It’s gotten to the point where every issue in this series feels forced and repetitive. I feel like I’m reading the same dialogue each month with different names and locations sprinkled throughout. Romeo is concerned with Bobby pushing himself too hard. Bobby pushes himself even harder while delivering one-liners that fall flat. Random Orchis villain plans an attack and tries to draw Bobby ouy. Bobby saves the day. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I see no vision for what Orlando is building towards other than having fun writing a queer mutant. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Orlando’s execution is failing his main character. What saves the day is Vincenzo Carratù’s captivating artwork which captures Iceman’s powers in some of the most vivid and imaginative ways in recent memory. more

The only thing that really limits this climax is that it's a half-dozen great climaxes all smooshed together. It's like an all-dessert meal: rich and tasty, but a little overwhelming.

But there's good art and outstanding hoo-rah dialogue, and a fascinating new status quo at the end.

I'm eager to see where these Avengers go next…hopefully as more of an ensemble.

As for the B Strip…look, I'm posting this from Roswell, NM. I can't possibly be objective when Marvel gives me a decent little UFO story that moves a cool superhero to my hometown. And now, I'm off for an archive binge on Firebird. This might be the first time she's been tied to Roswell, but I already see she's been a Nuevamexicana since day one, and I like that a lot.
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Great words and excellent art make the absolute most out of powerful (but not 100% logical) plot developments. That finale is exciting as hell even if it doesn't make a ton of sense, is what I'm saying.

Sadly, the B strip is one of those clumsy, counter-productive efforts to shill for an otherwise quite likable character (and it doesn't even get the name of the endangered snake right).
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In contrast to #37's triple serving of action ideas, #38 concentrates on a single mission. It's a different structural style, but the creators carry it off with equal aplomb.

Cap is perfect, as are Logan's ruminations on their relationship.

The art's still formidable. While the characters are occasionally stiff (particularly in the face), they're surrounded by impeccable detail and polish. There are some daringly inventive layouts, too.
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It's another super-stylish action-heavy chapter, and there are plenty of those lovably sharp one-liners in the dialogue. The character designs are starting to look a little wonky, though, and basic cause-and-effect plot development is hard to follow in the final pages.

Smashing straight to the final showdown is confusing. I'd bet that the author originally planned this as a 5-6 issue arc.
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Wiccan and Hulkling guest-star as adorable audience surrogates as the Guardians drop some hints about how they've changed. They have a new mission and a new antagonist, but this issue is a trifle short on comprehensive explanations.

The hints we do get are intriguing, though, and there are plenty of thoughtful touches in how it's written and drawn.

The art is fun, but frantic. The plot is straightforward and not particularly memorable. But this is boosted well into "good comics" territory by the script's more noteworthy qualities. It has an outstanding grasp on Carol's character, it deftly weaves a lot of backstory into the action, and it's distinguished by some cracking good lines of dialogue.

It's a really unexpected direction for an "MCU synergy" one-shot. Is it essential? No. Is it a good comic? Is it fun to read? Very much yes.
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The pace is a bit slow, and the prose doesn't really sparkle, but those nitpicks are the full extent of the script's faults. The art is good-to-great, but I have my usual subjective reaction to an artist carousel, no matter how talented the riders are. The stylistic inconsistency is a negative that needs a LOT of artistic horsepower to overcome.

On the content front, this flashback did a good job convincing me that there are more Superior Spider-Man stories worth telling and whetting my appetite for them. Even though he's still a cartoonish scenery-chewer here, "Ock Classic" shows a lot more potential than he did the last time he showed up in ASM.
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The art's pretty fantastic, and I think the premise of the story is fundamentally workable.

I totally failed to connect with this script, though. It lays out the antagonist in the driest, most expository way. It also presents a thoroughly generic spy lady and insists it's Natasha Romanoff. I'm just not buying that yet. Maybe I can be convinced in the future.

While the prose isn't distinguished and the art could be clearer, this deep dive into Marc's mind and conscience trots along at an excellent pace. The insights and character developments along the way are engaging in themselves, and Layla's running battle keeps the tension up.

The art is uniformly solid. The amount of content and the pace are nicely matched, producing a smooth, easy read. There's a moment of clumsiness as the author struggles with the heroes debating their next steps, but that's balanced out by a surprisingly good Thanos scene. It's not a challenging comic, but it doesn't overstay its welcome.

As has been the norm throughout the series, the storytelling is far from perfect, and the ideas aren't particularly novel. You can't deny the creators and heroes have their hearts in the right spider-place, though. The community theme is carried through to the end, with Spidey's neighborhood becoming essential to his success.

The letters column hints that this book's audience skews young, which makes its relative simplicity less of a problem.
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This issue fills in the gaps in the last act of #2. Irae gets her backstory, and Magneto gets tempted back to villainy. The art is nice; the ideas and the language used to convey them are pretty average. Although the thematic consistency with the earlier issues is a good thing, it also makes this feel a bit repetitive.

And would it kill them to drop an editor's note confirming that Irae's origin happens in X-Men #4 (1964)?
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Between the flat prose and the disjointed art (polished poses, but no real sense of setting or interaction), I found it difficult to care about this finale half as much as the creators wanted me to.

If you buy into the elevator pitch, this is pretty satisfying.

If you don't--and especially if you know too much about WWII--this is mediocre.

The art is very detailed, which is not the same as being good.

The characterization of Cap is shallow and stereotypical; the characterization of the Howlers (Dum-Dum in particular) borders on slanderous.

I'll refrain from attaching my whole laundry list of Petty Military History Nerd Nitpicks.
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It's a very silly premise, but the creators embrace it with all the heart required to make it fun.

I'm afraid this is the issue that made up my mind: Iban Coello is my unfavorite regular FF artist. The expressions are too exaggerated, the action is too frantic, and WHERE DID BEN'S NECK GO? But I recognize this is mainly a subjective issue; Mr. Coello's work is impeccably polished.

I'm rating this next door to great, and that splendid final scene twist has given me high hopes for the rest of the arc.
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The pace feels a little decompressed. It's hardly a mortal sin when creators this talented work this hard to make every short step entertaining. And it won't even be noticeable if you're reading this volume in a trade; I bet this issue will go down like an oyster when it becomes a chapter in a larger work.

I might be a slow learner: I just now noticed that after developing the "Trinity of Ashes" as the big bads over years of Dr. Strange, Jed MacKay dropped the "Ashen Combine" on the Avengers as soon as he took over that title. I hope it's not just a coincidence or self-plagiarism; a link between the two groups would be terrific.
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The "Jonathan Hickman" brand is so strong that Mr. Hickman can create a Dr. Strange ripoff, pitch it to the people who OWN Dr. Strange, and then watch them happily integrate it into their main continuity.

Snark aside, it's a very entertaining, very well-crafted comic. I'm old and well-read enough to see the narrative tricks, but not so bitter that I don't enjoy reading them.

There's nothing wrong with the words or the art--except that both the author and artist have demonstrated the ability to do better. There's not much character development, but the plot develops with a vengeance. This isn't a climactic chapter by itself, but it piles up twists and ideas that sharpen my anticipation for the climax to a razor's edge.

It's a very fun read despite my nitpicking.
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It's a standard complement of plot development, buoyed along with sharp writing, pretty art, and a requisite serving of Deadpool comic relief. Where this issue climbs toward greatness is in effectively foreshadowing its big final development. It's a real achievement in tension-building.

Plenty is going on here, and it's all illustrated in gorgeous detail. This is a rewarding book, and it gets more rewarding the slower and more carefully you read it. I worry that some of its complexity could be due to confusing writing, though. But I wouldn't call the prose bad by any means; there are some absolutely beautiful lines.

It's not just "the Spider-Book that stars a kid;" it's "the Spider-Book that's written for kids." Which is a pretty good thing, actually. It puts Dan Slott's talents to work in a lane that doesn't threaten to overshadow the main Spider-Books (whatever your opinion on those happens to be).

Kids will appreciate the corny jokes and earnest characterization. If grown-ups find it a bit simplistic and familiar, there are still fun guest stars and excellent art to appreciate.

My rating dips a little because the backup strip is a distinct step down in both art and content.
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Poor Normie is just drowning in symbiote-based tragedy, and I'm still deeply invested in finding out what happens to him.

I'm just not as engaged with the storytelling as I am with the story. The art hasn't won me over, despite its polish, and now there are some distinct problems (mainly stilted dialogue) in the prose, too. Though I freely admit my problems are subjective, they still keep me from tipping my rating over into "good comics" territory.
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On the one hand, I'm pleased with all the action-oriented plot development and the solid serving of Phil Noto art.

On the other hand, I actually liked Rasputin IV more before this issue's blatant shilling for her.

In the last act, the villain's dumb mathemagical ideas just don't have the heft to make this feel as dramatic as the author wants it to be. The result is a slog of a finale that feels even longer than it is. Plus, the dialogue starts to break down: None of the characters sound particularly realistic or distinctive. The art's good, at least.

Seeing Elsa Bloodstone thrust into such a mediocre story puts a sadness on me.

Sam, T'Challa, and the City give this issue a nice organizing spine, just what the story needed. The art's pretty good (although something's off about Sam's head, right?), and there's some staggeringly good dialogue in the script.

Overall, this is a nice rallying cry that reignites my enthusiasm for the arc just when I needed it to.

The author goes full blast on plot, and the results are engrossing. Plenty of cool twists and intriguing developments, all smoothly delivered with sharp art and a good pace. It doesn't quite break through to greatness, but it's consistently good--no weak points.

Once again, twining this title with X-Men allows Gerry Duggan to take a mulligan on a previous scene, and once again, the later version is better. Marvel needs to pay him more so he has time to burn through a few more drafts without committing them to print.
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This is an exciting, intriguing story, and it looks gorgeous. It has an appealing and authentic take on Ms. Marvel, and it's easy to care about her struggles.

But.

This feels like a good comic that happens to star Ms. Marvel, rather than a good Ms. Marvel comic. Does that make sense? It's woven tightly into the bigger X-Story; it doesn't stand on its own feet the way virtually all previous Ms. Marvel volumes did.

That's no deal-breaker, particularly not to a Marvel Unlimited nerd like me who's reading everything anyway.

But what we all really hunger for is a good Ms. Marvel comic, and this isn't quite that.
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