Pulse Glazer
Damn it Grey, I lost last week’s 2 Guys. We must Avenge the fallen article!
Grey Scherl
Avenge it is right! And to make it up to our readers, how about we toss in a third book this week?
Glazer
Three… Avengers books. That hasn’t been safe in a decade. How many by Bendis?
Grey
Let me see here….we’ve got Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman, and Kieron Gillen….holy crap! DUDE! NO BENDIS!
Glazer
I feel Avenged already. What shall we begin with.
Grey
Let’s start with the big money book, Uncanny Avengers #3 by Rick Remender and John Cassaday.
Glazer
That book is so purty!
Grey
It’s what John does best, and why I’m not sure how sold I’m going to be when they switch to Daniel Acuna for the next arc.
Glazer
Agreed very much. Nothing against Acuna, either.
Grey
I’m not a fan of his work, so speak for yourself.
Glazer
Fair enough. I don’t love him, but he’s perfectly acceptable to me.
Grey
His name will turn me away from books after some of the horrible books I’ve read that he provided art for.
Glazer
So, hey, the shit sure hits the fan this issue.
Grey
Seriously, the first page sets the entire tone for you when Remender refers to this clone of the Red Skull as the last Nazi bomb. He shows up and the world around him goes to absolute chaos in minutes.
Glazer
He’s basically planned for his enemies powers and, in the process, is targeting mutants. Filthy muties.
Grey
In one issue we see the reality that the mutants have legitimately feared since the sixties come to pass. Humans running around with weapons killing all of the mutants, and it’s terrifying. Especially since no human is safe, not even Captain America.
Glazer
Cap fights it off in true heroic fashion. I love Honest John, the Living Propaganda.
Grey
The names were absolutely fantastic, and Cap didn’t fight it off in true heroic fashion, he got put in his place by Havok. God, Remender writes an awesome Havok.
Glazer
He fought it off earlier and saved someone, too.
I like his Havok, particularly since we really aren’t sure he’s making the right calls, but he is really trying.
Grey
He feels like a guy who is a leader, but hasn’t been thrust into this magnitude of it. He’s never been in a position to be in charge of people like Cap, Wolverine, and Thor….oh, and speaking of the latter two….ouch.
Glazer
But his team’s getting wrecked. He isn’t Cap, isn’t prepared for Red Skull, and just gets creamed.
Grey
He doesn’t even really have a team yet, Steve offered him the job and five minutes later there’s a crisis. He just has whoever was on hand at the time.
Glazer
Well, the letters page promises 5 new characters… which we have to guess at.
But first, the issue ends on a… well, with the Red Skull dominant, so the Heroes will have to pull together under Hawkeye to stop Skull with Xavier’s brain.
Grey
Hawkeye? I really don’t want Clint in this book, he’s everywhere right now, and while his book is awesome…I kinda wish he’d stay there only for a little while.
Glazer
Sorry, Havok. Was thinking of who’ll probably be in this book and came up with, yes, Hawkeye, because a totally normal dude fits really well.
Grey
He’s already in Avengers, Secret Avengers, Avengers Assemble, and his solo book.
Glazer
I didn’t say I wanted him there.
Grey
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Hank Pym join, Remender had fun with him in Secret Avengers. Same with Captain Britain, whom Remender just absolutely loves.
Glazer
He said classic X-Men and Avengers so I don’t see Britain, but, yes, Pym needs a home.
Grey
Pym and Pietro for sure then.
Glazer
Quicksilver is one I expect.
Grey
Especially with Wanda on the roster, Quicksilver is a perfect fit.
Glazer
Right – but what other classic X-characters need a major spotlight? I hope it’s not just Storm in a 20th book.
Grey
I’d say Beast if he wasn’t quickly turning into Bendis’s newest pet in All-New X-Men.
Storm is in WAY too many books right now.
BANSHEE BACK FROM THE DEAD!
That’s what I want!
Glazer
Yea, let’s not and say we did.
Grey
Boo-urns. Lorna?
Glazer
I hate her.
And she wasn’t an X-Man, really, besides some nonsense in space and Austen.
Grey
Sure she was, she and Havok joined together and were both on Krakoa with the rest of the old school characters in Giant Size.
Glazer
I hates her. She was mostly X-Factor!
Hey, Gambit fits.
Grey
And then she spent the early to mid 80’s as Malice, being a mind controlled bad guy for the X-Men.
Glazer
I thought Malice was Sue Storm.
Grey
I could take or leave Gambit. Avoid the Rogue relationship.
Malice was a body hopper, whoever had the collar on. During Inferno it was Polaris.
Glazer
Good point. That’s a hugely overdone bit of nonsense.
Cable would fit if he weren’t a terrorist again. Cannonball and Sunspot are in Avengers proper.
Grey
Dani is a Fearless Defender, Rahne is in X-Factor.
Glazer
Kitty is too important in Bendis’ run.
Grey
And Wolverine and the X-Men.
Glazer
Longshot fits, I suppose.
Grey
X-Factor.
Maybe he
‘ll claim Dazzler after X-Treme ends.
Glazer
What’d be cool is young Cyclops as a way to help mold him.
Grey
How about young Angel, get him before he becomes Death.
Glazer
Wait, Iceman fits perfectly.
Add Iceman and Spidey.
Grey
There are so many potential choices of awesome.
Glazer
True there, but they love Spidey everywhere.
Grey
He’s about to get booted out of the Avengers completely, from the sounds of the Superior solicits.
Glazer
I can live with that.
Grey
This book has a lot of potential, and with Remender on board we really have nothing to go by to predict the directions he’ll take the book. With Bendis that was always so easy, you knew his pets and his fanboy characters, and his rosters were easy to figure out.
Glazer
Remender has a plan, but it will be expansive and crazy and change characters.
Grey
Just like X-Force.
Glazer
Or Punisher, really.
Grey
Secret Avengers and his final story line, which is absolutely insane.
Glazer
Agreed all around.
So, a rating for this issue?
Grey
I’m going with an 9. Great art, great story, and the point completely gotten across. I can’t imagine where this is going to go next.
Glazer
I’ll go with an 8. And here we end Part 1. Check back tomorrow for 2 Guys Avengers and Young Avengers!