Pulse Glazer
Grey, let’s talk New Avengers #29.
Grey Scherl
Remember when I wanted to talk about it last issue? New Avengers is falling into the old Bendisism of his tie in issues are better than his event issues.
Glazer
Way better than the event issues. What happens in this one?
Grey
Captain America declares himself leader of the Illuminati and calls a meeting so he can try and turn Namor against the X-Men.
Glazer
Everyone gets a great speech going over their viewpoint on AvX and those make the issue great to me, though not without its issues. Want to tackle the issues first?
Grey
The issues really do need to get out of the way because they are just about enough to completely rip you out of the issue if you become aware of them.
Chronologically this issue takes place after the extended Hope in K’un L’un story that filled this book, but this issue takes place before Namor attacked Wakanda, which puts it before K’un L’un.
On top of that, Xavier has already chosen his side, which doesn’t happen, again, until after Namor attacks Wakanda.
But Namor shows up in this issue and makes it very clear to readers…Wakanda hasn’t happened yet. Which literally dumps this book into a black hole of confusing continuity as it doesn’t fit in anywhere.
Glazer
So as an overall issue of a greater story, it’s a fail, but as character work it works great.
We get viewpoints for Namor, who isn’t bad, Xavier, who’s a bit of a dick, Tony, also a dick, Cap, in full Superman role, and Reed, who’s awesome. Strange, however, is just there.
Grey
Reed absolutely makes the issue as I’ve said multiple times over the months that the biggest hole of AVX is that Reed Richards has been completely absent.
I wouldn’t call Xavier a dick, he did walk into a room full of people who presume that everything is his fault since he’s Professor X.
Glazer
Wait! We almost forgot what the illuminati decide not to do at issue’s start.
They each have an Infinity Gem and essentially decide making a gauntlet would just make them the same problem Phoenix presents.
Grey
They decide that nobody is going to use their overpowered instruments of cosmic power to go against the X-Men’s overpowered instruments of cosmic power.
Glazer
I think it’s a good call. How are the X-Men wrong for it if the Avengers casually do it?
Grey
Exactly. The X-Men didn’t even ask for it, as Reed points out, the Phoenix Five are Tony and Steve’s fault. Their assault on the Phoenix (Cap’s idea, Tony’s execution) is what created the five vessels. They split the energy.
So to bust out an Infinity Anything in retaliation would only further the “Captain America is the bad guy” mindset I’ve been pushing.
Glazer
Right and then Reed outright says that to that point the Avengers are the bad guys.
Grey
He lays out the logic that has come from anyone who has read it, the Avengers have been poking a bear and getting upset that the bear is bigger than they are when it finally snapped back at them.
Glazer
Agreed, but this should have come out months ago… again… as the X-Men have lost it by now.
Grey
And they really only lost it in the past few weeks, the Colossus and Magik stuff was just….I guess if you can’t make Captain America not look like an asshole, you just need to have the other side do horribly disturbing things.
Glazer
No, the idea was clearly always for them to slowly but surely lose it. If the Avengers just took a wait and see stance this all would have made a lot more sense.
Grey
But instead they took a “Let’s attack them every five minutes” approach.
And a “Send Red Hulk to assassinate Cyclops” approach.
Glazer
And drove them nuts that much faster, yes.
Grey
I don’t think they’re all nuts, I mean, I think four of them are insane, but I think one of them completely has it together.
Glazer
Sure, except he’s missing how insane his allies are.
Grey
Scott has been obviously blinded by the scope of what he’s able to do, but he hasn’t crossed a single line yet. The rest of his bunch have without qualm, but Scott has been nothing but the hero this entire time.
Glazer
Sure, but the hero and leader is also responsible for his underlings… who have lost it.
Grey
Even the hard turns by his various people, Emma is the only one where he blatantly missed it when it was right in front of him. Namor was everything changed in an instant of super rage, and Colossus and Illyana…I got nothing there. I imagine they stayed off his radar with their whales with legs.
Glazer
But that’s not this comic’s issue. At this point, the X-Men are supposed to have been good, so Reed is simply taking a wait and see stance… like the Avengers should have.
Grey
Yep, Reed is looking at what they have done instead of what they could do, and he’s seeing the reality of the situation instead of the extreme hypotheticals that Steve and Tony are obsessing over. The X-Men made the world a better place, that’s literally all that’s been done.
Especially given where this issue fits in, where none of his underlings have gone batshit insane yet.
Glazer
Right, meanwhile, Xavier has a guilt trip since everyone blames him, which he knows by amorally reading their minds.
Grey
I imagine they’re all screaming it at him at this point.
Glazer
He’s trained his life to not just read people’s mind.
Grey
Well, then maybe he was making sure that he wasn’t walking into a trap to take out the former leader of the X-Men.
They had already gone and abducted Hope from Utopia by this point.
Glazer
It takes one read for that, not everyone consistently. And please, Cap’s going to trap him?
Grey
Maybe Tony has Anti-Xavier armor.
Glazer
I’m sure he does. But still Cap wouldn’t set him up.
Grey
You never know, he’s been horribly out of character since AVX began.
Glazer
Still, Xavier is far too willing to misuse his powers.
Grey
And we love him for it
Glazer
I don’t. He’s one of my least favorite characters.
Grey
I love well written Xavier, it’s just been rare to see him since Morrison left.
Glazer
I thought you liked Carey on him.
Grey
I did, but that was an incredibly brief run.
Glazer
Hm, yeah it became a Rogue book early.
Grey
Legacy was Xavier for a year and then Rogue for like 3 or 4.
And the Xavier year also had a horrible Wolverine crossover with Daken.
Glazer
95% of all Daken stories suck.
Grey
I hate saying so since Marjorie writes a lot of them, but he character just lacks any real soul. He has no real direction other than “piss off Wolverine”.
Glazer
And Tony, all issue, is a dick to everyone, at least until Reed puts him in his place.
Grey
Reed is the best written character in the issue….save for Namor.
Glazer
I like Reed better, but go on, what happens with Namor and Cap?
Grey
Cap spends the entire issue waiting for Namor to show up, the entire purpose behind the meeting is to get Namor to show up to talk.
Glazer
And Namor refuses to calm down, essentially.
Grey
Obviously, if he had agreed to calm down then his destruction of Wakanda last month wouldn’t make any sense.
Glazer
Right – damn continuity messes with this issue.
Grey
It ruins the ending because you know the entire time that he’s either not going to show up or he will and it won’t matter.
Glazer
Not to me. It gave him motivation and humanized Cap.
Grey
Cap needs all the humanizing he can get.
Glazer
Right, he actually acts like Clark here more than Cap.
Grey
Had Namor shown up without any Phoenix powers, this issue would have been much different.
You mean Steve, he’s not Superman ;)
Glazer
No, I mean Clark. I feel like his overly trusting thing is more a Superman than Cap trait.
Grey
I’ll give you that.
Glazer
Cap was never a “talk to your enemies and make them friends” guy. That’s Clark.
Grey
True, but the difference is that Namor is his friend.
Glazer
True.
Grey
It’s been well established that Captain America is among a handful of surface dwellers that Namor actually respects.
Glazer
Really, Cap and Reed are all I can think of.
Grey
Panther, Scott, Doom.
Glazer
Panther not so much.
Grey
Panther is a bit of a stretch since Namor did just decimate his nation.
Glazer
Exactly.
Grey
But before that!
Nah, I’ll concede the list as Steve, Reed, Scott, and Doom. I will not accept arguments on Doom.
Glazer
Ha, fair enough.
Grey
The two have teamed up as many times as Namor has teamed up with a good guy.
Glazer
Well, most good guys anyway.
Grey
They two were always a great anti-FF team up.
Glazer
Ah, old FF.
Grey
I love classic Namor, he could seamlessly go from good guy to uber villain and back again.
One day he’s saving the world, the next he’s invading it, and then hey look, the next day he’s an Avenger!
Glazer
Like modern Magneto.
Grey
Bingo. Characters who evolved beyond the classic villain label.
Glazer
And certainly not Doom who just stays eeevil.
Grey
Even when Doom is a good guy he’s still EVIL.
Glazer
Damn right. The ultimate betrayer.
Grey
I keep fighting Buffy comments what with the still watching Buffy, but Doom is just the epitome of amazing character.
He can get away with anything he wants.
Glazer
He can and does.
Grey
I can’t wait for him to return, I thought it would be in Fantastic Four, but now I think Hickman will wait for Avengers.
Glazer
Read Thunderbolts/Dark Avengers.
Grey
I have, that’s Doom in between Millar and Intelligencia.
Glazer
Yes, true.
Grey
We’re looking for Doom that just survived a fight with SPACE GODS and now has an army of Dooms.
Glazer
True. Fraction maybe.
Grey
…..wow, Doom is a bad ass. I almost forgot. SPACE GODS.
Glazer
Ha, Space Gods rule, too.
Grey
Now that we’ve veered to the realms of Doom, want to come back around for a wrap up?
Glazer
Sure. Dr. Strange was just there and didn’t contribute. Tony was …. well, Civil War-era ish.
Grey
He and Steve both.
Steve was better in the end then the middle.
Glazer
Steve was quiet in the middle.
Grey
Reed was the highlight of this issue, far and away, and is proof that Bendis doesn’t write him enough…or writes him just enough.
Glazer
I’d guess the latter. But either way, great characterization for everyone here in a continuity free zone.
Grey
That’s what we have to call it to not have heads explode!
Glazer
Ha, rating?
Grey
As a stand alone issue for someone not actively reading AVX, I’d give it a solid 8. But for someone actually reading it and suffering from the exploding brain ache that is this issues black hole of continuity? A 5. A generous 5.
Glazer
I’m fine with a 7. It’s worth it to give the characters motivation.
Grey
But it’s motivation that they would already have and yet don’t!
Glazer
Right but that isn’t this issue’s fault.
Grey
Eh, Bendis is one of the ‘architects’ writing AVX, he should have a tighter grip on a story he’s helping to write.
Glazer
Writing in committee fail.
Grey
True, but still, I have trouble truly getting past the giant gaping hole that is the canon in this.
Glazer
I don’t since I kind of hate the canon.
Grey
I need to hate it more. It’s been bad lately. Screw AVX, but YAY ILLUMINATI!
