AVENGERS 19. Spoilers..I guess?

[Anthony W]

I have never seen such great art in the service of a story that I care nothing about. Ed McGuinness absolutely kills it this issue. It's like a chef (Artist Ed McGuinness) making a gourmet meal but then it's served on a garbage can lid (War Of The Realms) such a waste.

Even the parts that have nothing to do with WOTR disappoints.

spoilers:

Gorilla Man meets with Ursa Major in a zoo so they will not rose suspicion. Except no zoo is going to put a Gorilla and a bear in the same enclosure. The zoo has visitors, who have phones and they are going to want to take pictures and video of the gorilla and bear that are sitting in the same enclosure. Did I mention that the gorilla is wearing clothes and both the bear and gorilla are drinking? Then Aaron has KA-ZAR show up and have Ursa and Gorilla Man comment on how much attention they are drawing.

end of spoilers

It's the classic "You can't call me on my bad idea If I bring it up first" trick. Except it makes him look worse. He knows the whole meeting in the zoo scene was nonsense. He just didn't care because he wanted to have a scene set in a zoo that badly and the editor didn't see fit to stop him. There is also Thor slam but this is Aaron and it wouldn't be an Aaron title if that didn't happen.

[lordozone]

I liked this story for the most part, but I agree that the zoo meeting was total nonsense.

[HipHopAvenger]

How is Doctor Nemesis in this if he "died" in Uncanny X-Men fighting Nate Grey?

[Michael Watkins]

How is Doctor Nemesis in this if he "died" in Uncanny X-Men fighting Nate Grey?

Xbook canon doesn't count until Hickman takes over

[Michael Watkins]

I have never seen such great art in the service of a story that I care nothing about. Ed McGuinness absolutely kills it this issue. It's like a chef (Artist Ed McGuinness) making a gourmet meal but then it's served on a garbage can lid (War Of The Realms) such a waste.

Even the parts that have nothing to do with WOTR disappoints.

spoilers:

Gorilla Man meets with Ursa Major in a zoo so they will not rose suspicion. Except no zoo is going to put a Gorilla and a bear in the same enclosure. The zoo has visitors, who have phones and they are going to want to take pictures and video of the gorilla and bear that are sitting in the same enclosure. Did I mention that the gorilla is wearing clothes and both the bear and gorilla are drinking? Then Aaron has KA-ZAR show up and have Ursa and Gorilla Man comment on how much attention they are drawing.

end of spoilers

It's the classic "You can't call me on my bad idea If I bring it up first" trick. Except it makes him look worse. He knows the whole meeting in the zoo scene was nonsense. He just didn't care because he wanted to have a scene set in a zoo that badly and the editor didn't see fit to stop him. There is also Thor slam but this is Aaron and it wouldn't be an Aaron title if that didn't happen.

Like you said, ignore the story. Stay for the art.

[Rosebunse]

I liked this issue.

[Snoop Dogg]

The zoo plan is stupid, it is pointed out that it's stupid, but it's actually not too stupid because they are in the Marvel Universe, in Wundagore, where the New Men live (or lived, I forget), so talking animals isn't that significant or special.

How is Doctor Nemesis in this if he "died" in Uncanny X-Men fighting Nate Grey?

He ran away like a bat out of hell when he realized another X-Men AU was coming.

[Snoop Dogg]

I liked this issue.

I really respect the balls to do an event tie-in for one of Marvel's flagship titles entirely based around a character that can only be appreciated if you read a bunch of cult mini-series from the 2000's.

[Kurolegacy]

He ran away like a bat out of hell when he realized another X-Men AU was coming.

We all wish that we could do the same but we're stuck until July whether we like it or not

[JKtheMac]

I really respect the balls to do an event tie-in for one of Marvel's flagship titles entirely based around a character that can only be appreciated if you read a bunch of cult mini-series from the 2000's.

Well I appreciated the hell out of it and I will never bother to read those stories.

On all levels this was a stunning story. My only quibble is the strange decision to have untimely tie-ins. This belonged before the previous issue of WotR not after. However this isn’t really a WotR story, it is part of the ongoing Avengers narrative, and as such it is pure genius.

The effectively detached commentary on the war, and the subtle hints in the exchange with T’Challa that he may be playing both sides against the middle sets up a potentially fascinating story.

[Anthony W]

Also, I want to add that if this was Ponsor's last Marvel issue it was a heck of a way to go out. If not, I'll enjoy the work while it last.

[theoneandonly]

well it came across as a average issue to me. the continuation of the mostly tedious Dracula arc and no focus on the winter guard made this pretty much skippable to me. not to mention that old chestnut of some peon on the team being coerced to betray the team. talk about hackneyed cliche. the formation of the various teams in the war of realms book was interesting to see though.

[JKtheMac]

well it came across as a average issue to me. the continuation of the mostly tedious Dracula arc and no focus on the winter guard made this pretty much skippable to me. not to mention that old chestnut of some peon on the team being coerced to betray the team. talk about hackneyed cliche. the formation of the various teams in the war of realms book was interesting to see though.

Well I wouldn’t seek to defend the Dracula arc. I also found that quite tedious, although I recognise many here loved it and considered it more interesting than the wider story. However, this issue gives that arc proper context and positions things in a more interesting way than it previously seemed.

For example, this doesn’t appear to be a simple cliché to me. Gorilla-Man is not simply in betrayal mode. He is in the middle of three scheming people trying to work out what to do. He isn’t telling either side the whole truth, because he has his own agenda.

Dracula’s choice of exile clearly had an ulterior motive, but we now know T’Challa had one too. (I still don’t trust T’Challa in this story.) Gorilla Man can’t fully impart these facts to either side for fear of loosing his leverage upon the situation.

The cliché version would be threats to loved ones or family, a simple double agent. This isn’t that. Even the zoo scene plays to this theme. It’s about knowing that some know he is potentially a double agent. The inherent exposure in such a position and having to trust his own intelligence to see it through. As he says “It’s gotten me this far”.

The story also ties in the first arc. Ken had some kind of vision granted by the Celestial, and Odin basically advised him it was up to him alone to work through the issue. He is lonely and uncertain in two simultaneous ways. This is a key issue and he has become a pivotal character.

Not sure about anyone else, but I don’t need much more than this from a single issue of a comic. Setting up multiple possibilities, tying together the two or possibly three main arcs so far with a mystery and some intrigue, while exploring a minor character, commenting upon the ongoing event backdrop and using it as subtext to illuminate Ken’s inner dilemmas. I don’t use the word genius lightly.

[Tracks]

well it came across as a average issue to me. the continuation of the mostly tedious Dracula arc and no focus on the winter guard made this pretty much skippable to me. not to mention that old chestnut of some peon on the team being coerced to betray the team. talk about hackneyed cliche. the formation of the various teams in the war of realms book was interesting to see though.

aren't the winter guard all dead except the red widow and, apparently, ursa major?

[Ying Ko]

Enjoyed the issue, for me Aaron's Avengers is pretty solid entertainment.

The only real downside to his run is the endless set-up for various plot lines that seem to go nowhere. The Namor situation remains unresolved, the big Winter Guard fight is probably coming as well as the story with Dracula's new vampire nation, Squadron Supreme of America needs to be taken down etc. But instead of all that we'll be getting possessed Avengers mountain, time travel to 1 million BC, and some kind of space adventure.

I hope all the main plot lines will be resolved by the time #50 rolls around and preferably in this book and not elsewhere. We need more epic fights and conclusions IMO, not more set up.