Avengers AI 10, New Warriors 2

Avengers AI 10
Humphries (w) and Araújo (a) and D'Armata (c)

In the physical world, the Gascheck app is still driving people crazy while, in the virtual world of the Diamond, the Avengers team still has to find the root of the problem. With the help of the Lovelace Army and Gibson, they find the giant monstrous being that is Gascheck. After Doombot's failed attempt to attack it, Pym talks with it and explains what's happening in the physical world. Gascheck reveals that Dimitrios hijacked his programming and that he only wants to help humans, not hurt them. To ensure everyone's safety, Gascheck deactivates itself, saving the people of Earth from themselves. After seeing Hank deal with the situation and seeing all the wonders of the Diamond, Captain America announces that he'll back Hank with whatever he thinks is right, even if it puts him at odds with SHIELD or the president or whoever. Meanwhile, SHIELD has sent the AI-hunting unit of Monica Chang and Jocasta to capture Jessie Clatterbuck, the AI who played a part in Dimitrios' first attack. They manage to capture her but Chang can't help feeling that something is wrong. Alexis, down in the Diamond with her sister Eton, realizes that she needs to prevent Clatterbuck from capture if she wants to save the world.

This is the first issue of AVENGERS AI since the cancellation announcement, so maybe it's just knowing that it is being cancelled and that it's going to end soon but there is a sort of rushed sense of finality to the issue. Obviously some of the pieces for the conclusion are just falling into place now or just starting to be realized now but some of the smaller pieces, that stuff that needs to get out of the way (like Cap and his Avengers' tie to this team) is getting out of the way pretty abruptly. I still can't totally get a feel for this team and I don't have a really distinct sense of any of the characters (aside from Doombot who doesn't have a whole lot to him), something that will be really hard to clear up as we race to the finish. It's hard to sustain interest in a book, particularly a book driven by lesser known characters, if we don't really understand our characters. Ah well, let's hope for a mighty conclusion as we head towards 13.

New Warriors 2
Yost (w) and To (a) and Curiel (c)

The Evolutionaries are striking at multiple locations and our heroes are finding out just how difficult they can be to fight. Their targets seem to be mutants, Inhumans, and other heroes or people somehow different on a biological level. This includes both Justice and Speedball and pretty much the entire population of New Salem in Colorado, Kaine, Aracely, and Faira Sar Namora in Mexico, and a new Inhuman named Mark in the sewers of New York, though it does not include Sun Girl, whose powers are derived from the technology on her back and not a power within. After Justice and Speedball force the Evolutionaries out of Colorado, they speed to Avengers Tower to access the database on these things, getting a bit of exposition out of a recording from Cyclops. When they've learned a little bit, they hear the fight in the sewer and join in, giving enough backup to Sun Girl and Mark that they force those Evolutionaries to leave. Meanwhile, Nova has been captured by the High Evolutionary and put into a containment field deep in Wundagore Mountain. The High Evolutionary explains that the Celestials are coming back to judge Earth and that he and Nova are the only chance for humanity's survival.

Things keep on racing along here as now two of our New Warrior pairs have met up and Kaine and Aracely have met up with Faira Sar Namora. The team is quickly coming together and we're starting to learn a little bit more of why they need to come together so quickly. Oftentimes a team like this, one made up of smaller heroes or more inexperienced and unknown characters, will start off stopping some sort of important but far smaller problem. Maybe they tangle with an AIM branch or something and stop civilian casualties. Maybe they team up during a big Marvel event when everyone is coming together and they decide to stick it out. Maybe they have a misunderstanding but realize their both actually fighting the same guys. But no, Chris Yost has decided he's going to put them up against the Celestials and the High Evolutionary, about as big as you can go in any direction. It's a bold choice and one that will have to play out fully before we really know if it was the best choice. The problem, of course, with a big foe like this is that it's harder to characterize if you have to spend so much time establishing. Yost is doing okay with it right now as he's mostly characterized Speedball and Justice with a touch of characterization for everyone else and he's at the point where the plot will still carry the book for a bit but soon we're going to need to get deeper into character if we're going to stay on this journey. I have no doubt that the characterization will come though and we'll be left with a pretty solid book.

THUNDERBOLTS writing change

Hey guys, here's some news that is incredibly interesting to me both in who is leaving and who is coming. As CBR reported, Marvel has announced that Charles Soule will be replaced on THUNDERBOLTS by the Bens, Acker and Blacker. That's right, Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, who wrote last year's THUNDERBOLTS ANNUAL and DEADPOOL ANNUAL and are the creators and writers of the amazing and incomparable Thrilling Adventure Hour stage readings and podcast, will be taking over as THUNDERBOLTS writers starting in June. This is mixed for me as I've been a huge supporter of Charles Soule on THUNDERBOLTS. He's taken this book and really turned it into something incredible and massively fun after it started off a really compelling team and a less compelling story. So it's been great and I expect it to continue being great up until June, when the Bens will probably also do great but it may be a different kind of great and will undoubtedly mean that I read someone's voice as Croach the Tracker.

Captain America 18, Iron Man 22

Captain America 18
Remender (w) and Klein (a) and White (c)

Mindbubble has control of Fury and, in turn, control of the Gungnir, a new helicarrier the size of a city and probably with the firepower to level more than just that. Maria Hill calls for all the backup she can get to try to stop Mindbubble. Fortunately for her, Cap and Falcon were nearby trying to spy on the goings-on, suspicious of SHIELD for having weaponry and villains that even Steve isn't allowed to know about. As they approach, they find themselves set upon by SHIELD agents thinking that the two heroes are Hydra. They take them down non-lethally and Cap steals one of their bikes to go after the helicarrier. On the way, Steve calls Jet, who had been interrogating a cyborg tasked with guarding Weapon Minus, and learns from her about Mindbubble, an ex-SHIELD scientist who had wanted to create a less violent alternative to warfare. SHIELD, of course, wanted an alternative to Weapon Plus, in case their experiments ever turned on them. Mindbubble used the super soldier serum and LSD to create a new concoction he hoped would be more peaceful. With no willing test subjects, Mindbubble used the serum on himself and quickly went crazy, turning on SHIELD and taking down a number of SHIELD agents before he could be restrained. Jet also informs Steve that Mindbubble's mindbubbles create a sort of dream map for the victim, placing him in the fantasy world his own heart desired. When Mindbubble is done with them, the fantasy turns dark and kills the victim. She advises Steve to kill himself rather than let the fantasy do it if he's mindbubbled. Steve arrives on the helicarrier with an entire SHIELD fleet on his tail as the issue ends.

Still a lot going on here though this issue does feel a little redundant. The Mindbubble origin isn't exactly foreign to us at this point so retelling it isn't too effective only a couple issues later. Also, much of this issue is fighting and a chase scene between SHIELD and Steve and Falcon. Despite all that, though, the issue is still entertaining and it moves really quickly for how much information is dispensed. Hill somehow remains the only one un-mindbubbled of the agents sent to take down Mindbubble and Fury and she sets the Gungnir to self-destruct though she's surprised and stopped by the Iron Nail amidst everything else that's happening. It's a solid issue and there are some nice moments between Steve and Sam. The narration continues to be fairly strong and sets up plenty of feelings for Steve, letting us know that he's got a lot to fantasize about when he eventually has to go up against Mindbubble and letting us know that he has just about exactly the right amount of trust in SHIELD. The colors on this issue were a nice departure from the grim and dark metal colors we've seen lately in this book, setting up the chase over plenty of orange desert making it seem a little more light than it had lately, even if it's only as an interlude between tense moments. I don't think you'll miss a lot if you miss this issue but it's still one worth reading. Can't complain.

Iron Man 22
Gillen (w) and Bennett and Hanna (a) and Guru-eFX (c)

It's Red Threat and Iron Man up against Lord Remaker and the Exile in a battle of Mandarin Rings and Stark Tech for the new city Troy. Abigail Burns has changed her mind about the city and fights alongside her hated foe Tony Stark to defend it but Tony's mind is on the Troy Core, the heart of the city and the last known whereabouts of Arno Stark, that Lord Remaker just destroyed. Tony continues fighting but is soon surprised when Arno emerges from the wreckage in his new battle suit, a giant Iron Man suit of his own design. The reinforcements force the Exile and Lord Remaker to flee. Red Threat tracks Lord Remaker in the city with her own ring and finds him dead at the hands of someone else, the ring gone. Just as quickly, her hands are sliced off and the attacker again disappears with the ring. Tony finds her and brings her to a hospital where he and Marc question her about the rings. She tells them that the rings just want to destabilize and cause chaos and that they seem to really hate Tony Stark. Therefore, their mission is two-fold: wreak havoc and wreck Tony. According to Abigail, this means Stark has painted a bullseye on Troy with his very presence. He acquiesces and holds a press conference to announce his decision to leave the city in the hands of the capable and mysterious new designer Arno. Meanwhile, new series villain Malekith counts the three rings on his fingers and vows to complete the set.

This is one of those situations where I hate hate hate solicits. I understand, to a point, the purpose of them. In this, the information age, no one wants to wait three months to find out what to expect from a new series or, for retailers, to know what's going to be on the shelves. Sometimes, books are able to guard their secrets in solicits but that's usually just for big events and deaths and things. This would have been a crazy reveal, one that really shakes up what's happening in IRON MAN and leaves a lot of questions to the reader. I try not to read solicits as often as I can but it's impossible at this point not to see some things, given the websites I frequent and the twitterers I follow. Even though many in the comics industry tend not to like solicits, they're forced to lean into them and advertise storylines in advance. I can't blame them for that; the news is out there, best to control it and answer questions the way you want them answered. In this case, I knew about Malekith joining the book a couple months ago so when a hand appeared and snagged Lord Remaker's ring, I wasn't at all surprised. It's too bad too. I kept thinking about this as I was reading, how curious I'd be if I wasn't aware of what was coming. GUYS, I think it'd be PRETTY CURIOUS. Still a good book and one that's well-written and exciting. Still a fun and exciting book as IRON MAN presses on.

Moon Knight 1, Magneto 1

Moon Knight 1
W. Ellis (w) and Shalvey (a) and Bellaire (c)

Moon Knight, Marc Spector (or whatever name he may go by at any given time), is back in New York after a recent spell in LA that saw his personality, long thought to be Dissociative Identity Disorder, fractured into three separate entities on top of the Moon Knight one. These identities were, unlike the identities he'd taken on in the past, in the form of Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. He's started fresh in New York with a new style and new methods; he dresses in an all white suit and goes out at night helping the police solve crimes and going after the perpetrators himself. One such perpetrator is a murderer who has killed strong people all over the city and taken parts of them. Spector tracks him to the tunnels below Manhattan and quickly finds him. He hears him out, hears his story about being an old SHIELD agent wrecked by an IED and trying to put himself back together after being booted from SHIELD. The people he killed didn't matter to him because, in his opinion, they were wasting their strength. Before the killer can attack, Moon Knight reveals that he'd thrown one of his crescent knives into one of the machines keeping the man alive, avenging the travelers he'd killed. Smash cut to just before returning to New York, Spector learning from a doctor that he doesn't have DID, he has "brain damage." His brain was "colonized" by Khonshu, the Egyptian god that brought him back from the dead, and Khonshu has applied his own four aspects, Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, and Watcher of overnight travelers (and, occasionally, Khonshu's violent aspect of "The One Who Lives On Hearts"), to Spector's brain. Spector's brain then tries to assign personalities to each aspect to make sense of the split. The issue ends as Spector, fresh off taking down the rogue SHIELD agent, returns home to his giant, empty house to see his other two personalities, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley, and Khonshu himself welcoming him home as his son.

Very interesting first issue. This is a tough character to really get into as a comic book writer, one who
differs from so many of the other Marvel heroes. Obviously you can break him down just like any other Marvel character and put him in a camp like "anti-hero" or "vigilante" or "violent mercenary" or "crazy" but that doesn't really get to the root of it. We don't read DAREDEVIL because we like "vigilante" books, we read DAREDEVIL because we like Daredevil and who he is and what he stands for. To that end, Moon Knight is one of those characters that's harder to ascribe a history to. He has a very clearly stated origin but even that is one that gets muddied up by everything that's come after it. Warren Ellis' first take on Moon Knight, then, is to fix that origin in place. He died. Khonshu brought him back. Khonshu's four aspects (five if we include the violent one that kind of pervades the rest when it comes out) have taken up space in Marc's mind. Moon Knight is born as a protector of travelers because that's what Khonshu's about. Period. I don't think it's the flashiest first issue or the most profound first issue I've ever read but I DO think it's possible that this is exactly what this series needs to start with. The last MOON KNIGHT series was Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev and had some really good bits to it but they definitely went for the flashier start, revealing that Moon Knight was talking to Cap, Wolverine, and Spidey but actually just talking to himself because he's CRAZY. Flashy but not too too far removed from who Moon Knight is. Now Ellis is here to say "this book is different than that one but HERE'S WHY that one fits in with this new definition." Very cool start. Good Shalvey art and great Bellaire colors. Should be a lot of fun going forward and now that our ground rules are kind of set, we should have a lot with which to press forward. Only sad I couldn't track down a Skottie Young variant cover (at right) today at my LCS.

Magneto 1
Bunn (w) and Walta (a) and Bellaire (c)

Magneto's left the X-Men and he's on a vengeance tour, tracking down and killing those who have hurt mutants. His first victim, as far as this book goes, is a Doctor Hatcher in Missouri, a man who donates regularly to groups like the Purifiers. He hunts down people like that or ones who kill mutants and he kills them to keep them from doing more harm and to make them answer for their crimes. So far he's kept quiet enough that SHIELD and any other faction that might be after him hasn't pinned him down yet but he knows they're on the lookout. He travels to a town in California that has seen three mutants killed in recent weeks and he manages to find the man responsible, though he's surprised to find that he's handed himself in prior to Magneto's arrival. Magneto isn't satisfied with this, though, sure that the man will slip through the cracks of the legal system and be back on the street in no time. He barges into the police station (where the man is being held) and attacks the police officers before coming upon the man himself. The man warns him to stay back but Magneto advances on him, causing the man to reveal that he's a somewhat crudely put-together Omega Sentinel, a Sentinel in the body of a person, and he attacks Magneto involuntarily. Magneto is able to rip the machinery from the man, though it deals fatal damage to the victim, who reveals that these things were put in him somewhere near Down Acres.

Neat little entrance to the world of Magneto here. As I mentioned in my pre-game this week, Magneto solo books tend not to last very long if they're launched at all. I think part of the problem with a villain-led book is that the villain has to be big enough to care about (which usually means they're pretty evil like Red Skull or Ultron), complex enough that we care about what happens to them (good luck finding too many of those beyond individual arcs), and they have to be trying to do something that isn't taking over the world (no one wants to read a full series where Ultron tries repeatedly to eliminate all human life, especially if the book's conceit is forcing us to route for Ultron in that situation). Magneto's tricky because he certainly fulfills the first two qualifications but he's rarely not trying to exterminate humans or take over the world so it's hard to be on his side. This issue is setting up a book where he's on a one-man war against other people, not mutants vs. humans on the large scale but mutants vs. humans on the small scale. More than that, even, it's mutants vs. genocidal and bigoted humans, humans who would kill or support killing mutants. Although it's an anti-hero book at its core, it makes Magneto pretty unequivocally understandable and it means that, even if you're not so into killing, you can see where he's coming from enough to care what happens to him. Pretty neat stuff. We'll have to see how this one goes in the long-term.

Comics this week

As has been true a couple times already this year, this is a big week for new releases and for releases just starting out. Look for a slew of number ones, twos, and threes this week, most of which make up this list.

Loki: Agent of Asgard 2

I liked this first issue and I've liked the turnaround on Ewing's MIGHTY AVENGERS. I'm still skeptical that this Loki will be able to sustain a series but I would have said that before Gillen's JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY too and that was amazing. So this is me being cautiously optimistic and recommending checking out issue two of LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD in the hopes that Ewing can pull off a solid story with the character.

Magneto 1

Of all of the new releases, this is one of the ones I'm most doubtful of. Magneto, while obviously a very interesting and compelling character, has not ever been able to sustain a book. I'm not sure his chances are particularly improved by the writing of Cullen Bunn, who similarly has not really been able to sustain a Marvel series (though I thought he did a fine job picking up the reins from Remender on VENOM). Like LOKI, it seems like this will be a somewhat more black ops book for a one-time great villain whose alignment is questionable (though I fully expect LOKI to be more lighthearted). Could be fun, could be slow, I guess we'll see.

Moon Knight 1

Of all of the new releases, this is one of the ones I'm most confident about. Moon Knight is a very cool character and one I know Warren Ellis will enjoy playing with, Ellis is a great writer who can certainly do the detective/crazy angle pretty well (for as short as it was, I loved his time on SECRET AVENGERS and particularly his time playing with Moon Knight on SECRET AVENGERS), and Declan Shalvey is a phenomenal artist as much as Jordie Bellaire is a magnificent colorist. Very excited for this one, one of those times where all of the pieces are in place and you can't understand why it took so long to get around to it.

New Warriors 2

I said in my NEW WARRIORS 1 review that I trust Yost to do solid work and that his first issue planted a lot of seeds that I think he's going to have fun with and that are overall good moves. I thought the first issue did a lot of good work with pacing and establishing characters so I'm looking forward to seeing what Yost does to move forward and what better place to go from number one than to number two? Stellar move, guys, just stellar.

She-Hulk 2

This was another number one that I found myself liking a lot. I'm one hundred percent on the Charles Soule bandwagon at this point, as it took him maybe one issue to turn THUNDERBOLTS from a series that had started to bore me despite what I saw as near limitless potential into a book that absolutely destroys every time out. She-Hulk's first outing was fun and really character-driven without making things too tense or trying to thread too much story into one book. It was a great mix of fun and frustration and character moments that really set a tone for this new series. I'm looking forward to where we're going next.

This week's picks

Hey guys, I want all of YOU to know this is a cheat because I didn't actually get around to reviewing MIRACLEMAN and REVOLUTIONARY WAR: SUPERSOLDIERS. But here's the thing: MIRACLEMAN won't make this list because it was released thirty years ago originally and REVOLUTIONARY WAR: SUPERSOLDIERS won't make this list because it wasn't very good. So let's assume that's my review for them (here, look, I'm really cheating on these because both my MIRACLEMAN and REV WAR reviews would be nearly exactly the same as they've been, one talking about the revitalization of an old series and one talking about how tone doesn't match concept) and we'll move on to the TRUE PICKS OF THE WEEK.

Avengers Assemble 24

This week was particularly hard to choose the top books, to the point where I had to go back and read my own reviews to see if I liked books or not. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE was one this week that kind of caught me by surprise at how much I liked it. I've liked this book throughout its run and I believe it's made this list before and that should come as no surprise; they've had good stories, I really like Kelly Sue DeConnick's writing, they focus on pretty good characters and build them up well, etc. That said, this arc feels like it should never have been as good as it was. Young superhero gets trained by a handful of Avengers at various times as a pitch reeks of maudlin talks of responsibility and the meaning of being a superhero. Instead, this one comes with as much depth and in-fighting (albeit minor, mostly in terms of how heroing should work) as you'd expect from a book from DeConnick and Warren Ellis. There's been a lot of good stuff and now getting to see Tony Stark work with young Anya is a refreshing breather from the subterfuge and stealth and brutality we've seen the last few outings with the Spiders and Wolverine. Really good, really fun stuff. I'm surprised this book couldn't find a home, though I don't think it was advertised particularly well.

Hawkeye 15
Next up is Sir Always-On-This-List as HAWKEYE delivers another great issue. There have been times where I've thought about pulling books like HAWKEYE or NEW AVENGERS or YOUNG AVENGERS from this list because they make it so consistently that it feels like putting them on here is just taking up a spot you already knew. On the flipside, though, this is a really good book you guys. HAWKEYE is consistently one of the Marvel books that I'm thinking about well after I've read it, one of the plots I remember from issue to issue despite the amount of Marvel books I read in a month (I often have to glance at a review from the previous issue for other titles or have to start reading the new issue before I go "ooh, that's right"). It's just really good work and it's as deep as any Marvel book out there without feeling the need to talk down to the audience. Fraction and Marvel hit a home run with Aja, a proven commodity who has some really expressive and truly beyond belief work with HAWKEYE but they managed to hit ANOTHER ONE with Annie Wu (obviously this is now going beyond this issue) who does some of the best facial expression work in the business. It's all needed as this book relies as much on the art as any other book out there. It's a great symbiosis of the writing and the art telling a story in the best way possible.

Thunderbolts 22

I've had to think recently about why I dislike those quirky introduction captions, the ones like FEARLESS DEFENDERS had and MIGHTY AVENGERS has, that say things like "Luke Cage: Wishing he'd bought cellphones" or "Power Man: Just walked in the door." I think the issue, largely, is that they don't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever beyond shoehorning in a joke that's not necessary. It's creating humor where humor isn't necessary and where it may even break the tone. On top of it, it's the sort of old-fashioned thought of "we have to introduce every character every issue because how else would people know who this is?" This is a really long and roundabout way of saying it can be hard to write humor in books, particularly humor in books where you want the action to mean something. I think MIGHTY AVENGERS is doing a much better job now than it was at the start of the series and beginning to develop its own tone regardless of those captions. THUNDERBOLTS, though, is effortlessly creating really fun characters (doesn't hurt when you have Deadpool interacting with a team in any capacity, assuming the writer can handle Deadpool) and really fun situations and moments all while maintaining a really good tone and pace with some great action and meaningful consequences. Reliably fun, reliably good, reliably capable of making this list.

Deadpool 24, Thunderbolts 22

Deadpool 24
Posehn and Duggan (w) and Hawthorne (a) and Bellaire (c)

It's time for Preston to go into her own body but it turns out Deadpool is having a bit of a harder time letting go than he thought. For all his solitude and multiple personalities, he had gained someone real to talk to and apparently had benefitted from that. Still, he goes to SHIELD to have the process done but, after the transfer begins, problems arise. Agent Gorman had sabotaged the machines making it harder to hold everything together as Preston's consciousness goes into her new body. To help keep everything together, Michael, Ben Franklin, and Dr. Strange travel into Deadpool's mind only to find it overrun by other versions of Deadpool all intent on keep Preston from transferring. Strange realizes that these rogue Deadpools weren't caused by the machines, they're pieces of Deadpool rebelling on their own, something only Deadpool can stop. With some reluctance, he does and he carries Preston to her new home himself, helped by one of the Deadpool versions who refuses to identify himself except as someone who he hasn't met yet before mysteriously leaving. The transfer appears to be successful as Preston later wakes up in her new body but it's not over yet as Deadpool, sulking in a bar, discovers Preston is still in his head.

One of the things people love to do, particularly with Deadpool, is show off various different versions of him. It's a thing artists and writers like to use for all characters across dimensional rifts and the like but Deadpool adds a certain layer of fun to the proceedings because, as we saw in DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL, Deadpool is such a wild card that any sort of amalgamation Deadpool you can build is a possibility. You can have Beespool, a Deadpool filled with bees, where you can't have Beesghost Rider (though Nic Cage may disagree and would likely sign on for a film combining Ghost Rider and The Wicker Man). So the book is helped by an ample dose of separate personality Deadpools, though these ones are largely tame considering what we're used to seeing. The story is the culmination of the long journey from Preston's head to Deadpool's head and finally back to Preston's head but it's hard to say that everything's over just yet as we still need to figure out exactly why Preston is still showing up for Deadpool. Is he just crazy? Probably! Crossbones may be the only one available to get to the bottom of it next time out, as he entered the bar just as Preston revealed herself.

Thunderbolts 22
Soule (w) and Barberi (a) and Silva (c)

The contract is completed and signed and the Thunderbolts are tasked with deposing Guido, the ruler of Hell, in favor of Mephisto, pretty much the actual devil. Though it's a slight wrinkle in Red Hulk's plan, he and the rest of the Thunderbolts begin the fight against Hell's Court, all the demons and monsters the create the first line of defense for Guido. It's a long and arduous fight and Ghost Rider, preferring to skip it, grabs hold of Red Hulk and the two take off to head straight at Guido. Back on Earth, Mercy attacks Punisher and Elektra. Though they manage to survive her attacks, she's immensely more powerful and seemingly unstoppable, leaving them in a bit of a bind. Back in Hell, Guido tells Red Hulk the very short version of how he got there and how he doesn't want to leave because he needs to find his soul and he's actually doing good for people, or as much good as he can, and he can't leave Mephisto in charge of that. Red Hulk convinces Guido to yield and Mephisto takes his throne. He fulfills his part of the bargain and brings Mercy into Hell, dropping Punisher and Elektra from quite a height as she's whisked away, and granting Deadpool his wish of a portal to anywhere he pleases. Deadpool uses the portal, apparently, to enter Heaven and get a new and better feather for his hat, leading an entire Heavenly Host to Hell as Mercy appears and begins to call all the souls to her. Mephisto, of course, is pissed but can't punish the T-Bolts as one of the stipulations of the contract was no retaliation. They return to Earth to find Elektra trying to save an immensely injured Punisher but, before they can come up with a plan of action, Deadpool's new feather reaches out to Frank and restores him with angel powers. Johnny Blaze officially joins the team.

More fun stuff as this book continues to be one of the best that Marvel's putting out consistently. It's found that perfect mix of action and fun without having to get too over-the-top in either. The characters are all their own and have their own distinct personalities and styles and the situations play to all of them equally. Even the sort of deus ex machina of the angel feather saving Frank's life is all built up to, making it less of a deus ex and more of a well-scripted machine. We all know how much I like this series and it just continues perfectly here but I really want to call attention to the covers now. Julian Totino Tedesco has been doing the covers for much of this recent run and he has been absolutely killing it out there. More than the fact that each cover, even aside from the fact I know what to expect from the book, makes me want to buy each issue, his covers completely mix the fun and seriousness in exactly the same amounts and ways that Soule mixes it in his writing. They're the perfect complement to this book in the same way that Mike del Mundo's covers perfectly complemented Spurrier's weird and lovely X-MEN LEGACY. Tedesco's covers unfailingly make me laugh and make me think about the book and the art itself is stunning in its own right. Marvel's been doing a great job with covers lately, from LEGACY and THUNDERBOLTS to the baby/animal variants to the noir-ish ones like WINTER SOLDIER: BITTER MARCH to the simplistically stunning HAWKEYE to anything Jamie McKelvie does. Wonderful stuff.