Slowly getting to the end.

[colonel_green.insanejournal.com]

Four scans from Invincible Iron Man #17, with which this story has only two parts to go.

First off, in a scene that follows up on one of my earlier posts, Osborn gets word from Madame Masque that she's killed Pepper and secured her armour, and so he decides to head into Russia to pick them up (Pepper is pretty obviously posing as Masque here). Of course, he's previously been denied entry by Colonel Bukharin:




His accent's a lot less of a purposeful gag here. I do like what Fraction's done with this guy in his, like, two scenes.

Elsewhere, the single-most obviously overstretched plot heads towards its end, as Maria Hill and Black Widow prepare to meet with Captain America (an event that Widow seems to think far more complicated than it really should be for her; seriously, stick Maria in a car trunk and drive to his place in Brooklyn; she goes their regularly enough for sex). Anyhoo, instead they spend a bunch of time setting up a meeting in some industrial site. However, Hill realizes that HAMMER agents are swarming all over the place:




That bit at the end there I really liked.

I don't find anything wrong with the fundamentals of this story, and Fraction evinces a good handle on the cast, but this story would have the urgency he clearly wants it to have at maybe eight issues. At twelve, it's often painfully slow.

I think Fraction has two different story models going here, which are at cross-purposes: on the one hand, the big Jeph Loeb-style "journey through a character's whole universe, with appearances by everyone and their dog", which is heavy on spectacle; and on the other a tighter thriller story.

Comments

[kd_the_movie.insanejournal.com]

still glad I dropped this book. The ending i'm sure tho will be interesting.

[foxhack.insanejournal.com]

Poor Bendis, he just doesn't get a break. Bottoms up, dude.

(And just in case -- It's a JOKE, chill!)

[zippthorn.insanejournal.com]

the big Jeph Loeb-style "journey through a character's whole universe, with appearances by everyone and their dog", which is heavy on spectacle

And is rarely good. I think Avengers Forever was the last time it was even decent.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

I have to say I have been liking this . True it is a slow burn, but I think the ending will be worth it (it better be!).

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

I just could not get into Invincible. After the Knauf's great run in Director of SHIELD it just felt... Pointless? Useless? Not particularly meaningful or interesting?

[neuhallidae.insanejournal.com]

All of the above.

[blaketiger.insanejournal.com]

I like how the Russians still hate and distrust Norman Osborn, even if he's the American public's darling.

[foxhack.insanejournal.com]

Probably because he's not military, just a businessman.

[starwolf_oakley.insanejournal.com]

Norman lying to the colonel about a "fissionable materials" buy and then fabricating some goons for the colonel to arrest reminds me, of all things, a line from the play/miniseries "Angels in America."

"You don't know what all I know. *I* don't know what all I know. Half this shit I make up and I'm still right, learned that in the 50's."

[freezer818.insanejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm not applying the MST3K Mantra hard enough, but in what universe would Russian officials not say to someone like Osborne "I don't care if you've spotted Osama Bin Laden and Hitler's love child; turn the fuck around or we blow you out of the sky?"

[stratosfyr.insanejournal.com]

A couple of thoughts.

SHIELD was really a UN thing, and Russia is a member of the UN. I don't know if HAMMER is.

Also, keep watching on the Canada/Russia/US/other arctic situation.

[ashtoreth.insanejournal.com]

HAMMER is US only. And yes, this is completely unbelievable behavior from Russia, regardless of current relations. Even SHIELD wasn't allowed to act with impunity.

[enerprime.insanejournal.com]

You know what I would like to see when Osborn gets ousted. SHIELD shows up to put the smackdown. SHIELD led by Nick Fury and sponsored and equpped by all the UN countries that aren't the USA. They then point out that Shield is a UN-sponsored organisation, and neither the president or Osborn really has any authority over it.

Also, those HAMMER soldiers are screwed. BuckyCap is going to kick their asses hard. Hopfully with full media coverage, just to piss Norman off even more.

*looks at watch *

[jazzypom.insanejournal.com]

Are we there, yet?

This arc was entirely too long. The terrible art just made it seem longer to boot.

[greenmask.insanejournal.com]

Well, I like (is that Maria Hill?) feeling bad about Nat, as she says.

I am weirded a bit by Black "wonky boobs" Widow there, though.