New Avengers: The Reunion #2(of 4)

This is the second issue of the Avengers mini-series starring Clint Barton(Hawkeye/Ronin)and Bobbi Morse-Barton(Mockingbird). Hopefully this issue will finally shed some light on how Mockingbird survived being killed by Mephisto way back in the old West Coast Avengers comic series...

-Bobbi has been chasing down AIM agents who are intending to set off a dirty bomb at a science gala in Spain. Clint wanted to call in the Avengers, Bobbi refused and before long Clint and Bobbi were brawling with each other(just like they always did back in the day).

-Eventually, Clint and Bobbi realized that the longer they fought, the further behind AIM they would wind up. Clint decides to reluctantly follow Bobbi's lead and the two hop a plane headed for Spain.

-While flying out to Spain, Bobbi reveals that she has started up an organization called the WCA, which stands for World Counterterrorism Agency... The WCA?!? Heh-heh-heh!!! I like that ALOT! The WCA is comprised of Bobbi and other SHIELD agents who were captured by the Skrulls prior to Secret Invasion.

-Upon arriving in Spain, Clint and Bobbi check into a hotel, but Bobbi's insists that they stay in separate rooms, since the cover story is that they are scientists, not lovers. Clint isn't overly pleased about this, but he goes along with Bobbi's orders.

-Later, Clint barges into Bobbi's room and begins to argue with her over the fact that she had a purple and blue suit sent over for him to wear to the science gala. The two continue to argue and Clint begins to press Bobbi as to what their relationship is. Finally, Clint tells Bobbi that before she died they were planning on trying to resuscitate their marriage and he wants to give that a shot. Bobbi hesitates and it dawns on Clint that it was the Skrull impersonating Bobbi who was trying to resume the marriage in an attempt to weasel its way onto the West Coast Avengers. Bobbi then tells Clint that before the Skrulls abducted her she had filed the divorce papers, meaning they were no longer married.

OK, there's a lot to comment on here, but first I want to hit on the story of Mockingbird's "death". In a flashback sequence, Bobbi reveals that she was abducted by Skrulls and replaced by an impostor. The impostor was killed by Mephisto back in West Coast Avengers #100, and through a Clint flashback, we learn that the impostor Mockingbird turned into ash upon dying, which is why nobody realized the impostor Mockingbird was a Skrull. So, there it is, that's what I've been waiting for. It was a Skrull impersonating Bobbi that was killed by Mephisto, not the real deal. The real Mockingbird was being held captive by the Skrulls out in space somewhere...

There are SO many hole in that story it's not even funny! First off, the Mockingbird who was killed by Mephisto DIDN'T turn into ash upon dying. She died in Clint's arms, and was subsequently buried. Secondly, Bobbi has shown up SEVERAL times in the afterlife! Off the top of my head, I can remember Bobbi's spirit popping up in an issue of Avengers, Thunderbolts and X-Statix. Finally, why would the Skrulls bother keeping the real Mockingbird alive after Skrull Mockingbird was killed off by Mephisto? Since the Skrulls couldn't use Mockingbird anymore, wouldn't it make more sense to kill her as opposed to keeping her prisoner?

After saying all of that though, allow me to state enthusiastically that I am beyond pleased that Bobbi is alive again. Bobbi Morse is possibly my favorite female comic book character(besides Tabitha Smith that is), and I always felt Bobbi's death should never have occurred. The ONLY reason Bobbi was killed off was because Marvel wanted to kill off SOMEBODY in WCA #100. Bobbi was deemed the most expendable, and was killed off. Bobbi's death always bugged me because WCA was cancelled by issue #103! Why bother killing Bobbi off in issue #100, in an attempt to boost sales for WCA and then cancel the book?!? So, although Bobbi's return doesn't make much sense, I won't say one more harsh thing concerning Bobbi's "resurrection".

For a score I'll give this comic a score of 8 out of 10. There really wasn't much action, besides Clint and Bobbi's occasional spats, but that was fine by me, since this comic book FINALLY gave me the answer to the question regarding Bobbi's return. Welcome back to the Marvel Universe Mockingbird, I for one truly missed you!