Right after they defeated Cyclone, "Thor" grabbed "Captain America" and planted a big, wet kiss on his lips!
Of course, during that time, Steve Rogers was off busy with Deadpool and Rogue (in what is easily the worst post-Secret Wars book so far) or something. And the Odinson was chilling in Nifelheim. The mantle of Thor, at the time of the superheroic PDA, was held by Jane Foster, while the shield of the Sentinel of Liberty was held by Sam Wilson, formerly the Falcon.
Marvel touted the kiss between Thor and Cap as a major event in All-New All-Different Avengers a few months ago, and I must admit that I was as curious as a young Nova around Kamala Khan to see how the books built up to this monumental event. Avengers, as a comics title, has been coasting by on more promise than anything since the first issue dropped months ago. The House of M relocated Mark Waid from his character-defining run on Daredevil to this team-up book, which features some of the best (Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, the Vision) and most popular (Iron Man) characters that the publisher has to offer at the moment. Featuring a changing roster of artists (Mahmud Asrar is new to issue #4), this book should be Waid's lighthearted playground for the very best that Marvel has to offer...so why does it feel so perfunctory?
Let's handle the 800-lb. Frost Giant in the room first: the kiss is meaningless. Waid and Asrar (although, based on the insane beauty of the Alex Ross cover, I have to speculate that this was a corporate-driven story point) literally have the kiss come out of nowhere, and afterward, have Thor chalk it up to "living in the moment." This is all rooted in Jane Foster's current struggle with cancer, but since she hasn't disclosed this information to her team (and Waid isn't willing to truly lean on it as a story point), there is minimal pathos involved with her year of "yes." I can't criticize what I haven't read yet, but in this issue, there's no context (Thor has also not appeared in Sam Wilson: Captain America yet, so it's not rooted in solo issues). I would be first in line to high-five Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso if they actually found a way to have Steve Rogers plant one on the Odinson through his own free will. However, the transience of these titles for these characters just makes the kiss seem all the more opportunistic and temporary. I'm really enjoying Wilson's tenure as Captain America in his solo title, and my wife tells me good things about Jane as Thor. However, it doesn't take a Tony Stark-level IQ to know that, eventually, Steve Rogers is going to pick up the shield again, while Mjolnir will somehow find its way back to the Odinson. Except for Jane Foster, the kiss feels like a waste of time.
You could say that about a lot of Avengers #4, too. The first 2 pages are dedicated to Edwin Jarvis's commute to Avengers HQ. Characters like Kamala and Miles react in quiet horror to the powers of The Vision, even though Kamala has dreamed of being an Avenger for years. We are still spending panels with Nova having a schoolboy crush on Khan, still seeing the characters verbally discussing how to work best as a team, instead of us learning with them through action. Warbringer, the Chitauri warrior that rampaged through issues #1-3, is nowhere to be found in this book, while Cyclone is the definition of a D-list threat. The book would be better off if it worked in a character that could connect to one of the heroes, rather than yet another random villain.
As a Miles Morales true-head, I continue to be disappointed by the lack of him in the book (his stories in Ultimate End and Secret Wars have been enough to get me through the interminable wait for the debut of Spider-Man #1), while the emphasis on Nova (essentially written as Peter Parker wearing an asterisk) is frustrating. Asrar's art is engaging, alternately sparing and detailed when the story calls for it.
I really think Mark Waid is doing the absolute best he can, too, given the enormous task of the diverse cast with different opportunities to cash in on their solo stories (why can't we see Kamala's home life? Why isn't the Vision concerned about Viv and Vin?) and the pressure to make it all work in an easily-digestible book. However, All-New All-Different Avengers is now more of an appetizer sampler for some great characters, and not necessarily the most flavorful dish you could order. It's out of my pull list, for now.
BUY IT, WAIT FOR UNLIMITED, OR SKIP IT: WAIT FOR UNLIMITED
Marvel touted the kiss between Thor and Cap as a major event in All-New All-Different Avengers a few months ago, and I must admit that I was as curious as a young Nova around Kamala Khan to see how the books built up to this monumental event. Avengers, as a comics title, has been coasting by on more promise than anything since the first issue dropped months ago. The House of M relocated Mark Waid from his character-defining run on Daredevil to this team-up book, which features some of the best (Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, the Vision) and most popular (Iron Man) characters that the publisher has to offer at the moment. Featuring a changing roster of artists (Mahmud Asrar is new to issue #4), this book should be Waid's lighthearted playground for the very best that Marvel has to offer...so why does it feel so perfunctory?
Let's handle the 800-lb. Frost Giant in the room first: the kiss is meaningless. Waid and Asrar (although, based on the insane beauty of the Alex Ross cover, I have to speculate that this was a corporate-driven story point) literally have the kiss come out of nowhere, and afterward, have Thor chalk it up to "living in the moment." This is all rooted in Jane Foster's current struggle with cancer, but since she hasn't disclosed this information to her team (and Waid isn't willing to truly lean on it as a story point), there is minimal pathos involved with her year of "yes." I can't criticize what I haven't read yet, but in this issue, there's no context (Thor has also not appeared in Sam Wilson: Captain America yet, so it's not rooted in solo issues). I would be first in line to high-five Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso if they actually found a way to have Steve Rogers plant one on the Odinson through his own free will. However, the transience of these titles for these characters just makes the kiss seem all the more opportunistic and temporary. I'm really enjoying Wilson's tenure as Captain America in his solo title, and my wife tells me good things about Jane as Thor. However, it doesn't take a Tony Stark-level IQ to know that, eventually, Steve Rogers is going to pick up the shield again, while Mjolnir will somehow find its way back to the Odinson. Except for Jane Foster, the kiss feels like a waste of time.
You could say that about a lot of Avengers #4, too. The first 2 pages are dedicated to Edwin Jarvis's commute to Avengers HQ. Characters like Kamala and Miles react in quiet horror to the powers of The Vision, even though Kamala has dreamed of being an Avenger for years. We are still spending panels with Nova having a schoolboy crush on Khan, still seeing the characters verbally discussing how to work best as a team, instead of us learning with them through action. Warbringer, the Chitauri warrior that rampaged through issues #1-3, is nowhere to be found in this book, while Cyclone is the definition of a D-list threat. The book would be better off if it worked in a character that could connect to one of the heroes, rather than yet another random villain.
As a Miles Morales true-head, I continue to be disappointed by the lack of him in the book (his stories in Ultimate End and Secret Wars have been enough to get me through the interminable wait for the debut of Spider-Man #1), while the emphasis on Nova (essentially written as Peter Parker wearing an asterisk) is frustrating. Asrar's art is engaging, alternately sparing and detailed when the story calls for it.
I really think Mark Waid is doing the absolute best he can, too, given the enormous task of the diverse cast with different opportunities to cash in on their solo stories (why can't we see Kamala's home life? Why isn't the Vision concerned about Viv and Vin?) and the pressure to make it all work in an easily-digestible book. However, All-New All-Different Avengers is now more of an appetizer sampler for some great characters, and not necessarily the most flavorful dish you could order. It's out of my pull list, for now.
BUY IT, WAIT FOR UNLIMITED, OR SKIP IT: WAIT FOR UNLIMITED
My problem with these new Avengers is that they're touted as the "new, definitive" versions of the characters, but they don't even bother masquerading further than that. Cyclone shouldn't be the adversary they face in the issue. It should be MODOK. Magneto. RED SKULL.
ReplyDeleteIt only emphasizes the frivolity of getting invested with these people; we already know this isn't permanent. The joy of seeing Jane as Thor and Sam as Cap is that they inherit all the problems and responsibilities that the OG's had. I get Miles, Kamala, and wittle Nova are green - but c'mon. Throw them in the deep end and make them swim.