In which the game is stepped up.

[colonel_green]

Four scans from Mighty Avengers #32, which I have to say was my favourite issue of the series so far.


In the past I've found the series kind of middling, but this issue just clicked.

First, a scan of the team hanging out:



Cassie loses this contest, to the relief of straight women and gay men everywhere.

In the main plot, Norman is annoyed at how the Mighty Avengers keep getting favourable media coverage, at the same time as his regime is coming under increasing press scrutiny.  When he gets word that the Absorbing Man has gotten loose in the Project Pegasus facility, he takes his team there to generate some good media.  However, it was Loki who released the Absorbing Man, just as he created the MA to undermine Osborn, and now Loki (back in his Wanda guise) appears to the team and tells them about the emergency.  Despite not trusting her, they decide they'd better do something about the threat anyway.




The two teams stand around making a few more jabs at each other, while the Absorbing Man finds the remnants of the Cosmic Cube inside the facility (this being a Dan Slott comic, we're told it's the one that shattered way back in Captain America #14, the end of the "Winter Soldier" arc; I like this for the additon reason that it at last can stop people from speculating that that Cube is still out there).  Anyway, Creel is now uber-powerful ("Oh, you are royally @#$% now!").



One of the things I really liked about this issue was that Pym has finally stopped angsting so much and is just acting like a competent hero; I think Slott might have spent a bit too much time building up to that, but whatever.  Also, the inking/colouring of Khoi Pham's art has gotten much, much better.

 

Comments

[darkblade]

Why does Moonstone have the same face as Cassie? Their hair is a little different but the rest of their face is exactly the same.

[colonel_green]

Pham's faces are fairly similar.

[terrykun]

...Is... is it okay for a Marvel comic to be this fun? I'm a little confused. I normally only get this happy reassured feeling from Power Girl or Blue Beetle or (current) Batgirl. :)


And I think we all know what 'salute' Walker is giving Osborn on the inside. ;)

And another thing!

[terrykun]

The attitude right here is really why I love Pym. The guy who wouldn't take either the red pill or the blue pill, but would make his own.

In the current status quo, everyone seems to be trying to find a way to either work with the system (Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, Taskmaster/Initiative), or work against it (New Avengers).

Pym finds a way to work outside of it. (:

[long_silence]

Slott has said in interviews that USAgent actually likes and respects Osborn for ending the Skrull invasion.

[neuhallidae]

Really.

......

::bites fingers:: No, I'll be be good.

[tsunamiwombat]

LET THERE BE PORN OF IT! I COMMAND!

[colonel_green]

Presumably this'll be the story where he gets disillusioned.

Poor John. Always the jingoistic meathead; though I suppose if he doesn't have that, he doesn't really have anything distinctive. I mean, if Guy Gardner wasn't an ass, he'd just be Hal Jordan with an awful haircut.

[tsunamiwombat]

Right then, i'm shipping those two now.

[thandrak]

Well, that makes sense. Mr. Walker fucked in head.

Huh?

[roguefankc]

Slott has said in interviews that USAgent actually likes and respects Osborn for ending the Skrull invasion.

Isn't US Agent supposed to a little smarter than that? He should know about Osborn's past...

That's sort of like saying Sue liking and respecting Doom because he helped bring Valerie into the world. Granted, she's a little grateful, but there's a difference between being grateful and giving a villain your respect.

And given how Cap has saved the world hundreds of times, yet US Agent seems to give Cap nothing but disdain and insults after the Civil War, I'm a little confused on the logic here...

Re: Huh?

[colonel_green]

John's purpose is basically to be a paragon of mostly-unthinking obedience to the government; he was early-era Ultimate Cap before there was an Ultimate Cap. Since Osborn is acting all Iron Cheney, I can see it theoretically, though, as I've said, this might be taking it a bit far.

[wizardru]

This...I didn't hate this. I might actually LIKE this. Huh. I suppose it helps that Pym isn't super-Angsty and the characters actually seem to like each other...more of a rarity than it should be in comics these days, methinks.

[pyrotwilight]

So what'd Hercules get to do to the beautiful (though underage) giant by winning his contest?

[colonel_green]

Status quo; apparently he didn't gain anything from winning.

[xammax]

Sounds like he just wanted to arm wrestle.

[pyrotwilight]

And by "arm" wrestle you mean....I kid, I kid.

[long_silence]

Vision doesn't have 31st century programming, he has the same programming as the classic Vision.

He does have a 31st century body and teenage brain though.

[deepspaceartist]

I would assume he still has the Kang/Iron Lad armor's O.S., though, as it would be needed in order to operate the body. His current programming is likely a combination of what Iron Lad could recover of the original Vision programming and the suit's 31st century programming.

[cygna_hime]

Zounds, man! Must thou be such a tool?

I...Herc...YES. I hereby nominate this for inclusion in the Best Lines Ever anthology. It has everything! Zounds!

[long_silence]

It is a great line. But I just can't help but think about the Dark Reign arc in Incredible Hercules where he fought his dead mortal half and yelled "Why do you persist in talking old-timey Shakespeare talk?! We're from GREECE! From two thousand years BEFORE Shakespeare!"

[colonel_green]

It is a bit odd to see his main title dispensing with the Elizabethan dialect, while his other appearances tend to keep it, though given his 40+ year history, probably not surprising. When JMS did it with Thor there was a similar situation.

[kainnived.livejournal.com]

I like to think that Herc does it now and then for the lulz. The only time he speaks like that is for effect and to mess with people.

[cygna_hime]

But then he could not say "Zounds".

I trust you understand what is really important here.

[thandrak]

For the same reason Herc does anything.

Because the ladies love a smooth talking man.

[goblinthebamf]

I love that line, too!

[cf105]

Is that gankable with given credit?

[goblinthebamf]

absolutely!

that'd be such a tease, posting an avatar then going "nahnah, can't use it :P"

[cf105]

Thank you kindly sir or madam. All toolage shall be noted(I guess this should get used for all Erfworld posts now too.

[thanekos]

I'm pretty sure no one's gonna contest your dibs, Bullseye.

I mean, of those who possibly could, Daken probably doesn't care and Venom's not exactly a picky eater.

[lamashtar]

You know, I think I want to see Cass step on Venom. With squishing sounds.

[greenmask]

Jinx! A coke! Oh Cassie, that's just precious.

[proteus_lives]

D'oh! I was going to post that amusing hanging out page from Mighty Avengers.

You win this round CG!

[box_in_the_box]

Very good writing. Terrible art.

[rordulum]

I'm really not a fan of Bullseye bringing the funny. He's a creepy sadist, and regardless of whatever fanboy treatment he gets from writers, he's still a creepy sadist.

This is why one of my very favourite Marvel issues is the Thunderbolts where American Eagle cripples him. Shame he got better.

Anyway, apart from that, it looks quite a fun issue. Poor Cassie should have known she was fighting a losing battle with Hercules, though.

[perletwo]

Maybe it's the mask-as-headband, but first panel there, Hank looks an awful lot like Alan Tudyk to me.

[ian_karkull]

Now that is what an Avengers book should be like! Well, it should look better, but at least it actually reads and feels like the Avengers again.

[lamashtar]

Chiming in to agree, Slott had a decent handle on starting this title off, but this issue seemed perfectly balanced between the grimdark and the humor. The only thing missing was the page or so we used to get of someone angsting over some relationship with someone. Pietro kind of did that, but he's being so underhanded and deceitful that he comes off as more one of the villains side of things.

The art was tolerable, sometimes quite nice. Something is still off about the color/inking. There's very little depth and far too many lazy backgrounds. Despite that (and my icon), it was cute to see a picture of Wolverine on the wall, commemorating the family of New Avengers as well.

[nothingbutcake]

Oh, I liked this a lot.