The major comic companies put out enough comics that sometimes it can leave your head spinning and eyes bleeding as you search the new titles each week for something worth reading. To aid in your Geeky endeavors, Speak Geeky To Me on occasion reviews new titles from the major companies to spotlight the best and worst of what’s available at your local comic shop. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a new Comic Review.

 

The Info Bit

Title: Uncanny Avengers #1

Genre/s: Superhero

Writer: Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force, The End League)

Artist: John Cassaday (Planetary, Astonishing X-men)

Colorist: Laura Martin (Avengers Vs X-men, Fear Itself)

Letterer: Chris Elipoulos (Adventure Time, Okie Dokie Donuts)

Publisher: Marvel

Number of Issues: 1 (on-going)

Page Count: 32

Price: $3.99

 

The Review Bit

The Marvel Now is now with the initiative’s first new #1 issue, Uncanny Avengers. But where to start on this issue, as there is a lot to say…how about we start with the cover. There is an incredible 30 covers for Uncanny Avengers #1. Yes, 30 different covers. You’d almost think this book was being published by IDW with that many variants, but Marvel really just wanted to push this book. Sadly, after reading the comic, I’m not sure why this is the book to be pushing or why it’s at the center of the Marvel Now initiative.

For those who have opened up Uncanny Avengers or heard from someone who has, fears have obviously been put to rest that Marvel Now is rebooting the Marvel universe in a New 52 style. But in the same, this does not seem like it is the easy jumping on point that Marvel Now promised to be with all these new #1’s. Instead, Uncanny Avengers is more of a continuation of Avengers Vs X-men. An AvX#13 or epilogue, if you will, though we already have that in the form of AvX: Consequences. Never-the-less, over half of this issue deals with the fallout of Avengers Vs X-men and Xavier’s death.

Uncanny Avengers opens with a rather dramatic and dark scene, involving a lobotomy of sorts being performed on an unknown mutant that later is revealed to be Dominikos Petrakis (Avalanche). From there it is a lot of AvX fallout via Xavier’s memorial and Alex Summers (Havok) visiting his brother, Cyclops, in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison. Fans get the expected reprimanding of Cyclops for having lost his way in AvX before Captain America offers Havok the job of leading the Avengers. I’m not sure I would call such a decision a wise choice, but Remender tries to logic it out in the dialogue. While Havok tries to turn down the offer, the trio of Havok, Captain America, and Thor quickly find themselves trying to stop a mutant terrorist attack in downtown New York City by Avalanche. Meanwhile, Rogue confronts the Scarlet Witch at Xavier’s memorial before both must also deal with an attack of mutant (or mutant-esque) villains. By this point the team members have all seen some panel time, but the team is not yet formed. The ending of the issue itself will not come as a shock to any who have seen the cover to issue #2, as we discover that somehow the Red Skull is back. What might surprise you is that he now has a desire to eradicate all mutants for some odd reason and has a rather unique plan and weapon to do this with.

After all the hype and expectation, Uncanny Avengers just doesn’t seem to have that amazing of a story to tell. The team seems rather odd, with the unique combination of Wolverine, Captain America, Thor, Havok, Scarlet Witch, and Rogue. That’s 3 major Marvel players who have recently been Avengers…then two ex-mutant villains turned hero that had played various roles in the Avengers history, being led by the guy who could never really sell fans on X-factor (sorry PAD, I still love those issues though!). Perhaps this is just Marvel trying to get us excited about Havok’s continuing role in X-men: First Class 2 (Days of Future Past)? All I do know is that I don’t have as much hope for Remender making this team’s interactions as enjoyable as the ones he wrote in Uncanny X-force. Sure, Remender has some funny dialogue, particularly a line where Thor admits to preferring Lattes over Coffee, but some of it just feels forced. The scene pitting Rogue against Scarlet Witch feels especially forced, from the dialogue that has Rogue calling Wanda ‘Sugah’ awkwardly well after her opening threat, to the less than subtle foreshadowing of some odd ability that prevents Rogue from using her powers around this new villain. Speaking of which, the villains…are certainly something creative. With a character like this ‘Goat-Faced Girl’, whom reminds me of something from an Italian fairy tale, to the slow talking turtle man, they just seem a bit too hokey.

On the art end it is somewhat pleasant to see John Cassaday return to doing interiors, as it reminds me of his work on Planetary. In the same, it’s somewhat awkward to see in Uncanny Avengers because it reminds me of his work on Planetary. Sure, Cassaday has done plenty of Marvel work, but his facial hair on these characters (particularly their eyebrows and eyelashes) are just too realistically defined that it kind of weirds me out. Furthermore, these new costumes are horrible returns to that fashion-less style of supe-costumes from the 70’s and 80’s. Havok is sporting a somehow stupider looking version of his first costume that Larry Trask had designed to help him control his powers. Meanwhile the women are covered head to toe, and while that makes sense for Rogue, it looks like Scarlet Witch’s costume was a blend of the woman in the red dress and Neo’s outfit from the Matrix trilogy. And irking me just a tad more in the art is the somewhat obscure backgrounds. Had I not read the caption stating that the memorial for Xavier took place at the Jean Grey School, I would never have known. In fact that same lake background never seems to change perspective, as it appears huge during the memorial service…yet the size of a puddle when Rogue confronts the Scarlet Witch. Of course, there is also Red Skulls awkward playset of a base that looks an awful lot like the Hall of Doom from Superfriends. While Cassaday did draw some impressive scenes in this issue, I feel we’ve seen him do much better work overall in other comics.

One thing that is surprisingly great in this comic is the Marvel AR content. From the first scan of the cover, we get a great recap on who Xavier was and what happened during AvX. From there we get several other great AR moments, including a very graphic brain surgery animated out of Cassaday’s artwork, Wolverine’s entire speech at Xavier’s memorial, and a small interview with Rick Remender on the subject of Havok.

 

The Rating Bit

Uncanny Avengers #1 does not come off as a bad book, but it certainly doesn’t come off as one that is needed or should’ve been placed at the forefront of Marvel Now. The team is so awkward and small I am very curious how they will work out, and I’m not certain Cassaday art style is best utilized in this book. While the book has some interesting story bits and humor, as well as a good use of Marvel’s AR, that is not enough for it to break above a 6 out of 10. Let’s hope the series gets a lot better as it goes along.