Mighty Avengers #20 Review

[goldenfist]

Ign.com reviews Mighty Avengers #20(the last issue of Bendis)

I suspect many readers were disappointed when the death of founding Avengers the Wasp was delivered in a passive, glossed-over way in the pages of Secret Invasion #8. I know I was. The character gets a nice chunk of attention in Mighty Avengers #20, an issue that serves equally as Wasp's funeral and Hank Pym's reintroduction into the Marvel Universe.

The issue is much more Hank Pym's, of course. There's currently a big question mark hanging over the heads of the characters abducted by the Skrulls, and this issue is the first place we see one of them reintegrated into the contemporary Marvel Universe (a Captain America parallel highlighted not-so-subtly by a flashback to his unfreezing in the Silver Age). Funerals in the Marvel U. have a way of being, shall we say, a bit more eventful than real-world ones, and Janet Van Dyne's is no different. It's an emotionally-charged scene, and while it's certainly not a new idea, for some reason it struck me harder than the outbursts have before. All things considered, Yellowjacket is a much deeper and more likable character after Secret Invasion, and Mighty #20 demonstrates why.

While it's a W in the win column for Hank, Janet doesn't do as well. Bendis seems to have a bad reputation among longtime Avengers fans for his characterization of the Wasp, and in this issue I can see why. Her life (as documented in this issue) is bookended by the two clich?s that haunt her. In the Cap flashback, her reaction to the real Captain America being alive is to sew him a new costume. And in her final scene before her death, she's ragging on Hank about moving to England after the events of "Avengers: Disassembled." So the highlights of her life according to Bendis, then, are being a fashion-conscious ditz and the wife from hell. These concepts as opposed to founding the Avengers, or rising to the role of leader of the team. I'm not a giant Wasp fan by any means, but I can certainly see more than a few of them getting upset at this portrayal.

Mighty #20 boasts three artists: Lee Weeks turns in an early Hank/Jan flashback sequence, Jim Cheung handles a five-page sequence where Carol Danvers wordlessly catches Hank up on what's happened since he was abducted, and Carlo Pagulayan tackles everything in between. All three artists do a spectacular job, even if Pagulayan stumbles a bit in the closing pages. I had trouble telling characters apart, since they were all dressed alike and their faces are relatively the same. Cheung's sequence is especially of note this issue: it's a beautiful set of one-page pin-ups that masterfully detail both the events of House of M, Civil War, Planet Hulk, and Captain America #25, as well as Carol and Hank's emotional reaction to the events.

The thing about a book like Mighty #20 that makes it so hard to grade is that there are very clear, defined peaks and valleys. Bendis's handling of Hank Pym is as solid as they come, but to me his Janet portrayal is a little less than respectful. Perhaps it's being saved for the Requiem one-shot down the line, but it comes off as a misstep. Your enjoyment of the issue may depend on which character you find yourself caring about more.

Review Score: 7.4 Decent

[spiderwasp]

Spoiler alert (Although so little happened, it's hard to imagine spoiling it)




I enjoyed this issue greatly but only because I kept repeating to myself "This is the last Bendis" all the way through it. It had its redeeming moment like Hank telling Tony off at the funeral but that was far outweighed by the negatives such as:

* I won't bother go into the first few pages since we already covered the inaccuracies after seeing the preview.
* Though the five page year-in-review for Hank's benefit was a totally bad concept, when I'm paying $3 for a book, I expect a bit more substance.
* When did Carol and Hank get to be so buddy buddy. It was clear in the earlier issues of MA that she can't stand him. Or is she just that big of a phoney? It bothers me that with the way the writers write today (Especially Bendis) no one is likeable. I've been rereading the old Busiek run and I love that I find myself liking everybody but the villains. Nowadays, they're all just jerks and phonies.
* Other than Hank's outburst, there was nothing about the funeral that brought out any emotion, even for someone who's as much of a Wasp fan as me. There were a lot of people there, but so what? I'm glad there was one quick panel showing that the FF were there but this death should have resonated within the MU. Was She-Hulk there? Black Knight? Firestar? Justice? Pulsar? Hercules? Beast? These people were all much closer to Jan than Ms. Center of attention Marvel. Again, that's the problem with Bendis' thought balloons. The woman called Jan a very *friendly* person in one of the first issues (Not with good natured ribbing but in her private thoughts, which is much more revealing) and yet she's front an center like she was her best friend.


I know I said before that I was spending no more money on Bendis, but I did want to continue my run since I don't want a hole in it before Slott takes over so I did buy this one last issue but now I can honestly say "Bendis- You get no more of my money!" Yay!

[Doctor Doom]

Dec 18, 2008 23:52:22 GMT -5 spiderwasp said:

I enjoyed this issue greatly but only because I kept repeating to myself "This is the last Bendis" all the way through it. It had its redeeming moment like Hank telling Tony off at the funeral

See this is funny, because that was by far the single most ridiculous thing about the issue for me. For Hank to shout out that Tony killed Jan is ludicrous, since Tony had nothing remotely to do with killing Jan- or indeed, Cap. But leaving aside that matter- because after all, it's understandable that Hank at the moment isn't going to be reasonable- there's no reason HANK would do it. When Hank last knew Tony, he hadn't yet done any of the stuff that would contribute to Civil War, WWH or Secret Invasion. When Hank last knew Tony, he was a close friend just as he always was. Hank's been gone for years; there is absolutely no reason in Hell he would somehow think this was Tony's fault. Maybe someone who had been there all along, in a fit of grief... but not Hank.

* I won't bother go into the first few pages since we already covered the inaccuracies after seeing the preview.

I'd also call those inaccuracies the absolute pinnacle of nit-picking, particularly when other than a single throaway line, the scene was one of the best Hank/Wasp scenes to have been seen in a long time.

* Though the five page year-in-review for Hank's benefit was a totally bad concept, when I'm paying $3 for a book, I expect a bit more substance.

I semi-agree here. I think the concept of him being recapped is sound, but it was a total waste of five pages.

When did Carol and Hank get to be so buddy buddy. It was clear in the earlier issues of MA that she can't stand him. Or is she just that big of a phoney? It bothers me that with the way the writers write today (Especially Bendis) no one is likeable. I've been rereading the old Busiek run and I love that I find myself liking everybody but the villains. Nowadays, they're all just jerks and phonies.

It's only phony if you convince yourself it is. Carol knew and was friends with both Hank and Jan in the past. Whatever her feelings about Hank may have been, I don't think it's beyond the realm of realism that they have been HUGELY overcome by the discovery that he's been gone for three years and that his wife has left him.

The woman called Jan a very *friendly* person in one of the first issues (Not with good natured ribbing but in her private thoughts, which is much more revealing) and yet she's front an center like she was her best friend.

Um... it was good natured ribbing. In the context of the issue, it's extremely clear that she was not serious when she thought that. I specifically remember it because it was one of the more amusing moments of the issue.

[Dr. Hank Pym]

Dec 19, 2008 6:00:26 GMT -5 Doctor Doom said:

I'd also call those inaccuracies the absolute pinnacle of nit-picking, particularly when other than a single throaway line, the scene was one of the best Hank/Wasp scenes to have been seen in a long time.

Doom: I see your point, and like I said in the preview, the scene is adorable, one of the best Hank/Jan scenes I've seen in a long while, even probably from before the West Coast days. However, it's not really all that plausible. If I remember correctly, she was still drooling all over Thor by then, in quite a comical fashion, too! Her feelings for Pym at the time were hinted as being a silly stereotypical flighty girl who was in love with more than one person. As Pym once told her "I think you're just in love with the idea of being in love!"... or something like that.

I see your point, Doom, but, I am a big fan of the Wasp. Probably as much as someone would be a fan of, say, Spider-Man. If this were Spider-Man and Mary Jane, you'd expect a ton of complaints. It's sloppy research, simple as that. And it stinks, because that it one excellent scene.

However, I am not letting the scene's inaccuracies hurt my feelings on it. It was a wonderful scene and very cute, and it was wonderful imagery when it went from that scene, to a physically tired, sloppy and upset Hank saying "And I would have, too." Very very excellently done.

I will not yet post my full opinions, since I haven't bought the book yet, so I'll go and pick it up this weekend. Might as well try to start getting into the series!

[freedomfighter]

Dec 19, 2008 6:00:26 GMT -5 Doctor Doom said:

Dec 18, 2008 23:52:22 GMT -5 spiderwasp said:

I enjoyed this issue greatly but only because I kept repeating to myself "This is the last Bendis" all the way through it. It had its redeeming moment like Hank telling Tony off at the funeral

See this is funny, because that was by far the single most ridiculous thing about the issue for me. For Hank to shout out that Tony killed Jan is ludicrous, since Tony had nothing remotely to do with killing Jan- or indeed, Cap. But leaving aside that matter- because after all, it's understandable that Hank at the moment isn't going to be reasonable- there's no reason HANK would do it. When Hank last knew Tony, he hadn't yet done any of the stuff that would contribute to Civil War, WWH or Secret Invasion. When Hank last knew Tony, he was a close friend just as he always was. Hank's been gone for years; there is absolutely no reason in Hell he would somehow think this was Tony's fault. Maybe someone who had been there all along, in a fit of grief... but not Hank.



I'd also call those inaccuracies the absolute pinnacle of nit-picking, particularly when other than a single throaway line, the scene was one of the best Hank/Wasp scenes to have been seen in a long time.



I semi-agree here. I think the concept of him being recapped is sound, but it was a total waste of five pages.



It's only phony if you convince yourself it is. Carol knew and was friends with both Hank and Jan in the past. Whatever her feelings about Hank may have been, I don't think it's beyond the realm of realism that they have been HUGELY overcome by the discovery that he's been gone for three years and that his wife has left him.

The woman called Jan a very *friendly* person in one of the first issues (Not with good natured ribbing but in her private thoughts, which is much more revealing) and yet she's front an center like she was her best friend.

Um... it was good natured ribbing. In the context of the issue, it's extremely clear that she was not serious when she thought that. I specifically remember it because it was one of the more amusing moments of the issue.

I will agree on most points except the whole "nitpicking" thing.
Sorry, but when I look at the scene it throws me off-- the Cap scene in Avengers #4 is a vivid one, one that works, one that makes his return all the more dynamic. Without explaining why you've rewritten or if it needed to be rewritten you've needlessly and uselessly changed a very notable point of history. Did Spider man get bitten by the spider in a deli or at Aunt May's house?
I'm sure one could write a great scene around that, but why change something that already worked?
The character stuff with Hank and Jan would've and could've worked in another setting. In fact it would've been even more impressive were they watching Cap "do his thing" it may have shown why they would have been impressed and needed to discuss him and his place in current society...
So I don't think it's nitpicking at all. I think it's lazy on Bendis' and editorial's part.

[goldenfist]

I thought that Clint was going punch Osborn in the face at the
church.

[woodside]

Egads, what's the point of complaining about it? It's just a small little scene and I see no reason why it can't exist in the context of the original story.

Beyond that, I really loved this issue. It was very much a "redemption of Hank Pym" story and I was happy to see him back in spotlight -- the real Pym, that is. It, to me, serves as the perfect epilogue to "Secret Invasion."

[Dr. Hank Pym]

Dec 26, 2008 11:03:24 GMT -5 woodside said:

and I see no reason why it can't exist in the context of the original story.

... Because that there was no way it could've been possible? It's a wonderful scene and all (And I very much agree with Doom, it's the best Hank/Jan scene that I've seen in a LONG time,) but it historically makes no sense. We're not complaining about it, just pointing it out.

Beyond that, I really loved this issue. It was very much a "redemption of Hank Pym" story and I was happy to see him back in spotlight -- the real Pym, that is. It, to me, serves as the perfect epilogue to "Secret Invasion."

Hear, hear!

I only had the chance to skim through the whole issue, so I won't make any deep comments yet. I liked what I had seen, though, and I love when they contrast the past and present Hank's.

[starfoxxx]

This ish wasn't horrible, but the splash pages were a bit much, and Cheung's art was dissapointing for me, I usually love his stuff,. Can't wait for Slott, and I really hope he can do a better job with the characters than the last writer.