Winter Soldier #11 Review

Some how, each issue of Winter Soldier gets better and better. This is consistently one of Marvel's best books. No contest. It showcases everything that made Ed Brubaker's run with the Captain America universe so fantastic. The only problem with this series is that every month, we get a little bit closer to its end and a little bit closer to Brubaker's departure from the world of Marvel. That's actually more than a problem, that's downright depressing.

In this issue, Bucky joins forces with Hawkeye (and his ridiculous sunglasses) to hunt down the brainwashed Black Widow. There's some detective work, a few twists and turns, and a brief throw down with AIM. The dialogue is great; the story is dark and compelling. The mystery just keeps growing. It's typical Brubaker and typical Brubaker is a very, very good thing.

Butch Guice does his usual magic with his pencil work. There's a dark, muddy quality to the book, like this is corner of the Marvel Universe where few superheroes would dare to tread. The killer look of this issue is enhance by the awesome talent of Bettie Breitweiser. Her color art is seriously mind blowing. The reds and oranges look like fire, burning up the darkness on every page. And yet, the book still feels dark, like it's drenched in shadows. Everything about the Winter Soldier is brilliant. This series is so freaking good, it'll make you weep.

Benjamin Bailey is an anagram for Awesome McStudly. Seriously, if you squint, it works. Maybe not. What's an anagram?  Follow Benjamin on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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Marvel Teases New Point One (Again)

Now that a bulk of the Marvel NOW! books have been unveiled, the publisher is returning to the Point One teasers from a few months back. To kick things off, they're looking at the upcoming FF from Matt Fraction and Mike Allred.

I'm gonna take a wild guess here and predict that there will be more of these coming throughout the week.

Update 9/18: I was right!

Update 9/19:

Update 9/20:

Update 9/21:

And here's a fun little variant cover from Skottie Young:

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Avengers Assemble #7 Review

Avengers Assemble is a solid Cosmic Marvel series but a disappointing Avenegrs series. When you consider how many Avengers books there are on the stands, that's not the worst thing in the world. Issue #7 is easily at its strongest when the Avengers are relegated to the background and the cosmic characters take over. Brian Bendis opens the issue with a cool scene involving Thanos confronting the various cosmic bigwigs of the Marvel Universe. The Thanos in this series takes some getting used to, as he doesn't really seem to reflect any of the changes the character went through during Annihilation and War of Kings. Still, there's a definite appeal in seeing the old power hungry, unstoppable Mad Titan back in action.

Elsewhere, the issue follows the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in their escalating battle with the Badoon. There's some fun banter to be had involving the Guardians, as their snarky team dynamic is practically tailor-made for Bendis. But with the story reaching this level of scale, the Avengers are doing little more than getting in the way. The same problems with uneven character voices remain. Thor is the primary offender this month, as he seems to hop back and forth between his old-school, faux-Shakespearean speech and a more contemporary dialect.

At least the emphasis is less on dialogue and more on action this month. Bendis writes a fun, mostly silent sequence that sees the Avengers trapped in the vacuum of space. Unfortunately, Mark Bagley doesn't do enough to bring this sequence to life. His pencils continue to appear very loose and rushed, and neither the inks nor the colors do anything to breathe more life into the page.

Bendis would have a potentially much more interesting and enjoyable story on his hands if he were just writing a Guardians of the Galaxy comic. And perhaps one day he will be, and the Avengers will just have been a necessary evil in order to help provide causal readers a stepping stone into the Marvel cosmos. That still doesn't excuse this series for its storytelling shortcomings.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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