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 #9
And just as excited as I am about Secret Avengers, I have become equivalently nonplussed about It's Mighty counterpart
Don't get me wrong, I want to like this book. I like the
concept of Luke Cage taking it back to street level and putting an Avengers
team on the ground where they can so some real good. I like it a lot, in fact.
But for the last couple issues, this book has lost sight of that. I gotta
believe that the intention behind this book is to appeal to a more urban
reader, a young African American or Latino who is used to not seeing him or
herself reflected in the pages of mainstream comics too often now has a team full
of people to identify with. Great, right?
Yeah. But that's not what's happening here.
We have found ourselves in a storyline that focuses almost
entirely on The Blue Marvel. Some of you may be asking "who the hell is
the Blue Marvel?" And I really wish I had a good answer for you. Near as I
can figure it, this guy, an African American scientist with superpowers, was
retconned into the Marvel Universe in a fashion similar to The Sentry before
him (this guy seems to be less destructive and polarizing than old Bob Reynolds
but who knows). According to this issue, the Marvel Universe and it's kickoff
Galactus event happens some time after the dawn of the new century. In that
timeline this guy had been a hero since before 1970. So let me get this straight:
you've spent two issues of your urban youth appealing Avengers book dealing
with an old, rich, black scientist trying to stop one of his estranged
scientist sons from opening a portal into another universe and bringing back
his other estranged son...on a remote island with a volcano?
That sound you heard was every teenager on my block dropping
their game controller and cell phone and running to the comic shop.
The other notable development in this issue is that we
finally learn who is under the Ronin (formerly Spider Hero) costume. I had
already spoiled myself online so it wasn't a great revelation to me. And anyone
with half a brain probably figured it out a few issues ago. Hell, I may even
have revealed it in a previous review of this book and it was so not a big deal
I forgot about it.
It's Blade. Surprise! Were you surprised? No, I didn’t think
so.
The only real exciting this to come out of this issue was
the concept of ‘Ninja Were-Snakes’. Yes, Ninja Were-Snakes. Humanoid snakes
with Ninja abilities. I know! How awesome is that? I hope they stay around. Or
let’s just put a team together consisting of were animals that have ninja
skills. I’d buy that book. And I bet my hypothetical urban kid would buy it
too. Or at least loiter in the store and read it. Which is kind of the same
thing.
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