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Smash Tales by Rick and the Colonel, X-Men by Steve and Andrew, and our host talks She-Hulks and Young Avengers.
Since returning to Earth after being held captive by the Skrulls, Hank Pym has found the his world completely changed. The superhero Civil War has divided many of his old teammates and allies. Captain America is dead. The Skrulls failed an attempted invasion of Earth which resulted in the death of the woman he loved, Janet Van Dyne, and has left his reputation in question. Now, facing life in a world he no longer recognizes and dealing with the anquish of having to bury his wife, who can Hank place the blame for all of these events on?
Mighty Avengers #20 draws to a close the Secret Invasion event for this seris and sets the stage for Dark Reign. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists Lee Weeks, Jim Cheung and Carlo Pagulayan deliver a heartbreaking story that, in my opinion, was Bendis’ best tie-in to this event. The story opens up in the past with Hank and the Wasp when they were on the first Avengers team discussing the discovery of the frozen Captain America and how much the world has changed since he was last seen. We also get a glimpse at how much the two were in love with each other at that time. Flash forward to the present and we find a distraught Hank Pym, along with Ms. Marvel and Wonderman, making Janet’s funeral arrangements. Upon leaving the meeting, Carol fills Hank in on all the events, including Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion, that have occurred since his abduction. At Janet’s funeral, Hank makes it very clear who he blames for these events.
I thought Bendis did an excellent job bringing out the emotion in this issue. Jan’s death in Secret Invasion #8 didn’t sit that well with me. For a character with her history, I thought she deserved a little bit more of an emotional response from the other heroes. I feel this issue gave us that emotion, especially with Hank. His response at the funeral felt very real and I thought it was well written. I loved the way Bendis compared Hank’s return with Captain America’s in Avengers #4, being a man out of his time. It really helped build on the emotional side of the story and helped me pick up on what Hank must be going through. My one complaint with this issue would have to be the events flashback pages. The art from Jim Cheung was very well done, but they just felt a little out of place with the story.
Speaking of the art, all three artist delevered solid work here. I especially liked Carlo Pagulayan’s pages for the funeral scene. Each panel was wonderfully detailed and, I may be sounding like a broken record here, really had great emotion coming from each of the characters involved. Lee Weeks opened up the story beautifully with the flashback sequence featuring Hank and Janet in their original costumes. Jim Cheung had the smallest part of the story, but as I said above, drew some really nice pages giving us a quick look back at Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion.
Bendis ends his run on this series in style and sets up for Dan Slott to take over with issue #21. I wasn’t too crazy with the other Mighty Avenger Secret Invasion issues, but this issue really made up for those in my opinion. As a whole though, I have really enjoyed this series so far and look forward to seeing were Slott and artist Khoi Pham take the book!
COVER BY: MARKO DJURDJEVIC
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILS: LEE WEEKS, JIM CHEUNG & CARLO PAGULAYAN
INKS: LEE WEEKS, JIM CHEUNG & JEFFERY HUET
COLORED BY: DEAN WHITE AND JASON KEITH
LETTERED BY: DAVE LANPHEAR
EDITOR: TOM BREVOORT
Rated A…. $2.99
To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook
Another week, another batch of Sneak Peeks! With many thanks to Marvel, we have the opening pages of New Avengers #40, Thor: Ages of Thunder #1, Marvel Illustrated: Moby Dick #3, Marvel Adventures Iron Man #12, and Ultimate X-Men #93 all scheduled to be in stores next Wednesday!
Be warned, you may find some spoilers in the following images.
NEW AVENGERS #40
COVER BY: ALEKSI BRICLOT
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILS: JIM CHEUNG
INKS: JOHN DELL
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
Very special guest artist Jimmy Cheung returns to the pages of New Avengers for this very important tie-in issue. Spinning right off of events in NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #1, find out exactly how the Skrull empire was able to infiltrate the Marvel Universe and who instigated the invasion and why.
Rated A …$2.99
THOR: AGES OF THUNDER #1
COVER BY: MARKO DJURDJEVIC
WRITER: MATT FRACTION
PENCILS: PATRICK ZIRCHER and KHARI EVANS
INKS: PATRICK ZIRCHER and VICTOR OLAZABA
As the Mighty Thor reclaims his rightful spot in the Marvel Pantheon, we join Matt Fraction and Patrick Zircher for a special examining the triumphs and tragedies that have befallen the God of Thunder across the eons. As the things he holds dearest are threatened by unimaginable forces of evil, Thor must rise up, again and again, to hold the line against terror and chaos as only the God of Thunder can!
Rated T+ …$3.99
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED: MOBY DICK #3
COVER BY: JOHN WATSON
WRITER: ROY THOMAS (and HERMAN MELVILLE)
PENCILS: PASCAL ALIXE
INKS: VICTOR OLAZABA
Ahab’s vessel, the Pequod, encounters the ship Samuel Enderby, whose captain lost an arm to Moby Dick and will hunt the whale no more. When Ahab learns where the monster was last sighted, he enlists his blacksmith to create a special harpoon: a harpoon that will ensure the destruction of the great white whale that haunts his fevered nightmares and gives him no peace.
Parental Advisory …$2.99
MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #12
COVER BY: FRANCIS TSAI
WRITER: FRED VAN LENTE
PENCILS: SCOTT KOBLISH
At long last, Iron Man is reunited with his missing father in the heart of Africa–but he has to free him from the clutches of Kiber the Cruel!
All Ages …$2.99
ULTIMATE X-MEN #93
COVER BY: SALVADOR LARROCA
WRITER: ROBERT KIRKMAN
PENCILS: HARVEY TOLIBAO
It’s Robert Kirkman’s final issue of ULTIMATE X-MEN – and he’s going out with a bang! Has the worst happened? Has Apocalypse triumphed? If so, there is only one force in the universe with the power to end his iron fisted reign. But it is a power of such magnitude that its slightest misuse could bring about the end of all things!
Rated T+ …$2.99
Marvel is pleased to unveil the new Jim Cheung covers to the hotly-anticipated Marvel: 1985 #1. With one cover featuring the Marvel’s greatest heroes, and another featuring Marvel’s greatest villains, these two covers connect to form a powerful vision of the Marvel Universe! The superstar team of award-winning scribe Mark Millar (Civil War, Fantastic Four) and Tommy Lee Edwards (Bullet Points) present a self-contained, crossover event that brings the Marvel Universe to our world and you can’t afford to miss it in Marvel: 1985 #1!
MARVEL 1985 #1 (of 6) (MAR082192)
MARVEL 1985 #1 (of 6) EDWARDS VARIANT (MAR082193)
Written by MARK MILLAR
Art by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
50/50 Covers by JIM CHEUNG
Variant Cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—4/24/08, On-Sale—5/14/08
Captain Marvel Meets Son Hulkling in Young Avengers Presents #2
All Teddy Altman wants is to meet the father he’s never known. That father? None other than the Kree legend himself, Captain Marvel. The two finally meet in Young Avengers Presents #2 (of 6). Esteemed writer Brian Reed (Captain Marvel, New Avengers: Illuminati) and acclaimed artist Harvey Tolibao, bring us an epic chapter in the life of Teddy Altman, better known as the Young Avenger Hulkling. With the mysterious return of Captain Marvel to the Marvel Universe, this could be Hulkling’s only chance at tying up loose ends.
How will Captain Marvel react to the news that Hulkling is his son? How will the Young Avengers team react? All these questions and more are answered in Young Avengers Presents #2 (of 6)!
YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #2 (of 6) (DEC072207)
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by HARVEY TOLIBAO
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Rated T+…$2.99
FOC – 2/7, On-Sale – 2/27/2008
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