This issue is a deft fusion of lots of different fun stuff. There's smooth, in-depth world-building to cover the 90-year time-skip. There's dramatic plot development moving the event forward. There's an important character introduction.

And of course, it wouldn't be a great Gillen book without some world-class sass in the character voices. Featuring Sinister, Mother Righteous, and Evil Hope together nearly results in sass overload.

Tie it all together with some well-polished art, and you've got a dense, juicy, thoroughly delightful read. more

The first two acts are slow, covering simple (but important) plot developments. This is easy to bear because the dialogue is simply stuffed with sparkling-smart lines. And the art is a clear, strong storytelling tool all the way through.

The end of the issue ramps up the pace and the tension. Rather than taking the plot through left-field twists, though, it fires off a masterful set of Chekhov's guns. All of the groundwork is clear in hindsight, yet it's delightfully surprising when everything suddenly ties together.
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The art remains superb. Its style is clearly suited to younger readers, but it has as much polish and detail as the most grown-up top-shelf title. Background gags abound.

The only "problem" per se is actually one of those good problems to have: It's incredibly dense for a kiddie comic, which might make it challenging for young readers. But the silver lining is that it makes a surprisingly meaty meal for grown-ups.
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The new arc of the Wolverine/X-Force/Beast story kicks off with a series of slow, momentous plot developments. The presentation is chilly and darkly witty in the writing and (subjectively, at least) spectacular in the art.

Considering the wild content, this issue's subtle storytelling is all the more impressive.

This is a fast, hard-hitting continuation of the story. The Misty-Miles scene drags on a little too long, but otherwise, this is a rollercoaster. The art's incredibly dynamic, and the dialogue sounds natural and powerful (if not as insightful as in the last issue).

The total amount of plot development going on here is a little bit light for a standalone issue, but it's hardly a critical problem. And when you read the arc straight through, I bet this chapter will whiz by without any problem whatsoever.
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This might be a standard-issue "clobber the baddy and then explain the themes" conclusion, but it's a surprisingly tight and satisfying one. Magnificent art (for fights and conversations both) helps, of course.

In hindsight, I think the problem with this arc was that 6 issues calls for more content. This would be a terrific story in 3-4 issues; stretched to 6, it needed either another plot thread or more meat on the White Wolf and Falcon stories.

But I'm happy it finished strong. more

It's a solid chapter that does plenty to ratchet up the ongoing tension (after a nice breath-catching start). There's great insight into Carol's thinking, and a touching moment between Hazmat and Rogue, too.

But I gotta say, I wish this arc had more consistent art. This issue in particular would have been enhanced by more nuanced facial expressions to match the intense drama the characters are going through.
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This finale really puts the hammer to Norman and pays off all the themes that have run throughout the series. It's a grim, powerful resolution.

The storytelling had me on a rollercoaster, though. For every pithy, insightful line of inner monologue, there's a cheesy bit of scenery-chewing dialogue. For every stunning splash of Queen Goblin, there's an action panel where I can barely tell what's going on.

It's a good comic, but I feel sure it could be a better one. more

#11's reign as the most Invincible-ish issue of the volume was short-lived; #13 easily takes the crown. One small but crucial plot development delivered in a generous package of gratuitous gore. Though it's not to my taste, I'll admit it's done pretty well.

Well, a "clever" twist ending goes a long way toward redeeming the last issue. And the art remains formidable, which is a big help.

But this is "action movie" clever, not "rewards attentive reading with great insight" clever. The story in this issue and the series as a whole is stretched thin and aggressively not deep. That terrific art buoyed it along and made five issues out of a plot that could easily fit in three.

And I'm marking this series down as another good exhibit supporting my assertion that Marvel should be publishing a lot of its miniseries as OGNs. #4 would have stung a lot less if it was just a chapter in a book instead of a single issue. And a lot of the foreshadowing and callbacks would work a hell of a lot better if you read the series all at once instead of stretching it over five months.
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The novelty is wearing off the retro scripting. The story's neither as fresh nor as funny as it was at the start. It certainly doesn't help that it takes all of #3 to tie the Sindri side-quest back into the Kang story.

On the plus side, the art remains splendid all the way through and the pace does pick up in the final act. Here's hoping that this miniseries is thrashing its way out of the doldrums. more

Hypothetically-cool things are happening, and they are (mostly) made memorable by the superb art performance. But the impact just isn't there in the script.

The plot developments remain strictly pro-forma, and with a palpable absence of memorable characters, it's hard to care about this particular apocalypse.

It's a far cry from War of the Realms, where there were tons of great characters to hook my interest. more

I feel like I'm through the looking glass here. Am I the only one that sees the emperor's nudity?

I simply cannot find anything positive to say about the storytelling, neither the words nor the art. Even calling it "competent" feels too charitable. There are a few potentially-workable mysteries floating in the plot, but the structure and pace of the script erode tension and discourage reader engagement.

As for the political ramifications of an African-American alternate universe, well, I'll reserve judgment until the story lumbers onward and explains Earth-63 a bit more. But the level of storytelling talent shown so far doesn't fill me with confidence. I better prepare the ten-foot pole. more

A 90-year time-skip calls for a lot of world-building, and this issue delivers in spades. It also lavishes plenty of development on its plot and--best of all--its characters. Wagnerine emerges as a more three-dimensional figure, and Mother Righteous takes what can only be described as a *sinister* turn.

Every step is illustrated with exceptional artwork that delivers razor-sharp polish on top of impeccable fundamentals. This is a beautiful comic.

Its prose is also delightful--subjectively, at least. Sometimes Si Spurrier can lock onto my exact wavelength and his words flow straight in like honey. This issue is one such situation; I was staggered by the beauty of some of this script's phrases.

But I can step back far enough to see that the one place this comic falls short of perfection is in its sheer density. There's so much packed in here that it's overwhelming. Great as many of these ideas are, they could be even better if they had more room to breathe.
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Like the previous issues, this one is built around a very simple story. But the creators tackle it with their wildest pitch yet, adding depth and intrigue to an off-the-shelf fantasy quest with an exotic structure. The art delivers consistently delicious splash panels, and the second-person narration is infused with insight and earnestness. What could be a hopelessly basic story instead becomes engaging and compelling.

It's not quite a grand slam, but it's an eminently respectable triple.
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This fun, fast adventure is a very smooth segue from the title's previous one-shots into longer stories. There's a little taste of insight in the treatment of Reed Richards, and if the rest of the character work is shallower, it still feels authentic. The visuals conform to the artist's usual high standard of finish throughout, and he stretches a little to add a surreal pop to the story's multi-dimensional weirdness.

Frankly the biggest surprise is that Ryan North resisted the temptation to use and/or define the term "chirality" here.
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This is a stylish little chapter, and some time spent in Reese's point of view is much appreciated--even if it doesn't dive particularly deep. The art is dynamic and polished, but it really seems to be testing the absolute minimum amount of detail required for good comics art.

This title is still a dependably satisfying read, but the current arc seems prone to wandering into the tall grass and letting the strategic plot stall out.
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The art's gorgeous and the dialogue features some tasty lines. There's even a spot of good character insight for Scott and Bobby. The main Brood plot is developing nicely.

The B plots are problematic, though. Forge's Knowhere shenanigans and now Krakoa's least-welcome refugee? They're just kinda…there, leeching pages away from the main story and, for now, totally failing to connect.

I'm sure it'll all come together a few issues down the road, but on its own, this issue is hurt by the randomness.
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I like Jed MacKay and I love Jed MacKay's Black Cat. But this particular issue is scripted more like the author's Moon Knight series, and I mean that in a "damning with faint praise" way.

It's a sparse script in terms of plot development, with lots of room left for spectacular visual storytelling. This issue's art gets the job done, but it doesn't really wow me. It's been a while since I read #3; somehow I forgot that the visuals were so sparse and male-gaze-y.

The MJ-Felicia relationship stalls out at a rather shallow level. If they're passing the Bechdel test, it's by the skin of their teeth.

I'm pretty sure my disillusionment is mainly subjective. This might be my least-favorite chapter, but I still like this story a lot.
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The plot evolves in interesting directions. The art remains strong and chunky, doing an incredible amount of storytelling with a minimum of detail.

But the prose! The author is imitating Stan Lee's early Silver Age style (verbose, excessively expository, contraction-averse) and going way too far. I'm sure it's an intentional affectation and I respect the intent, but it does real damage to the pace and enjoyability of the comic.
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The conflict coasts to a quiet, bittersweet ending, and then it's on to epilogue business. Wakanda's new status quo is affirmed, the new characters are shelved where other authors can find them if they want to, and T'Challa rides off into the sunset of exile.

"Relief that it's over" is hardly the ideal feeling you want to evoke in your readers at the end of a run, but it is a (minor) positive for this issue. It also features good art and some snappy dialogue, making this finale a bit of an up-tick. Still, this volume isn't going into the hall of fame.

The issue's theme suits the end of a problematic volume: This is where we are now, and there's nothing to do but move forward.
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Ah, yes, "refer to this filler arc from 15 years ago"--exactly the sort of payoff I want after a twenty-issue tease.

Saltiness aside, this arc hasn't lost me yet. But it hasn't engaged my enthusiasm, either. The storytelling's solid, but at least subjectively, the content remains poised on the fence. It could fall good or bad. Without knowing where the story's headed, I can't call this issue anything but average.
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I see we've reached the point in the play-date where the frustrated rich kid dumps out his entire toy chest of action figures and declares himself the winner by sheer quantity.

Poor Javier Garrόn is working his fingers to the bone creating intensely detailed panels stuffed chock-full of characters. It's counter-productive in two ways: The story is too feeble to encourage readers to scrutinize those panels, and they are just so busy that the best/most important sights are drowned out by the clutter.

If there's one lesson to take from this finale arc (and Aaron's Avengers as a whole, really) it's that you can definitely have too much of a good thing.
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The art is lively and it has a strong sense of style, but the sketchy lack of detail is a problem, particularly in the action scenes. The script's pace is herky-jerky, like the last issue, and the dialogue still features the occasional stilted line.

But the overall quality is improving as the plot finally kicks into gear. One feature I admire is that the conflicts are driven by character interaction. The author has a talent for developing plot and character at the same time. It also helps that (so far) everyone has rational motivations for the choices they make.
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Eddie's story shifts back into drive and the plot develops with a vengeance. First, though, a little Dark Web recapping and tying off a loose end from Thor. These are digressions, but they're structured and illustrated so beautifully that they're engrossing.

The nuts-and-bolts prose is a bit less impressive than the issue's other features, but it's by no means bad. It's clear and it keeps the story moving.
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I respect what the creators are aiming for here, but I think mindscape head games are a little outside their wheelhouses in terms of both words and art. They end up strong in terms of plot and character development, but the start is very shaky.

Roger Aubrey proves to be a lifesaver for the authors as well as the Invaders; his story is the magnet that pulls everything together.

The art is formidable as ever, featuring superb layouts. The choice to slap MODOC's rictus grin on the faces of other characters is jarring, though--and not entirely in the way intended.
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The Xeno plot coasts to a smooth conclusion, though it's not particularly surprising or intense. Fortunately, the art remains excellent and the point of view digs just deep enough into Domino's head to give the issue the engaging hook it needs.

It's a simple "meet the antihero and see what she can do" story. The details are laid out in clear if not particularly memorable language, and some fine, delicate art livens things up. Nothing I'd call bad, but not exactly an instant favorite, either.

But then the creators drop Maxine Danger and the Beyond Corporation into the mix, and that's exactly the kind of bonus that makes me sit up and pay attention. I'm eager to see where this goes.
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The plot takes a darker twist than I expected here. It's a good story, and this final chapter is particularly well illustrated. But the darkness is undercut by two factors: First, the protagonist/PoV character is incredibly flat, spurred on by the most generic motivations. And second, the resolution turns this entire series into a shaggy-dog preamble for a hypothetical Black Widow vs Arcade story. And if the authors *had* that story, they coulda/shoulda told it here.
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This is a simple--almost simplistic--story idea spun out to issue length with incredibly stylish scripting and art. I appreciate the subtlety and nuance, and I think the storytelling's talented, but even with close scrutiny, I don't see a whole lot of content.

If this series is going to be a semi-sorta anthology of little untold stories throughout Tony's career, starting with the timey-wimey future story is a *damned* weird choice.
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