Series: Uncanny Avengers
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Daniel Acuña
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Summary from Comixology: “COUNTER-EVOLUTIONARY PART 1 From the ashes of AXIS an all-new, all different Avengers assemble! The tragedy at the end of AXIS has left the Uncanny Avengers vulnerable, and someone is taking advantage of it. One of the Avengers’ oldest foes returns with a terrible secret that will, all hyperbole aside, shatter the lives of two members of the squad. What is Counter-Earth? What terrible secrets does it house?”
Overview:
I’ll be completely honest. I did not read Axis. It wasn’t on my radar, I didn’t even pick up an issue of it, and I still have no clue what it was about. Axis just wasn’t something I was interested in. I picked up Uncanny Avengers #1 not even knowing it is the fallout of Axis. And, I’ll be honest; this was still less confusing than Avengers/New Avengers and I’ve been reading those from the start. I was a little lost with the fact that Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch may or may not be Magneto’s children (is everything a lie?), and this is my first exposure to Doctor Voodoo, so at times I was a bit lost, but over all it’s semi-easy to follow. If you read Axis, you should have no problem though.
Highs:
I can already tell this is going to be a fun sci-fi book. I love Rick Remender as a writer, Deadly Class and Black Science are amazing, and I really enjoyed the previous Uncanny Avengers run, though I only read the first 10 issues. Daniel Acuña’s art is absolutely amazing and really captures the feel of a distant planet called Counter-Earth run by humanoid animals. There’s even an elephant with a machine gun! How can I not love this series?! Oh, and Quicksilver being a complete dick? Yeah, this book is definitely on my radar now. There is also a hilarious scene where Rouge makes sure Doctor Voodoo has a “mystic leash” tethered to Sabertooth. For a serious book, Remender is sure to put in some lighthearted humor between the lines.
Lows:
As I mentioned, If you didn’t read Axis, I feel like we are going to be confused for a while. It’s not a terrible confusion, and you won’t miss any of the plot, but you will feel a little bit lost. It’s like when you show up to a movie 10 minutes after the previews ended, You missed the beginning, but we should be able to figure out whats going on in the next couple issues. Lets hang in there, because I truly feel like this might be one of the best books of 2015. Yes, I know it’s only January, but this book has the potential to be awesome. Remember, on the first page there was an elephant with a machine gun.
The Final Say:
This book was awesome. It had comedy, drama, action, and the characters have already found themselves in some crummy situations. Towards the end of the book, Remender explains to us, with one page for each character, what happened to them when Doctor Voodoo jumped them to Counter-Earth, and it’s not pretty. Overall, this book was a really fun read. From page one to the final page, the book is packed with action and a great cliff hanger. With all that said, I’m going to have to give this book a 4 1/2 out of 5. The only reason it scored a half was because I feel like a lot of people will be a bit confused if they didn’t read Axis. But, you should really jump on this book!
Music Pairing:
Now, I know Remdender is an old school punk guy, so I hope he wont hate me for recommending someone to listen to ska. This book was a fun read and I feel like it needs some fun music to go along with it. And what’s more fun then Ska? Well, a lot of things.. but never mind that. I think you need to be playing Streetlight Manifesto, specifically the album Everything Goes Numb. Start it on the first track and play it on shuffle. It’ll be a good combo. I guarantee it.