Avengers #22

Logically, this comic should have been about twice as good as it actually was, at least. This is the return of Norman Osborn we're talking about, an event that's been a while in the making, you'd think Marvel would take the time to do justice to the apparent gravity of the event.

The main flaws of this issue lie within the writing and art- which is to say that it's all pretty weaksauce. The sequence of events was pretty easy to follow, which is always nice, and the art (while pretty horrible) didn't make my eyes bleed, and the writing was decipherable, so as a whole Avengers #22 isn't exactly a failure- it's like getting 60% on a really important test; you passed, but it's not a mark to be proud of.

This issue starts off inauspiciously with a cover that features Gorgon and Captain America engaging in a fight that doesn't take place; Gorgon doesn't even appear in this issue. What would have been more satisfying, in my honest opinion, would be to have the cover feature either Vision and Norman Osborn (as they face off in a bit of a turning point in the comic) or Captain America and Madame Hydra (because it would look pretty awesome and involved an important event in the comic).

The very first page of the actual comic is a scene in the White House with a number of individuals sitting around a table watching the Avengers press conference dealt with a few issues ago, discussing the serious nature of events therein. In a somewhat amusing twist, all the people in the scene have their faces mostly obscured by shadow, but in a way so that you can still tell who the more important members are supposed to be. And, lo and behold, the President himself sits at the table, with his face conveniently shaded beyond recognition. Does anyone remember how after he was elected, Obama appeared in a surprisingly wide array of comics? Barack the Barbarian, that one Spider-man comic, etc., and now Marvel seems oddly reluctant to depict him in an obvious manner. But rest assured, Barack Obama thinks Norman Osborn is a total nutcase, just like the rest of us.

Madame Hydra was featured quite fantastically herein, in two different scenes- in the first, she's beating up Captain America, and in the second she's taunting Spider-Woman. Her first appearance was my favourite part of the comic, for some reason, despite it being written rather inadequately. Here's an example of some of the dialogue:

Captain America: Rr!

Madame Hydra: Ha Ha! I love you. I do.

Very underwhelming, but all that can be mostly forgiven because she proceeds to beat the hell out of him. Nicely done, Madame Hydra.

And here is where the art really begins to slip. We barely make it through the scene where A.I.M scientists are torturing Tony Stark before we're confronted with this horribly-drawn picture of Madame Hydra, with Spider-woman using British idioms for no established reason to boot. Then there's the Red Hulk scene, which I'm not going to comment on, and a lovely little jaunt with Quake, and then Norman Osborn throws the Vision through a door during some sort of press meeting, at which the table of shadowy faces decides it may be time to try to 'make this work'. One assumes that means they're going to attempt diplomacy, which should end hilariously.

I would honestly advise prospective readers to skip over this issue and try and find a better summary of it elsewhere, it's really not worth purchasing. Unless you're one of those people that loves seeing the Vision get thrown into things, you're collecting Obama comic appearances or you really like Madame Hydra, ignore this issue and continue on to the next, you won't be missing much.