AVENGERS 16 :
Issue starts with the ongoing interview/conversation storyline that has been running in all the recent Avengers books that obviously taking place after The Fear Itself storyline even though they are being published at the same time. This issues is Commander Rogers centric as it opens with him mourning the loss of Bucky Barnes (Captain America). He decides he is going after his killer which is Red Skulls spawn Sin. The intel he receives states she is in a Sweden castle so he enlists the help of Sharon Carter, Victoria Hand and Hill. They blast into the castle but instead of finding Sin they are encountered by a group of super Nazis called "The Exiles" ( no relation to the book of the same name but actually consisting of some of Steve's old rogues gallery ). The battle rages on til the castle comes crumbling down around them which looks like it takes out the Nazis as we don't see them again and a young lady named Daisy Johnson of S.H.I.E.D introduces herself to Steve. We find out that the castle came down courtesy of her earthquake powers as she was also looking for Sin under Nick Fury's orders. Book ends with Steve still trying to cope with Bucky's death but now back in his iconic Captain America garb.
Rating : 3/5 - Book was nothing special but not bad. Issue just fleshes out the main Fear Itself story to give it some depth and repercussions to what is going behind the scenes.
VENOM 6 :
Book starts of with Flash getting orders to take down a "Spider-Beast" that is attacking NY city that we find out has been quarantined due to the epidemic of everyone acquiring spider powers. As this is happening he is contact with his girlfriend Betty Brant while she is bedside with his dying father at a local hospital. Just like Peter does when he is off doing his Spiderman duties he comes up with an excuse of why he is not there with them. Venom confronts the beast and defeats him with Gravity's "help" who was there trying to assist in stopping the beast. After Flash takes the beast back to the shadow agency he works for and has him locked up in a containment tube the beast literally throws up thousands of spider and breaks out of the tube. The spiders are identified as the couriers of the disease that is affecting all the New Yorkers. The group of government workers and Flash sans the Venom suit run and hide into a back room. They organize a plan to take down the beast with an operation entitled "scorched earth" which was/is intended for Venom if he ever gets out of control and hopes that and some supped up shot guns will take the beast down. As the fight continues and Flash now merged back with the Venom suit goes in the for the kill a scientist discovers who the Spider-Beast really is and Venom has to take him alive instead of offing him right then and there. As this chapter ends Venom is shown taking on the Spider-Beast's appearance to sneak into the group who was controlling the beast.
Rating : 3.5/5 - Issue was good not great but it gets that extra .5 star for the identity reveal at the end. This issue makes you want to read up on the main Spider Island storyline if you weren't already.
X-Men : Schism 3
Issues opens with Emma at the museum telepathically talking to Scott who is on Utopia. The link is broken by unknown source. Scott decides to use a rocket backpack to get to the museum to see whats wrong. All this as Logan is drinking at a local bar watching tv which just doesn't make sense. We get a flashback of the new leader of the Hellfire's Club and his round table of kids. All well to do who have a bone to pick with mutant kind. All the X-Men at the museum are now confronted by the kids. They include Magneto, Namor, Emma, Iceman and Colossus. Each and everyone is defeated and left with an alien sea slug attached to their head. How these powerful mutants can be taken down in the matter of a few short pages by these kids is beyond me. Even with powers no way no how should they have been taken out that easily. As Logan and Scott both try to get to their fellow X-Men they are linked with Idie who managed to get not get noticed by the Hellfire kids. Logan demands for her to run as Scott ends up saying do what you feel is right which turns out to her using her powers to take out the kids. Magneto, Namor etc can't take them out but she can? This makes Logan irate and as him and Scott arrive at the museum he pops his claws into his face. Before anything else can happen a bomb goes off in the building and all the metal around the vicinity flys towards itself and is forming a Sentinel.
Rating : 1.5/5 - This is now the third chapter of a five chapter story. I felt that the first issue was good set up and the second showed promise for the story but this one seemed out of control all things considered. The art is a downgrade from the first two. The "schism" that causes Logan and Scott to have different views after this is not realistic due to each other's makeup. I can understand being caught off guard but having some of the most powerful mutants in the world taken out by such means is unbelievable. There are two issues left and hopefully they get better as this mini in my opinion is turn out to be a dude.
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