THE GOOD
Caselli's art is just downright appealing. I kept going back through this comic just to look at it. He renders everything from Mexican stand-offs to Hydra training sessions to marshmallow-eating contests with equal skill, making even mundane kitchen activities pop off the page. I've been a fan of his work since his days on Hack/Slash and I'm shocked his work isn't getting wider recognition, now. Hickman's script worked very well... his dialogue is concise without being sparse, witty without being smug. There was a variety of great scenes throughout here, each with a different tone. Fury and Contessa's romantic/gun-packing date was genuinely surprising in how it unfolded. Viper's life story recollections were lean and mean (and I was very glad to see her return being a nod to Earth X). The best compliment I can give this book is that, even though I haven't been reading this title, even though I didn't always get the references to the sub-plots, I still got wrapped up in the characters (especially for the emotionally-charged final splash).
THE BAD
This just needed two points of minor polish. As good as Caselli's art is, it could have been even better with an inker to tighten his lines up. Gho's coloring is great, but ink-less page rarely look good to me. Also, once again, I wish Hickman would stress more words. They would've given the longer passages of dialogue a lot more punch.
THE VERDICT
This is how you write a monthly title. Really this one the best comics I've read this weekend. I didn't know all the back story, but I still could get follow the plot and, most importantly, I want to learn the backstory, now. That's a testament to Caselli's exceptional storytelling and Hickman's skillfully-accessible writing.
4/5
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