Uncanny Avengers #3 Is Finally Here... And It's Bloody Fantastic
The Overview: Do you still even remember this title? The first issue in this series launched way back in October of last year and because I really enjoyed the first two issues, it has been extremely annoying waiting around for this title to come back onto the stands. That being said, is the wait worth it? Maybe so, but please for the love of God, don't make me wait that long ever again.
So here we go, Red Skull's attack is fully underway and we are finally getting to see the Uncanny Avengers in action as a complete team. It's Avengers and X-Men vs. the Red Skull's S-Men and the gruesomely bloody action doesn't let up for a second.
The Good: Rick Remender is throwing down the gauntlet in this issue. I feel that this is the clearest issue yet and we are finally seeing him flesh out the direction this book is going into. The first two issues, in my opinion, were just setup and were basically meandering as Remender meticulously put all of his pieces into place. In this issue, Remender's ideas are finally able to hit the ground running and they don't disappoint for a second. This book is nonstop action and terror. Remender doesn't pull any punches and he isn't afraid to shed some blood onto the battlefield. This book will make you cringe, it will keep you in suspense, and really it is just fantastic and compelling storytelling at its finest. I love his narration in this book. It makes the story very concise and easy to follow. The narration also adds some nice commentary to the battle scenes where each specific member of the team is spotlighted. We also finally get some nice formal introductions to the Red Skull's weird, eerie group known as the S-Men. It is almost as if Remender is doing a showcase throughout the book justifying his roster choices and just making every single one of his choices truly shine.
Another key thing that I enjoyed about this issue is that he has set up a villain that is powerful enough to justify the roster choice and justify this team's existence. Like I said in another review, one of my biggest problems with team books is that some titles don't create a problem with enough gravitas that it permits such a teamup. For example, look at Way's current Thunderbolts run. It's an all-star cast but they got together just to save some people on some remote island that no one cares about. That's just not compelling. In this book, it's such a high-stakes problem that our heroes are dealing with that ties in with the events spinning out of AvX and even takes note from the root of classic X-Men problems.
Lastly, Cassaday may take forever to get his panels done, but boy are they stunning to look at. John Cassaday has this classic comic book art sort of style. It totally fits an action-packed book such as this. The way he renders the fight scenes is just absolutely gorgeous. It isn't abstract, it isn't eclectic, it is just simple, gritty, in-your-face art, and sometimes that is a very good thing. The colors in this book also match well with the style. It is bright and vibrant and I feel like that adds to the high voltage energy emitting from this book. This is probably some of the most kinetic and explosive art you'll find in the Marvel NOW! lineup. That I can guarantee.
The Bad: There is a lot of violence in this book. I don't personally mind it and Cassaday is smart enough to know what to show and what not to show in each panel but some people might feel that all the needless violence is a bit over the top. I feel that this is important to address since people may not be accustomed to seeing so much blood of the innocent being spilt in a flagship Marvel book, especially considering that with Marvel NOW! this may be a lot of people's first exposure to these characters. I remember the shock value of the second issue in this series where mutants were being abruptly murdered and here it is more of the same but tenfold.
Another thing that hinders this book is its very unprofessional shipping schedule. The fact that this book was pushed back for a couple months is just unacceptable and I'm sure many people have already forgotten why they liked this series in the first place, let alone what happened just one issue ago. In serial storytelling, it is quite hard to keep people compelled when the shipping schedule is just so unreliable. Hopefully this book picks up the pace and catches up to where it needs to be soon.
The Verdict: If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be "intense". This book is explosive and highly entertaining. Rick Remender is clearly working his magic here and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up going for back to back hit series runs. This issue is the strongest one in the run yet and clearly Remender is gearing up to take us on one crazy, action-packed ride. This is, without a doubt, a definite pick-up and should not be missed by fans of the Avengers or the X-Men. If you haven't been onboard the Uncanny Avengers train, the first two issues shouldn't be too hard to find. But if they are, it's all good because this book is a great jumping on point. Everything that has happened is for the most part condensed, recapped, and laid out in a very understandable manner. Uncanny Avengers is back, baby! Get hyped!
4.5/5 stars. The strongest installment of the series yet despite some over-the-top violence that may be a bit much for some as well as a ridiculously slow shipping schedule. That being said, do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy of this issue.
