My pick of the week is pretty surprising--a comic that wasn't originally on my radar at all: the Young Allies 70th Anniversary Special. A lot of these Golden Age tributes have been pretty good, but this one is outstanding. It's written by Roger Stern, one of my favorite Marvel writers who worked on Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, and countless other characters.
The Young Allies consisted of a gang of kid characters that fought together in World War 2, with Bucky and Toro as the headliners, and some other kids known as the Sentinels of Liberty. Think of them as Marvel's version of Kirby's Newsboy Legion.
This Anniversary story takes place in current Marvel time, as Bucky visits Arlington Cemetery and remembers his former team-mates. Bucky tells the story in first person narration. One of the great things about having Bucky back is that we get a whole new perspective on a man displaced out of time--who relates more to octogenarians from WW 2 than anyone else. Bucky recalls an earlier adventure with the Allies and manages to locate a couple of the remaining survivors. There's a cool post VE-Day tale set in Paris where the Allies encounter a rogue group of Nazis hell-bent on implementing Hitler's plan to engulf the city in flames.
But this comic isn't cool because of the action. It's great because of Bucky's inner monologue and the comradeship he experiences with his friends. It's very touching and sentimental. The score from Band of Brothers played in my head as I read this comic. I'm a sucker for this type of story. If the credits had been left off the title page, I would have said that Brubaker or even Brian K. Vaughn had written this story. That's no insult to Stern, just a testament that he's a great writer. This is the guy who wrote The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man. I hope Marvel continues to give him more work.
Captain America #600 made the news headlines on Monday. Marvel had telegraphed this in advance, and I could predict that this had something to do with Steve Rogers returning. I wasn't able to buy the issue until Wednesday. I rushed out to Jeffrey's Toys in downtown San Francisco and managed to snag one of the last copies with this fantastic Alex Ross cover. I love it--the cover alone justifies the cover price for me. It should be a poster.
It's a good solid story that weaves together many plot threads from Brubaker's run and elsewhere in the Marvel Universe: WW2 flashbacks, the Red Skull, the 1950s Captain America, Crossbones, the Falcon, Hawkeye and Norman Osborne's Dark Avengers. The Bucky from Heroes Reborn shows up to pal around with Patriot from the Young Avengers. The main excitement is in Sharon Carter remembering more details about Steve Rogers' death, that there was a special weapon involved and it might lead to his revival.
Brubaker is great at when it comes to executing these fake-outs that make you think he's killed a major Marvel character. He didn't get me with Steve Rogers. He did get me with Foggy Nelson. After Nelson was revealed to be alive and in FBI custody, Brubaker wrote in a Daredevil letter column: C'mon, you didn't think I'd really kill Foggy, did you? After that, I can't believe Brubaker will kill any character in his Marvel series.
The excuse to bring back Steve Rogers is a bit flimsy, but it's well done nonetheless. I don't think the big question is how Steve Rogers comes back. The big deal is what happens to Bucky as Captain America. He's just cooler than beans, with that shiny costume and gun. I really liked having him face his demons from the past, teaming up with Namor, and leading the New Avengers. The only resolution to this situation would be to have two Captain Americas. DC Comics is facing the same problem with Barry Allen and Wally West.
It seems like it took a long time for Deadpool #11 to arrive! It's been about six weeks since we read the first part of this current arc, which ended with Dark Hawkeye (Bullseye) shooting Deadpool through the skull with an arrow. Deadpool has been one of my favorite titles since it started, and Daniel Way has proven himself to be one of the funniest writers around. I often laugh out loud reading each issue.
Part 2 of the big showdown is loaded with bizarre jokes and gags. Bullseye calls a radio therapist to discuss a personal problem: why he just can't bear to kill Wade. Torturing him is just too much fun, as it turns out. Deadpool stumbles around with the arrow stuck in his head, which makes him even dumber than usual. He recovers and eventually faces Bullseye again, and comes up with a cunning device of self-defense.
Two words I'll always remember from this issue: Meat Suit. I'll say no more.
Deadpool and Bullseye are the Martin & Lewis comedy team of the Marvel Universe. Way is a twisted genius. If you're not buying this comic, you're really missing out.
Not to mention this lineup of Liltin' Landmarks:
War of Kings Ascension #3: Darkhawk learns more about the Raptors and why Talon has suddenly returned. We also see the assassination attempt on Lilandra in War of Kings #4 from Darkhawk's POV. Darkhawk is now fully immersed in the central conflict of this war. I haven't read such a fun and well coordinated event since the Avengers-Defenders war.
Mighty Avengers #26: Hank Pym teaches Reed Richards a thing or two after he invades the Baxter Building to regain Bill Foster's Wave Inducer. Robot fetishists will love the scene between Pym and Yocasta. Next issue promises to reveal a new Avengers base--can't wait to see what that is.
A good week. Make Mine Marvel! Nuff said.
