Winter Soldier - Bitter March 3, Nova 16

Winter Soldier - Bitter March 3
Remender (w) and Boschi (a) and Chuckry w/ Wilson (c) and Cowles (l)

Ran Shen's plan to get Peter and Mila Hitzig out of Hydra's clutches has put him at odds with the Soviet's plan and thereby put him at odds with the Winter Soldier. To make matters worse, it's also put him at odds with Peter Hitzig's plan, who wants to return to Hydra with his wife. All these plans collide on the train as Hydra enforcers Shocky Dan (maybe the best name?) and the Drain have shown up. After an all-out fight that leaves Shocky Dan with a melted face and Shen with a couple bullet holes, Winter Soldier makes his way for the scientists. Shen recovers enough to use some adrenaline (or maybe Infinity formula? Who knows?) from Fury's cache and is able to use Shocky Dan's shocking gloves to rush Hydra on the other side of the train. The Drain, who has already had Peter Hitzig kill himself, tumbles out of the train with Winter Soldier, though he's wearing a jetpack so neither fall to their death immediately. Shen goes to Mila and tries to think of a new plan but the bomb Hydra left on the train puts everything on something of a faster timetable.

Story
All the plot lines involving the Hitzigs have come to a head here as Hydra goes up against SHIELD goes up against Winter Soldier. On top of it, it all happens on a train with a bomb in it. Couldn't ask for a more action-packed story. Plus, a story with Shocky Dan and the Drain? How could we be so lucky? 5/5

Character
Though Shen is ostensibly our protagonist here, the key character developments come from the Winter Soldier himself. Shen only has development insofar as "he's a pretty tough guy." Winter Soldier, though, gets another random flash of Cap which tells him not to kill Shen when he's badly wounded and defeated. The issue also ends for him as the Drain sees into his soul to realize he's been brainwashed and who he really is, coming dangerously close to revealing everything to Bucky before directing him to kill himself. There's not a lot that can be done with character here (we know Winter Soldier has to survive and we know that he's probably not going to learn that he's Bucky Barnes) but what can be done is done interestingly. 4/5

Writing
Remender continues to hit on a great tone here as everything starts to go crazy. It's action-packed and it's tense but it manages to the pseudo-noir feel consistent even as these crazier elements, like Shocky Dan and the Drain, are introduced. The book moves pretty well and our villains are enticing enough to keep everything particularly tense, even we start to gain sympathy and worry for Mila. 5/5

Art
The art in this book is unflinchingly good as Roland Boschi nails the look of every character, making everyone unique while still not cramming in so much detail that it draws the eye away from the story. His Winter Soldier is appropriately terrifying just as his Drain is appropriately creepy. The colors fit the style and the tone perfectly with a lot of reds and blues, nothing too showy. The colors in the flashback moments as Bucky involuntarily pictures Cap are a little more muted and serve to show us the separation of time and tone really well. 5/5

Miscellaneous
This cover doesn't blow my mind the way the last one did but I still rather like it. I'm also into the idea that someone with psychic sorts of abilities could see into Bucky's past through all the brainwashing and that they could just as easily undo his training if they had a shot at it. Hadn't really considered it before but it's pretty neat to see now.

Total score: 5/5


Nova 16
Duggan (w) and Baldeon (p) and Pallot (i) and Sotocolor (c) and Deschesne (l)

Nova and Bill have tracked Skaarn only to find that he's armed himself with incredibly powerful weapons. Bill is removed from the fight quickly as Skaarn draws his attention away by attacking the bay of his own ship holding the Korbonites. Nova sticks with Skaarn but quickly finds himself outmatched. He regains the edge when Skaarn begins to threaten Earth, nearly pulverizing Skaarn. Instead, he captures Skaarn and decides to hand him over to Cadivan the Mighty so he can get the bounty in exchange for the Nova helmet he still has. The whole mission has set Nova back on a path to find his father, which will likely be made more difficult by the fact that his family is being evicted back on Earth.

Story
The continuing fight between Bill, Nova, and Skaarn finally reaches its climax here and, as we've seen a couple times already, Sam seems to have a wealth of power inside him that really explodes outward when his adrenaline kicks in. The defeat of Skaarn and Sam's grown-up decision to not kill him and to let someone else get the credit for taking him down while he gets to give a Nova corpsmen a proper burial make for good story points as well as good character moments. This series has plenty of directions it can move in and Duggan is setting himself up a nice little corner of the universe to play around in. 5/5

Character
I've already said a good deal about Sam's character here but it's important to note that the writing style is really paying off. He's clearly still childish but he's making strides to be more of a hero and it's shining through here. Nova's starting to understand his role in the universe a little bit more and starting to gain a little bit of Spider-Man's much vaunted "responsibility." Of course, that responsibility is a universal thing but it's also going to mean at home which could lead to much more. 5/5

Writing
Pretty much feel like I've covered this one already. The writing is pretty sharp and the characters all come across nicely. The threats are big enough to be worrisome but never so big that this book shifts its tone from "a book driven by a child superhero." Strong stuff here. 5/5

Art
David Baldeon's pencils and Terry Pallot's inks are sharp and clear, further upholding the "book driven by a child superhero" tone and making sure that it never strays too far away from the Spider-Man style of books (that's the best comparison to draw to this book, really, and it feels like the comparison they'd want me to make, so I think that's all positive). The colors are brighter and the effects are bigger during some of the fights and it all matches the almost colorful tone of the book. 5/5

Miscellaneous
I really enjoyed this issue. Beta Ray Bill's involvement didn't hurt as I'm a big ol' sucker for that guy but I think this arc and this issue have really stood out as defining pieces for this NOVA run. There's plenty going on and plenty to look forward to for this book.

Total score: 5/5

Nova 15, Thunderbolts 23

Nova 15
Duggan (w) and Baldeon and Pallot (a) and Curiel (c)

Nova rushes Cosmo to medical help and manages to get him there just in time and even ends up aiding the doctors in taking the poison out. Before Cosmo has fully recovered, Nova goes to try to slow up Skaarn's next plan, which involves using the continuum cortex transfer on Knowhere. It's essentially a teleporter and he wants to use it, with the assistance of a few other criminals, to break into a secure vault. He scouts ahead leaving the other criminals to wait and use the teleporter to enter as backup. Nova manages to catch up with the three other criminals and defeat them pretty handily, whipping out a couple more new skills, eventually throwing them into the teleporter without allowing them a chance to program it to where they wanted to go. It reverts back to the last destination used, sending them to Beta Ray Bill in Jotunheim. While they wait for Bill to return and for Skaarn's plan to become more evident while Cosmo heals, Sam uses the teleporter to return to school before he can get in any trouble for missing. He completes the day then heads back into space to finish the job. He and Bill meet up again and track Skaarn only to find that he's broken into the vault on his own and that the vault housed big time weapons, not money like Sam thought.

This is sort of a weird issue to critique because, like last issue, Sam spent most of the time this issue fighting obstacles we didn't know were going to be there and the outcome of the fights didn't actually seem to weigh on the completion of whatever mission they may have hurt or aided. To simplify, we had no idea about this vault heist plot until this issue, nor about the criminals Skaarn would need to complete the heist. However, when Nova defeats the criminals, it doesn't seem to stall Skaarn's plan even a little bit. It's hard to say that this was a worthwhile little pit stop since it seems almost entirely unrelated to any plan while posing as something related to the main plan. So it's a weird issue to critique because it's not necessarily a bad issue, per se; it's still rather entertaining, we get a nice little fight scene and we learn a little bit more about Sam (plus some decent Beta Ray Bill), it's just not an issue that feels like it belongs in this story and it seems like little more than a filler story because of that.

Thunderbolts 23
Soule (w) and Jacinto (a) and Silva (c)

It's Deadpool's turn to call a mission but Flash asks Deadpool to cede his mission time over to him, saying that he's going to be leaving the team and wants the team to complete his mission before he's gone. Deadpool is hesitant but when he hears that Flash wants the team to take down the symbiote, he's onboard. Flash says it's getting to hard to control the symbiote with the team considering how much killing they have to do and he wants to see them take it down. He lets the symbiote take control and it beats all of them (save for Deadpool) individually before they decide they need to work as a team to take down Venom. They manage to come together just well enough to separate the symbiote from Flash and contain it. Red Hulk asks Flash if he wants them to contain or destroy the symbiote but Flash declines, saying that it always finds a way to survive and he knows he can control it so he'll continue to wear it. As Flash departs with the symbiote bonded to him once more, Ross tells him that he understands the Flash wants and needs the symbiote but that the mission was good for him in proving that someone is capable of taking down the symbiote if it ever gets out of hand.

There's a lot of really good stuff in this issue. As ever, there are several laugh out loud moments, particularly as Deadpool, who claims he has contingency plans to take down any of his teammates at a moment's notice, showcases his anti-Venom plan that involves drawing on his costume to make it look like Spider-Man and setting it up as bait under a plane ready to drop on any incoming assailants. On top of the funny moments, there's a real core to this issue. Obviously there's something to the Flash-Venom relationship that's always somewhat interesting in the idea that Flash understands the power and danger of the symbiote but knows he can control it and, more telling, knows he wants/needs it. Even beyond that, though, Venom yells some things while it's in control that, as Flash later reveals, aren't lies but are somewhat damaging to the ego of the group, including the idea that Flash also kind of has a crush on Elektra and wouldn't mind if Punisher died, that Flash thinks Ghost Rider is an abomination, and that Flash thinks Red Hulk is the worst of the entire group. It's still a nice issue and one that ends a little bittersweet as Flash admits to Ross that the symbiote doesn't lie about things but that he believes people are capable of changing. Sad to see Venom leave the team but I don't think the roster is a lot weaker for it, especially considering the recent addition of Ghost Rider.

Nova 14, Night of the Living Deadpool 4

Nova 14
Duggan (w) and Baldeon and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Nova and Beta Ray Bill have teamed up and they're headed after Skaarn. Sam remembers that Skaarn said he was going "nowhere" which Bill translates as "Knowhere," an old Celestial head that now serves as a neutral ground to many travelers. Skaarn IS there, meeting with a sketchy alien from whom he's trying to buy (or, as eventually happens, steal) a weapon called War Bringers. Bill sees him as he kills the alien and takes the remote he wanted anyway but Skaarn stops Bill mid-attack by radioing to his ship to tell them that if he dies or doesn't come back for some reason, they're to kill the Korbonites onboard. Outside, the War Bringer comes online right beside Sam and he, of course, ends up fighting it. It's very nearly powerful enough to kill him but his last minute adrenaline surge and will to live end up overpowering the robot and he survives. Bill comes to meet him there and tells him that they have to go to Knowhere's Continuum Cortex to be teleported away or else many on the ship will die. Skaarn teleports Bill away as Nova projects an image of himself into the teleported, making Skaarn believe both have gone. Free to try to follow Skaarn now, Nova finds himself called away telepathically by Cosmo, the "watchdog of Knowhere." He is, of course, an actual dog (one time member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Annihilators) whose powers have been weakened by a poison Skaarn used. Nova isn't alone as the story continues.

There are important pieces here, obviously, but a lot of the issue is dedicated to filling out the arc and to giving us just a little more character. The issue starts with Nova and Bill saving a damaged spaceship on their way out to Knowhere which leads into a story about how Bill nearly died saving his people once before being saved by another of the Nova Corps. The story is meant to inspire Nova and it clearly does enough of the trick as he recalls it when he brings down the War Bringer. This is Sam Alexander's real first experience with the things that are more his birthright, the deep cuts Marvel Cosmic stuff as he has now gone to Knowhere, dealt with Beta Ray Bill, and even met Cosmo, ratcheting the number of Guardians of the Galaxy he's met, past and present, up to three. This Nova is clearly going to be something interesting as we've now seen him deal with things on Earth, which he'll likely continue to do here and in NEW WARRIORS but he's still spending a good amount of time in space. Not often do characters drift between the two, usually preferring to stick to Earth or space. Could make him a pretty important cog in this universe.

Night of the Living Deadpool 4
Bunn (w) and Rosanas (a and c)

Deadpool finds himself seemingly alone now in a world filled with reluctant zombies, wondering how he turned zombie and back to kill everyone he was trying to save. He finds the zombie AIM agent he had met last issue and uses his head to direct the two of them to the AIR base, hoping that there would be some semblance of cure there. He gets there after a long and hard struggle and finds what appears to be the cure derived from clones of Deadpool himself. He doesn't have much time to celebrate as he's quickly overwhelmed by zombies. In a last ditch effort, he drinks as much cure as he can and allows himself to be eaten by the zombies. Anyone that bit him or was bitten by someone who bit him or so one and so forth ends up replacing their zombie tendencies and their mind with Deadpool's, making it essentially a plague of Deadpool now.

I've been very lukewarm about this book all the way through. I've thought some of the ideas were interesting, though the book was maybe a little overtly laden with references for me. I also liked the art and I'm kind of a sucker for black and white with only a specific splash of color, as this book had. It's hard to criticize this ending too much because, frankly, you don't see a lot of zombie related media ending well, or even ending at all. Sure sometimes people will get to some island, or embrace the zombies, or find some little hideaway home somewhere, but it doesn't explain anything major. No one has ever shown a real cure for zombies (aside from removing the head, destroying the brain) so, if nothing else, this one gets points for trying something new right as we got to the end. Of course, it's rather deus ex machina as a severed head directs Deadpool to the AIR lab and the lab has, in good condition, gallons of "cure" derived from Deadpool himself. Still, it's a bold choice, even if it's one that doesn't really track with me. Whatever, play by your own rules, I suppose. This style off-shoot Deadpool will return in DEADPOOL VS. CARNAGE.

Nova 13, Savage Wolverine 15

Nova 13
Duggan (w) and Medina and Vlasco (a) and Curiel (c)

Nova's feeling pretty good about himself after helping a stranded ship that needed a boost, not knowing that the ship was actually a slave trader's ship. These are the things that happen when you're a teenager. Beta Ray Bill, though, knew exactly who was on the ship and is appalled that a Nova would help them. He comes to investigate, having lost the trail on the ship anyway, and he and Nova quickly get into a fight. Nova stands up pretty well to Bill but eventually he realizes what Bill's argument is and the two reconcile, with Nova demanding to come with him to find these slave traders. Bill accepts his help and Sam makes plans for a babysitter, his friend Carrie, to come and watch his little sister while he departs into space.

Pretty solid book. It's largely a fight book pitting Nova against Beta Ray Bill but it gives a pretty good sense of both characters and a pretty good sense of where Nova stands in terms of his power relative to what we know of this universe. He's been up against a number of new foes which makes it hard to judge just how powerful he is (though, you know, destroying a Chitauri fleet in the first arc wasn't a bad read) and something like this, having him stand toe-to-toe with someone the Asgardians hail as a true warrior, worthy of his own Mjolnir-like hammer in Stormbreaker, gives us a sense of the sort of power he has. Their dialogue works pretty well together though the book revolves a lot around Beta Ray Bill's alien appearance (though, I suppose, it makes some sense. You look at that guy and it's gonna take you a little while to get over it). Also nice to see Sam take some responsibility and make arrangements for his mother and decide that he needs to see this slave trader business to the end. Good issue, nothing to particularly note as a downside. Not sure it super stands out but certainly good for the series. I talked about AMAZING X-MEN feeling like a book made for kids and making me roll my eyes at it but I'd say that NOVA is something of an all-ages book at this point and it feels fresh and fun, typically. Follow that model if you're going to make a book that's more accessible.

Savage Wolverine 15
Isanove (w, a, c)

With the death of Elias and the kidnapping of Sofia, Logan is left with little choice but to storm the compound at which Sofia's being kept. He takes out the guard and slashes the face of the outfit's leader, a a man named Sergio, sometimes called Marion while Peter, coming in behind him, shoots the Frenchman Pierre-Anselme in the arm. They hustle Sofia out of there and, with all the kids in tow, head to a brothel in St. Paul to lay low for a little bit. The brothel's owner Dolly, who had a relationship with Logan ten years previous, sets them up with a new car and points them towards Colorado to stay with family. Unfortunately, Marion and Pierre are on the lookout for them and come and interrogate Dolly, killing her when she won't give up any information. Pierre finds the sales slip for Logan's new car and his eyes and ears all over the country track Logan and the kids down by nightfall, with the police taking Logan and Sofia into custody.

Isanove's 1930s crime story continues but, in a somewhat strange if effective move, starts things on a ship headed to America in 1920 as Marion and Pierre, seemingly in their teens or thereabouts, meet for the first time as immigrants. We see their origin for about ten pages of the comic and it lets us understand their ruthlessness and their mentality, not to mention their hero-worship of Houdini, a man constantly in utter control of his body and mind. It's a bit of a jarring interlude as we're suddenly introduced to character's we don't know as young men and are forced to learn about them and about their families in their immediately complex background, not made easier by the fact that we have to pretty quickly learn to distinguish the multiple players on the ship. However, it's not too hard to follow if you can stick with it for its entirety and it rather does give us a good sense of villains who would otherwise be simple gangsters. Isanove's art is a good match for his writing style (helps when you know exactly how your artist is going to draw things and vice versa) though things do start to get a little bogged down here and there as people start to look the same, though constant name reminders (not in a particularly intrusive way, though, in the way where it's like "FIRESTAR will do it!" Geez, I really did not like AMAZING X-MEN this week, huh?). Definitely enjoyable as SAVAGE WOLVERINE, when it's on, continues to be pretty far and away the best Wolverine title.

Journey into Mystery 655, FF 11

Journey into Mystery 655
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

Whatever is in this space station is infecting Gaea and Skuttlebutt/Ti Asha Ra and Sif is pretty sure at this point, especially as she looks upon the new and monstrous form of Gaea, that this is not all for the best. They manage to rescue Ti Asha Ra, who tells them that the ship is insistent on finding new lifeforms and it's accepted Ti Asha Ra now that she is melded with Skuttlebutt because that makes her something new and different, maybe better. Now the ship has its hands on Gaea and boy, looking for a new lifeform and you find that and it's pretty exciting. However, it's also a little more than the ship can handle and it's losing a little bit of control, now zooming at Earth in the hopes to find more new and pure lifeforms. Sif and Beta Ray Bill get to the front of the ship to try to stop it from getting to Earth and are somewhat quickly restrained by the new Gaea. Sif manages to break through and communicate with Gaea and the ship and explain the everything in the universe is the way it is and there's no changing that. Plenty of things simply are and there is no way of fixing that; it's not a problem to be solved, just a puzzle which can't be perfected, only nurtured. Her talk is good enough to stop the ship and release Gaea and Ti Asha Ra who, along with Sif and Bill, crash-land in Asgard. The book (and the series) ends with another nice moment from Sif who, in talking with Gaea, confesses that she truly hated the experience of being the source of the now burgeoning garden in Asgard.

Really sad to see this series go. I've been a supporter of it for some time and I think Immonen's really found the voice for Sif, both as it pertains to this series and as it pertains to the character as a whole. It's been an entirely lovely ride with absolutely gorgeous art and color (this issue really outdoes itself) and I'm sad that such a reliable and different series has to fall by the wayside. It's been such a fun and fresh experience with plenty of stellar moments and drama laced with natural and flowing humor. There are laughs in nearly every issue, genuine ones, that don't come from a place that feels like they needed to add laughs and so stuffed a few jokes in. Instead, they're natural and everything fits every character. There are really great bits to this book and every new issue I came out happy with the outcome. You can't ask for more than that. I hope to see Sif (and particularly this Sif) again soon. But guys, really, buy this book. I don't care if you don't know what's happening with the series or the arc, the art and the writing will be more than enough to get you through the single issue. Sad to see this one go. It's bee a great run.

FF 11
Fraction (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)

So I was wrong in my pre-game and this is actually the second to last, I believe, issue of FF helmed by Fraction. Anyway, let's push on. Maximus the Mad is free and roaming the halls of the Baxter Building (kept badly under wraps by Ahura and company), Julius Caesar is now a teacher of the Future Foundation, and the new Fantastic Four are trying to use Caesar's time machine to return to the moment the old Fantastic Four left (that's a weird sentence, that is). The new F4 are yanked out of the timestream, though, by the Impossible Man, a character from the '60s who has always been more of a jokester than a villain. He does mess with them a bit but ultimately tells them he'll help them find the old F4 if they take his son, Adolf Impossible, back to the FF with them. They agree but find it a little hard coaxing Adolf to come with them. Eventually he consents (thanks in no small part to Medusa) and the Impossible Man tells the F4 that the other F4 are on the verge of being lost into a parallel dimension. Meanwhile, Caesar meets and introduces himself to Maximus and the two form an easy alliance.

Speaking of books that are fun, this is definitely one of them. Every issue, like with JiM, has several easy laughs and pretty natural writing (JiM's writing is both natural and Asgardian-unnatural, which is a super interesting thing to come across). Even after 11 issues, it's a little hard to get a read on this team as a team, which I think is a really smart idea. Maybe I would be against it if these people were all good friends and we weren't getting the team-vibe out of them after this long but these guys are mostly acquaintances (with the exception of Darla who didn't know any of these guys beforehand) and it shows. Not only are they acquaintances, they're acquaintances who were only supposed to be needed to band together for four seconds. Now they find themselves in the tough position of needing to be a full fledged superhero team and work together with no desire or ideas on how to actually do that. It's shining through particularly well right now as She-Hulk snipes sarcastically at everyone and Darla does what she can (as something of a newbie to this world) to band everyone together. Medusa is likely the most fit to lead the team as the long-time queen of Attilan but no one trusts her after the Wizard's manipulation. Scott, who seems to be the actual leader (after taking Reed's spot on the team specifically), is still coping (poorly) with the death of his daughter not long ago and Ant-Mans don't tend to make the best leaders. So it's an immensely interesting team dynamic, and one that seems to be coming to a head right now as tempers flare. Oh, and the Impossible Man is pretty funny here. Good stuff, you guys.

Gambit 15, Journey into Mystery 654

Gambit 15
Asmus (w) and C. Mann and S. Mann (a) and Rosenberg (c)

After weeks of impressive thievery, Gambit finds himself at a bit of a crossroads. Is the thievery fulfilling enough to return to full time? Should he go teach at the Jean Grey School again? Would he make an awful Avenger if he took up Rogue's offer of joining the Unity Avengers? Could he and Pete Wisdom get along together if he went to work for him, taking up an offer that I'm not sure was ever extended? To add to it, he's brought more than a little attention to himself in the thieving community with his recent exploits and now someone is trying to get to him by stealing the NYSE bell, which signifies the start of the day for the stock market and which was always a goal of Gambit's, and leaving clues that he's sure to respond to. He and Fence investigate but it's likely Gambit won't like where the investigation leads.

This probably final arc of Gambit (not sure how long the arc is planning to go but the book isn't far from its final issue) will see Gambit pitted against his past, among probably other things and it's off to an interesting start as Remy has to start piecing things together here to try to get a jump on someone who clearly has a significant jump on him. This isn't like Joelle or Cich, who he had to get involved with before they knew who he was; this is someone who is targeting Gambit for one reason or another who Gambit has to work backwards to match. The writing of this book, as it has for a while, alternates between fluidity and somewhat clunky dialogue with Gambit throwing in a few somewhat forced jokes to keep up his "wisecracking Cajun" persona. There are a couple of vague references to distaste with the 1% and wealth and everything but none of it really adds to his character as none of it is said with any sort of passion beyond "ah well, I'd like ta steal from more people and they have a lotta money and Robin Hood, ya know?" (Perfect Gambit, nailed it) That's been kind of an issue with this series throughout; for everything we've seen from Gambit I'm not sure we've actually learned anything new about the character or anything even particularly compelling. Sure he had a love interest in Joelle mixed against his love for Rogue but the things we knew about Gambit prior to this, the things that were set in stone for his character, were essentially "thief," "Cajun," "womanizer," and "wisecracking." I don't know that anything in this series has characterized him beyond that in any way, leaving the series still readable and enjoyable, but somewhat forgettable. Can every issue bring some revelatory truth about a character? I don't know, probably not. But some should. I can't honestly say that any have, to this point, in this series.

Journey into Mystery 654
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

Sif and Bill are dealing with their problems in their various manners, with Sif trying to track Gaea and Bill agonizing over the loss of Skuttlebutt. Sif manages to find Gaea in the garden Bill had been rejected from and discovers that the garden has worked wonders on the All-Mother, leaving her rejuvenated and fresh. Sif doesn't feel comfortable with how quickly it's happened and wants to return Gaea to Asgardia but Gaea is wary of that, as she feels her sickness was brought on by all of the Stark Technology used to build Asgardia leaving her with little real plant life to keep her happy. Meanwhile, Bill has been found by Skuttlebutt, now inhabiting the thought-dead body of Ti Asha Ra, pulled out of the ship by the entity that's driving this whole story and put into the new body. Something sinister is afoot and Sif needs to get to the bottom of it before it corrupts everything.

Unlike Gambit, there's less that's been explored in Sif's character over the years so there's more for Immonen to really introduce for her. That said, I don't think it's been an easy task for Immonen to take a great warrior of Asgard(ia) and cast her in this new light, one that really gives her a full-fledged personality and one that, at times, has the ability to be something silly and fun. Frankly, this book has been astoundingly good each issue and it's almost entirely on the back of Sif, who does exactly what's needed of her for the plot but does it with a character that's wholly entertaining. This story is certainly an interesting one with some sinister machinations behind it and a solid mystery for Bill and Sif to get to the bottom of but the driving force is certainly the writing and the characters themselves. Like I said with Gambit, there are times where certain writers know that the dialogue should be fun but don't seem to have anything particularly fun to say, so they strong arm some predictable joke in to take advantage of the timing. Here, as with just about every issue of Immonen's JiM, the writing flows pretty naturally and the quick and fun writing catches you off-guard. Sometimes the humor comes from the situation, sometimes it comes from the snappy dialogue, sometimes it comes from the tried-and-true Asgardians talk funny method but it almost all always works. Schiti's art perfectly compliments it, giving exactly the right feel to every situation and Bellaire's colors continue to be among the best in the industry. Letterer Clayton Cowles gets in on the fun too, setting up word bubbles nicely to give a sense of flow to the conversation, directing your eyes to read the dialogue the way its meant to be read (I don't highlight letterers enough but they do some pretty astounding work. The general rule of thumb is that if you're pointing out a letterer, it's never because they've done something well, just because they've screwed something up. They're kind of the referees of comics). Solid book throughout and another particularly good issue. Here's a panel from this issue because I found it especially funny (not sure it is out of context but whatever, my blog my rules) and I don't think I'm going to highlight it at any other time this week.

Gambit 14, Journey Into Mystery 653, Nova 5

Gambit 14
Asmus (w) and Pham (a) and Roseberg (c)

Following the long story all connected to Joelle, Gambit gets a different case sent his way. Or rather, he's sent its way, I suppose, by Pete Wisdom of England's MI13. Wisdom, who we last saw being very annoyed with Gambit way back in Gambit's first arc, has made a bit of a huge mistake and needs Gambit to, on the down low, rectify it. A powerful book of fairy magic meant to harness some of the creatures in the fairy realm (England is full of that kind of stuff in Marvel). The book is the Faerie Grimoire and it was meant as a peace offering to those in the fairy realm and a girl stole it right out from Wisdom's nose. He needs Gambit to help get it back. The two snipe each other a bit (well, in truth, Wisdom snipes at Gambit a bit and Gambit enjoys himself altogether too much) and they put their plan in action, which involves Gambit posing as a magic store clerk (yes, they have magic stores in England) and sleight of handing the book away from her when she's distracted. It doesn't go particularly well as she recognizes Gambit and reveals herself to be a Death Reaper, which is some sort of scantily clad black magic practicer, from the looks of it. Gambit breaks free from her by kinetically charging some piercings on her face but it gives her enough time to start summoning from the book. Gambit tackles her and they both fall through a portal into the fairy world, where a bunch of fairies have already professed their love for Gambit and attack the Death Reaper, saving him and ending the book, save for one page that shows his return to Earth as a knight to the fairy people, infuriating Wisdom.

There are things to like about this issue but not a ton. The dialogue between Pete and Gambit is the highlight but there are times that even that borders on over-the-top. There's a story in here that might have been worth telling but it's very bogged down by a need to have everyone in the world kiss Gambit. The end of the issue, a severe deus ex, almost makes it feel like Asmus started it when he had more time to work with the story, then had to shut it down quickly to give enough time to write a final arc before the series ends after Marvel cancelled the book. That might be me making excuses for the book but, even if that's not what happened, it's the way that it felt.

Journey Into Mystery 653
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

After Beta Ray Bill and Scuttlebutt (his ship) crash into the Avengers Jupiter base, where Sif is trying to help Gaea rest, Bill and Sif have a chance to catch up a bit. He tells her about the ship that's crashed and they argue a bit about how best to proceed. Bill and Sif set out to try to find both Gaea and Bill's girlfriend amidst the wreckage. Sif manages to find Bill's girlfriend and tries to transport her, wounded, to healing tech that Tony has in the base. She gets her there but she fears she was too late, as she dies in the tech. Bill finds them and is somewhat cold about her death. Sif asks for answers and he's unable to give many, explaining that something like a haze fell over him, blocking his memories a bit. That fits with whatever's been happening here too, as we saw Sif at the start of the issue confused about her predicament and unsure what she remembers. At first, the audience thinks it's just grogginess from the crash but it seems deeper than that now, with this new reveal. It also explains why people keep forgetting about Gaea. When Sif remembers, she takes off back into the base. Gaea is missing from her chamber and the audience sees her descending somewhere into the planet, into a place where Bill had stumbled searching for his girlfriend and which had rejected him, nearly killing him.

There's a lot happening here and it's pretty masterfully executed as pieces of the story make themselves evident to us when they need to be made evident and not a moment sooner. There's a lot of strange tension between Sif and Bill but it's written well and it often gives way to arguing or jokes of a sort. The story itself is an interesting one but we're a bit too early into it to tell how interesting it will remain. Let's assume pretty interesting. The saddest part about this series is its impending cancellation. This story feels like it could go on a bit longer and it's the sort of series that you feel deserves a sort of wrap-up issue but, with only two issues left, it's hard to imagine that there will be time for that. Depressing times as another good book winds down. Ugh, you guys, Red She-Hulk only has one more issue. WHAT IS THIS WORLD?

Nova 5
Loeb (w) and McGuinness and Vines (w) and Delgado (c)

Sam gets his helmet back out of the hands of Titus and uses it to rocket Titus away from his home for a moment while he runs and grabs the Ultimate Nullifier. His mom sees him in the Nova gear right as he's about to take off, a problem he decides he'll have to deal with later. Nova follows Titus to the spot he was blasted, which happens to be in front of a couple of the cool kids from school (including Sam's love interest). He protects them easily from Titus before grabbing him and space-jumping him back to the point in space where the Chitauri fleet is waiting. Titus is astounded by the decision, laughing at how stupid it is. Nova, separating himself a bit from Titus, pulls out the Ultimate Nullifier, prepared to use it on the whole fleet if he needs to. Titus tries to grab the Nullifier from him and ends up activating it, creating a sort of black hole in Chitauri space that everything gets pulled into, including, despite Sam's attempt to save him, Titus himself. The black hole closes and Gamora and Rocket Raccoon appear behind Sam to congratulate him and to take the Ultimate Nullifier for safe-keeping. He refuses and brings the Nullifier to the Watcher instead, who seems pleased with his actions. Then he returns home to talk with his mom, who is not upset with what he's doing as she always knew he would. He vows to find and save his father, who is still out there somewhere.

Everything wraps up with a nice little bow at the end of Nova's first arc. It wasn't a bad ending just like this isn't a bad book, per se, but every step seemed a little predictable. The introduction of this new Nova Corps is an interesting decision and could lead to pretty neat things but, by and large, this first arc was fairly cookie-cutter stuff. You can kind of read every beat as it's happening and it leads to asking what audience this book is aiming to grab. I would say this, more than something like Wolverine and the X-Men (which I have similar questions about), is an all-ages book that is meant to get kids more into comics. There are things here for adults to enjoy but not that many. If that's the intent, I think this book is probably doing fine. If it's not the intent and this is meant to be a serious addition to the Marvel Universe, I don't think it can last at this rate. However, the change in Novas from Richard Rider to Sam Alexander tells me that I am right. I'm so smart, guys.

Journey into Mystery 652, Iron Man 258.3

Journey into Mystery 652
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

For whatever reason, I tend not to clump this book among my favorites. Part of that I would have to attribute to the fact that I have so many books I'm a bit in love with right now. The other part might be that it hasn't really blown me away in any issue so far. It could still have something to do with the fact that my mind tends to seize up a little around Asgard stuff; there's a lot of history there and I don't know huge swaths of it, even considering how much I do know and that frustrates me. However, when we get right down to it, I love this book because of the way Immonen treats Sif. Immonen clearly has a perfect picture of the way she wants her main character to be presented and the way that Sif deserves to be presented. She's still undeniably Asgardian but she is her own Asgardian. She still has all the same warrior tendencies and the same bafflement at Earth qualities but she has such a clearly defined voice aside from all of those rather defined traits. If you're looking for a book with an interesting character and a good place to read character, you could do far worse than this one. As that is something I'm usually looking for, I tend to enjoy this book throughout then forget about it when I'm choosing favorites. So it goes.

Gaea, one of the Asgardia all-mothers, has taken ill and no one knows what to do about it. She's, as you might assume, the all-mother tied to nature so the Asgardians are particularly nervous about what this could mean. They also have no idea how to heal her. Sif goes to Broxton to talk to Jane Foster and see if humans have any sort of thoughts on this and Jane recommends quarantining and observing Gaea and her garden. Tony Stark offers an asteroid that he has marked as a place where they could quarantine her. Sif volunteers to take care of it and watch her out there but, when they get there, they get a call from Beta Ray Bill asking them to quickly evacuate the base because he and his ship Skuttlebutt are in pursuit of a ship that's set to crash on the asteroid, a ship that is being driven by Bill's ex-girlfriend. There's a lot of fun dialogue throughout the issue and Sif and Bill's relationship is already looking like a fun one, so it'll be good to see their interplay throughout the arc. Just a really fun book with a very strong central character.

Iron Man 258.3
Michelinie (w) and Ross and Layton (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Entity is planning to kill both Iron Man and Justin Hammer, as Tony figured out last issue, so Iron Man goes to warn and protect Hammer of the impending attack. He gets there and is attacked by Hammer's defenses before being able to relay the message. As Hammer disengages his own attack, Entity sends in a squad of SHIELD Mandroids that he's hacked and a squad of Dreadnoughts to kill the pair. Iron Man is able to hold them all off long enough for Hammer to use his emergency escape ship to launch off to his space satellite. With Hammer clear of his island, Tony blows the whole place up to disable the Mandroids and Dreadnoughts. As they regroup, Tony heads for the satellite. His suit, though, isn't particularly made for space travel and he finds himself running low on oxygen as he reaches Hammer, who decides not to open the door for him, preferring to rid the world of Iron Man while he has the chance. Meanwhile, Rhodey has been trapped in Stark's underground computer base by the Entity and looks for a way out. He finds a new suit that looks like the War Machine suit (I don't know where exactly this series falls in continuity as it pertains to Rhodey and War Machine) which he determines isn't connected to the computer system, so it's free of Entity's influence. However, the last time Rhodey was in a suit was a pretty traumatic experience so he has to will himself into the suit, which he does to escape and try to help Tony.

Big ol' fight scenes permeate through this issue but not a ton else. There's not a giant focus on advancing the plot behind the fact that now Hammer seems to know Entity is after him and Rhodey is in a suit and on his way to help Tony. By and large, though, the issue spends its time with explosions and Tony narrating how he's going to defeat his various foes. Makes it a little tricky to delve into the plot and the characters when there isn't much to say. Oh well. Next issue is prime for some plot to happen, I suppose.