by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)
The Story: The aftermath of Siege is explored and the fates of the Dark Avengers cast are glimpsed.
What’s No So Good: Yes, I am reversing our usual review format, but why I’m doing so will soon be abundantly clear.
The first half of this issue just isn’t particularly inspired. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not at all bad or underwhelming, it’s just a bit by the numbers. A couple of pages of Siege replay, Moonstone and Hawkeye make a futile escape attempt, and Daken goes Jason Bourne. It’s decent action, but it’s the sort of ho-hum aftermath stuff that writes itself. The mediocrity is such that I can’t even find a great number of words to write about it.
Mike Deodato also takes on a completely different approach this month, going for a brighter, more “digitally painted” feel. For the most part, this works out really well and delivers a polished, epic feel, but there are points where you’ll be lamenting the lack of defined lines that comes with this style. Also, I’m not a fan of Deodato’s take on Phobos, who looks like a cherubic five year old under his hand.
What’s Good: The second half of the issue is a completely different beast that is so strong it completely wipes away any and all memories of the mediocre first half.
The major shift starts with a scene between Thor and Phobos, as Thor informs the boy of his father’s death. It’s tragic, and yet there’s also a “passing of the torch” sort of feel. The conversational dynamic is superb, as Phobos’ dialogue is so uncompromising that while Thor sounds elevating and lofty in his praise of Ares, Phobos essentially deadpans him. The God of Fear manages to look and sound like both a wounded, realist adult and a frustrated, torn child, with the latter being deeper below the surface.
My favourite scene, however, is without a doubt an extended conversation between Steve Rogers and Victoria Hand. Bendis has done such a fantastic job with Hand that I can’t fully express how happy I am to see that she’s far from gone. Fans of hers will be absolutely thrilled with her fate. It’s a surprisingly feel-good moment in an otherwise grim comic. Bendis seems to want to use Hand as a personification of the idea that even in the ruin wrought by the darkest times, some good can still be found– even forged. I could not imagine a more satisfying conclusion for this character.
Then, of course, there’s the final fate of Norman Osborn. Bendis truly finds the darkest rock bottom that he can for the character. Osborn’s monologue (of a sort) is great stuff, mostly because his self-justifications aren’t completely wrong. He just doesn’t fit with the optimism of the Heroic Age, and so, he’s tucked away in the basement. The fact that he’s not wholly incorrect and that his heart was, ultimately, in the right place makes Osborn’s fall all the more that of a tragic figure. He failed more than anything because of his natural, inescapable limitations. Norman, for all his ideas and motivations, is chained to the Green Goblin and his mental illness. His final state is a beautiful representation of this fact, made all the better by Deodato’s art and a sleight of hand Bendis pulls with the dialogue in this scene.
Ultimately, I could not imagine a worse hell for Osborn; and that I actually feel just a little bad for him means good writing on Bendis’ part.
Conclusion: Simply an amazing ending.
Grade: B+
-Alex Evans
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