Wow! That’s a pretty strong kick-off for Marvel’s next salvo in the comic book wars. DC has held the momentum for months with the new 52, but if this is any indication, I think Marvel is going to come back swinging.
This zero issue catches us up with the current state of the Marvel U, from the perspectives of the Avengers and the X-Men. Brian Michael Bendis shows us the heroic return of the Scarlet Witch. He does a nice job with the info dump explaining where she’s been for the past few years. I’ve really missed Wanda, and it is darn exciting seeing her floating around fighting off MODOK and AIM. And of course, since Frank Cho is drawing this thing, it is only right that Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman show up to lend a hand when things start to go wrong.
After the fight, the current Avenger takes the Witch back to Avengers Mansion. Wanda is worried that she won’t fit in, and boy is she right. The Vision dresses her down on the front steps in a pretty distressing scene. Bendis has earned the right to write this scene, since he wrote the stupid Avengers Disassembled back when Wanda originally went crazy. But he does have some self-awareness, too; Iron Man’s sad commentary as the former couple separates is “I always liked them together.” You and most long-time Avengers fans, Tony!
The second half of the story is a little weaker, but still entertaining. Jason Aaron introduces us to Hope, the mutant messiah. I’ve been fuzzy on her for awhile, even after seeing her in a lot of comics. It seems she has the same power-set as Rogue; the ability to copy mutant powers. It’s fun when she uses those powers on Cyclops, but we see her real power when she takes on the Serpent Society. She’s a bad-ass. Trained by Cable, using her powers seems to be her second choice. The inclusion of classics like Bushmaster, Asp, and Anaconda is an instant delight for me, especially when rendered so well by Cho.
Cho draws Cyclops living up to his “Slim” nickname, so he’s a tad less imposing that I prefer, but it works. The Serpent Society, MODOK, and AIM’s creature/robo hybrids all look wonderful. (I am amused that Cho can’t draw an ugly woman, this is the hottest Anaconda has ever looked.) Cho’s Scarlet Witch steals the show. Her classic costume looks fantastic, and Cho’s facial expressions sell the emotion of the scenes wonderfully. Sure, the coloring makes it seem like Wanda isn’t wearing anything under her swimming suit, but that’s a long-time risk with the costume.
Good
1 comment:
Great point about Anaconda, she usually looks like an ugly guy with gills.
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