Post by goldenfist on Sept 18, 2008 19:07:10 GMT -5
Read this review about Mighty Avengers #18 from Ign.com
If you haven't figured it out by now from my recent reviews, I'm getting really tired of this whole Secret Invasion story, particularly its Avengers tie-ins, which at this point seem not the least bit concerned with advancing the ongoing narrative. On the contrary, they actually seem perfectly content hitting dramatic beats we've already seen and are already well aware of.
Perhaps more annoyingly, there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the order of these flashback issues. Why, for instance, did Bendis choose to give us this story about Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors now, when it could have easily followed the last pair of issues involving these characters? By now, some of Bendis's choices behind these tie-ins seem arbitrary, and the overall Secret Invasion structure is appearing more and more haphazard.
My biggest problem with this issue, the same problem I've had with many of these tie-ins, is that I can easily sum up the events of the story in a few words. For fear of spoiling the book, I won't actually write those words, but make no mistake, it is possible. In a nutshell, this issue picks up with Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors in the same place we last saw them in an Avengers tie-in, and picks up with them headed for another place we already know they'll eventually arrive at. The whole issue could be explained as Bendis needlessly filling in the blanks of his narrative without ever adding anything new to it, if thats at all possible. The only dramatic substance present involves the growing tension between Fury and his students brought on by the old man's unapologetic teaching style. But as he's been wont to do lately, Bendis hits this dramatic beat about three times too many, making it stale before we ever really get a chance to appreciate it.
The only real highlight I can think of is the art of Stefano Caselli, who at times reminded me just a teensy bit of Ed McGuiness. Caselli does a great job with facial expressions and gets a ton of emotional mileage out of Fury's brutal teaching techniques as well as the arguments between the teacher and his students. His Fury reminded me a lot of the grizzled hard-on seen in Garth Ennis Fury MAX miniseries. Suffice it to say he does as much as he can with Bendis' bare plot.
All in all, I'd call this another immensely disappointing and wholly unnecessary addition to the Secret Invasion story, one that not only added little to the narrative, but never really got around to entertaining me either. You can imagine how excited I am for part two. I'm about ready to stand up on my chair and scream at Bendis to get on with it already.
Review Score: 6.0 Passable
If you haven't figured it out by now from my recent reviews, I'm getting really tired of this whole Secret Invasion story, particularly its Avengers tie-ins, which at this point seem not the least bit concerned with advancing the ongoing narrative. On the contrary, they actually seem perfectly content hitting dramatic beats we've already seen and are already well aware of.
Perhaps more annoyingly, there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the order of these flashback issues. Why, for instance, did Bendis choose to give us this story about Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors now, when it could have easily followed the last pair of issues involving these characters? By now, some of Bendis's choices behind these tie-ins seem arbitrary, and the overall Secret Invasion structure is appearing more and more haphazard.
My biggest problem with this issue, the same problem I've had with many of these tie-ins, is that I can easily sum up the events of the story in a few words. For fear of spoiling the book, I won't actually write those words, but make no mistake, it is possible. In a nutshell, this issue picks up with Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors in the same place we last saw them in an Avengers tie-in, and picks up with them headed for another place we already know they'll eventually arrive at. The whole issue could be explained as Bendis needlessly filling in the blanks of his narrative without ever adding anything new to it, if thats at all possible. The only dramatic substance present involves the growing tension between Fury and his students brought on by the old man's unapologetic teaching style. But as he's been wont to do lately, Bendis hits this dramatic beat about three times too many, making it stale before we ever really get a chance to appreciate it.
The only real highlight I can think of is the art of Stefano Caselli, who at times reminded me just a teensy bit of Ed McGuiness. Caselli does a great job with facial expressions and gets a ton of emotional mileage out of Fury's brutal teaching techniques as well as the arguments between the teacher and his students. His Fury reminded me a lot of the grizzled hard-on seen in Garth Ennis Fury MAX miniseries. Suffice it to say he does as much as he can with Bendis' bare plot.
All in all, I'd call this another immensely disappointing and wholly unnecessary addition to the Secret Invasion story, one that not only added little to the narrative, but never really got around to entertaining me either. You can imagine how excited I am for part two. I'm about ready to stand up on my chair and scream at Bendis to get on with it already.
Review Score: 6.0 Passable
