Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Uncanny Avengers #3
Marvel Comics
Remender, Casseday & Martin
Red Skull invades New York City with his new powers and his new cast of villain friends in the latest issue of Uncanny Avengers. The book is a straightforward read as Red Skull uses a mix of his Nazi propaganda control, fear mongering and mind control powers to create a war among civilians and super-heroes alike. The comic is an entertaining read as some interesting developments are set up for more stories down the road.
Red Skull comes crashing through New York as he manipulates the humans into taking action against mutants. Using his mind control powers (stolen from Professor X) he also manages to create the illusion that humans see other humans as mutants as well. The Avengers show up and try their best to stop him but they run into problems of their own once they get close to Skull.
The best part of the comic book is the narration that Remender drops in as the action unfolds. He peppers the panels with lines that are unique, descriptive and poetic at times. I'm not usually a fan of caption boxes but Remender uses them well and often in this comic book.
The other aspect I like about the book I like is the developments with Thor. This isn't explored nearly enough as Remender is juggling an awful lot of plates in this book. Hopefully this will be explored more in the coming issues.
The parts of the book that I found a little too clichéd were those that involved Captain America. Ironically, Remender writes the Captain America book, but I just found this incarnation to be too much of a silver age throwback for my tastes.
I also have a hard time seeing Havok in the role he's being cast in for this book. His interaction is awkward with virtually every other character and I just can't get a feeling as to his characterization and interfaces with the others. It's a tough sell.
The artwork is good but not great. There are some great panels and some good action but there are some awkward ones too. The book doesn't specifically list out the inkers but it sure seems like there are more than one in here. The art is very uneven as it drifts from heavily detailed to light details and limited inking. It's just good which isn't meant to be negative at all.
Uncanny Avengers is still picking up steam. Remender lets Red Skull win the day with some prisoners in this issue as things are going to heat up from here on out. The book has a lot to like but just isn't enough to stand out from the crowd just yet. Remender is still world building but this book is one to watch.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
