Mighty Avengers #31 review

[starfoxxx]

here's a review of Mighty Avengers #31 <with SPOILERS>i
let me know if you agree/disagree, or if i'm full of crap.....

I really liked #31. Great cover, again.

I liked the homage(s) to classic stuff-
the "Ant-man arrow", "Cho is like the new Rick Jones", the ending with the corny play on words ;D;
even how they refuse to imprison the Unspoken, since he is "no longer a threat", ha-ha, just like the old days, (Pym---you so crazy)......

The art (by Chen, Yeung, and Morales) was GREAT, and Great colors by Rauch...... my only complaint with Chen is the fight scenes, there are hard to follow, for me, the continuity of the fight scenes is off.....BUT Chen succeeds --with panels that have a LOT going on in them, lots of costumes ;D, and the figures are very clear (unlike alot of modern artists that just draw squiggly lines for the background characters--YU know who I mean .

Also, it's nice to see a story centered around Pietro. Slott has payed much attention to Pym so far, but if he's smart he'll stick to what always made the Avengers the best--the use of the entire team to move stories along. That's the thing Bendis never understood, and I believe he's STILL drowning New Avengers with Luke/Jessica nonsense.

The opening page - Stature's "post"- is pretty lame- but i guess if you compare it to all the devices writers used back in the 80's to make comics seem "hip"- well......whatever.......

and PLEASE.....just change her name to Giant-Girl, for pete's sake....c'mon "Stature" Have "Uncle Hank" let her have the "Giant-" name, since he's the "Wasp" now. ( I still think that one is stupid, too......)

Anyhoo- I love this book lately, which makes me extemely happy, considering I'm down to 3 monthly Marvel series, Mighty, Initiative and Guardians.

8.0

[comaboy]

I thought it was a good issue but not a great issue. I can't put my finger on it but MA under Slott just doesn't gel for me. (He's head and shoulders over Bendis in my book however). Cho's solution for stopping The Unspoken seemed awfully quick and almost anti-climactic. This version of the Avengers seems to be less of a team and more of a scratch team thrown together. Having said this I'll keep buying the title because I want to see where this goes.

[sharkar]

I enjoyed the issue, I felt the characterizations of Clint, Hank, and others were apt. I liked the redemption theme and how different people handle it. As for my "most improved Avenger" Pietro, well, the guy never learns, does he? He's well aware of what he's done, but once again he thinks he can outsmart everyone and get a free pass; his innate arrogance leads him astray. So the ending was perfect.

I'm looking forward to the next issue, and also to the Mighty Avengers crossover in Realm of Kings: Inhumans #2.

[betaraybill]

Nov 30, 2009 11:02:29 GMT -5 starfoxxx said:

Anyhoo- I love this book lately, which makes me extemely happy, considering I'm down to 3 monthly Marvel series, Mighty, Initiative and Guardians.

You should consider picking up Nova. If you can swing it financially you ought to get the trades and get caught up. Then by the time you're finished with them you'll be ready to get it monthly. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I love this title and character now.

Plus it dovetails nicely with Guardians.

[humanbelly]

I am more & more on-board with this title, yessir. Slott did an interview (I think it was linked by someone around here, in fact) as he was coming onto this title, and the one point he clearly wanted to drive home was that he wanted this book to regain that "Avenger-y" feel that many, many folks perceive to have been missing from the other titles. And I'll tell you, I think he's been very successful in achieving that goal-- especially since he took on the writing partner (Gage, is it? Name escapes my depleted memory. . . ). Even beyond the obvious, well-integrated homages to earlier, happier times (many involving Clint/. . . . rrrrghhh. . . Ronin-there-I-said-it), the whole nature and tone of the book is very happily retro, and doesn't make any sacrifices in being so. I mean, as soon as you see that a "chronal ray" is being used to effect those crystals, you KNOW that in the end that very same ray will be used to reverse the "irreversible" effects of the mists. And off-camera, to boot! As an afterthought! Holy Avengers Circa 1971, Batman!
Now, there is still a desperate need for this team to formalize its roster and create an internal working structure---- it still feels like a "new" team, as we've mentioned here before. Otherwise, yes, it's basically just an itinerent collection of available scrubs, as it were. More like the middle-to-late years of the Defenders. But I'm hoping this very next issue is gonna start addressing that.

Ha-- it looks like we're all falling into a bit of a "deal w/ all our posts in one sitting" pattern. Everyone contributing in big chunks.

Well, some of us more chunky than others. . .

HB

[sharkar]

Dec 3, 2009 9:22:56 GMT -5 humanbelly said:

And I'll tell you, I think he's been very successful in achieving that goal-- especially since he took on the writing partner (Gage, is it? Name escapes my depleted memory. . . )

Right, it's Christos Gage, who has been scripting (or at times co-scripting, according to the credits) the series, with Slott plotting (and co-scripting). While the overall vision/direction is Slott's (as plotter), Gage as scripter/co-scripter has played a large role with the dialogue/any captions.

Speaking of Gage, a while back I read his House of M: Civil War limited series. It wasn't bad, though I would have preferred that it focused more on the House of M "royal family"- -namely Magneto, Wanda, Lorna and Pietro--instead of the other characters who were trapped in Wanda's House of M world. Also, Gage depicted Magneto as unrelentingly sympathetic and "good"; it was a little too much. Gage's most interesting characterization was Wanda's; she came across as manipulative and selfish, belying her composed facade. The limited series had its flaws, but overall it was interesting and I'd recommend that Magneto/Wanda/X-Men fans who didn't read the series pick up the recently-released trade.

[nojarama]

F***ING Fantastic issue! I especially loved QS getting his "truth" served to him on a plate by his own daughter! Can't wait for the next issue to see what happens next with my favorite Avengers!!!

[humanbelly]

I'll tell you, I don't think I could survive if my daughter were to speak those words to me. I do not think I could carry on. Man.

While this certainly was Pietro acting out of arrogance and/or fear of retribution, I do think there was a bit of cold wisdom to his lying. I'm just not sure that his confessing to initiating the whole mess (albeit unwittingly) would have served any purpose other than to keep everyone embroiled in turmoil, anger, and vindictiveness-- trying to decide what should happen to this mutant prodigal step-child of the Inhuman folks. There'd be no positive side to his owning up. Hmm-- I can certainly see it would have been a tough call. Would I have had the strength of character to step up and take those lumps, knowing that no one would be any the wiser if I hadn't? I don't know. I do know that REAL punishment he received (from Luna) is going hurt far more and far longer than anything the Atillans could dish out.

HB

[kidcage]

I really liked this issue, for among the reasons of feeling more, as put above, "Avenger-y." I think the incorporation of the other teams (heck, Tigra, Clint, Agent, and Hank together? It's a mini-WCA reunion!) was important to this.

I agree with the idea that Cassie needs a name change from "Stature", and the bit where her and Clint do the arrow thing was nice, especially when Cassie had that teenager "I'll make my dad proud" line which Clint responded to. This kind of throws me back to the whole Clint/Kate relationship and how of everyone, Clint seems to care for the members of the Young Avengers more than anyone else.

The art and writing to this has really won me over, but the complete change from the Iron Man/Secret Invasion team to this one has been amazing. While initially I did think these were more "scrubs thrown together", over time, they're growing on me. I've seen the preview of #32 where it's noted in the third page or so that the World sees this team as the REAL Avengers, versus the "America Endorsed" Osborn group. While NA has Clint, Bobbi, and Carol (who are three of my faves), that seems like a Bendis version of the Guardian Angels than an Avengers team. This FEELS like an Avengers team, and I'm happy for that.

Now, if "Siege" is able to wrap the teams up nicely under the AVENGERS banner, I'll be perfectly fine with that.