to contain the explosion. The mysterious Alexis has also joined the fray and shows off her considerable power while saving SHIELD agents and taking down more than a few bad bots. Before long, though, Victor can't hold the explosion and, with everyone evacuated (including Dimitrios and his bots), the oil rig the Diamond was held on explodes. Vision returns just in time to see it all go up in flames and to find Victor possibly on his deathbed back in the helicarrier.

Geez, I really have to get back to writing shorter summaries. As I said above, we set up a sort of "stay and fight" vs. "live harmoniously" story for the AI, which is kind of interesting in that it sort of grants the AI a similar status in the Marvel Universe as mutants, who have long been such an integral part to Marvel's existence. It does, of course, mean that the argument is nothing particularly new; it's one that we've seen more than enough in this universe, but it certainly could be changed a bit, especially as we learn more about Dimitrios, whose true identity seems hidden. The team itself is not unimpressive, even for their relative inexperience, as they jump into their roles readily. The story is still a little bogged down in itself but the characters have enough definition to pull through as it stands. If this book can really get rolling on all cylinders, I think we'll have a solid title on our hands. As is, I think there's some strong writing and some strong characterization (I still can't get a read on the AI masses and Dimitrios, though that may be intentional) with a story that seems interesting but also doesn't seem eager to let people in.

Avengers 13, Avengers Arena 10

Avengers 13
Hickman w/ Spencer (w) and Deodato (a) and F. Martin (c)

Avengers 13 continues where Avengers 12 left off as the team in the Savage Land (comprised of Hyperion, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain Universe, and the Spiders-Man and -Woman) sets out in search of the stolen children. Captain Universe comes across a Watcher of the land (Garokk, the Petrified Man) he leads them to the High Evolutionary, who has found a use for the children. As the Avengers are dealing with a handful of Savage Land evolved beasts, the High Evolutionary wakes Terminus, who had been defeated and unable to rise until he put the children, a seemingly limitless power source, behind it. Hyperion discovers this as he goes on ahead to fight the High Evolutionary while Thor and the team deal with Terminus (who had already crushed Iron Man, the empty armor Tony is controlling from space). Thor is on the verge of completely wrecking Terminus with a massive thunderbolt as Hyperion flies out of the High Evolutionary's inner sanctum and through the head of Terminus, rescuing the children attached to the platform within. With Terminus defeated and the children saved, Hyperion and Thor again retreat to the mountain they had been on last issue to talk more. Thor warns Hyperion about what family means to warriors (usually some sort of flaw in the armor), citing the dangerous events on the horizon, but Hyperion will not hear of it. In Hyperion's narration, we find that the most important memory of his life is no longer the destruction of his world but the discovery of this new one.

This is a very sweet issue for Hyperion particularly, who, as I mentioned last review, could easily have gone a pseudo-Doctor Manhattan kind of way. Instead, he seems to be going the exact opposite, gaining strength from the people in his life and the the new family and world he's found. Add to that character arc a few fun lines from the increasingly cynical Spider-Man and some nice Avengers moments as a whole and this is a very satisfying two issue arc. The children don't feature in this one nearly as much except as a plot device and a sort of save-the-cat moment but they still have the weight they gained last issue and, I mean, they're kids. No one wants to watch kids in peril and everyone's rooting for the guy who saves them. So now we're rooting for Hyperion. The Hyperion-Thor relationship continues to be interesting to watch as Thor finally has a new, non-Asgardian god buddy. Rooting for that guy too, pretty constantly. Solid issue, nice two-issue story.

Avengers Arena 10
Hopeless (w) and Burchielli (a) and Beaulieu (c)

As my girlfriend just pointed out, I finish reading about half of these by involuntarily going "oh noooooooooo" at various volumes. This book is heating up like crazy now that Katy has been outed as a strategic technopathic monster with, now that Juston is dead, a Sentinel at her disposal. She still has Death Locket under her command and she's out to win Murder World. Nico, as the only one who knows Katy is back in control, wakes X-23 and tells her what happened. Laura hunts down Katy and Death Locket by herself and ends up taking a beating from the Sentinel. Darkhawk, who had been exiled from the group, finds himself there as well and attacks unsuccessfully after X-23 is defeated. Laura is delivered back to the group in very weak condition and Nico does what she can to hold off Katy and the Sentinel. It gives them enough time to make a break for it and exit the desert. Nico's teleportation spells haven't been working but she tries another one, instead trying to teleport them somewhere else in Murder World. This one does work and everyone jumps through the portal, unsure where it will put them. Just as Nico is about to exit, Katy shows up again and blasts her, breaking her leg. Nico closes the portal and stays behind to face Katy on her own before Darkhawk shows up. Unfortunately for Nico, Katy is now also controlling Darkhawk and he blasts her hand off, knocking away the Staff of One as well. She tumbles down a mountain after it and struggles to reach to it. As the issue ends, her last health bar disappears. Oh noooooooooooooo.

This book alternates between a great and pretty fun read and one of the darkest books Marvel has ever put out. It never feels like it's reaching to try to fit in either corner, which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable, if tense, series. The action scenes are peppered with the knowledge that everybody seems able to die (as much as I hate watching characters die, what a change it is to feel like there are consequences to the battles) and, in fact, rather on the brink of death at any given moment. The less action-y scenes, depending on who they focus on, feel appropriately sinister or appropriately light-hearted. I've already positively said a ton about this book but I really can't seem to say enough. I caught myself, in the middle of this book (in one of the less action-y scenes but knowing that action was on the horizon), stopping to say "gee, I'm really enjoying this book." Young Avengers occasionally gets me to do that but very few others make me actively aware of how into the book I am while I'm reading it. This book probably scared people who weren't fans of the young'uns in Marvel away but I really hope it didn't. I don't think you need to go in knowing anyone in this place. They're well-explained without the need for too much exposition and they're really well-developed across the board (well, except for Red Raven). This book has been fantastic and I'm looking forward to it as long as it keeps going.

Avengers Arena 9, Ultimates 24

Avengers Arena 9
Hopeless (w) and Walker and Gorder (a) and Beaulieu (c)

The mystery of Apex's gender-switching is revealed as the newfound Tim (far too few Tims in comics) stops Darkhawk and Juston's fight and tells their story. They're technopathic twins who share a body, female when Katy's in charge and male when Tim is. Katy is very much the devilishly clever aggressor we've seen throughout the series already and Tim is the pacifier who watches it all happen because Katy has overpowered him. He comes out after she's been defeated by the events of last issue and explains everything causing the other kids to vote on whether to kill him to stop Katy or not. They decide against killing him (in a big decision that ultimately causes Nico to cast Chase/Darkhawk out of the group) and tie him up. Unfortunately, when their guards are a bit lowered, Katy comes out again and takes control of Death Locket, freeing herself and finally killing Juston to take control of his Sentinel as she had tried to do way back in the first few issues. The narration comes from Tim all issue as he reveals to the audience that Katy plays these games and always plans to an end that only Katy could benefit from. Of course, the end of the issue reveals that this whole situation had been one of those plans and Tim knows that he's responsible for his sister's actions because he was incapable of sacrificing himself to stop her.

The moral dilemma behind good cop Tim and bad cop Katy is a really interesting question and definitely carries the issue and could carry more, assuming Apex sticks around for a while. Tim is responsible for Katy's evil insofar as he doesn't want to die himself. It's hard to blame him for that as accepting his role as a martyr to stop Katy is no easy feat, especially not for someone so young. Katy is clearly the more powerful of the two, having used her powers to force Tim back in the first place, and the more aggressive of the two. Tim prefers the passive, non-confrontational approach and, as a result, he ends up cleaning Katy's messes up more often than not. Add to this whole drama the drama of Nico kicking Chase out (and calling him the stupidest among them) and Death Locket's feelings for Tim and we have a full-bodied, worthwhile drama on our hands. Oh, and did I mention that Juston just died and Katy the technopath has access to what's left of his Sentinel?

I know I talked about all five Avengers-related books in my pre-game so it may have SEEMED like I would tie those five together in day one of reviews, but thanks to being unable to get my hands on Assemble so far, please enjoy this review for The Ultimates 24. GUYS, it's just a DIFFERENT Avengers team. It still totally fits.

Ultimates 24
Humphries (w) and Bennett and José (a) and Milla (c)

The J-Rice satellite is hurtling from space down onto Sacramento, exactly as Ford had planned. Tony is still captured, Thor and Sue are still on the moon with Black Knight and Cap is still in Washington with Quake (who reveals the whole plan, having herself been double-crossed). Thor is being goaded by Black Knight into keeping up the fight while Tony, who has managed to successfully call his heavy Iron Man armor to him, feels like he can stop the new and unbelievably powerful Wonder Man and Ford himself if he stays. However, Monica Chang points out about a million times that Tony staying outside of Bakersfield (in the top secret West Coast Ultimates HQ) and Thor staying on the moon is exactly what Ford wants and that they have to choose between stopping those guys or stopping the nuke from hitting Sacramento. The team one by one reforms on Sacramento and contains the nuke (with Sue doing the actual containing after Cap, Thor, and Tony slow down the nuke and destroy the container), winning the day. With the victory, Cap resigns his presidency, saying that the war is over and, though there are still threats looming on the horizon, the wartime president is no longer needed. For better or worse, he plans to put the power of choice back in the hands of Americans, despite protests from Tony (who says he's the most popular president pretty much ever) and Thor (who says that he's a born leader and the country needs a leader now).

The President Cap era seems officially ended, which is probably good because Steve seemed on the verge of killing people in his last few times being a diplomat. However, Thor nicely lays out for us how much story there still is left to resolve, including these new West Coast Ultimates and Spokesperson Ford, the appearance of the gems, the new Hydra, and the general discontent around the country. There are a few nice moments in this issue, including Cap prepared to die under the nuke as a symbol to the country (not knowing if the other heroes will arrive in time and being the least capable of stopping a nuke) and a nice full page panel of the three best-known Avengers/Ultimates working together to try to stop the nuke. There's still a lot to go here but the story of the West Coast Ultimates comes down to an intentionally anti-climactic finish as the various members of the real Ultimates have to abandon their fights to save Sacramento. Still, as I said, there's a lot to look forward to (including their reemergence) and this arc has left the series in a healthy spot.