GN Review -- Avengers: The Children's Crusade / Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

In continuing my exploration of the Scarlet Witch's recent past, I've skipped ahead to more recent developments, which are nevertheless surprisingly connected to some of the events I saw in Avengers Disassembled.  I was a little surprised to see that this was told mostly from the standpoint of the Young Avengers, who had apparently come about soon after the Disassembled story arc.

During a pitched battle with a group of overpowered zealots, the Young Avengers defeat their opponents only when Wiccan's powers seem to augment beyond his control.  Several Avengers witness this, and remembering all too well how powerful Wanda was, bring him and Hulkling to their headquarters for observation.  They eventually bust out of their new "home" with the help of their teammates and embark on a quest to locate the elusive Scarlet Witch, who Wiccan suspects is his and Speed's mother.  They end up enlisting the aide of Magneto, who may therefore be their grandfather, and travel to Latveria, where they suspect she is in hiding.

When they prove successful in locating her, there are still a number of complications they have to deal with.  First and foremost, she is about to marry Doctor Doom, who seems to be shielding her from her past memories, and also may be intent on keeping her nearby because she's so potentially powerful.  Iron Lad takes them to the point in time just before Jack of Hearts explodes in front of Avengers Mansion, and snatches Scott Lang to bring to the present, much to his daughter's delight.

The rest of the Avengers show up, as do a large group of the X-Men, who then start to argue and fight over Wanda's fate and who should decide it.  In the chaos, Cassie is killed by an over-powered Doom, who soon burns out from the power he stole from Wanda and escapes.  The X-Men decide to leave Wanda alone after an impassioned plea from Wiccan, and she decides to take some time to figure out what she will do with her life now.  The Young Avengers disband, but not before Captain America tells them that they will always be considered Avengers, whether they continue to be heroes or not.

Obviously, there's a lot going on in this story, which at times feels a little out of hand in terms of focus.  In addition to the main plot involving the Scarlet Witch, you have a sub-plot that's still very significant involving Iron Lad--who is apparently Kang at a younger age--saving Cassie Lang's dad, Scott, from his original death in Avengers Disassembled.  There are guest appearances from Doom, Magneto, the Avengers, the X-Men, X-Factor... it can get a little confusing to keep it all from spiraling out of control.

There's also more suspension of disbelief required to read this story than is usual in a superhero comic, mainly because of the involvement of magic and magicks as plot devices for the characters.  Apparently Speed and Wiccan are the "children" Wanda created before Avengers Disassembled, as they look remarkably similar to one another, and to Magneto and Wanda and Quicksilver, and their power sets mimic those of Magneto's children.  It's a very flimsy premise, and essentially one you have to decide to believe simply for the sake of allowing the story to continue.  I was willing to do so, but I will understand if many readers have a problem with this plot point.

Still, for all the events going on, it never really feels clogged or blundering, and Heinberg actually manages to juggle the multiple plots as well as could be expected, managing to infuse them all with feeling, value, and enough action and drama to keep you turning the page.  Wiccan is ultimately the main protagonist, and his quest to find Wanda is genuinely rendered.  Wanda, when finally found, is given plenty of room to shine, and the magnitude of her crimes against both the Avengers and the mutant population is explored in depth.

Art-wise, this is a great story.  I've seen Jim Cheung's work before, but I have to say that he's really got a talent for rendering superheroes in clear, dynamic fashion, and he has no problem with scale.  Be it just a couple of characters or twenty five in a panel, everyone looks marvelous.  Action scenes flow effortlessly, and everyone looks distinct, even if you take away the iconography that would be associated with their powers and costumes.  Very good work.

Overall, I think this is a great story, perhaps a little too big and unwieldy in places, but overall a good telling of the Scarlet Witch's return to the world at large that she helped create, for better or worse.  The believability factor is easy to gloss over in light of the rest of the action and drama, but some readers may feel cheated by it.  Still, the narrative flow really carries the reader through the action in some places, and the artwork is a wonder to behold.  Definitely a must-read for Scarlet Witch fans, Avengers completists, and anyone who enjoys comics primarily featuring teenage superheroes.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Avengers Disassembled / Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch

After reading Avengers vs. X-Men #0, I was astounded at how good the Scarlet Witch's tale was, and the urge to understand what had led her to that point became paramount.  I did a little searching, and decided a good point to start reading up about her recent history was Avengers Disassembled.

What unfolds is essentially the worst day ever in the history of any superhero team I've yet read.  Tony Stark, while at the U.N., suddenly is overcome with a sensation of drunkenness and threatens the Latverian ambassador, embarrassing the U.S. and causing him to have to step down.  The deceased Jack of Hearts shows up at Avengers Mansion briefly, then explodes--taking out a good portion of the grounds and killing Ant Man.  Then Vision arrives in a Quinjet--and crashes it into the already mounting wreckage.  She-Hulk freaks out in response, and starts to lose herself in her rage, tearing Vision apart before she can be put down.  And then there's a sudden invasion of Kree aliens, who start shooting at the heroes at the Mansion and the surrounding area and cause the death of Hawkeye before mysteriously disappearing.  All in the span of probably a couple of hours.

A visit from Dr. Strange reveals why so many bad things have been happening to them.  The Scarlet Witch, who at one time had had "children" she essentially created out of thin air, blamed the Avengers for their disappearance, and with the nature of her powers having driven her gradually more insane, she was manifesting some of their worst fears to destroy them.  Captain America tries to explain the situation to Wanda, but she doesn't want to hear it and continues to lash out with her powers.  With Strange's help, they are able to stop her, and she is taken away by her father Magneto, who vows to help her recover in any way he can.

Iron Man has one final bit of bad news, however.  The fallout from his spontaneous drunken episode at the U.N. has caused massive PR and financial crises in his company.  The foundation that he made to support the Avengers can no longer support them, and with the government pulling out any backing due to the embarrassment of the U.N. incident, they simply can no longer afford to exist as a team.  The teammates are forced therefore to disband, and they share recollections of some of their favorite moments from the Avengers history before going their separate ways.

Wow.  The Scarlet Witch is a lot like Eric Cartman.  Do not piss her off, ever.

I've known of the fact that she's supposed to be this uber-powerful member of the Avengers, having probably gleaned it from other stories and what I've observed or heard about from the fallout of House of M, which I also still have yet to read.  But since this story occurs before that one, I'm figuratively seeing her sheer power and imbalance through a mostly unadulterated and clear lens.  She seems mostly unaware that she's even doing the things she's inflicted upon the Avengers, which is extra cause for concern.  She can summon world-ending scenarios without even having to concentrate on them.

It seems the crux of all Wanda's trials and tribulations stems from a very simple but powerful desire--the desire for motherhood and children--transposed against the heartbreaking reality that she is not able to do so.  This desire caused her to use her powers--knowingly or not, I don't know--to create "children" that were, eventually, taken away from her.  Seeing her teammates as responsible, her resentment grew over time, and, with her sanity dwindling, she began to lash out at them without even fully realizing it.

So, it's hard not to pity her, too.

The action of the story is undeniably cataclysmic.  When I have a bad day, that's a problem already.  When my entire family or co-workers have a collective bad day, it's usually tragic.  This is super-powered tragedy, magnified on a cosmic scale and then given a shot of tragedy steroids.  The Avengers' home is totaled.  Several of their friends are killed, one directly by one of their own.  They lose the funding and government support they'd enjoyed until now.  And it was all orchestrated by one of their closest teammates.  It's hard not to walk away from this arc without having had to pick your jaw up off the floor several times, and I salute Bendis for his storytelling acumen here.

Artistically, I can't help but salute David Finch's work.  His characters are detailed, expressive, and work well for the genre and medium.  The action is dynamic, intense, and keeps you turning the page to see what happens next.  The round robin of art done by various artists in the finale also make for a noteworthy collection of styles and colors as the team's most memorable moments are revealed, highlighting how the looks and makeup of the team has changed over the years.

Overall, this is a compelling read, and definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the recent history and current goings-on in the world of the Avengers, and much of the Marvel Universe.  The storytelling is splendid, the artwork is great, and it's simply a pivotal story for a character who seems set to once again play a pivotal role in the upcoming events.  Highly recommended.

Comic Review -- Avengers vs. X-Men #0 / Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Frank Cho, and Jason Keith

I'd been meaning to read this issue weeks ago, but only recently got around to it.  Since I've already started the AvX stories, I figured I should get this one read and reviewed.  So, here goes!

I like the cover, though the Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers don't really appear together in this issue.  Instead, they have separate stories that feature each of them.  Still, the image is very evocative, and does a good job of selling the notion that these two will play some kind of prominent role in the coming saga.  Hope's apparent role is already pretty obvious, but Wanda's is a little harder to divine.  Still, we only know what's been written up to this point, so anything goes.  Did anyone notice the barely visible greyscale Ms. Marvel and Iron Man also on the cover?

In the first story, the Scarlet Witch makes a reappearance on the superhero scene by foiling as assassination attempt by M.O.D.O.K. and A.I.M. on one of their former scientists who tried to leave them.  While she isn't able to hold them off on her own, she keeps them occupied long enough for Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman to arrive and help her finish the job.  They are happy to see Wanda, and insist on bringing her back to Avengers Mansion, but she is highly reluctant to go.  When they get there, she is greeted by Vision, her husband, who coldly rejects her and tells her she has no home among the Avengers.  Ms. Marvel flies a crying Wanda off the scene, while Vision silently weeps for his loss.

Hope's story features her flying off Utopia with Cyclops's jetpack.  Apparently she's been taking it upon herself to play solo vigilante to blow off steam.  Cyclops confronts her about it, and she uses the opportunity to ask him about the Phoenix Force.  When he's less than forthcoming, she leaves the island and goes to break up a late-night bank burglary underway by the Serpent Society.  By the time Scott and Emma find her, she's taken down their members and is beating Cottonmouth to a pulp.  She tells Scott that she's not afraid of the Phoenix Force, and that she's ready for it and wants it to come.  Emma expresses that this is all too much pressure for Hope, and Scott replies that either way, for good or bad, Hope is special, and will find a way to handle it.

I really enjoyed the Scarlet Witch's story.  I'm not terribly familiar with Wanda as a character, but I know she has a long, deep history with the Avengers.  It's also not hard to imagine that she's something of a pariah, as she nearly obliterated the entire mutant race with the phrase, "No more mutants" a few years ago to spite her father Magneto.  She's very aware of all of this, and even though she's trying to do better by playing the hero again, she knows she can't go home again, at least not yet.  When Vision rejects her, you can see the fear realized in her face as she tearfully apologizes for her past actions.  Clearly there are a range of opinions about her return: Wolverine and Beast seemed less than thrilled to see her--probably in light of the mutant issue--but Thor and Iron Man, long-time comrades in arms of hers, seemed sympathetic, and even sad to see her go away at Vision's behest.  It makes me more interested in Wanda's backstory up to this point, and I will have to endeavor to read all the Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Decimation stories where she features so prominently.

I was not so keen on Hope's story.  Again, I'm not terribly familiar with her character either, but all the depictions I've seen of her haven't painted a very good picture.  She comes off as an overpowered, petulant teenager whose sense of self-importance is a little too confident for her age.  She openly defies Scott, blows off his concerns and attempts to discipline her, and barely seems moved by the impending events concerning her.  While she's ostensibly resorting to her vigilante activities as a form of coping with it, I'm still not feeling any real sense of fear, or trepidation, or uncertainty from her.  That would go a long way towards making her portrayal more sympathetic.

The art in both stories is very good.  I like Frank Cho's pencils, and while I have some issues with how old Hope looks if she's supposed to be an actual teenager, I have nothing but praise for how his adult heroes look.  Wanda looks beautiful and almost lost in her apprehension.  Iron Man and Beast looked a little off during their brief appearances, but I'm perfectly willing to forgive that, since they were little more than talking heads with up-or-down thumbs in that story.  Very enjoyable to behold.

Overall, it's difficult at this juncture to see how relevant these stories are to the upcoming AvX arc.  Each is intriguing in its way, and I will be keeping an eye on these two characters throughout the story, but there's little that's conveyed that directly ties in to the main arc.  It informs it more than anything else.  Still, they're good reads--I obviously think the Scarlet Witch feature is better than Hope's--with good art, and worth a glimpse, at the very least.  Recommended.