Note: There be spoilers in this here article! Proceed with caution! Dark Avengers # 15 At last! I feel like I can finally talk about what bugged me in Dark Avengers #15! If you caught the Unscripted review of the comic then you already know that even though I felt conflicted with certain scenes (one in particular) in the issue, I still gave it a 4.5 out of 5. I feel like I take my ratings pretty seriously, so the fact that I speculated and still gave it a high score has been in the back of my mind for a week now. So if you aren't thinking 'Sara, you take this way too seriously,' then you are probably thinking, 'OK Sara, get to the point.' So let me go ahead and do that...
The issue was written by Brian Michael Bendis, who not only carefully crafted the Dark Avengers series, but so much of the current state of the Marvel Universe. The phenomenal artwork is executed by Mike Deodato Jr. who has consistently dished out some of the most fantastic comic book panels over at Marvel. His ability to capture a scene is incredible and his art has continued to improve throughout the entire series. So the writing was good, and the art was great-- so what is my problem? == TEASER == First for some background information. Dark Avengers #15 occurs before SIEGE #3, even though the latter was released prior to the issue in question. The issue opens up with Norman Osborn's legendary Cabal. It is here that Norman's ultimate secret weapon is revealed. No surprise here , it's The Sentry. But you knew that already because you've been reading SIEGE, right? The book moves it's focus to Victoria Hand who; having a more prominent role in the Marvel Universe thanks to this series, displays her capacity as a leader. Now, all this stuff is really great, but it is the third scene that is what has been on my mind. If you look back to issue #14 of Dark Avengers, you'll notice that Norman had (ever so climactically) pulled Hawkeye ( Bullseye) aside and told him to get rid of Lindy Reynolds, The Sentry's wife. This is exactly what happens in this issue.
Throughout the Dark Avengers series, we have seen an abundance of instances where Bob has struggled to control ' The Void,' something that Norman uses to his advantage as a means to psychologically control the character. Bendis has executed this concept pretty well, playing Bob down to look like this dim witted all powerful character who is easily outsmarted and manipulated by Osborn. This is why I can almost accept Lindy's death--because it can be looked at as a means to control The Sentry.
Having said that, I admit the scene left me somewhat squeamish. Bullseye takes Lindy Reynolds (The Sentry's wife) on a plane. Things are going fine until he begins to mentally break her down, telling her Bob could have supermodels; that he (Bob) is "missing out on ass because he is married [to her]." He literally chips at her self esteem, making her feel terrible. It is Bullseye though, so I have to imagine he gets off on degrading women and he needed that push (her reaction to what he was saying) to send him over the edge. Then, he kills her. First, why degrade the character to that extent? Lindy's helplessness is so evident in the scene that the reader knows she won't survive the following panel. It is not enough that you are going to kill the character, you have to humiliate her first? Second, the use of a character (particularly female) as a plot device to move the story forward is something we covered a long time ago. Suddenly, The Sentry is starting to look a lot like Kyle Rayner and Lindy-- Alexandra DeWitt. So why the 4.5 out of 5 rating? The scene, however messed up and aggravating, was written well. It is in character for Bullseye. I mean, I'm cringing when I write this, but I can admit it. It also succeeded in evoking emotion in me as a reader, which some might argue is kind of the point. Bendis left me feeling for the character, so he essentially succeeded in writing a good story. How her death is treated in the coming issues is what will (at least for me) determine whether or not her death is justified. What do you guys think, am I on point or way off base?
