snap judgments

JJ Abrams’ Star Trek pushed back until 2009.

Hey! Look at this! I’m on a roll.

I do apologize for not having the incredible arc of ‘Oh There’s Symbiotes and Now There’s Not Let’s Go Fight Doom!’ in Mighty Avengers wrapped up, but sadly the store was shorted out allotment and I would never ever go into a customer’s pull to fulfill my blogging needs. Those are your books, proud customer! Treasure them as I wait for my copy, hopefully in with the next batch of reorders.

In lieu of this, let’s take a look at a book I’ve kind of already talked about, New Avengers Annual #2. Mind you, I only got to a bit of Tigra slapping, but trust me! There’s more to that here! In fact, the esteemed Mr. Pedro Tejeda of the equally esteemed Funnybook Babylon came by to note the closure this issue brought, finally peace in our lifetime.

Let’s start at the beginning: first off, we’re treated to another imcompetant moment with our favorite bumbling action force: SHIELD. God, I miss Fury. Anyhow, Maria Hill is getting a briefing on how the Hood busted his buddies out and killed a bunch of guys on the way out; she bemoans magic as if SHIELD simply can’t repel forces of the Hood’s magnitude, when I’m pretty darn sure there’s not only an Agent on tap for this kind of thing, but a division as well. This magic stuff is going to be the end of her, for sure.

Anyhow, the Hood goes to Tigra’s house, strongarms her for info and they all head off to Strange’s hideout. HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT? The Hood can see through Dr. Strange’s magical defenses. Man, he keeps getting better and better… Now, mind you, this might be less of a Mary-Sueing of the Hood and more to show how incredibly weak Dr. Strange has gotten. When the team teleports back (Sorcerer Supreme or Swiss Army Knife of powers? You be the judge!) , even Jessica Jones seems surprised by the fact this rag-tag bunch of losers seemed to ‘win one’ for once. Remember kids: don’t think too hard about whether this came before Mighty Avengers #8 or even the last issue, just enjoy the story.

Everyone gets a little moment while the Sorcerer Supreme seems to be having a little freak out. Well, I would too knowing that THE HOOD IS COMING! Spider-Man looks ot be taking his leave to go mess his life up when he spots the Hood, bursts back into the hideout and makes a grab for the baby! Seriously! In what seems like in an out of nowhere move, Spider-Man yoinks baby Danielle out of her mother’s arms and makes a break for it, all the while telling them that they’ve been found out and to prep for splash page fights. Jessica Jones-Cage follows him out to the rooftop, where Spidey explains there was no time to explain, the baby’s safety comes first.

Now, I know what they’re trying to do here and I just can’t stand for it. So, right now, I declare I’m taking Spider-Man at his word here. He busted in and grabbed a child out of his mother’s arms to make sure the baby got to safety first because it was the right thing to do at the time. Does it make sense? No. But will this save me hours of debate on whether or not this was a ‘Skrully’ act and if Spider-Man and/or Jessica Jones-Cage and/or Baby Danielle is a Skrull? Yes. And I’d just like to enjoy the story right now and not have to stop in the middle of the action to nit-pick over a possibility. I am no fun.

Meanwhile, the Hood and the Gang bust in and start blowing up the joint, totally blowing the master of the Mystic Art’s cover and disrupting his defenses while he continues to have some sort of medical problem on a nearby bed, Night Nurse and Wong attending. They don’t stop the Hood from running up to the door and blasting bullets into Strange’s chest, but Wong does fight him off until the Hood disappears and Night Nurse declares Strange isn’t breathing. So no help for you guys there.

Just as the Hood is about to put a bullet into Iron Fist’s skull, TIGRA SHOWS UP! Yes, that’s right! Two major issues of brutality and humiliation have come down to this, folks! Here she is, bustin’ through the window in the nick of time to … get a good swipe or two at the Hood before getting blasted by who I’m assuming to be the Living Lazer or some such. Later on, she’s taking on some big red guy with blonde hair and getting choked out by someone who looks a lot like Juggernaut. It’s hard to tell, being in the background while cooler people fight. There it is, folks. Retribution. I will say it does being getting the crap kicked out of you in your own home.

Anyway, fight fight fight; SHIELD, who’s been monitoring Strange’s old place (and/or tailing the Hood and the Gang) can’t help but notice this type of epic brawl and decides to call in for backup. Meanwhile, things look bleak and then bleaker when Doctor Strange, bulked up like his World War Hulk days, gets filled with a bright pink light that summarily fills everyone else in the house and ends the fight. Why? Who knows. How? Why bother? Wong goes around and heals our heroes and says that it has to do with the Zom Strange drank back in World War Hulk. Strange, humbled and humiliated, tells everyone he’s no use to them now and packs off for parts unknown.

Now, I know this is just fandignance but man. Can we just get to the mini-series where Strange regains his mantle back and goes back to being a bad ass?

As everyone stands around, SHIELD shows up and takes away the offending criminals. OH HEY THE HOOD’S NOT THERE. They also try and take away the New Avengers too, but Ms. Marvel gets sweet-talked into not turning them in. Clint Barton notes that this is the Carol Danvers he used to crush on, which is probably the nicest way he could have put that at that moment. The Hood talks to the demon that possessed him and Jessica Jones-Cage does the smart thing and heads right for Stark Tower to get her out of this crazy mess. I mean, COME ON! There’s a baby involved now, she’s no longer fighting the good fight on the frontlines, why not get to safety before Spider-Man comes back and steals your kid for good this time?

Was it a good issue? Well, a lot of things certainly did happen. No stone was left unturned and you have to admit that there’s a lot here to talk about. Aside from my own fandignance, I can’t say there was anything wrong with the issue; even Doctor Strange’s sudden and abrupt departure is more disappointing than angering. Who wants to bet that the Hood’s demon powers originate from someone with a grudge against the Sorcerer Supreme? So it all ties in to a greater story we’ll all enjoy a lot more when it’s part of the trade.

Right now, all you need to know is that Doctor Strange is out, Tigra’s in and Jessica took the baby and went home to mother Tony Stark. Also, Secret Invasion.

Steve Gerber passed away this week, a fact I’m sure you all know even if you’ve been living under a rock (good WiFi reception under rocks!). You know this because everyone has wanted to note this passing, celebrate the author or chip in at least two-cents about a man who left quite a legacy behind him. It’s remarkable how many blogs and articles have cropped up on my news feed about Mr. Gerber, what he wrought upon our comic shelves and how much his work meant to a lot of people. From casual fan to hardened hero, everyone’s had something to say and the fact that everyone steps up when times are tough and takes note when a beloved creator leaves us is pretty much why I enjoy comic fandom as much as I do. For all the bickering and pain and agony these books bring, they also introduced us to some pretty awesome people, both on the page and off.

Everything I could have said or wanted to say was already covered excellently by Mike Sterling, so I’ll let his words stand. Thanks Mr. Gerber.