The Best of the Rest!!! May 15th edition.

With the overwhelming success that is Flashback Friday(OK, “overwhelming” is probably a bit of a stretch, but it's my blog so humor me!), I've decided to bring back the feature that nobody has been clamoring for(well, except for JT)the Best of the Rest! Now I'm sure there are a few of you out there who are wondering, “Why gosh Jethro, what is this here Best of the Rest nonsense all about?” This “nonsense”, as you so astutely put it, is where I(and I'm quoting myself from several months back here), “give my uninformed and at times offensive opinion on comic books and their creators”. In layman's terms, I just do a bunch of hastily put together reviews, slap 'em into one post and call it a feature... It's my regular reviews, only worse! Expect lots of sarcasm. Horrible, horrible sarcasm... Well with an intro like that, who WOULDN'T want to start reading???

Green Lantern Corps #47: This issue pretty much wrapped up the Blackest Night portion of this series and put a pretty little bow on top. Basically, the GL's go about fixing up Oa, and we get to look in at a few of the characters who have been starring in this series. Since I have a very strong pro-Earth bias going tonight(don't ask... Trust me on that!), I'm only going to look into the two Earth-born Green Lanterns. Kyle Rayner manages to convince the Guardians of the Universe that they should repeal their ban on GL's having romantic relationships with each other, basically so he could get some of Sinestro's daughter in public. Hey, why not? Oh, and Guy Gardner's bar collapsed during the Black Lantern invasion, which proves definitively that zombies are real jackasses. And if that offends any zombies who may be reading this, TOUGH! And yeah, that's pretty much that. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Yeah that's right, I didn't even mention this scene in my "review", but I decided to post it anyway... Go figure.

Justice Society of America #38: FYI(that's “for your information”, for your information), this entire comic takes place in the suck-tacular future where the Nazis have managed to conquer the United States, which probably surprised even the Nazis themselves... And if that offends any Nazis, TOUGH! After recapping how the Nazis won(hmm, I guess that means this comic didn't actually take place solely in the future...), we discover that the Fuhrer(that's Nazi-speak for leader I guess)is going to be visiting the prison camp where all of the de-powered ex-superheroes were living. In order to impress the Fuhrer, the top brass at the camp decide to execute a high profile prisoner, so they choose Batman(as well as the Joker, who doesn't want to live in a world with out Bats). The Fuhrer arrives and we learn that he is the all grown up All-American Kid/Kid Karnevil/that evil blond kid from Salvation Run. Bats and Joker get executed firing squad style, and the grown up(and still ultra annoying)Jamie Reyes decides to attack Mr. Terrific, who was collaborating with the Nazis. Don't worry, this was all a plan to get the Nazis to trust Terrific even more then they already do, he wouldn't REALLY collaborate with Nazis! So the Nazis shoot Jamie in the head for his lack of restraint, and take Terrific to the infirmary to get patched up. And that's literally how this one ends. Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.Gute Nacht Mistah J!!!

Action Comics #888: The evil Kryptonian, Jax-Ur(who is the host for evil Kryptonian god Vohc the Breaker)has managed to trap Chris Kent in the Phantom Zone, while Vohc's creation(a giant-sized version of the Kryptonian god Rao)destroys large portions of Pakistan. Flamebird tries to defeat fake Rao, but can't, so the Justice Society of America(and I guess Pakistan)step up to the plate to give her an assist. Mr. Terrific wins the award for the most obvious observation, when he announces that it looks like Rao has been growing every time he is being struck... Gee, thanks Captain Obvious... Terrific then spouts off a bunch of sci-fi mumbo-jumbo, that basically means that if Rao continues to expand, he'll become a giant black hole and destroy the Earth(much like my blog). So to combat this dread news, the JSA continues to attack Rao, and they are soon joined by Wonder Woman(and an ax!). WW(and the ax!)smacks Rao a few times and Green Lantern(Alan Scott)puts a big force field around Rao's head, which causes Rao to collapse. Well THAT was easy! Almost too easy... Hmm... The heroes all celebrate and congratulate each other, which allows Rao the opportunity to get back up again and continue his parade through Pakistan. By this time, the governments of Pakistan and India have had enough of Rao and his crap, and decide to launch some nuclear weapons at the giant Kryptonian god, which seems a BIT drastic to me, but what do I know? Before I get back to that cheerful little scene, I should probably go back to Chris and the Phantom Zone. Chris wanders around the Phantom Zone and winds up finding Nightwing(no not Dick Grayson, although that would have blown my mind!), and the two decide to bond(or whatever it is you do when you meet an ancient Kryptonian god)in order to halt the horrifyingly deadly march of Rao the unstoppable!!! Nightwing hops out of the Phantom Zone(not literally I hope)and disarms all of the nukes, ending this issue. Score: 6 out of 10.Hey look, it's Wonder Woman... And an AX!!!

Daredevil #506: Wow, it seems like AGES since I last read a DD comic... That's not a part of the review or anything, just a random observation... DD(who is the leader of the Hand)helps one of the Hand's bigwigs fight off an assassination attempt. The bigwig(whose name is Bakuto by the way)figures that DD was behind the attack(because they butted heads last issue), and storms away. DD mopes about this turn of events to his friend White Tiger, who acts weird... Foreshadowing much? Later on, DD calls a Hand meeting and Bakuto accuses him of shenanigans, which DD flatly denies, which causes Bakuto to storm away again, because that's what he does, much like how I tend to over use commas(and parentheses!)... Wow, that was the best run-on sentence EVER! After the meeting, DD falls asleep and is visited by Elektra in a dream, who proceeds to cut something out of him. DD wakes up and realizes that he was bleeding... Exactly where Elektra cut him! Ooo, creepy!!! We conclude this lovely trip to Japan with White Tiger revealing that she was actually in cahoots with DD's rivals for the leadership of the Hand! How UN-surprising! . Score: 7 out of 10.Gah, that's one UGLY ninja!

Mighty Avengers #36: This is the very last issue of this series, so I think a moment of silence is in order......... OK, that's long enough. Pym(taking a page out of Mr. Terrific's playbook)explains in sci-fi mumbo-jumbo that he's been attempting to revive his ex-wife/punching bag the Wasp, and that he's been using Jocasta to help with that feat. Jocasta, now realizing why Pym had been so nice to her, smacks him and calls him a fleshbag, which is my FAVORITE(or FAVOURITE for my non-American friends)robot to human insult. While Jocasta vents at Pym, Ultron and his ten billion brides(that's right, TEN BILLION)storm into the room and start tearing up the joint, Ultron style! Pym and his associates(Jocasta, a guy in a black mask named Ace, and a chick with an eye-patch named One-Eyed Jacquie)run away from Ultron while Pym tries to formulate a plan to defeat his angry robotic offspring. Ultron says nuts to that and flies in front of Pym, telling his “father” that he knows what Pym was up to, and reconfigures the Wasp's brainwave patterns so that she only obeys Ultron. Ultron gloats, figuring he's finally defeated Pym, but Pym reveals that he still has the only device that can free Ultron from Infinite Avengers Mansion, the Dimensional Inducer, which is trapped inside of Jocasta. Pym then calls Ultron a coward(them's fightin' words!), which causes Ultron and his ten billion brides to attack Pym. Pym grows in size to deal with the attack, while drawing Ultron's attention away from his allies. Finally away from Ultron, Jocasta manages to free her ten billion clone bodies from Ultron's control, and Pym flies away from Ultron to meet up with Jocasta. Ultron arrives and tells Pym that even without his ten billion brides he can STILL whoop Pym, so Jocasta offers to marry Ultron to halt his attack... Really?!? Ultron agrees, and then Pym marries the two robots... Yes, really! Ultron goes through Jocasta's files and realizes that the Dimensional Inducer was back in Infinite Avengers Mansion, so Ultron decides that he'll be using that to run rampant through the cosmos. Pym says, nuh-uh, and teleports every single Avenger ever to his side to deal with Ultron once and for all. Ultron(realizing that those were PRETTY bad odds)backs down and agrees to leave with Jocasta, heading to a completely secluded planet that was totally devoid of life. After Ultron leaves, we discover that the Avengers were only holograms, and that Jocasta could still project her consciousness to the Mansion, which means that everything that had happened was all for nothing... Hmph... This issue ends with Pym joining his Mighty Avengers at Asgard for the final battle against the Sentry. Jeez, that reviews was WAY longer then I would have liked... I'll have to short-change the next one now! Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.And I must be mad for reading this!

Action Comics #889: Hey look, it's another issue of Action Comics! Giant, evil, fake Kryptonian god Rao begins the long and arduous process of turning into a black hole(well, I think turning into a black hole WOULD be a long and arduous process!), while Nightwing walks around saving those losers from the JSA from being crushed by Rao. I kid, I like the JSA! There not losers... Most of the time... Dr. Fate shows up(gee, thanks for FINALLY showing up Doc...)and along with Nightwing, Flamebird and Wonder Woman(who has pretty much stood around and done nothing)attack Vohc the Breaker who was responsible for giant, evil, fake Kryptonian god Rao's rampage(but then you all ready knew that from reading about AC #888 earlier, didn't you?), and Nightwing and Flamebird force Vohc into the mini black hole that was opening up inside of Rao. The other heroes don't follow the Kryptonians because... Well, I'm not entirely sure why not, but they don't, which leaves us with Nightwing and Flamebird against Vohc inside of giant, evil, fake Kryptonian god Rao. Unsurprisingly, the two heroes vanquish Vohc, which is a classier way of saying they beat him like a rented mule. With Vohc done for, Nightwing banishes him to the destroyed Phantom Zone, allowing Vohc to build stuff in that secluded space... Aww, how nice of him! With Vohc gone, giant, evil, fake Kryptonian god Rao breaks into little pieces, which causes Wonder Woman to say, “Great Hera.”. I agree WW, “Great Hera” indeed! Nightwing and Flamebird emerge from the shadows and make out in front of everybody(umm, OK...)before flying off into the sunset together. Well, not literally, but I think you get my point. This issue ends with a bunch of scientists(led by that sneaky Lex Luthor)cleaning up the mess that was Rao, while Luthor almost definitely thinks of all sorts of nefarious uses for a broken giant, evil, fake Kryptonian god. Score: 7 out of 10.Sorry, I'm all out of quips. You'll have to come up with your own.

Annnd, that's it. I'm done and not a moment too soon I'd say. Feel free to leave your credit card numbers and/or false praise in the comment section of this post, and last but CERTAINLY not least, Long Live The Legion!!!

Mighty Avengers #35

After some thought, I've decided to go back to the way I used to post reviews, that being one review per post. That way if there's a certain comic review you're looking for, it should be a lot easier to find it as opposed to having to sift through as many as 5 other reviews per post to find it. I figure that'll make things a little bit easier for you, my beloved readers. Yeah, that's right, I'm kissing up again! So everything will be as it always was, except I'll only have an introduction with my first post of the night, the other posts will be straight up reviews, so while Mighty Avengers is going to get an intro, Superman(which I'll be posting next)won't. There we go, I think I've adequately explained things, so with that, let's get to the reviews!

Mighty Avengers #35:Writer: Dan Slott. Pencils: Khoi Pham.
Last Issue: 7 1/2 out of 10.

This issue begins with two agents from GRAMPA(which is some kind of global security outfit)heading to the Infinite Avengers Mansion to tell Pym that his Mighty Avengers were no longer associated with GRAMPA, all thanks to Pym butting heads with Norman Osborn a few issues back. Pym seemingly could care less, since the Mighty Avengers disbanded after the last issue, and he's been spending his time trying to get Jocasta back online. While this is going down, Ultron is reassembled by the billions of Jocasta clones he managed to take over, and he begins to slowly take over the computer systems of the Infinite Avengers Mansion. Pym discovers from the agents of GRAMPA what had been going down in Asgard(during Siege), and when Captain America calls Pym to see if Pym would be willing to assist Cap's Avengers as they head into battle against Osborn and his HAMMER forces, Pym bluntly turns Cap down. After finishing up with Cap, Pym manages to reawaken Jocasta, revealing to her the he had created human-like arms and legs for her... DAMN is Pym crazy! Anyway, Pym hooks Jocasta back up the the mainframe of the Infinite Avengers Mansion servers, and she immediately panics, telling Pym to disconnect her from the mainframe before it was too late. Before Pym can ask what was wrong, Ultron appears on all of Pym's computer screens and announces that he plans to delete Pym. HA! Pym and company decide to make a break for it, but run into the billions of Jocasta robots Ultron had taken command of. Pym and his allies manage to escape the Jocastas by shrinking down and leaving a hologram of Pym and company behind. Pym and co make it to the main lab of Infinite Avengers Mansion, and Pym shrinks down his teleportation technology, hiding it in Jocasta, so that it wouldn't fall into the metal hands of Ultron. However, with the teleportational device not hooked up, Pym and company have trapped themselves inside Infinite Avengers Mansion with Ultron. The agents of GRAMPA decide to try their luck outside the Mansion, but find themselves in some sort of extra-dimensional void. This issue ends with Pym revealing that the dimension Infinite Avengers Mansion was located in was the same one Thor banished the Wasp to at the end of the Secret Invasion farce.

Well, there was some good here, as well as some bad. The good was ULTRON! Ultron is my favorite Avengers villain, and seeing him(yes, HIM!)back in all his unholy, robotic glory made me very happy. You don't know how glad I am to see that this comic seems to have rid us of that female Ultron garbage the Dread Lord gave us back during the beginning of this series. However, the non-Ultron stuff was a bit flat. Pym giving Jocasta human arms and legs was pretty creepy, as was the fact that he was hanging around in the dimension his ex-wife had been banished to. The next issue should be the final one for this series(I think), and it should also have the final(until the next time)battle between Pym and his maniacal robot son, Ultron. Whatever happens, I'm just hoping that the next issue doesn't see the return of the Wasp...

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Woo-hoo, it's the return of the ORIGINAL Ultron!!!

Action Comics #887 & Mighty Avengers #34

Only two new reviews tonight since I'm still waiting on my comic order. This is why I hate ordering from the comic shop in Texas... Sure, they have the best selection of back issues at really good prices, but it takes FOREVER to actually get the package! I mean, I ordered my books on Wednesday the 10t h and I'm still awaiting the package 10 days later! Even my patience has its limits! Granted, I still have a few new books to get to, but my new comics pile is starting to grow thin, and that always worries me a bit. Also, with tonight's reviews, I'm going to try something a little bit new... From now on, I'm going to post what I scored the prior issue for what ever series I'm reviewing. I figure last issue's score should give some indication of what I'll think of the comic I'm currently reviewing. Of course my first review of the night completely blows that theory out of the water... Well, I've got a bottle of strawberry flavored water and a big bag of Sour Patch Kids with me, so let's get to the reviews!

Action Comics #887: Writers: Greg Rucka & Eric Trautmann. Art: Pere Perez. Last Issue: 2 out of 10.

This comic gets underway with Lois Lane visiting the Web(whoever that is!)in Metropolis, where he gives her a computer that can't be hacked by the government. With no fear of her father killing her work, Lois embarks on a world tour, where she blogs about how Nightwing and Flamebird aren't the evil Kryptonian terrorists her father makes them out to be. From there we go to Flamebird and Nightwing in Iraq, where they are confronting evil Kryptonian, Jax-Ur, who happens to be the host for the vengeful Kryptonian god, Vohc-The-Breaker. Vohc wants Flamebird to love him, but she loves Nightwing, so it's all a big, soap opera-esque mess. Just with Kryptonians, instead of bad actors. Since he was spurned, Vohc creates a fake Rao(who is the main Kryptonian god)and sends it loose in the Middle East. Nightwing and Flamebird try to halt its progress, but fake Rao takes whatever is thrown his way and grows in size and strength. Realizing they were fighting a losing battle, Flamebird confronts Vohc himself, and Vohc throws a black lightning bolt at Nightwing, trapping him in what appears to be the Phantom Zone... Even though the Phantom Zone was destroyed. Flamebird loses the will to fight with Nightwing gone, but luckily for everybody, Lois Lane arrives on the scene with a cell phone! What a strange way to end things...

Compared to last issue, this comic wasn't all that bad. Then again, I don't know how this comic COULD have been as bad as last issue was! This comic was more or less about Nightwing and Flamebird attempting to halt the rampage of fake Rao, which was WAY better then last issues unwanted Kryptonian Mythology lesson. Sure some of the dialogue was hokey, and the story wasn't terribly original, but at least this comic was readable, and that makes it a huge improvement in my book!

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.I can almost HEAR the noise Super Mario makes when Rao begins to grow in size!

Mighty Avengers #34: Writer: Dan Slott. Pencils: Neil Edwards. Last Issue: 7 1/2 out of 10.

This issue gets started with Pym FINALLY telling Quicksilver what everybody else has already known, that the Scarlet Witch who has been manipulating the team from its inception was actually Loki in disguise. Quicksilver throws one of his patented Quicksilver tantrums and Pym tells him that he has a plan for capturing Loki and seeing what he knows about the real Scarlet Witch's whereabouts. Pym then creates a machine/torture device on the Isle of Silence(think an Asgardian prison)and manages to snare Loki in it. Loki tries to manipulate the team into fighting each other('cause that's what he does), but Pym pushes a remote control button that inflicts a massive electrical shock strong enough to cause even Loki pain. Sensing that he could be in real trouble, Loki telepathically calls out to his brother Thor for assistance, and the God of Thunder arrives on the scene just as Quicksilver(who had stolen the remote away from Pym)is electrocuting Loki. Thor demands that Quicksilver halts his actions, and Quicksilver responds by baiting Thor into a fight. Thor makes quick work of Quicksilver, but Pym prevents Thor from really hurting Quicksilver. Thor then warns Pym to never create another Asgardian torture device, and Pym agrees to that, so long as Loki is punished for his actions. Since Loki DID torment the Mighty Avengers for so long, Thor grants Pym one question which he can ask Loki, and Thor warns Loki that he had better answer it truthfully. Instead of doing the expected, and asking Loki where the Scarlet Witch was, Pym asks Loki if he'd like to join the Mighty Avengers(!!!??!)! Loki of course turns down the offer, figuring Pym insane for even asking, and the rest of the team, from Quicksilver to Stature decide to quit, not wanting to be led by a man who would welcome Loki into the ranks of the Avengers. This issue ends with Ultron continuing to take over the bodies of Jocasta back at Infinite Avengers Mansion.

HA! Although there were some dead spots in this comic, as well as events that were never adequately explained(such as Pym knowing Loki would return to the Isle of Silence), the last few pages more then made up for that! First there was the part where Pym tried to recruit Loki to join his team, even though Loki has been an enemy of the Avengers longer then ANYBODY else. Not only did he try to get Loki to join up, but he then went about rationalizing it in a scientific way! Only Pym... Pym's actions seem to have broken up the team, and although I'm a bit upset about that, I'm overjoyed that I won't have to read about Amadeus Cho anymore... God do I HATE him! The ending, which heralds the return of Ultron also left me smiling, because Ultron IS my favorite Avengers villain, and anytime he appears is a good thing as far as I'm concerned... Well, as long as they revert Ultron back to his original appearance... I hated BENDIS'S female version of Ultron... So yeah, all in all, this was a pretty good read.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.When you can manage to leave Loki completely dumbstruck, you know you've done something right!

Daredevil #504, Mighty Avengers #33, New Avengers #61 & Uncanny X-Men #520.

As promised, I have a few new reviews to post tonight. However, all four comics I'll be writing about are Marvels, so sorry to all of you DC fans! I'll start off with the comic that should be the best of the bunch before things get progressively worse...

Daredevil #504: Writer: Andy Diggle. Artist: Roberto De La Torre.

We get underway with Daredevil ordering one of his Hand minions to begin the construction of a building in Hell's Kitchen called Shadowland. From there, DD is informed that his two good friends, Dakota North and Foggy Nelson have been suffering some professional setbacks, which pisses DD off, since he figured getting away from them would help their careers out. Angered at what he figures is Osborn striking at him through his friends, DD decides to send the Hand into Hell's Kitchen and proclaim it his, hoping to provoke a response from Osborn. From there we head to the Kingpin, who reveals to his second in command, Lady Bullseye, that it wasn't Osborn who was destroying the lives of DD's friends, but that it was actually him(!). Kingpin is counting on DD to confront Osborn, leading to a large confrontation between the two, which should hurt both sides. Kingpin then figured he can use that moment of weakness to continue to re-consolidate his power-base. Osborn gets wind of what DD was planning in the Kitchen, and responds by sending in a battalion of HAMMER agents(exactly as Kingpin had hoped)to the Kitchen, which leads to a massive battle between DD and the Hand and Osborn's HAMMER officers. While this is going on, Dakota and Foggy learn that it was Kingpin behind their recent misfortunes, and they realize that they have to try to get word to DD to alert him to the fact that once again the Kingpin is playing him for a fool. This issue ends with the Hand routing Osborn's forces, capturing them and locking them up in DD's underground lair.

Ah, so Kingpin has been playing both Osborn and DD... Brilliant!!! What an inspired storyline twist, one that I didn't see coming at all. Since Osborn should be out of power in a few short months(after the Siege x-over), everything in this comic is setting up for the Kingpin to once again take his place as DD's deadliest foe, the way it should be. Kudos to Andy(and Ed Brubaker before him)for setting up such a smart and unexpected turn of events.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.This series just keeps on producing some high quality stuff!

Mighty Avengers #33: Writer: Dan Slott. Pencils: Khoi Pham.

Osborn's Dark Avengers and Pym's Mighty Avengers reluctantly join forces to battle the Absorbing Man, who had managed to absorb the powers of a Cosmic Cube. Osborn figures he can end the battle easily by simply sending the Sentry to take down AM, but is shocked as AM uses his newfound reality manipulating abilities to tear the Void from the Sentry, which leads to the two halves of the Sentry attacking each other. Since nobody from either team can damage the nearly godlike AM, Osborn decides to tap into Project PEGASUS(which was where AM was being held), and he learns that the scientists inside were doing an experiment where they were hoping to transfer the powers of the Cosmic Cube into AM's ball and chain. Upon hearing this news and seeing that the process obviously worked, Osborn figures AM's ball and chain is inside the Project, and that it is probably imbued with the near limitless abilities of a Cosmic Cube, so he runs from the battle and enters the Project, hoping to gain possession of the Cosmic ball and chain. Pym, who was eavesdropping through Osborn's two-way radio, races after him. While this is going on, one of Jocasta's bodies in Pym's Infinite Avengers Mansion is taken over by Ultron(!!!). Back at the Project, Osborn and Pym arrive at the Cosmic ball and chain, and Osborn blasts Pym away, leaving nothing between him and godhood. Before Osborn can claim the Cosmic ball and chain though, Pym tricks him into believing that he had already used its powers, which would explain how Osborn had pretty much taken over the Marvel Universe. Osborn hesitates momentarily, which leads to Pym decking him and claiming the Cosmic ball and chain for himself. Pym heads outside, and tries to bring down AM with the Cosmic ball and chain, but meets no success. Inside the Project, Loki appears before Osborn and gives him an Asgardian sword which can undo AM's absorbing powers, thus severing his link with the Cosmic Cube. Osborn rushes outside and strikes AM with the sword, ending his threat, while his adoring public looks on. This issue ends with Pym heading back to the Infinite Mansion after realizing that Loki had a hand in Osborn's victory. Pym ends up finding a camera feed that picked up an image of Loki, and winds up comparing it to something he had on file, getting a 100% match...

OK, first the scene at the end of this issue. I'm going to guess that the 100% match Pym discovered was between Loki and the Scarlet Witch(who Loki was pretending to be as he guided the Mighty Avengers to do his bidding). The main story was all right, but the main thing that caught my eye here was Jocasta getting one of her bodies infiltrated by possibly my favorite Avengers villain, Ultron! The last time Ultron graced the pages of an Avengers comic, BENDIS had transformed him into a her, because BENDIS hates me. I'm hoping that Dan brings back classic Ultron, not BENDIS'S abomination.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Needless to say, if classic Ultron returns, I'll be doing my happy dance.

New Avengers #61: Writer: BENDIS... Art: Stuart Immonen & Daniel Acuña.

This is going to be less of a review and more of a vague overview, because I just can't stomach doing a full-out review here... The Hood unites his forces and uses his Norn Stones to destroy the Avengers hideout. He then sends various c-list villains after Steve Rogers and Bucky as well as Spider-Woman and Spider-Man. Cap and Bucky manage to barely hold thier own against the losers, while one of the Hood's villains manages to mind control Spider-Woman into attacking Spider-Man, ending this issue.

I'm sorry, but this comic was really bad... All of the things I hate about BENDIS(bad/repeated dialogue, inane storytelling, characters acting out of character)were all present here. If you have enjoyed the last few issues of this series, then chances are you'll like this comic. If you're like me, and you've wanted to wash your eyes out with soap and stick hot pokers in your ears after reading the past couple of issues of this series, then avoid this comic at all costs!

Score: 1 1/2 out of 10.AVOID THIS COMIC BOOK!!!

Uncanny X-Men #520: Writer: Matt Fraction. Pencils: Greg Land.

This issue gets underway with the undisputed god of the mutant race, Cyclops(who from this point forward shall be referred to as Lord Summers the First), ordering his minions, in this case, Psylocke, Colossus and Wolverine, to go to New York City to see who had sent the Predators to Utopia Island and to deal with the party responsible. The trio head to the Big Apple, and Wolverine picks up the scent of a Predator in the sewers, which is where the team heads. After a quick search, the team learns the Fantomex(!)had beaten them to the Predator and had successfully destroyed it. Wolvie tries to convince Fantomex to help the X-Men track down the people responsible for sending the Predator lose, but Fantomex declines, since he was hired by a third party to kill the Predator, and as such, his job was completed... My god is Fantomex awesome... Back on Utopia, or more accurately under it, Namor, under the direction of Magneto, has created a massive, Atlantian built pillar to support Utopia, thus preventing it from sinking into the Pacific. After thanking Namor, Mags heads to the surface to inform Lord Summers the First of what he had accomplished. Lord Summers the First, upset that Mags hadn't cleared the project with him first, basically tells Mags that NOBODY is allowed to do ANYTHING on Utopia unless Lord Summers the First had allowed it. Mags tells Lord Summers the First that he was only trying to be helpful and gain the Lord's trust, but Lord Summers the First tells Mags that he'll never be trusted. Back in NYC, the trio of X-Men trace the Predator to a location and break in, but the group of individuals who had sent the Predator out seem to be prepared for them. This issue ends with Professor X and Mags making up(awww)before Mags leaves Utopia to "do something good" with his life.

Hey, this issue wasn't half bad! Now I'm actually looking forward to the next issue instead of dreading it! Sure, Lord Summers the First was still acting like an asshat(heh...), but you know what? I expect it now. Sadly, I've finally come to terms with the fact that the character who was at one time amongst my favorites has been mutated into an unrecognizable, and wholly unlikable character. Oh well, hopefully Lord Summers the First will get killed off soon, so he can return in a few months as the character he used to be. The story was OK, I didn't really care too much about the trio of X-Men and their trip to NY, although it was awesome to get to see Fantomex again... If Fantomex was in more Marvel comic books, I think I'd be a slightly happier person. The stuff between Lord Summers the First and Magneto was interesting, especially depending on how Matt decides to play it out. Let's face it, Mags is now responsible for saving Utopia from a watery grave, which could have a major impact on the mutants living there if they discover what Mags had done for them. With Uncanny rapidly approaching issue #525, I'm hoping for a big showdown between Lord Summers the First and Magneto for leadership of Utopia, and I don't think I have to say who I'd be pulling for if such a battle ever did take place...

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.If only Mags would kill Lord Summers the First off... He'd automatically become my favorite Marvel character then.

A couple of quick reviews.

Since it would be implausible to post proper reviews for all of the books I've read over the past two nights, I'm going to instead post two articles, one for my favorite, or in this case co-favorite comics out of the bunch, and then a second article(this one)providing a quick look at the other comics. Hmm, I think I probably could have worded that a little bit better, because reading it back has me confused, and I know what I'm planning! Anyway, here are a couple of shoddy comic reviews, sans pictures... Yes, I goofed and lent out a few of these books before I scanned them, meaning they are devoid of pretty pictures... Whoops!

X-Factor #200: Ah yes, the winner of my coveted best ongoing comic series of the year award. Yes, I love X-Factor, and this issue sure didn't change that. Here's a quick rundown of what went down this issue. Valeria and Franklin Richards hire Jamie and X-Factor Investigations to find their mother, the Invisible Woman. It seems the Invisible Woman has vanished(heh-heh... Sorry), and Valeria suspects some form of foul play, possibly involving her father, Mr. Fantastic. The X-Factor crew stops by the Baxter Building to talk to Reed, who basically gives the team the cold shoulder and seems uninterested in his wife's whereabouts. Oh, and Guido and the Thing get into a fight, because that's what super-heroes do when they meet. The meeting with Reed arouses Jamie's interest, and he promises the kids he'll look into things. Later in the comic, we find out that Sue was transported to Latveria, and that apparently Layla Miller was somehow involved. Besides that, Monet's father is captured by some terrorists, and Val Cooper tells Monet that the terrorists will only release her father if she turns herself over to them. We also get a pretty cool mini story about Siryn, who is still trying to come to terms with the "death" of her and Jamie's son. The Rev. John Madrox, one of Jamie's dupes, co-stars in the mini story. As usual, this issue was great. It had just the right mix of comedy, drama and intrigue. This issue is actually THE perfect jumping on point for anybody who may have been interested in getting into this series... Just saying... Score: 9 out of 10.

Mighty Avengers #31: This issue finishes up the Unspoken storyline. Needless to say, the combined forces of the Mighty Avengers, the Young Avengers and the renegade Avengers from Avengers: The Initiative were able to halt the Unspoken's plans of turning every human on the earth into an Inhuman Alpha Primitive. The combined Avengers forces were able to artificially age the Unspoken to the point where he was no longer a threat. Quicksilver brings the crystals the Unspoken stole back to the Inhumans and proceeds to lie, stating that it was a Skrull impersonating him who stole the Inhumans Terrigen Crystals, not him. The Inhumans seem to buy Quicksilver's lie, however, his daughter Luna is not fooled, and she tells him as much. Now this is how I like my Avengers! Seeing Clint Barton and Hank Pym fighting back to back again made me nostalgic for the old West Coast Avengers comics. The story was well done, the dialogue was good(I love that Quicksilver is running around claiming a Skrull committed all of his misdeeds!), and the artwork was great. What more could I ask for? Score: 8 out of 10.

Mighty Avengers #32: Thanks to Loki, the Absorbing Man gets loose in the headquarters of Project PEGASUS, and begins to run amok. Norman Osborn decides to send his Dark Avengers to the facility to arrest the Absorbing Man, figuring it would be an easy win that would boost the image of his team of Avengers. Loki(disguised as the Scarlet Witch)tells Pym and his Mighty Avengers about the Absorbing Man's break out in order to pit the two bands of Avengers against one another. Osborn holds a press conference with his team outside the PEGASUS building, which is interrupted by the arrival of Pym's crew. Before the two groups of Avengers come to blows, the Absorbing Man bursts out of the roof of the PEGASUS building, announcing that he had absorbed the powers of a Cosmic Cube! Just like the prior issue, this was also a very good issue of Mighty. With how very nontraditional the New and Dark Avengers titles are, this series(as well as The Initiative comic)is a real breath of fresh air. If you want to read some good, old school style Avengers action, then by all means, pick up this book! Score: 8 out of 10.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #7: Batman and Robin take center stage this issue as they try to track down the uber-lame Gotham villain, Humpty Dumpty, who's basically a fat guy who likes to put broken stuff back together... I kid you not! Anyway, Humpty has stolen a bunch of toys right around Christmas time, and Batman and Robin track him down to some derelict building. They discover that Humpty had stolen the toys for some dead children he had discovered floating around in a river outside his building. Apparently Humpty was hoping that the toys would fix the dead kids. While Batman and Robin try to piece together where the dead bodies were coming from, we learn that Victor Zsasz has been kidnapping homeless kids and forcing them to fight to the death in a seedy fight club. Even though I really hate Humpty, I did enjoy reading this issue. Paul Dini(the writer)is really taking Zsasz in a darker direction then usual, and that's really saying something! I mean, Zsasz has always been a sick, twisted SOB, but pitting homeless kids against each other in knife fights is low even by Gotham City standards! I can't wait for the inevitable confrontation between Zsasz and Batman and Robin down the road. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Gotham City Sirens #5: After their headquarters was almost destroyed by the Joker, the Sirens decide to put an end to Joker's antics... Permanently. The women track Joker down to one of his old hideouts and discover that the man they thought was the Joker was actually one of Joker's old sidekicks, a crazed dwarf named Gaggy. It seems that Gaggy resents Harley Quinn for replacing him as Joker's sidekick, and wants to kill her in retribution. This issue ends with the women all trapped in various Joker style deathtraps. I've got to admit that I was hoping it was the real Joker in this issue, and that I was kind of let down when it was revealed that it wasn't. Personally, I prefer the old purple clad Joker to Grant Morrison's recent incarnation... Anyway, the bottom line here is that I liked this comic, but as I said, was a little bit let down by the big reveal. A crazed dwarf? Really?!? Score: 7 out of 10.

Gotham City Sirens #6: Picking up from last issue, the women escape their various deathtraps, and after a lengthy origin story from Gaggy, the women wind up turning the tables on the unstable dwarf. Harley Quinn manages to strap Gaggy to a Joker-ized toy rocket ship, and the angry dwarf is blasted away. This issue concludes with Harley still not sure about how she feels about the Joker, and Gaggy emerging from the waters of a river in Gotham swearing revenge on Harley. You know, I actually enjoyed this issue a lot more than the last issue, mainly because of Gaggy's origin story. The origin story actually gave me a reason to care about this deranged dwarf, which helped me enjoy the story more... Go figure. Score: 8 out of 10.

Well, there we go, a couple of reviews, all neatly packaged in a single blog post. Not bad for a night's work. Doing my reviews like this, as opposed to meticulously going over each book in separate posts, was a real time saver... Unless there's some sort of massive outcry from my blogging buddies, I might just keep doing my reviews like this. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the post, Long Live The Legion!!!

Mighty Avengers #29

Plot: Dan Slott, Script: Christos Gage, Pencils: Khoi Pham.

What happened: We start off with some background information concerning the Unspoken and the Slave Engine which he took and hid from his fellow Inhumans while he was their king. In the present, the Chinese Army attacks the Unspoken but end up failing miserably. Back in Infinite Avengers Mansion, Ronin(who used to be Hawkeye)saves the Young Avengers from an attack by the Scarlet Witch(who is actually Loki). In another part of the Mansion, Pym embarks on some kind of experiment which sends him through the Macroverse. Back at the fight, Scarlet Witch knocks Clint out of her way and attacks the combined forces of the Young Avengers and Clint. Meanwhile, the Unspoken has arrived at the Slave Engine and is confronted by US Agent, Quicksilver and a few members of the Chinese super team. Unspoken reveals the true purpose of the Slave Engine to the gathered heroes, it devolves humans into Alpha Primitives, who are the slave caste of the Inhumans. Unspoken powers up the Slave Machine and US Agent as well as two members of the Chinese team begin to devolve into Alpha Primitives. Back at Infinite Avengers Mansion, Clint tells the Young Avengers to distract the Scarlet Witch so he can determine if she is who she claims to be. How does Clint do that? He plants a big old lip lock on the stunned Witch! After letting go, Clint is positive the lips he kissed weren't the same as the lips of his former longtime teammate. The Scarlet Witch becomes incensed and attacks Clint, but gives the Young Avengers an opening to attack her/him, which they do with gusto. Wiccan casts a spell which begins to reveal Loki's true form to the Young Avengers and Clint, but Loki reverses it and leaves in a huff, promising death to all. This issue ends with Stature finally able to tell Clint and her teammates about the emergency transmission from Quicksilver which was blocked by the Scarlet Witch.

What I thought: I really, REALLY enjoyed this issue! This series is EXACTLY where Clint Barton belongs, with a bow in his hand, not in that mockery of a comic, “New Avengers”. Reading this comic reminded me of all the great old Avengers stories before BENDIS dug his fingers into the series and tore all of the good away. If you're like me, and you're sick of BENDIS' bastardization of the Avengers, do yourself a favor and give this series a shot.

Score: 9 out of 10."Dirt-crawling worms"? "Gutter Magic"? That's some of the best comic book dialogue EVER!!! If I were to become a magician, I'd definitely use gutter magic on my foes!

Mighty Avengers #28

I'll admit that I haven't been really bowled over by Mighty since Dan Slott took over the writing chores from The Dread Lord BENDIS. Obviously, Dan's run has been better than BENDIS', but let's face it, that isn't exactly saying much. This issue promises a showdown between the Young Avengers and Loki(who is posing as the Scarlet Witch). Being a huge fan of the Young Avengers, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the issue that really begins to propel this comic forward. The plotter for this issue is Dan Slott, while Christos Gage deals with the scripting. Khoi Pham provides the pencils.

-We begin in the past with the former leader of the Inhumans, the Unspoken, watching over his group of Alpha Primitives as they concoct the Slave Engine. With the Engine almost complete, the Unspoken decides he wants to present the Engine to Black Bolt as a peace offering. Unfortunately though, Black Bolt launches Attilan into space(and onto the moon), before the Unspoken came present his peace offering, stranding the Unspoken on Earth.

-Back in the here and now, US Agent, Quicksilver and their liaison from GRAMPA check on the thoroughly defeated team of Chinese super-humans who had their collective asses handed to them last issue by the Unspoken. When the Chinese heroes come to, they mistake the Avengers as enemies and attack. Quicksilver tries to get a transmission to the Mighty Avengers base of operations, but his transmission is erased by the Scarlet Witch(Loki). Stature witnesses Loki's treachery and rushes to warn her teammates, but is unable to say anything about Scarlet Witch/Loki due to a magic spell placed on her by Loki.

-Pym's Avengers hold a meeting and Stature continuously tries to warn the team about the Scarlet Witch, but to no avail. Finally she asks for some time to herself, which Pym grants her, and she leaves with Vision while trying to come up with a way past Loki's magic spell.

-Quicksilver and US Agent barely hold there own against the Chinese hero team before the liaison from GRAMPA reminds all of the battling super-humans that they should be pooling their talents and battling the Unspoken, not each other. This leads to a very uneasy truce.

-The Young Avengers head to the former site of Avengers Mansion and meet up with Stature and Vision. However, unbeknownst to the young heroes, they were followed by Clint Barton, the super-hero formerly known as Hawkeye.

-Stature informs the Young Avengers that the Scarlet Witch has been working with the Mighty Avengers, which excites both Wiccan and Speed(the suspected sons of the real Scarlet Witch). Stature convinces Wiccan to recite a magic spell to bring the Scarlet Witch to them and Loki(who was in Asgard)is forcefully transformed into the Scarlet Witch and transported to the Young Avengers.

-Scarlet Witch/Loki becomes enraged upon being summoned by mere mortals and launches into a massive assault against the Young Avengers. However, Clint(who was watching the entire unprovoked attack)draws his swords and prepares to attack the woman he believes was responsible for killing him twice as this comic comes to an end.

I really wasn't looking forward to reading this comic because I wasn't expecting much. With that said, I was very pleasantly surprised here! The boring Unspoken stuff was kept to a minimum, while the slowly brewing animosity between Stature and Scarlet Witch/Loki has finally come to a head. Stature has been suspicious of Scarlet Witch/Loki from the start(remember, the original Scarlet Witch was responsible for the death of her father, Antman), and it was nice to finally see the two battle. Oh, and in case you didn't know, I am a HUGE fan of the hero formerly known as Hawkeye, so his appearance here was greatly appreciated. So let's see, one of my favorite teams showed up(the Young Avengers)as well as one of my all time favorite Avengers(Clint Barton). That makes scoring this comic pretty easy. For a score, I'll go with a 9 out of 10. With Clint and the Young Avengers battling Loki next issue, I can't wait for next month!Note to self, never piss off an Asgardian shapeshifter who has a tendency of masquerading as a member of the opposite sex.

Quick look at: Mighty Avengers #27

This comic is written by Dan Slott.

-Before Black Bolt was the king of the Inhumans some dude named the Unspoken was king... Hmm, that's not how I remember my Marvel history, but whatever. Black Bolt took the throne from Unspoken after the Unspoken hid the Slave Engine from the Inhumans, which made the Inhumans weak or something. After being dethroned, Unspoken was banished from Attilan.

-Pym introduces his team of Avengers to the Infinite Avengers Mansion, which is... Well, it is what it's name suggests it is, an infinitely huge version of Avengers Mansion located in another dimension.

-US Agent and Quicksilver, who were asked by the international organization GRAMPA to look into reports that the Inhumans were possibly going to make an alliance with the Chinese, find the Unspoken, along with some Alpha Primitives, wandering around China. Quicksilver warns Agent and a member of GRAMPA that Unspoken is unbelievably powerful, but Agent doesn't take Quicksilver seriously until Unspoken utterly decimates China's super-hero team, The People's Defense Force. This issue ends with Agent nervously saying that they need to call in every Avenger they can find to stop the Unspoken.

Eh, this comic didn't really do anything for me. It was OK I guess, but Chinese super-teams and former Inhuman monarchs just doesn't really interest me. If you're into former Inhuman monarchs and/or Chinese super-teams, then rejoice, this is the comic for you! If not then I'd recommend skipping this one. For a score, I'll go with a 6 out of 10.

Mighty Avengers #26

I completely forgot I even had this comic laying around. I might as well give it a read now before I forget about it again. This issue is written by regular series writer, Dan Slott.

-This issue picks up from the events of last issue which saw the Mighty Avengers disguising themselves as enemies of the Fantastic Four and attacking them so Hank Pym could steal a device called the Dimensional Wave Inducer from the Baxter Building. Basically the Wave Inducer would allow Pym to open portals to other dimensions. Why the hell does Pym need to go to other dimensions? Because he's been working on something ominously called Salvation 2 in another dimension.

-Vision attacks the Human Torch disguised as the Red Ghost while Hercules attacks the Thing disguised as the Red Hulk. While these skirmishes are occurring, Amadeus Cho releases hundreds of ants into the Baxter Building disguised as Skrulls. Mr. Fantastic, fearing another Skrull invasion sends his children to Wakanda along with Invisible Woman.

-Mr. F soon realizes that his scanners were set off by ants, not Skrulls, and rushes to secure the Wave Inducer before Pym could get a hold of it. After Mr. F leaves the ants, one of the ants transforms into Pym. Pym looks around expecting to find Stature alongside him, but is surprised to find her missing.

-Instead of assisting Pym with his theft, Stature has stowed-away on the airplane transporting Invisible Woman and the kids to Wakanda. Stature reveals herself to Invisible Woman and spills the beans about Pym's plans, which causes Invisible Woman to turn the plane around.

-Pym finds Mr. F sitting in a room in the Baxter Building with the Wave Inducer right next to him. Pym tries to run over to the Wave Inducer, but can never get near it. Reed explains that Pym will never be able to get closer than halfway to the Inducer thanks to the special composition of the room they were in.

-By this point, the Human Torch and Thing have figured out they were fighting Avengers and they make their way back to the Baxter Building, figuring Mr. F and Invisible Woman were in trouble.

-Pym realizes that sound must not be affected by the room since Mr. F's voice is able to travel to him. With that in mind, Pym uses a sonic tool he was carrying with him to grab the Wave Inducer. Before Pym can drag the Wave Inducer over to his side of the room, Mr. F grabs it, which causes the Wave Inducer to teleport both itself, Pym and Mr. F away.

-Invisible Woman returns to the Baxter Building along with Stature and the kids and discovers the ants attacking vital defense systems. In a move that instantly makes me into a huge fan, Valeria Richards sends a feedback loop through the ants and into that smug bastard Amadeus Cho, knocking him on his ass and forcing him to release his hold over the ants.

-While that is happening, Mr. F and Pym are hurtling through several dimensions thanks to the damaged Wave Inducer. The two decide to momentarily table their hostilities long enough to repair the Wave Inducer. Upon fixing the Wave Inducer, Pym teleports the two of them to a seemingly empty dimension. Pym points something out to Mr. F and claims that the unseen object is the reason he needs the Wave Inducer. Mr. F immediately gives Pym the Wave Inducer and the two return to the Baxter Building where Pym collects his team and leaves with the Wave Inducer.

-Pym returns to his lab in the pocket dimension and uses the Inducer, along with Jocasta's body to stabilize his portal system. The team is shocked that Pym would use Jocasta as no more than a spare part, but Jocasta's disembodied voice assures the team that she is still around, even without a body. Pym tells the team it's time he leveled with them and he invites them to follow him while he shows them "Phase 2".

Well, I do love a good cliffhanger, and this comic sure had that. What was Pym going to show the team? I guess it was the same thing that convinced Mr. F to stand down and allow Pym to take the Wave Inducer in peace. I for one can't wait to see what convinced Mr. F to give up the fight against Pym so easily.

So far Dan is really doing a fabulous job with his characterization of Pym in this series. Dan has been writing Pym as the frigging nutcase he is. By his very nature, Pym is half crazy, and perpetually on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This issue had Pym making out with Jocasta, who is a robot created by his robot "son" Ultron, breaking into the Baxter Building to steal something, fighting Mr. Fantastic, dismembering Jocasta, all while working on something he's named Salvation 2...

Just for those of you who may not know, Salvation 1 was a robot Pym created to attack the Avengers back in the day. At the time, Pym was suspended from the team due to his erratic behavior, and he figured if he was able to "save" the Avengers from Salvation 1 they'd allow him back on the team. However his wife, the Wasp, discovered what he was planning and attempted to stop him, which led to Pym infamously striking her. Pym carried out the faux attack on the Avengers against Wasp's pleading and wound up unable to halt the robot's attack. Eventually Wasp managed to stop the robot and Pym's scheming was revealed to the Avengers. Pym was subsequently expelled from the Avengers, and Wasp divorced him... That story in a nutshell is why I'm a huge fan of Hank Pym. The guy is off the wall, out of his mind insane!

The above story is why I'm so very intrigued at what exactly Salvation 2 is all about. If Salvation 2 is anywhere as disastrous as Salvation 1, the next couple of issues of this series should be a blast to read! For a score, I'll give this comic a 7 1/2 out of 10. My favorite part of this issue? Seeing Mr. Fantastic's 2-year-old daughter completely outsmart that pain in the ass Amadeus Cho. God do I HATE Cho!!!

Mighty Avengers #25

Yay, it's time to check out the sole non-BENDIS Avengers title. Well, except for The Initiative... As always, I expect greatness from Dan Slott, so hopefully this comic will live up to my lofty expectations.

-This issue begins with a flashback from a couple of years ago involving a conversation between Pym and Bill Foster(the now deceased Black Goliath). Bill had managed to create a device that could open doorways to other dimensions. Bill's design was based on Pym Particles, which means that in a way, Pym had a hand in the device's creation. Don't worry, this will make sense eventually...

-Back in the present, Pym tells his team that thanks to the actions of Jocasta(she was trying to prevent the forces of HAMMER from following them)his lab(which is located in a side-dimension)is going to become lost in about 2 days. Basically what that means is that soon Pym and the Mighty Avengers won't be able to get back to the lab.

-US Agent and Quicksilver leave to do a job for GRAMPA, which is the international organization the Mighty Avengers have hooked up with. Upon arriving in China, Agent and Quicksilver discover GRAMPA seems to believe the Chinese Government may be establishing diplomatic ties with the Inhumans, something GRAMPA doesn't want to come to pass.

-Pym calls Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four in order to get a hold of Bill Foster's blueprints for the dimensional doorway device(the one that was mentioned in the opening flashback. See, I told you that flashback would come into play!). Apparently Bill willed the blueprints to the Thing upon his death. Mr. F outright tells Pym the blueprints are too dangerous to hand to Pym due to his questionable mental state. Mr. F then goes on to say he knows more about Pym Particles then Pym does(!!!)and throws the creation of Ultron in Pym's face(!!!). Pym curses Mr. F out and begins to plan a way to break into the Baxter Building to steal the blueprints.

-This issue ends with Pym outfitting his team with image inducers that will make them look like foes of the Fantastic Four. It appears Pym wants to lure the FF out of the Baxter Building so he can sneak in while they are away battling the phony threats. Tres sneaky Mr. Pym!

I have to say I really liked this comic! The conversation between Pym and Reed was classic! I loved the way it started out civil(well, for the most part)before it devolved into an ugly name-calling exchange. I've never made any secret about the fact that Pym is one of my favorite Avengers(that says a lot about my lack of taste!)and Dan is doing a fantastic job depicting him in this series. All issue long Pym was pulling that understated crazy act that I like so much. Pym is at his best when he is bordering on a nervous breakdown, and it looks like Pym is headed for one hell of a mental collapse.

It's funny how much better this comic was compared to New Avengers #53, which I reviewed a few nights ago. Comparing Dan Slott to Brian BENDIS is like comparing a thoroughbred horse to a rundown donkey! Dan depictions are just so dead-on, while BENDIS' are just all wrong. You can tell Dan was a fan of the Avengers with his knowledge of the team and the characters, while I seriously doubt BENDIS has EVER read an issue of the classic Avengers books. For a score, I'll give this comic a 9 out of 10. If for no other reason, you should read this comic just to see Hank Pym call Reed Richards a "bitch"!

Mighty Avengers #24

This is the only Avengers title not currently being butchered by the DREAD LORD BENDIS. Well, except for "Avengers: The Initiative", but unfortunately I tend to think that Marvel has all but cancelled that series.

-This issue opens with the Cabal(I guess that's what Norman Osborn is calling his group of baddies)meeting on the astral plane to discuss their various problems. They all vent for a while and eventually Pym and his band of Avengers come up. The Cabal members tell Osborn that allowing Pym's Avengers to run around makes him look incompetent and weak. Norman gets miffed and tells the Cabal that he has things in hand. After the meeting, Loki goes home and gloats that she is responsible for the formation of Pym's Avengers. It seems that Loki is deliberately undermining Osborn for some as of yet unrevealed reason.

-Loki meets with Pym and his Avengers in the guise of the Scarlet Witch and tells them about several trouble spots around the globe. Pym's Avengers go to the problem areas and quell whatever trouble was brewing there.

-Quicksilver catches up to Pym and demands a spot on the team, mainly because he wants to reconnect with his sister, the Scarlet Witch. Pym acts like the pompous ass he tends to be and rips Quicksilver, telling him he's not good enough to be an Avenger anymore. The Scarlet Witch then teleports Pym and the Avengers away, leaving a very distraught Quicksilver behind.

-After taking down some evildoer, Pym speaks with a member of the media and tells them that since his band of Avengers is the only one led by a founding member of the Avengers, his team is the true Avengers. Needless to say Osborn nearly flips out upon hearing Pym's words.

-Pym's Avengers begin to battle another evil menace and wind up winning thanks to the interference of Quicksilver, who has been following the team around hoping to impress Pym enough to earn a roster spot. Pym decides to allow Quicksilver onto the team, which leaves Quicksilver overjoyed.

-The media meets up with Quicksilver and he explains away his recent bad behavior by claiming he never did anything wrong, a Skrull posing as him did... HA!!! Jarvis isn't pleased that Quicksilver was making that claim, but Pym tells him that it was his idea. Pym also gets an offer to make his Avengers a global reaction team that has jurisdiction anywhere Osborn isn't allowed to operate. Pym gladly accepts the offer.

-This issue closes the same way it began, with the Cabal meeting up on the astral plane. The Cabal members begin to push Osborn to take care of Pym's Avengers and Osborn's face momentarily shifts into the image of the Green Goblin. Osborn quickly regains his composure and adjourns the meeting, leaving a smug Loki sitting behind.

Dan Slott seems like he has a definite plan in this comic book, and I have to say, so far so good! Now, don't get me wrong, this comic is far from perfect, for one I STILL hate Amadeus Cho, and can't fully enjoy this comic as long as he is present. If not for Cho, I have to say this team is nearly perfect, in a dysfunctional sort of way.

I'm glad Dan is keeping Pym somewhat unlikable and arrogant, because at his base Pym IS unlikable and arrogant! As a longtime Quicksilver fan, I'm glad to see him join the team as well. I also like the rest of the team(except for that pain in the ass Cho of course)and I especially like that Dan hasn't forgotten the fact that Cassie(Stature)blames the Scarlet Witch for the death of her father, Ant-Man. Dan really seems to have every ones back stories and personalities down, which is a far cry from the at times unbearably bad writing and characterizations of the DREAD LORD BENDIS. I have to say, this series is far and away the most reminiscent to the traditional Avengers comics grew up enjoying.

Before I end this post, I have to ask, what the hell is up with Loki??? It was bad enough when he began gallivanting around as a female, now he is also impersonating the Scarlet Witch, ANOTHER female... Very weird... For a score, I'll give this comic a 9 out of 10. If Cho hadn't appeared, I might have scored this issue even higher. All in all though this was a very good comic, MUCH better than New Avengers or Dark Avengers.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Pym may be somewhat "mentally disturbed", but he makes all the points I've been trying to make in a few short sentences. Wow, it's sad when Hank Pym is the voice of reason in the Marvel Universe!

Mighty Avengers #23

Overall- This issue is the final part of Dan Slott's first storyline as the writer of Mighty Avengers. We begin with Iron Man taking command of the Avengers from Hank Pym... Ahh, it's good to see that Tony is still acting the part of the egomaniac, even with the God of Chaos, Chthon slowly conquering the Earth. Hank tries to get the Avengers to stay at his side, but most of the team is all too happy to follow Tony's orders. Tony takes U.S. Agent and Hercules and goes off to destroy Chthon's base of power, Wundagore Mountain.

Attacking Wundagore brings Chthon, who is less than pleased that his mountain is being assaulted. Chthon attacks the heroes and stops them from doing any further damage. The Scarlet Witch speaks to Bruce Banner telepathically, which releases the Hulk, who attacks Chthon. Although Hulk manages to stagger Chthon, not even Hulk's power can stop Chthon. Pym tries a frontal assault against Chthon, but he meets with no success, until he realizes that Chthon, like all spell-casters has to actually SAY the words to his spells in order for them to work. Pym reconfigures his Ant-Man helmet to affect the language center of Chthon's brain, which causes him to just spout random gibberish. Unable to string words together in a coherent manner, Chthon is left powerless.

Unfortunately for the Avengers, Chthon manages to jump out of Quicksilver's body and take control of his lackey, Modred. Before Chthon can begin to wreak some more havoc, Vision manages to trap Modred/Chthon in the magical Darkhold book... Please don't ask me to explain how... Let's just leave it at that!

Pym manages to reunite Quicksilver's mind and body, and everyone on Earth realizes that it was Pym who was responsible for defeating Chthon, which restores Pym's name and disassociates Pym from Skrull Pym, who was pretty much the human face of the Skrull Invasion. With that, the Scarlet Witch appears and teleports the Avengers back to where ever they were before the mess with Chthon started. This issue concludes with us discovering that the Scarlet Witch was never actually involved with assembling this bunch of Avengers at all, it was actually Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief and sex changes, who assembled the team!

Nice move by Dan Slott at the end of this book. With Loki pulling the strings, this comic could go in a number of different directions. It also means that Loki is acting in direct defiance of Norman Osborn and the whole stupid "Dark Reign" thing Norman set up. That could also prove very interesting down the road. For a score, I'll give this comic an 8 1/2 out of 10. I really wasn't enjoying the first 2 issues of Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers run, but he totally redeemed himself in this comic. I'll be looking forward to finding out who will be staying on this team, as well as discovering what Loki's true intentions are.

Mighty Avengers #22

Overall- Eh, this was one of those cases where I didn't hate what I read, but I also didn't really care about it either. Before I go any further, here's a quick review of the contents of this comic.

The motley crew of Avengers Scarlet Witch(Wanda Maximoff)summoned to Wundagore Mountain to stop the evil god, Chthon, begin to fall apart practically the moment they get together, with Hulk deciding he wasn't interested in helping anyone, Stature blaming Scarlet Witch for killing her father(the second Ant-Man)and US Agent trying to arrest Hercules and that nasty punk Amadeus Cho. Just for trying to arrest that jackass Cho, I have a new found respect for US Agent.

While these Avengers are falling apart, Chthon, who is in possession of Quicksilver's body is running across the planet, spreading chaos in his wake. Wanda leaves the bickering group when she realizes Iron Man was approaching Wundergore Mountain. Wanda makes it so that Hulk and Iron Man run into each other, which predictably leads to Hulk attacking Iron Man, since Hulk still holds Tony responsible for the death of his wife and(as far as he knows)his unborn son.

Eventually, Hank Pym manages to get the Avengers into some semblance of order and they retreat to strategize. Hank decides with Chthon destroying the Earth, they have to move fast and attack Chthon's stronghold underneath Wundergore Mountain. Hank and the Avengers enter Wundergore and run into Chthon's top lieutenant, Modred. Modred brings the walls to life and has them attack the Avengers. The Avengers have difficulty dealing with the living walls and Bova the cow-woman, who Modred has retained from Wundergore as his personal assistant, tries to strike Modred in the back of the head with a book she's been carrying. Modred sees Bova's attack coming and prevents it. This momentary distraction winds up giving Iron Man, who managed to defeat the Hulk during their battle, the chance to blast Modred into unconsciousness. With that, the ever arrogant Tony Stark dumps Bruce Banner's unconscious body on the floor and announces that he'll take over matters from here... Damn, what an a##hole Stark is! The issue closes with us discovering that Quicksilver's consciousness seems to be trapped within the book Bova was seen clutching throughout this issue.

This comic was OK, it was readable, but it just didn't wow me. I've made a point to say that I think Dan Slott is one of the top comic book writers out there today, but so far, this storyline isn't pleasing me the way Dan's work in "Avengers: The Initiative" did. It could be the team, since I can't stress enough just how much I hate Amadeus Cho. Whenever I even see him in a comic book, I begin to lose interest, that's how much I hate him. I'm also still harboring a grudge(yes, I hold grudges against comic book characters!)against Tony Stark over the way "Civil War" and Captain America's death went down. As far as I'm concerned, Stark is as responsible as the Red Skull when it comes to Steve Rogers death. I never really liked US Agent(once again because of all the crap he put Steve Rogers through), Hercules I can take or leave and Scarlet Witch has been so butchered by the dread LORD BENDIS during Avengers: Disassembled and House of M, I have a hard time as seeing her as anything but a lunatic. I will say that I've always liked Hank Pym, due to the fact that the guy is always a few seconds away from a total nervous breakdown, and I'm also fine with Jocasta hanging around. I really like the fact that Stature and Vision are included here, because I absolutely, positively LOVED the "Young Avengers" series while it was around.

Next issue has the potential to be interesting, since US Agent should consider Iron Man a wanted criminal, as well as the fact that Pym basically blamed Stark for the death of his ex-wife, the Wasp. I'm sure this comic will pick up, Dan always produces good to great work, but I would really like to see some tweaks to this roster. Hell, I'd accept Iron Man with open arms if they'd throw that son of a b#### Cho off the team. With that, I'll give this comic a score of 6 out of 10. This comic was readable, but just never grabbed my attention... Oh well, better luck next month.

Mighty Avengers #21

Overall- Before I give a review of what I just read, allow me to get a little something off of my chest first... F###, F###, F###!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE/ABHOR/LOATHE/DETEST/DESPISE(add any other negative verb you want)that f###ing a##hole Amadeus Cho! If not for the inclusion of that a##hole, I really, REALLY would have enjoyed this comic. But, as Cable would say, "What is, is.", so on with the review.

Anyway, my bitching aside, this was an... Interesting comic book. The Scarlet Witch, remember her? She's that Avenger Brian Michael Bendis character assassinated a few years ago during "Avengers Disassembled"(WOW, I'm in a foul mood tonight...). Anyway, it seems that Wanda is going around collecting Avengers while the world descends into magically caused chaos. In New York, the streets are running red with blood, San Fransisco is trapped in amber, the Atlantic Ocean is literally burning, etc. Wanda manages to collect Vision and Stature from the Young Avengers, U.S. Agent, and the Hulk.

While this is occurring, Hercules and that a##hole Amadeus track down Jarvis, the Avengers long time butler, in the hope that Jarvis can help them assemble a team of Avengers to combat the bizarre forces engulfing the planet. Jarvis, Hercules and the a##hole wind up finding Jocasta and Hank Pym, who has decided to call himself "Wasp" now... That's kind of creepy... I'm sorry, it weirds me out that Hank has decided to give himself the code name of his dead ex-wife. After some soul-searching, Hank decides to join up with Herc and company, and lead these so called "Avengers".

Hank realizes that the source of the magical energy messing up the Earth is located in Transia, or more specifically, Wundagore Mountain. Hank transports himself and his motley crew there and he is met by Wanda, who says she wants to help combat the magical threat affecting the planet. With that, she brings forth the Avengers she collected, and the two teams join forces ready to tackle who/whatever is responsible for the magical attacks.

By the time this comic ends, we discover that the person responsible for all of this trouble is Modred the Mystic. Modred has used the powerful Darkhold book of magic in order to transport his evil God, Chthon to our plane of existence, in the body of Quicksilver, who just happens to be the brother of the Scarlet Witch. Well, that should make things interesting!

Wow, Modred the Mystic??? Dan Slott never ceases to amaze me with his ability to pull the most obscure characters out of the Marvel Universe and use them to further his stories. Hell, I barely remember Modred! I do recall him from a few OLD Avengers comics from, I think the late 1970's or so. I may dig those books out to make sure of that though. Anyway, the main storyline was sound, but I had ALOT of serious problems with the make-up of this Avengers team.

First off, Wanda Maximoff was confirmed to have lost her mutant powers after the debacle known as the "House of M". I guess Dan can circumvent that by stating that Wanda was using magic, as opposed to her actual mutant powers. Besides that, with the exception of Stature, "Wasp", Vision and Jocasta, I really don't like this team. I've never liked the Hulk. With the exception of the Grey Hulk, the Hulk has never appealed to me. U.S. Agent I can take or leave. I guess he'll fill the obligatory "hothead" role on the team. You know, the guy everyone hates. I think I made my feelings on Hercules and the a##hole pretty well known... And then there's Wanda... Brian Michael Bendis did such a hatchet job on poor Wanda that it's going to be hard for me to see her on this team. I mean, Wanda single-handily destroyed most of the mutants on Earth. Decimation was one of the single worst ideas in comic book history, and Wanda was the catalyst Bendis used to enact Decimation.

I'll definitely pick up the next couple of issues of this series, due mainly to the fact that I think Dan Slott is one hell of a writer. BUT, I don't know if I'll be able to stand reading this comic book unless Dan changes up the team roster SOON. In the end, I liked this story, but the inclusion of the a##hole really, really hurt my enjoyment of this comic book. For that reason, I'll give this comic a score of 6 1/2 out of 10. PLEASE Dan, I'm literally BEGGING you, get Amadeus Cho out of this comic book as soon as possible. Either that, or kill him off in the most gruesome way imaginable. That would work too!

Mighty Avengers #20

Overall- This issue dealt solely with the funeral of the Wasp. Hank Pym, freshly back from his kidnapping by the Skrulls, has to deal with the funeral of his ex-wife, as well as learning about everything that has happened since he was abducted by the Skrulls. Basically, this issue had 5 full picture pages dealing with House of M, Civil War, Captain America's death, World War Hulk, and finally, Secret Invasion.

At the funeral, Pym gets up to speak and RIPS into Tony Stark, blaming him for Cap's death, as well as the death of Wasp... Well, that just made me even more of a fan of Pym! Thor finally gets up and helps Pym away from the podium, leaving with him. Besides that, Clint Barton curses Norman Osborn out at the church, and we close the issue with Norman standing menacingly in his office in Avengers Tower... OOOOK...

What more can I really say that I haven't said already? Not to sound callous, but the death of the Wasp was a "who cares" moment for me. I just never really cared much about her character, so her death has very little impact on me. She started out as an airhead sidekick for Pym, turned into an Avenger, basically due to her proximity to Pym, married Pym, was abused by Pym, divorced Pym, got into relationships with many other Avengers, suddenly was made Avengers chairwoman, went back to working in the background, and died.

If this issue was designed to get me emotional about Wasp's death, it failed miserably. I didn't care about her in life and I still don't care about her in death. Anyway, this is(mercifully)the last issue of this series written by Brian Bendis, which is good, because I'm just SO tired of Brian now... Next issue heralds the beginning of the far superior Dan Slott becoming the writer of the Mighty Avengers. I fully expect Dan to turn this comic around for me. For a score, I'll give this issue a 4 1/2 out of 10. All this comic really did was remind me about all of the things I've hated about the Marvel Universe since Brian Bendis took over the Avengers franchises.