Luke Ross on art is sketchy and iffy here but Pearson/Yost do well enough to keep that mysterious momentum of the films in tandem here, even though we all know the end point to this series, where Fury assembles his Ultimate team. This title is one bent on showing how Fury crafts his way into locating Cap, Stark and Hulk etc as he ponders that there’s a bigger picture besides the Tesseract. He comes into conflict with his superiors as the powers that be decide to place the onus on PEGASUS.
This is a great nod to the comics, and makes me giddy that the Kree will be rearing given the Whedon-esque fashion mixed with an Ultimates feel. I can’t wait to see the Thor, Hawkeye and Widow tie-ins as here, Fury and Coulson, are pretty much intact with their film versions. Maria Hill is sure to pop up and as short as this issue was, it was territorial into the movie and had a natural instinct of that subterfuge theme of SHIELD, rearing on-screen since Favreau’s days. Overall, it was fun to see Fury revolting as he knows there’s something beyond the Tesseract…wicked…lingering…woeful. This way it comes… (8/10)
Remender is diminutive and clever here, not quite as smooth as on UXF, but he still notches a win in the column. Hardmann’s art is rough but a welcomed adjunct. Remender has a perfunctory knack at deception and unbridled schemes of action so seeing this newly assembled roster fumble around is pretty intriguing, especially the banter with Barton and Brian Braddock. The team has a balance that’s still up in the air, and with Venom to come, it’s a roller-coaster ride. Having the brash Barton, from the blatant Watchtower rip-off (a bit disappointing) lead a team that is supposed to be covert and responsible, is a contradiction as Clint is anything but. Steve placed a lot of faith in Barton’s roster but it’s evident that this book is already working as a team in mind for AvX. The mind-boggling suicide-bombing plot is thrilling, as is the person the team is trying to save. It adds a twist to the story, already brimming with some macho and matching antagonists, and a final page that whets the appetite well. Not bad at all. (8/10)
Scott Eaton’s art improves by the issue and while it’s good here, it isn’t anywhere near his amazing Black Panther work. Yost does a decent take on the dazed and confused Marcus but while it’s nice for Bourne fans, somehow, the issue meanders, especially when Taskmaster and Deadpool, get a bit overdone. The Serpent Society are decent fodder but it’s filler until we finally get what we’ve been waiting for…for 4 issues! It’s no shocker of an ending. It’s that obvious but I’ll roll with the punches. Johnson gets a taste of reality and it’s a furious dose of heritage. Why he’s being hunted and by whom…remains to be seen. It’s still slightly interesting at this point, but such minute feelings can wave and fade pretty quickly (7/10)
Sinestro always imparts knowledge to those where he considers a great disparity between his ascended mindset and that of the other person, which is all the time. He’s a hubris machine and Johns shows just why he is to be feared – his distinct and instinctual guile, his intellect and conniving ways are second to none, and this echoes throughout this issue. Choi’s art is iffy but works well on Sinestro’s campaign here. He learns secrets as he goes after Drak with some unkempt assistance and he isn’t too keen on loving what he learns. It’s dire straits and an utter catastrophe. Hal avoids travesties of past as he finally latches onto Carol but Johns makes sure that he’s never straying too far from Sinestro’s leash. Hal has been broken down well and Sinestro rebuilt with an impeccable ease. Johns paints a story where the Guardians and a certain Lantern sect are going to upturn the universe, and it’s filled with an element of horror. Aghast or not, you cannot deny that seeing the authority of the Guardians as a tool to be challenged, isn’t something that riles you. Good issue…nice meat to the story (9/10)
Aaron, Ponsor and Bradshaw deliver here. It’s a grand story with several plots that bind together with a succinct and profound ease. The art is silky fun and filled with immense colors. The way that everything weaves in or out, is so intense from the Kitty arc that constructs an unwanted savior in Kid Gladiator to a pretty funny Warren arc, that loses its humor pretty swiftly when the financial implications are counted. While Kitty’s predicament is sound, Bobby, Broo, Genesis and Quire all find themselves in situations unfamiliar and it’s a tricky toss-up as to what will ensue. Quire and Logan undertake a mission that hinges the school on its feet and with every connecting point still so far apart, Aaron does well to maintain a frenetic pace while keeping a segued momentum to the book. The final pages are an anti-climax to me but Aaron is a swell architect and I trust him fully to keep rocking! (9/10)
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