Winter Soldier #4 - What the--? Last issue promised "Gorilla madness!". This is not gorilla madness. I did manage to locate three hazy, sketchy panels with gorillas towards the end of the story, but i would not qualify anything going on there as madness. The only madness is that you have a story whose plot is Dr. Doom vs Super-Apes and four issues in, it has delivered exactly no Dr. Doom vs. Super-Apes. I'll grant a decent Dr. Doom vs Doombot fight, but that's about it. The art in this comic is just inexcusable. There's so many pages where the action sequences aren't really comprehensible. You've got that scene where the Black Widow is (i guess?) running a red light for no good reason and looking very pleased with herself about it, and the scene where the Doombot is waving his hands around Dr. Doom's portrait before the real Doom shows up in his plane? I mean, i could tell you what's going on, but i don't think it's done very well. Never mind the random drawings that constitute the fight scenes. I have enough good will toward Brubaker and the opposite towards Guice at this point that i'm telling myself the plots just say "And then Super Apes fight Dr. Doom!" and Guice is just ignoring them and drawing whatever he wants, but i know that's not true. Even if next issue actually delivers, this does not bode well for this series.

Avenging Spider-Man #6 - I know i said i was coming around to Mark Waid again, but what's he doing in my Zeb Wells comic book? And what's Greg Rucka doing here?!? Anyway, i did like this and i'm glad i've caught up on Waid's Daredevil series (except #2 and #8, dammit!). I am somewhat unhappy with the idea that a piece of a Fantastic Four costume is being used as a super hard drive; unstable molecules exist to allow super-heroes to use their powers without destroying their costumes and that's all they should really be used for. The idea that every time a hero loses a scrap of clothing AIM can collect it and build something crazy and evil out of it isn't a good long term move. But accepting that, this is a good issue. I enjoy the interaction of all the heroes; Spidey and Daredevil dealing with the Punisher and his ladyfriend is good stuff; this is what a Team-Up book is all about.

New Avengers #24 - Using these issues to more fully develop the scenes and behind-the-scenes goings-on in AvX is appreciated, but i'll just point out that it's the same thing that was done in Fear Itself except this issue isn't using the much-derided talking heads device. I thought this was good, but i'm less interested in Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' drama and much more pleased and surprised by the way Bendis is using the Red Hulk as a military commander and Cap's second in command. It's perfect characterization for the former General Ross and it's done very well.

Avengers Assemble #2 - Do we have it in writing that this is actually in continuity? Because while there's been several iterations of the Zodiac and they look different from time to time, there's no way Captain America (or Thor, or Iron Man, or Hawkeye, or Black Widow) says "We know it was a member of something called the Zodiac". It's ok... you wanted to put out a reader-friendly comic with these characters to collect as a trade in time for the movie and you didn't want it to be bogged down in continuity, so you wrote an out-of-continuity story. You can admit it. We won't be mad if you come clean now. Of course, using an Ultimate Nullifier is way more continuity-ish than having the Avengers drop a quick line like, "Oh, the Zodiac. Hrmm, they seem different than previous Zodiacs we've fought." And does the Hulk's characterization and intelligence seem all over the place? One panel it's "He stole something shiny! There was army!" and the page he's using slang like "Don't put that on me!" At least decide whether or not he refers to himself as "me" or "Hulk"; my god, that changes from one panel to the next. Can't say i love Bagley's designs for this Zodiac, either, but his art in general is nice.