Aaron leaving AMAZING X-MEN, Kyle and Yost to take over

Scheduling demands have forced Jason Aaron to leave new title AMAZING X-MEN after only six issues, as CBR reports. His run will end with April's AMAZING X-MEN 6, which will be the conclusion of the current arc and Nightcrawler's return. Issue 7 will feature the fantastic Kathryn Immonen writing before Craig Kyle and Chris Yost take over on issue 8. It will mark a return for the two Thor: The Dark World writers to the X-world after their run on an X-23 miniseries and books like YOUNG X-MEN back in the 2000s. Aaron's explanation is here, in several tweets:

So yeah, because of my overall schedule demands, I had to step away from Amazing X-Men a bit sooner than I'd hoped.

— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) March 10, 2014

Though as far as parting shots go, I think the Return of Nightcrawler is a pretty satisfying way to end my tenure as an X-writer.

— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) March 10, 2014

Without Amazing, that leaves me writing Original Sin, Thor, Southern Bastards and a couple of other things I can't talk about yet.

— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) March 10, 2014

It was definitely weird to leave the X-verse behind after spending pretty much my entire Marvel career there.

— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) March 10, 2014

But I couldn't be happier with the stuff I'm working on now. Fun times ahead!

— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) March 10, 2014

Best Marvel comics of 2013 (part two of five): 16-20

NOW, after that teaser first post, we're on to the actual top twenty. Let's not tarry any longer...ranked from 20 right down to 16 (I broke the top twenty into four separate posts to save you scrolling down too far to find out everything after I inevitably talked for TOO LONG), the list of my best 2013 Marvel books starts HERE.

20. Winter Soldier

This one BARELY squeaked by the not-quite-the-best list, where it would have landed only for the inconvenient timing it had for 2013. It only went from issue 14 to issue 19 in 2013 but they were, upon further inspection, very solid issues. We kicked the year off with Ed Brubaker's final issue with the character he created not so very long ago and it really rather changed the game, showing a depressed Bucky telling SHIELD to stop trying to restore Natasha's memory of him, as she's been through enough. One of the ways that I know this blog has made me a better comic reader in general is that, in going back to fetch a picture for this entry, I re-read the comic and it broke my heart in far more ways than it had the first time through. Beautiful work. Jason Latour did a fine job in his short time on the book but ended up stalling a little out of the gate and only picking up steam as the end was in sight. Very strong book showcasing one of the most popular new characters in his first (but undoubtedly not last) shot at a solo book. No one really gets it in one, Bucky, chin up.

19. Thunderbolts

THUNDERBOLTS absolutely made the list on the strength of newcomer Charles Soule when he took over the book with THUNDERBOLTS 12 and when he started his first full arc back in THUNDERBOLTS 14. Soule brought a new feel to the book and took a series that was promising but a bit forgettable and made it into something worth reading for various reasons each and every time out. The team was already extremely interesting on paper back when it kicked off but Daniel Way had taken it in a bit of a more gritty way than I think was necessary, which is weird to say about a book that consists of Flash-Venom, Elektra, and Punisher. Of course, the rest of the team is Deadpool, Red Hulk, and the Leader, so maybe the cold-blooded coup feel of the book wasn't ever going to work. Soule has done a great job revitalizing the book and making it a refreshing and fun read issue to issue or as a full arc. Looking forward to this one going forward and, even more surprisingly, looking forward to Soule's addition of the new Ghost Rider to the team next year.

18. Infinity

I'm as surprised as you are to find that a mini-series, no less an EVENT, has made the top twenty but here it is. In fact, the only reason Jonathan Hickman's INFINITY is so low in the top twenty is that I found it hard to divorce it entirely from the fundamental help it got from the titans that were AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS, not to mention the various tie-ins throughout the universe. I wonder if this book stands up as strong if read by itself. I have a feeling it still stands up pretty well but the other books in the sort of required reading elevated the event as a whole. That was by design, sure, but I can't award this mini-series those points. INFINITY lands on the list for being an entirely engaging read and an event worthy of being an event. The other two major events (AGE OF ULTRON and BATTLE OF THE ATOM) this year were total busts for me and events in the last few years have really fallen flat even as they grow more popular than ever within the business. INFINITY was a breath of fresh air as we got an event big enough to really be called an event and to warrant the action with real implications that we'll be seeing through the coming year(s). Also, no one from our casts died, which was an exceedingly bold choice in this day and age (throughout, I was predicting the shock value deaths we'd get only to be disappointed and equally not disappointed when they did not come to pass). Hopefully Hickman helms any other major events in the near future.

17. Journey into Mystery

This is another book that landed this low only after a mid-year cancellation stopped it short of contending all year long. As someone who truly loved Kieron Gillen's run on the book that turned the ever-devious Loki into a lovable rapscallion only to see him destroyed and have his true nature take the credit, I was both looking forward to Kathryn Immonen's look at Lady Sif and a little wary of it replacing a book that was a long-form love story to the form. After it was all said and done, though, Immonen took us on one of the most fun and most thoroughly engaging treks through Asgard I think we've ever seen. Sif is a character who is typically explored through the eyes of Thor or Loki or someone bigger in that Marvel-style pantheon but we got a book here that viewed her as every bit the warrior we hope she'd be outside of the pages of THOR or any other Asgardian based book. Immonen gave a real character to Sif and stuck to it. The final art, featuring Valerio Schiti art, really solidified the greatness of this book, one of those rare occasions where the perfect people teamed with the perfect character for them and really made it shine. Solid stuff all the way through.

16. Ultimate X-Men

ULTIMATE X-MEN surprised me when it appeared on my own top-ten list last year so this year I was a bit more ready for it and it didn't disappoint. Things in the Ultimate Universe are almost unquestionably worse all the way around than they are in the 616 and it was never so obvious as it was with the ULTIMATE X-MEN this year (unless we're talking about book quality, am I right you guys? Ha, I am though, which is sad). Sure, things aren't great for mutants in the 616 but Brian Wood showed us a tremendously diminished mutant population being given practically desert land and not much else and being left to sort out their problems themselves. These problems included questioned leadership, limited resources, hate and paranoia from the country surrounding them (which was just full to the brim with the stuff), and secret infiltrators. Whenever things started to look up for the X-Men, something interfered and pushed them two steps back. They're given a new place to start over, free of US jurisdiction? An omega-level telepath hidden amongst them works in secret to overthrow their new leading party. They create the sentient seed? The US government claims ownership over mutants and their creations and nearly starts a war to get its property back. They begin to succeed as a little nation all their own? Tian, a jealous sister country, instigates war and pretends that Utopia started it. Tensions were CONSTANTLY up in Utopia and Brian Wood never once backed down. The pacing, the characters, the story, the art, it all added up to a superb book overall, and certainly the best that the Ultimate Universe had to offer this past year, and maybe ever.

Avengers Annual 1, Iron Man 19

Avengers Annual 1
K. Immonen (w) and Lafuente (a) and Beredo w/ Loughridge (c)

Shang-Chi is taking some kids who may or may not have powers and who may or may not be delinquents of some kind (different Avengers seem to have different perspectives on the issue) on a tour of Avengers Tower. It's just before Christmas and most of the Avengers have gone elsewhere for the holidays, leaving only Shang-Chi, Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, and Tony Stark behind. Shang-Chi's tour is something of a failure, as all of the Avengers present a not so clean look at what it is to be super powered. Manifold turns up to help Shang bring all of the kids away but one, unbeknownst to the Avengers and the other kids, sneaks away and stays at the tower. Everyone sets off to their own holiday plans except Cap, who has volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye on the tower. He locks up and goes to help at a local kitchen, where he spends a good amount of time chatting with another vet about days gone by. He returns to the Tower later  and is alerted to a break-in in Tony's lab. The girl who stayed behind, an eager and excited girl named Zamira, has the power to manifest voices with alarming accuracy, meaning that she creates versions of herself that have the voices of the people they're meant to represent. FOR EXAMPLE, she manifests a Tony Stark who can access his lab with voice recognition and who speaks not dissimilarly to someone's perception of Tony Stark. Apparently she tends to lose control and create these voices when she gets anxious and she's super anxious now. Her voices run amok, issuing voice commands throughout Avengers Tower from Tony's lab. Cap goes to check it out and is quickly joined by Natasha and Hulk, both of whom ended up staying behind in the Tower after all. They try to calm Zamira down and, particularly Widow, try to get her to use her perceived liability as an asset. Tony, who also apparently stayed behind, joins in the action and things start to go crazy as too many voices start issuing commands and one of them accidentally sets off the self-destruct command. Zamira pulls herself together just in time to help set everything right, issuing other commands with other voices to stop the countdown. All of them clean things up and decide to spend the evening together, eating and talking.

It's a goofy issue, breaking very much from the current feel of Hickman's AVENGERS, but it's well-placed and extremely well-executed. I was excited to see Kathryn Immonen's name on the cover for this one, knowing we'd get a good dose of character and some solid dialogue. Between her fast-paced and chaotic story and David Lafuente's art, this Annual stands up on its own as a perfectly pleasant and easily read standalone story. I'm a big fan of showing off character and this one is pretty much just a showcase of that, giving us a really nice look at some of our core Avengers in their downtime. It's a little like DeConnick's AVENGERS ASSEMBLE in the way that it focuses on the more familial feel of the Avengers but manages to let itself be a little goofier and a little less story-driven. The story is still clearly important but one of the nice things about an Annual is that it doesn't require a story that's going to keep going beyond its one issue; sometimes you'll get one that sets up the future of a book but by and large Annuals tend to be a chance to let someone else take the characters for a spin and see what comes out of it. It was really nice to see a break from the super-serious feel of the current line of Avengers books and I hope, if it leads to anything, it leads to Kathryn Immonen on another book.

Iron Man 19
Gillen (w) and Bennett and Hanna (a) and Guru eFX (c)

Tony has a surprise for Pepper. Well, a couple of them. He introduces her to Arno and gives the briefest of explanations of what's happening. He also inadvertently introduces her to his newest suit operating system, PEPPER, which is a bit awkward (he quickly promotes PEPPER to running the new city and renames her HELEN, giving her a Troy to look after). He also tells her of his plan to take over and rebuild Mandarin City, feral since the death of Mandarin over a year ago (back at the end of Fraction's run on IRON MAN). She's worried about him and about this whole plan, which seems entirely like an overreaction to something deeper. He admits that she's probably right but isn't too bothered by it, preferring to overreact and do something good with it than to overreact and become an alcoholic again. She convinces him to hire her new fiancee as PR person for the whole undertaking, which would probably go relatively well if not for an attack by Mandarin Ring 1 (in the presence of Mandarin Ring 7 and Abigail Burns, who we met last time) at the time of his press conference.

Plenty going on in this series still but it's rather underlined by the somewhat sweet moments of this issue. There's a relief to Tony and Arno both knowing that they're overreaching a bit and that they're trying something so big, meaning that if they have a fall during this, it won't come with full issues of "oh my hubris!" but rather with something like "well, it would have been pretty cool if it had worked!" There are also sweet and very human moments between Tony and Pepper as he explains why it's maybe not as creepy as she thinks it is that he built and named his AI after her, something that we kind of already knew but that she deserves to hear as well. He, of course, does try to hide it from her, but it's sweet and creepy nonetheless. The idea, for those who missed it in the beginning of Gillen's run, is that Pepper is Tony's best friend and that he wasn't trying to replace her or obsess over her or anything like that, but that he needed something to remind him of her and to keep him balanced as he traversed the infinite space he was going to enter. Look, I think it's sweet, okay? There's also a moment in here where Tony's narration kind of apologizes for leaving Mandarin City in shambles and justifies it by saying "I was in space, guys." Anyone who's read even, like, one post from this blog will note my love of talking to an audience and referring to it as "guys" so WHAT AN EASY WAY TO WIN ME OVER.

This week's picks

Ton of books out this week seems like a justifiable excuse for why I'm having so much trouble picking my top three. Look guys, I have one locked down and one almost locked down. It's tricky because most of the books didn't blow me away this week, even the typical standouts. They were good, they weren't the best. In some cases that affected my decision more (I really liked the Cap arc finale but it didn't totally blow me away, which it seemed like it should have), in some cases it didn't (one or two of the books that made this list are in that category). One of the books in consideration was Deadpool which I thought was a good issue, surprisingly so because I haven't liked the series, but it still wasn't an amazing issue (it almost made the cut because it was such a far cry from how I've felt about the rest of the series). Okay, I'm stalling. Here we go.

Journey into Mystery 655

I tend to give more consideration to a book on its final issue. That still won't get it on this list if it's a bad issue, but I tend to bump it up a little for time served. This week, Journey into Mystery didn't even need that boost. It was a really good issue, a solid end to a solid arc with beautiful art and fun writing which served to enhance the plot and to characterize people involved. Just a really good issue and, sadly, the last time I'll get to choose this book for a top pick. The book that spawned Kid Loki and Kieron Gillen's defining run at Marvel has now reached its end after a great Kathryn Immonen run. She better find a new book quickly at Marvel. Marvel's made a few good moves in terms of trying to highlight women characters and women writers and it's clear they want to make that something of a priority (slowly but surely). It would be ridiculous to have such a talented and proven female writer at your disposal and not put her on a book immediately. Buy this issue. The art alone will make it worth it.

Thor: God of Thunder 12

As good as the heavy-hitting action and revealing characterization of a really great comic book can be, occasionally the change in pace can be as meaningful as anything else. We rarely see Thor in a capacity as an emotional hero; his role has very much become the strong character role (it really always was) so they bring him out in the biggest situations because he's too powerful to use on, say, street-level villains. It's really gratifying to see him take a little time off from punching Kang to travel around and do equally important but more one-on-one heroic things. It's very neat and it was really well done. Nic Klein's art is very impressive as well. It's no easy feat following up Esad Ribic or even leading in comic veteran Ron Garney (who I think is on at least the next issue). Really solid issue.







Young Avengers 9

Young Avengers is a phenomenal book. Every issue has been wonderful and had little hidden wonders to it, on top of the very blatant wonders. It's got stunning art, great characterization, interesting plot, and fantastic writing. All of that said, I did think this was a very slightly weaker issue than we've had from this book. However, slightly weaker from this book is still scores above most other books so it's impossible to not put it on this list (and it would be silly not to). Even with it being slightly weaker (it just felt a little slower than the ones we've had already, and not in a "this needs to be slowed down" kind of way), it still had a ton to love (including, as ever, the art). Also, an adult-ish Leah looking both super cool and oh my god she's going to wreak some serious havoc, you guys. Look, this book is great and always worth your time. Check-check it.


I don't want it to go

This is a new segment, to be used probably just this once, to award the book I least want to be over following this most recent issue. This week's winner is, you guessed it, Journey into Mystery. GUYS, I'M JUST REALLY SAD ABOUT THIS, OKAY?

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.

Marvel cancels Journey into Mystery - Comics this week

First, a moment of silence for another cancellation. Marvel has decided to end Journey into Mystery with issue 655. This is a depressing one all around. The book, which split from Thor in 2011 during Fear Itself and was, for my money, the best part of Fear Itself, featured an amazing run by Kieron Gillen focused on Kid Loki in a sort of novel-like approach to comics. That run ended with issue 645 and Kathryn Immonen has done a great job on the title since, shifting the focus to Asgard's premiere warrior, the lady Sif. On top of the fact it's been a solid run with some great moments, it means we lose the only female led book written by a woman other than Kelly Sue DeConnick's Captain Marvel (which is, of course fantastic, and appears later in this post, in fact). I think Marvel has been taking the right steps with promoting its female characters but it's a gradual process, and not one that people seem overly willing to speed up. Watching this book falter is upsetting on a couple of levels; it raises questions about the readership and about gender in comics as a whole. Of course, these are easy questions to put to the side because, in truth, Sif isn't a huge character in the Marvel Universe (not on the level, at least, of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, etc.) and she's Asgardian. Both of those things could just as easily have contributed to the book's sales as much or more than the female-led aspect. My hope is that that's true (though it's still always depressing to see a bold choice in lead characters go uncredited) and that we have more female-led books and more women writers at Marvel in spite of this cancellation. As is, though, check out all of Journey into Mystery, from Gillen's masterpiece on Loki to Immonen's examination of what it means to be the greatest warrior of Asgard with Sif. On to the next section (I had been planning to write this top half for Monday since news of the cancellation broke late last week and promptly forgot about my plans entirely by the time Monday rolled around).

Age of Ultron 10
I haven't been overly thrilled by this series but things are bound to happen that impact the larger Universe with the conclusion of this event. It's easier to judge an event knowing all parts so we'll have a better feel for how this one rates after it ends, though it won't change some things about the series. This issue is also set to feature a slew of artists including Joe Quesada, Alex Maleev, and Butch Guice, among series regulars Carlos Pacheco and Brandon Peterson. Should have something to like in there and it's worth at least checking in after the conclusion to see the shape of the Universe going forward.

Captain Marvel 13
Carol's Enemy Within storyline continues here as we bounce quickly from last week's Avengers Assemble. We know our enemy, we know our heroes, and we know a bit about our problems. How will all of this slot together when it's all said and done? It's an interesting story and DeConnick's reinvented Captain Marvel remains one of the best characters in one of the best books Marvel has right now. Keep reading this one, as I keep recommending it.

New Avengers 7
One of the easier things to do on a week that features a handful of Avengers books is to pick what books I'm most excited for. Yes, I am an Avengers fan in general but really, it comes down to the fact that Marvel NOW has brought the best Avengers stories I've read in a long time. New Avengers continues to impress me every issue with the story, the weight of the story, the characters, and the phenomenal art (which, along with the colors, mimic the weight of the story). I don't envision a time when I won't be excited for this book. I never want to envision that time.

Uncanny Avengers 9
This is another in the line of solid new Avengers titles launched with Marvel NOW (the main Avengers book is too, and also comes out this week, but it's been bumped to keep things very nearly almost fresh in this post). This is the only Avengers team that was brought together for a purpose beyond "stop bad guys/things." The Avengers were hand-chosen by Cap and Iron Man to be the best of the best and to form little teams to dispatch everywhere. The New Avengers were brought together by their past and by the weight of the problem. This team was delicately selected to represent a bond between Avengers and X-Men. That, by itself, creates a tone for the book that Remender has made sure to capitalize on. This book may be the strongest at creating its tone that Marvel has and it's worth reading for everything it can do.

X-Men Legacy 12
I have been blown away by the quality of this book time and again. Adding to how happy with the book and the character of David Haller I am already, last issue was breathtaking. David's conviction and Spurrier's dedication to breaking out of certain superhero tropes floored me and the most incredible part was that it was EASY TO DO. All David had to do was continue saying what he'd been saying all through the last couple issues: he wants to get rid of his powers. I can't wait to see more this week of how David interacts with the Red Skull, who will no doubt be caught somewhat off-guard by this approach (don't forget, Red Skull's greatest enemy is Captain America, who would never give the Red Skull any sort of upper hand).

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.