COMICS IN THE CAN- Episode VI (Mighty Avengers #6)

COMICS IN THE CAN
I used to have time to read my comics in a coffee shop. Now I have to read them in the bathroom. Then I write reviews of them. I wash my hands in between.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #6

And with that, he’s on to The House of Ideas.

Do we need another Avengers title? I guess the big shots think so. I think the franchise is getting top heavy, but what do I know? I like this book. I like the fact that it’s very street level. I’m anxious to see how, when they get into actual practice, how the ‘Avengers Free Clinic’ model works out. It’s not technically ‘Avengers For Hire’ but its close. 

So what’s going on in this issue? I’ll get to that. Let me talk about LAST issue for a sec. For some reason no one’s really questioning why Spider Man has become a complete megalomaniacal dickhead over the last several months. Nor why or how he’s got A, henchmen, or B, big ass spider robots, or better yet, C, why he wants to be the leader so bad and is using A & B to achieve these goals. What? Jessica Jones was a DETECTIVE for f***’s sake! They call in She-Hulk, who’s a lawyer, and they STILL don’t look past the ‘Atlas Shrugged’ explanation? No, not buying it. 

Now this issue I liked. It’s moving in day at Luke Cage and Jessica’s new apartment, so by its nature there’s a lot of ‘examining the past’ and minimal action, very low key and character driven. I really loved the interaction between Luke Cage and The Blue Marvel (a character I admittedly know next to nothing about). Especially their conversation (after alternately carrying around a refrigerator for half the issue) about their shared pasts and opinions on the other man’s past choices. What I’ve missed over the years of Bendis’ love affair for Cage and subsequent writers picking up the baton, was a real delving into Cage’s background and sins of the past. Looks like we’re getting that here and I’m happy about it.

There also appears to be some interconnectivity with a villain by the name of Gideon Mace, who Cage used to know and who also killed the White Tiger’s parents. So yeah, lots of good character development and seed-planting along with some great jabs at Cage’s old costume (“Is this a whole box of tiaras?”).

Let me just address the elephant in the room: Yes, this is clearly ‘Black Avengers’. With the exception of White Tiger, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones (not really a member) and She Hulk (new member?) everyone else is African American. Even the secret mystery character currently wearing the Ronin costume is really a black hero.  Do I have a problem with it? Of course not. Do I think Marvel needs to make the most of this unique opportunity and team they’ve put together to attract some more readers of an ethnic persuasion? Abso-freaking-lutely! I started getting the title because I’m a completist and a sucker. It’s grown on me. But there are kids who NEED heroes in their lives who look like them, who could be them, who redeemed themselves from the bad choices they made. This is why Spider Man resonated so strongly in the 60’s. He WAS the reader. Spread the word!