Uncanny Avengers #7 Review

Uncanny Avengers #6 was the first wholly satisfying installment of this new series, suggesting that a new storyline and a new artist were just what the book needed to find its footing. But while the plotting is still majorly improved as "Ragnarok Now" gets officially underway, the visuals take another hit. It's not surprising, really. Daniel Acuna has never been a particularly speedy artist, and his work often suffers over time as the monthly grind takes its toll. That effect is already clearly noticeable in issue #7. Figures are fairly haphazard and inconsistent, and many panels have little or no background detail. This is a significant step down from issue #6 in visual fidelity, and that bodes poorly for the remainder of the arc.

Fortunately, the story remains more satisfying. Remender dives headlong into the Apocalypse conflict as he dredges up the survivors of Clan Akkaba from Uncanny X-Force and pits them against the brand new Apocalypse Twins. I do question how accessible the opening pages will be to readers unfamiliar with Uncanny X-Force, but those who have read Remender's run will be pleased to see those loose threads continue.

The scale of this new threat becomes immediately apparent, raising the stakes even higher in a series that has escalated quickly since the final pages of issue #4. Remender delivers a conflict that is both bold and slightly surreal in that way he does so well. I could do with a little less of the omniscient narration, but it's not nearly as intrusive or awkward as it was during the latter half of the first arc.

That's not to say the members of the Avengers Unity Squad are ignored either. Remender has some fun playing around with the troubled team dynamic. This definitely reads more like an X-Men squad than an Avengers one in terms of how dysfunctional the characters are. At times the soap opera elements read a bit forced (particularly in how Remender attempts to maneuver Havok and Wasp into a sudden romance). But the majority is very memorable indeed.

Much of the character conflict centers around Rogue's accidental manslaughter and the resulting rift among the team members. The venom between Rogue and Wanda alone practically justifies the cover price on its own. It should be very fun to see this team continue through its substantial growing pains.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com