Post by goldenfist on Mar 13, 2008 8:28:14 GMT -5
I'm hard-pressed to recall a story arc that has veered into so many random tangents and story shakeups than the current arc of Mighty Avengers. Literally every issue has told a different story. Issue #7 was about Spider-Woman's defection from the underground Avengers and Tony Stark's discovery of the Skrull invasion. Okay, that's a good start. The next issue shifted focus to a different invasion by alien symbiotes that turned all of New York into bad clones of Carnage. I wasn't looking forward to that issue at all, but at least I knew it was coming months in advance. Issue #9 shifted gears again and saw the Mighty Avengers launch a military strike against Dr. Doom for his apparent involvement in the symbiote debacle. Much better - I was waiting for that part of the story ever since New Avengers hinted at it so long ago. Then, as soon as the Avengers arrive to wage war, Doom, Iron Man, and kooky old Sentry get sucked into a time warp and disappear. Somewhere I picture Brian Bendis giving a middle finger (jokingly!) to every reader who ever accused him of abusing decompressed storytelling.
I'm not very happy to see a potentially butt-kicking storyline tossed aside in favor of another time-traveling escapade starring Iron Man and Doom. It really doesn't help that Bendis writes the pair as if they were starring in another sequel to The Odd Couple. The Doom I know would just choke Stark to death and worry about getting home later. Of the three characters, the only one who fairs reasonably well in this issue is The Sentry. I enjoy what Bendis has been doing with the character post-Civil War, and this issue only adds to the paranoia about how his powers may or may not be affecting the world around him.
Naturally, this issue revolves around the trio's attempts to find a method of returning to the present without screwing up history in the process. This leads to a lot of screwy logic and decision-making that is questionable even by time travel standards. Essentially their plan revolves around sending Sentry to do their dirty work. While Bendis's ultimate solution to his characters' dilemma is an interesting use of Sentry's backstory, it also confuses me to no end. I first read this issue several days ago, and I'm still trying to figure out why it's supposed to make sense.
I will happily say that Mark Bagley's art benefits tremendously from the old-school approach in this issue. Bagley has been somewhat of a disappointment for this arc. Compared to Frank Cho, his art just doesn't pop and sizzle and all that jazz. I actually think the art would benefited from a different colorist more than anything else. Bagley gets the next best thing this month. The issue simulates the old-fashioned, low resolution printing style of the Silver Age. I'm not even sure why it meshes so well with Bagley's art, but it does.
Overall, I'm not liking the direction this series is headed in. The worst part is that the ending of this issue only ensures that yet another massive shakeup will occur next month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Secret Invasion will dictate the folding of both Avengers books back into one, because little about Mighty Avengers is justifying its continued existence.
Review Score: 6.4 Passable
I'm not very happy to see a potentially butt-kicking storyline tossed aside in favor of another time-traveling escapade starring Iron Man and Doom. It really doesn't help that Bendis writes the pair as if they were starring in another sequel to The Odd Couple. The Doom I know would just choke Stark to death and worry about getting home later. Of the three characters, the only one who fairs reasonably well in this issue is The Sentry. I enjoy what Bendis has been doing with the character post-Civil War, and this issue only adds to the paranoia about how his powers may or may not be affecting the world around him.
Naturally, this issue revolves around the trio's attempts to find a method of returning to the present without screwing up history in the process. This leads to a lot of screwy logic and decision-making that is questionable even by time travel standards. Essentially their plan revolves around sending Sentry to do their dirty work. While Bendis's ultimate solution to his characters' dilemma is an interesting use of Sentry's backstory, it also confuses me to no end. I first read this issue several days ago, and I'm still trying to figure out why it's supposed to make sense.
I will happily say that Mark Bagley's art benefits tremendously from the old-school approach in this issue. Bagley has been somewhat of a disappointment for this arc. Compared to Frank Cho, his art just doesn't pop and sizzle and all that jazz. I actually think the art would benefited from a different colorist more than anything else. Bagley gets the next best thing this month. The issue simulates the old-fashioned, low resolution printing style of the Silver Age. I'm not even sure why it meshes so well with Bagley's art, but it does.
Overall, I'm not liking the direction this series is headed in. The worst part is that the ending of this issue only ensures that yet another massive shakeup will occur next month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Secret Invasion will dictate the folding of both Avengers books back into one, because little about Mighty Avengers is justifying its continued existence.
Review Score: 6.4 Passable
