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Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender
Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 1: The Red Shadow
The Marvel Universe's greatest era starts NOW!, as the all-new, all-different Avengers assemble!
Captain America creates a sanctioned Avengers unit comprised of Avengers and X-Men, humans and mutants working together...so why is Professor Xavier's dream more at risk than ever? The Red Skull has returned - straight out of the 1940s and full of hatred - and his rebirth will alter the Marvel Universe forever! What are the Skull's new powers? Can Havok and Thor defeat the spreading influence of Honest John, The Living Propaganda? As Rogue and Scarlet Witch find themselves trapped on the Isle of the Red Skull's S-Men, Wolverine and Captain America investigate the worldwide mutant assassination epidemic! Uncanny Avengers Assemble! Plus: from the ashes of AvX, the funeral of one of Marvel's greatest heroes!
Collecting: Uncanny Avengers 1-5
Captain America creates a sanctioned Avengers unit comprised of Avengers and X-Men, humans and mutants working together...so why is Professor Xavier's dream more at risk than ever? The Red Skull has returned - straight out of the 1940s and full of hatred - and his rebirth will alter the Marvel Universe forever! What are the Skull's new powers? Can Havok and Thor defeat the spreading influence of Honest John, The Living Propaganda? As Rogue and Scarlet Witch find themselves trapped on the Isle of the Red Skull's S-Men, Wolverine and Captain America investigate the worldwide mutant assassination epidemic! Uncanny Avengers Assemble! Plus: from the ashes of AvX, the funeral of one of Marvel's greatest heroes!
Collecting: Uncanny Avengers 1-5
122 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
57 people are currently reading
1253 people want to read
About the author
Rick Remender
1,244 books1,422 followersRick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews
August 13, 2023
On paper such a great idea; straight out to bat we have a Red Skull storyline! The final comic book issue collected in tis volume is pretty great. Captain America, Thor, Rogue, Havoc and the Scarlet Witch! Rick Remender does a much different job on this book than he had on the Uncanny X-Force, but he started off OK, a 7 out of 12 uncanny Three Star read.
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2018 read
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2018 read
January 16, 2015
Three and a half stars.
It’s Avenger vs. X-Men, X-Men vs. Avenger, Human vs. Mutant, Mutant vs. Human, Thunder God vs. Mutant, Creepy Meta-Humans against them all and a new and improved Red Skull vs everybody.
That crazy Nazi bastard, the Red Skull has upped his loony game. He’s had the brain of Charles Xavier implanted in his noggin without the help of Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy using a crash helmet with sticks coming out of it or Mr. Spock. “It’s child’s play, bro”*. His new target for his serious brand of hatorade *irony alert* – Mutants.
Captain America has the idea of a unified Avengers/X-Men team led by the formerly catatonic, Havok, Alex Summers, brother of Scott Summers, the guy who killed Charles Xavier. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on this one, Cap?
Things go pretty smoothly until they run into Red Skull version 2.675409 and his army of enhanced human goons. Red Skull w/Xavier’s brain can pretty much make you do anything he wants, so it’s the first paragraph above and a versusapalooza beatdown.
The last issue sets the table for the birth of The Apocalypse Twins and more seemingly head scratching plot lines.
Bonus content: If you like seeing Wolverine getting some big time lumps from Thor, and, seriously, who wouldn’t, then this is the book for you, Bub.
*”Brain and brain, what is brain?”
It’s Avenger vs. X-Men, X-Men vs. Avenger, Human vs. Mutant, Mutant vs. Human, Thunder God vs. Mutant, Creepy Meta-Humans against them all and a new and improved Red Skull vs everybody.
That crazy Nazi bastard, the Red Skull has upped his loony game. He’s had the brain of Charles Xavier implanted in his noggin without the help of Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy using a crash helmet with sticks coming out of it or Mr. Spock. “It’s child’s play, bro”*. His new target for his serious brand of hatorade *irony alert* – Mutants.
Captain America has the idea of a unified Avengers/X-Men team led by the formerly catatonic, Havok, Alex Summers, brother of Scott Summers, the guy who killed Charles Xavier. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on this one, Cap?
Things go pretty smoothly until they run into Red Skull version 2.675409 and his army of enhanced human goons. Red Skull w/Xavier’s brain can pretty much make you do anything he wants, so it’s the first paragraph above and a versusapalooza beatdown.
The last issue sets the table for the birth of The Apocalypse Twins and more seemingly head scratching plot lines.
Bonus content: If you like seeing Wolverine getting some big time lumps from Thor, and, seriously, who wouldn’t, then this is the book for you, Bub.
*”Brain and brain, what is brain?”
September 6, 2013
A decent enough premise for a team, ruined by a dumb story. In the wake of Avengers vs. X-Men, the concept of the team makes perfect sense, from both an in-universe perspective and a storytelling perspective. Put together a team of five heroes, two mutants who were X-Men, two non-mutant Avengers, and one mutant Avenger. Calling it the Unity Division is maybe a little heavy handed, but the entire team is an obvious, somewhat heavy handed gesture. Like I said, it makes perfect sense. It's the makeup of the team that's slightly questionable. Take a look at the cover: Captain America is front and center. Is he team leader? No, that's Havok's job. I can't help but feel like that's a bad idea that will cause more trouble than it's worth. Cap's very presence makes Havok's leadership questionable. And then there's Wolverine, who at this point is on every superhero team in the world. Haven't we hit the saturation point on this character? Rogue also seems like an odd choice to me, but I shrugged that one off. I was confused as to why she was so hostile towards Scarlet Witch when she had been pretty open towards her in Avengers: The Children's Crusade, but I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read those books back to back.
Now the story itself... Sigh. Red Skull, of all characters, has developed a serious hate for mutants. (Is this new for the character? I haven't read enough Captain America to know.) So he steal's Xavier's brain and uses it to give himself extreme mental powers, way beyond anything that Xavier ever demonstrated. The very premise is laughably D movie to me. I have a hard time believing that implanting Xavier's brain into Red Skull would work, and I certainly don't believe that it would make him even more powerful than Xavier had ever been, to the point of completely brainwashing and mentally controlling large numbers of people with seemingly no effort. I don't object to the anti-mutant hysteria storyline itself, because it seems like a no-brainer that the events of Avengers vs. X-Men would have brought those tensions front and center. It was just done in a very silly way.
Could this team work long term? Sure, maybe. Like I said, the idea is solid enough, and probably common sense if the goal is to tone down anti-mutant sentiments. But this story was just so dumb that I couldn't take it seriously.
Now the story itself... Sigh. Red Skull, of all characters, has developed a serious hate for mutants. (Is this new for the character? I haven't read enough Captain America to know.) So he steal's Xavier's brain and uses it to give himself extreme mental powers, way beyond anything that Xavier ever demonstrated. The very premise is laughably D movie to me. I have a hard time believing that implanting Xavier's brain into Red Skull would work, and I certainly don't believe that it would make him even more powerful than Xavier had ever been, to the point of completely brainwashing and mentally controlling large numbers of people with seemingly no effort. I don't object to the anti-mutant hysteria storyline itself, because it seems like a no-brainer that the events of Avengers vs. X-Men would have brought those tensions front and center. It was just done in a very silly way.
Could this team work long term? Sure, maybe. Like I said, the idea is solid enough, and probably common sense if the goal is to tone down anti-mutant sentiments. But this story was just so dumb that I couldn't take it seriously.
July 15, 2016
1 - The X-Men bury Professor X. Captain America asks Havoc to lead a joint X-Men/Avengers team.
Uncanny Avengers is off to a good start. The battle with Avalanche was good and I liked the Scarlet Witch-Rogue confrontation. Red Skull stealing Professor X's brain was a little hokey, though.
2 - Rogue and Scarlet Witch try to escape the Red Skull.
Okay, this issue was mostly talk. So Red Skull used Xavier's brain to give himself super powers somehow? Okay...
On a side note, how powerful is this team shaping up to be? Captain America, Havoc, Wolverine, Thor, Rogue, and the Scarlet Witch. Why is Cap on the team if Havoc is supposed to be the leader? I guess I'll find out.
3 - The Red Skull uses his mental powers to set the human populace of NYC into a murderous rage against mutants!
This issue was one long fight scene. It also illustrates why having Cap on a team he's not leading is illogical. Thor taking out Wolverine was oddly satisfying, though.
4 - The chaos the Red Skull has sown comes to something of a conclusion.
Some brutal shit happens. Order is restored but not in a satisfying way. I like that the team is finally coming together but nothing was really resolved. The chilling vision of things to come makes me think I'll probably be reading the next volume despite my original intentions just to dip into this title.
5 - Wonder Man and Wasp join the team for PR purposes and Wolverine recruits Sunfire.
The fight with the Grim Reaper was pretty great. Wonder Man refusing to fight was an interesting moment. Havoc unmasking and his subsequent speech made him seem like the leader of the team for the first time in the series so far. I've been interested in Sunfire since I saw him on an episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends so it was cool to see him here. I'm a little more interested in this team than I want to admit.
Closing Thoughts: I tried not to be impressed by this but I was anyway. Rick Remender and John Cassady did a great job on the first five issues. I'm not a fan of their being 147 different teams of Avengers but this one was damn good. I'm in for one more volume at least. Four out of five stars.
Uncanny Avengers is off to a good start. The battle with Avalanche was good and I liked the Scarlet Witch-Rogue confrontation. Red Skull stealing Professor X's brain was a little hokey, though.
2 - Rogue and Scarlet Witch try to escape the Red Skull.
Okay, this issue was mostly talk. So Red Skull used Xavier's brain to give himself super powers somehow? Okay...
On a side note, how powerful is this team shaping up to be? Captain America, Havoc, Wolverine, Thor, Rogue, and the Scarlet Witch. Why is Cap on the team if Havoc is supposed to be the leader? I guess I'll find out.
3 - The Red Skull uses his mental powers to set the human populace of NYC into a murderous rage against mutants!
This issue was one long fight scene. It also illustrates why having Cap on a team he's not leading is illogical. Thor taking out Wolverine was oddly satisfying, though.
4 - The chaos the Red Skull has sown comes to something of a conclusion.
Some brutal shit happens. Order is restored but not in a satisfying way. I like that the team is finally coming together but nothing was really resolved. The chilling vision of things to come makes me think I'll probably be reading the next volume despite my original intentions just to dip into this title.
5 - Wonder Man and Wasp join the team for PR purposes and Wolverine recruits Sunfire.
The fight with the Grim Reaper was pretty great. Wonder Man refusing to fight was an interesting moment. Havoc unmasking and his subsequent speech made him seem like the leader of the team for the first time in the series so far. I've been interested in Sunfire since I saw him on an episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends so it was cool to see him here. I'm a little more interested in this team than I want to admit.
Closing Thoughts: I tried not to be impressed by this but I was anyway. Rick Remender and John Cassady did a great job on the first five issues. I'm not a fan of their being 147 different teams of Avengers but this one was damn good. I'm in for one more volume at least. Four out of five stars.
January 17, 2014
I haven't read Avengers vs. X-Men, so I wasn't sure what exactly was going on when I started reading.
Unfortunately, I'd read so many bad reviews for that storyline that I avoided the whole thing. In retrospect, maybe that wasn't such a good idea...
I like Havok. Seems like a nice kid, and hopefully this 'team leader' thing will work out for him.
Rogue? Not so much. I don't remember her being such an ass in other titles. I mean she's done some pretty awful things in the past, so I had a hard time understanding her feelings of moral superiority towards Wanda. Sure, Wanda is a nutjob who managed to wipe out the majority of all mutants there for a while...but still. Wasn't Rogue shacking up with Magneto? Ewwwww.
Also, I'm still not sure how seriously to take the idea of Red Skull implanting Charles' brain into his own.
How did he manage to do that anyway? I mean, your head is only so big? Did he take out a portion of his own brain? Did they squeeze Charles' brain out like a lemon, and then just drizzle mutant brain juice on top of Red Skull's noggin?
Anyone?
Anyone?
This was a decent book, but I think I need to go back and read Avengers vs. X-Men.
Unfortunately, I'd read so many bad reviews for that storyline that I avoided the whole thing. In retrospect, maybe that wasn't such a good idea...
I like Havok. Seems like a nice kid, and hopefully this 'team leader' thing will work out for him.
Rogue? Not so much. I don't remember her being such an ass in other titles. I mean she's done some pretty awful things in the past, so I had a hard time understanding her feelings of moral superiority towards Wanda. Sure, Wanda is a nutjob who managed to wipe out the majority of all mutants there for a while...but still. Wasn't Rogue shacking up with Magneto? Ewwwww.
Also, I'm still not sure how seriously to take the idea of Red Skull implanting Charles' brain into his own.
How did he manage to do that anyway? I mean, your head is only so big? Did he take out a portion of his own brain? Did they squeeze Charles' brain out like a lemon, and then just drizzle mutant brain juice on top of Red Skull's noggin?
Anyone?
Anyone?
This was a decent book, but I think I need to go back and read Avengers vs. X-Men.
December 29, 2013
After the events of Avengers Vs X-Men, Captain America came up with an idea to improve their public image by creating a team made up of both Avengers AND X-Men - enter the Uncanny Avengers with their leader, Havok aka Alex Summers, the brother of one of the most notorious characters in the Marvel U, Scott Summers aka Cyclops aka the guy who killed Xavier. Speaking of Xavier, the Red Skull has somehow gotten ahold of his corpse, taken his brain out, and gained his psychic powers! Red Skull assembles his own team called the S-Men and tries to take over the world with his new superpowers.
There were a few things about the book that annoyed the crap out of me but the one thing that consistently bothered me was the Xavier’s brain thing. Red Skull literally cuts open Xavier’s head and scoops out the brain - and then suddenly he has Xavier’s powers! There’s a scene missing here. Did he eat the brain and thus gain the powers? Did he cram the brain into his own head somehow? How does someone gain a psychic’s powers from said psychic’s brain?! I realise this is a Marvel comic so plausible explanations are the last thing I should be expecting, but just a line to elaborate on this very important plot detail would’ve been appreciated - even if Red Skull simply said “I ate his brain and got his powers”! It’d be cray-cray but it’s something. As it is, it just feels lazy to not mention it and leap ahead.
The other thing that really annoyed me was Rick Remender’s writing which is unusually clunky and overly descriptive. I get that maybe he’s doing a tribute to Chris Claremont (I’m assuming he’s a fan, I don’t actually know), but this overwriting style is strongly reminiscent of Claremont’s X-Men comics, where the action taking place within a panel is described either by the characters in their dialogue, or in the narrative box in the panel, or both (which is why I hate most of Claremont’s stuff). It makes reading the comic that much drearier and more tedious. It doesn’t even feel like a style that belongs in comics, it’s much more suited to prose fiction or radio plays.
Then there’s the team itself which is an uninspired lineup at best. Havok, Scarlet Witch, Rogue, Wolverine, Cap, Thor - it’s so arbitrary and, after reading it, I don’t really get why these characters were selected, besides their obvious popularity (discounting the obvious ones who haven’t had their own movies yet). There’s just no chemistry among them at all.
The team’s very existence is a big problem for me too. One of the most irritating tropes in superhero comics is when a team gets bogged down in what the public think of them - this angle became a big part of the New 52 JLA and JL and played a big part in why those titles stank to high heaven, and it made my heart sink when I realised this was the angle Uncanny Avengers was taking as well. Because you know what that means? Board meetings. Superheroes sitting around tables, talking about how to make the public like them. It’s like reading actual Marvel/DC marketing meetings! It makes for horrible comics every time.
The artwork is the only thing I really liked about this book with John Cassady’s art looking terrific. Every page he draws is awesome but that scene where Rogue escapes from Red Skull’s S-Men is really something. It’s imaginatively laid out and uses Rogue’s mutant powers to full effect, and also strikes this great balance between eye-catching, exciting and thoughtful all at once. I also liked the Days of Future Past cover reference with Havok and Scarlet Witch.
Oliver Coipel’s artwork is also fantastic (he draws the final issue) though I disliked the way the pages were laid out initially, with the panels with dialogue boxes running down one side and a straight column of text running parallel alongside it - do we read them left to right and down like normal or read the panels first then the text? It’s confusing, though maybe more damning is how little I cared about what was happening in either, because this book’s story is utterly boring. Red Skull tries to talk over the world again, superheroes fight him on the streets of New York, and he escapes like a cartoon character through a hole in the floor! Then the book ends on the whole PR nonsense. This is also the book where the controversial Havok scene where he says he doesn’t want to be labelled a mutant - or the “m” word as he calls it. Remender’s response to critics of this scene was stupid, but reading it in the context of this book really isn’t bad and I feel it was overblown by some comics commentators at the time.
Anyway. Uncanny Avengers just isn’t for me. I think it’s too flawed in too many ways, in concept and execution, though both mainly stem from the writer, Remender, who doesn’t help by writing in a way that is outdated and bound to be tiresome to modern comics readers. But mostly, it’s a boring comic. It doesn’t feel fresh or exciting and reads like any other generic superhero team-up comic - there’s nothing uncanny here, just frustration. The Uninteresting Avengers!
There were a few things about the book that annoyed the crap out of me but the one thing that consistently bothered me was the Xavier’s brain thing. Red Skull literally cuts open Xavier’s head and scoops out the brain - and then suddenly he has Xavier’s powers! There’s a scene missing here. Did he eat the brain and thus gain the powers? Did he cram the brain into his own head somehow? How does someone gain a psychic’s powers from said psychic’s brain?! I realise this is a Marvel comic so plausible explanations are the last thing I should be expecting, but just a line to elaborate on this very important plot detail would’ve been appreciated - even if Red Skull simply said “I ate his brain and got his powers”! It’d be cray-cray but it’s something. As it is, it just feels lazy to not mention it and leap ahead.
The other thing that really annoyed me was Rick Remender’s writing which is unusually clunky and overly descriptive. I get that maybe he’s doing a tribute to Chris Claremont (I’m assuming he’s a fan, I don’t actually know), but this overwriting style is strongly reminiscent of Claremont’s X-Men comics, where the action taking place within a panel is described either by the characters in their dialogue, or in the narrative box in the panel, or both (which is why I hate most of Claremont’s stuff). It makes reading the comic that much drearier and more tedious. It doesn’t even feel like a style that belongs in comics, it’s much more suited to prose fiction or radio plays.
Then there’s the team itself which is an uninspired lineup at best. Havok, Scarlet Witch, Rogue, Wolverine, Cap, Thor - it’s so arbitrary and, after reading it, I don’t really get why these characters were selected, besides their obvious popularity (discounting the obvious ones who haven’t had their own movies yet). There’s just no chemistry among them at all.
The team’s very existence is a big problem for me too. One of the most irritating tropes in superhero comics is when a team gets bogged down in what the public think of them - this angle became a big part of the New 52 JLA and JL and played a big part in why those titles stank to high heaven, and it made my heart sink when I realised this was the angle Uncanny Avengers was taking as well. Because you know what that means? Board meetings. Superheroes sitting around tables, talking about how to make the public like them. It’s like reading actual Marvel/DC marketing meetings! It makes for horrible comics every time.
The artwork is the only thing I really liked about this book with John Cassady’s art looking terrific. Every page he draws is awesome but that scene where Rogue escapes from Red Skull’s S-Men is really something. It’s imaginatively laid out and uses Rogue’s mutant powers to full effect, and also strikes this great balance between eye-catching, exciting and thoughtful all at once. I also liked the Days of Future Past cover reference with Havok and Scarlet Witch.
Oliver Coipel’s artwork is also fantastic (he draws the final issue) though I disliked the way the pages were laid out initially, with the panels with dialogue boxes running down one side and a straight column of text running parallel alongside it - do we read them left to right and down like normal or read the panels first then the text? It’s confusing, though maybe more damning is how little I cared about what was happening in either, because this book’s story is utterly boring. Red Skull tries to talk over the world again, superheroes fight him on the streets of New York, and he escapes like a cartoon character through a hole in the floor! Then the book ends on the whole PR nonsense. This is also the book where the controversial Havok scene where he says he doesn’t want to be labelled a mutant - or the “m” word as he calls it. Remender’s response to critics of this scene was stupid, but reading it in the context of this book really isn’t bad and I feel it was overblown by some comics commentators at the time.
Anyway. Uncanny Avengers just isn’t for me. I think it’s too flawed in too many ways, in concept and execution, though both mainly stem from the writer, Remender, who doesn’t help by writing in a way that is outdated and bound to be tiresome to modern comics readers. But mostly, it’s a boring comic. It doesn’t feel fresh or exciting and reads like any other generic superhero team-up comic - there’s nothing uncanny here, just frustration. The Uninteresting Avengers!
November 2, 2021
Wanda ejecting Thor into space?! Fuck yes! Ugh and when Rogue tried to steal her powers- it was awesome.
June 4, 2025
The X-Men mourn the loss of a legend while an old evil lurks in the darkness.
The story starts with the funeral of Professor X. Captain America has a plan to help mutants by creating an Avengers Unity Team with Avengers and Mutants. The goal being that humanity learns to accept mutants because they are Avengers and are protecting humanity. The real story starts when the Nazi mad man The Red Skull steals Charles Xavier's brain and melds it to his own in order to spew his brand of hate.
The Red Skull is just an evil being and I always appreciate seeing him get beat up. The story was OK, but nothing all that special. Established characters who don't age are once again in slightly different scenarios. I wonder how long they wait to bring Professor X back to life.
The story starts with the funeral of Professor X. Captain America has a plan to help mutants by creating an Avengers Unity Team with Avengers and Mutants. The goal being that humanity learns to accept mutants because they are Avengers and are protecting humanity. The real story starts when the Nazi mad man The Red Skull steals Charles Xavier's brain and melds it to his own in order to spew his brand of hate.
The Red Skull is just an evil being and I always appreciate seeing him get beat up. The story was OK, but nothing all that special. Established characters who don't age are once again in slightly different scenarios. I wonder how long they wait to bring Professor X back to life.
February 22, 2022
This was such a fun read!
Cap forms a team of Avengers and X-Men "Unity Squad" and asks Havoc to lead the team but when Red Skull merged with the brain of Xavier control the general population to attack the mutants, well the team dives in to stop this riot and well we have this team face off against the S-Men of Red Skull and also personalities within the team clash, Rogue vs Scarlet witch, Thor vs Wolverine and what not and as passions burn high, will the team be able to stop this Red menace and what will be the future outcome of it?
Plus the team vs media and new recruits on all sides. This was a great read and I love the way Remender forms the team and he gives each character their own moment and showing different personalities and he makes use of existing continuity to give us a solid story and the art is so consistent and yep great read. Also that glimpse into the future OMG! Just great stuff!
Cap forms a team of Avengers and X-Men "Unity Squad" and asks Havoc to lead the team but when Red Skull merged with the brain of Xavier control the general population to attack the mutants, well the team dives in to stop this riot and well we have this team face off against the S-Men of Red Skull and also personalities within the team clash, Rogue vs Scarlet witch, Thor vs Wolverine and what not and as passions burn high, will the team be able to stop this Red menace and what will be the future outcome of it?
Plus the team vs media and new recruits on all sides. This was a great read and I love the way Remender forms the team and he gives each character their own moment and showing different personalities and he makes use of existing continuity to give us a solid story and the art is so consistent and yep great read. Also that glimpse into the future OMG! Just great stuff!
March 18, 2016
For this March, I decided to read only two X-Men titles since I have just wrapped up my 2015 X-Men comics diet and I have other comics and manga I want to get into this year. So I chose to read and review Rick Remeder's Uncanny Avengers by volume, and also tackle my long overdue thoughts concerning Avengers vs. X-Men, a heavy motherfucker of seven-hundred or so pages. It's interesting to read them side-by-side, considering Remender's UX is post-AVX (much like the other MARVEL NOW! titles).
I think this is the last series from that line-up that I haven't read yet, and I'm glad I saved it for the last because this particular title is BONKERS.
Granted, Bendis' All-New X-Men has the the most bonkers premise of them all, and the easily forgettable X-Men IV which really should have been renamed X-Women is a depressing parade of nonsensical bonkers hence my inability to finish it--but Remender's Uncanny Avengers seriously takes the cake for a series that has little coherent sense narrative-wise AND YET manages to be entertaining nevertheless. But hey, it's only been the first volume. I'd like to be a positive Patty and believe that things will only get better from here but based solely from my experience last year on at least 40% of the X-titles I encountered, it'd be best to expect that the worst is still to come. So let's all curb our enthusiasm, shall we?
How bonkers is this series so far? Well, for one thing it's a combination of two superhero team names: X-Men and The Avengers. With the aftermath of the AVX, everyone's favorite boy-scout Captain America (whether in an ironic context) assigned Alex Summers (a. k. a Havoc), brother to former golden boy Scott Summers (Cyclops, who lost his shit and killed Xavier while possessed by the Phoenix Force) to be the face of the new collaborative heroic efforts of the newly minted 'Uncanny Avengers'.
It's gimmicky--it's blatant publicity--it's a desperate measure of compromise to appease the general public regarding the mutant threat. It's everything experimental that would make me anxious for the most justifiable of reasons. It only took him decades, but hey, at least Captain America was now willing to stand up for the mutants and include them in his agenda for social change and upholding the American values. Look, I've been a fan of Kapitan in the movies, but based on the ways he was characterized here in Remender's title and the AVX issues--I'm not sure I buy his brand of noble superhero. For one thing--did it really have to take him this long to take a stance promoting mutant rights? But should is still surprise me at this point? No race and minority has been oppressed this much in comics than the X-Men. It's essentially the encompassing themes of all their stories.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS on UNCANNY AVENGERS VOLUME #1, "The Red Shadow"
I like it. I really did. It's has a Zooey Deschanel sort of quirky charm to it at times that has a surprisingly believable dark twist. Illustrated by John Cassaday and comprised of the first five issues of the series, The Red Shadow was able to hold my interest enough for me to look forward to the next volume. There are cool passages of prose and I'm certainly happy to see my childhood favorite Rogue again and her conflict with Scarlet Witch unfold. Sad-Logan is also a bonus because I miss him from his version in Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men. It's always great to see his vulnerability.
PROS
>>> Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. Remender seems to be doing a conscious tribute to the man's style of writing and I didn't mind it. It was nostalgic since I am a fan of the good Claremont era.
>>> Rogue and Scarlet Witch's interesting conflict. Rogue blames her for the chain of events since Wanda cast that decimation thing about the mutant race that everyone doesn't want to talk about anymore because, you know, awkward and sad and stuff...I could only hope Rogue and Scarlet Witch interact more now that they're on the same team. I can roll with Rogue's animosity for her and Wanda's road to redemption after her shitty action in House of M.
>>> Alex Summers finally taking on a leadership role and butting heads with Kapitan. His speech about distancing himself from the label 'mutant' was intriguing and Bendis in All-New X-Men was given a chance to respond to it through Kitty Pryde's insight. Comparing their opinions about the subject matter was genius. I like how they both have valid reasons for their convictions; Alex wanting to be treated as more than just his identification as mutant; and Kitty claiming that distancing yourself from your race only contributes to the discrimination and prejudice itself. On some days, I'd lean on Kitty because it seems more realistic to think of the world in terms like that and to fight against any form of oppression by stating that "I am _____ and proud of it". But, on other days, I think I also aspire to live in a world that Alex is preaching where divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation don't ultimately matter.
CONS
>>> Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. I'm a fan of the good Claremont era, yes, but the man has a tendency to 'tell' rather than 'show' action scenes at times that it would come off lazy and pretentious.
>>> FUCKING RED SKULL AS THE VILLAIN OF THIS ARC. I FUCKING HATE THAT BASTARD. I WISH THERE IS A FIERY PIT I COULD PUSH HIM INTO. He's such an awful piece of shit and he didn't even get the punishment he so deserved.
>>> Stupid stuff like Red Skull being able to absorb late Xavier's telepathy via--I dunno--lobotomy? He basically scooped his brain out of his skull and---ate it? WHO THE FUCK KNOWS?? And then he starts controlling everyone, having mobs beat up on innocent mutants on the street. The worst offender of them all is him being able to corrupt Thor AND THAT THOR COULD STILL WIELD THE HAMMER EVEN WHEN HE WAS TURNED EVIL. Is my lore about the hammer wrong? Isn't it a big deal that only someone who is worthy of the hammer can wield its power? Evil Thor never should have been able to wield it then. Motherfucking plot holes, man.
FAVORITE MOMENTS
CLICK FOR BIGGER IMAGES
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
I think this is the last series from that line-up that I haven't read yet, and I'm glad I saved it for the last because this particular title is BONKERS.
Granted, Bendis' All-New X-Men has the the most bonkers premise of them all, and the easily forgettable X-Men IV which really should have been renamed X-Women is a depressing parade of nonsensical bonkers hence my inability to finish it--but Remender's Uncanny Avengers seriously takes the cake for a series that has little coherent sense narrative-wise AND YET manages to be entertaining nevertheless. But hey, it's only been the first volume. I'd like to be a positive Patty and believe that things will only get better from here but based solely from my experience last year on at least 40% of the X-titles I encountered, it'd be best to expect that the worst is still to come. So let's all curb our enthusiasm, shall we?
How bonkers is this series so far? Well, for one thing it's a combination of two superhero team names: X-Men and The Avengers. With the aftermath of the AVX, everyone's favorite boy-scout Captain America (whether in an ironic context) assigned Alex Summers (a. k. a Havoc), brother to former golden boy Scott Summers (Cyclops, who lost his shit and killed Xavier while possessed by the Phoenix Force) to be the face of the new collaborative heroic efforts of the newly minted 'Uncanny Avengers'.
It's gimmicky--it's blatant publicity--it's a desperate measure of compromise to appease the general public regarding the mutant threat. It's everything experimental that would make me anxious for the most justifiable of reasons. It only took him decades, but hey, at least Captain America was now willing to stand up for the mutants and include them in his agenda for social change and upholding the American values. Look, I've been a fan of Kapitan in the movies, but based on the ways he was characterized here in Remender's title and the AVX issues--I'm not sure I buy his brand of noble superhero. For one thing--did it really have to take him this long to take a stance promoting mutant rights? But should is still surprise me at this point? No race and minority has been oppressed this much in comics than the X-Men. It's essentially the encompassing themes of all their stories.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS on UNCANNY AVENGERS VOLUME #1, "The Red Shadow"
I like it. I really did. It's has a Zooey Deschanel sort of quirky charm to it at times that has a surprisingly believable dark twist. Illustrated by John Cassaday and comprised of the first five issues of the series, The Red Shadow was able to hold my interest enough for me to look forward to the next volume. There are cool passages of prose and I'm certainly happy to see my childhood favorite Rogue again and her conflict with Scarlet Witch unfold. Sad-Logan is also a bonus because I miss him from his version in Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men. It's always great to see his vulnerability.
PROS
>>> Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. Remender seems to be doing a conscious tribute to the man's style of writing and I didn't mind it. It was nostalgic since I am a fan of the good Claremont era.
>>> Rogue and Scarlet Witch's interesting conflict. Rogue blames her for the chain of events since Wanda cast that decimation thing about the mutant race that everyone doesn't want to talk about anymore because, you know, awkward and sad and stuff...I could only hope Rogue and Scarlet Witch interact more now that they're on the same team. I can roll with Rogue's animosity for her and Wanda's road to redemption after her shitty action in House of M.
>>> Alex Summers finally taking on a leadership role and butting heads with Kapitan. His speech about distancing himself from the label 'mutant' was intriguing and Bendis in All-New X-Men was given a chance to respond to it through Kitty Pryde's insight. Comparing their opinions about the subject matter was genius. I like how they both have valid reasons for their convictions; Alex wanting to be treated as more than just his identification as mutant; and Kitty claiming that distancing yourself from your race only contributes to the discrimination and prejudice itself. On some days, I'd lean on Kitty because it seems more realistic to think of the world in terms like that and to fight against any form of oppression by stating that "I am _____ and proud of it". But, on other days, I think I also aspire to live in a world that Alex is preaching where divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation don't ultimately matter.
CONS
>>> Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. I'm a fan of the good Claremont era, yes, but the man has a tendency to 'tell' rather than 'show' action scenes at times that it would come off lazy and pretentious.
>>> FUCKING RED SKULL AS THE VILLAIN OF THIS ARC. I FUCKING HATE THAT BASTARD. I WISH THERE IS A FIERY PIT I COULD PUSH HIM INTO. He's such an awful piece of shit and he didn't even get the punishment he so deserved.
>>> Stupid stuff like Red Skull being able to absorb late Xavier's telepathy via--I dunno--lobotomy? He basically scooped his brain out of his skull and---ate it? WHO THE FUCK KNOWS?? And then he starts controlling everyone, having mobs beat up on innocent mutants on the street. The worst offender of them all is him being able to corrupt Thor AND THAT THOR COULD STILL WIELD THE HAMMER EVEN WHEN HE WAS TURNED EVIL. Is my lore about the hammer wrong? Isn't it a big deal that only someone who is worthy of the hammer can wield its power? Evil Thor never should have been able to wield it then. Motherfucking plot holes, man.
FAVORITE MOMENTS
CLICK FOR BIGGER IMAGES
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
September 23, 2014
Despite the negative reviews, I really liked this story. I am a big House of M fan and have wanted to see Wanda brought into continuity for a long time. The blend of X-Men and Avengers is a good plan considering Wanda always was a mutant Avenger. Pietro could've made an appearance, but oh well.
Havok is an interesting choice for leadership. He has always seemed like an unmined character in the Marvel Universe. Combining ex- Brotherhood of Evil Mutant characters was a nice touch.
The Red Skull is a good choice for a major baddie and the brief intro of Kang sounds like the writers are serious about the Avengers aspect of the title. I like the way the series impacts continuity in the regular Uncanny titles as well.
The artwork is solid and well done. Bringing in Avengers heavies like Cap and Thor definitely make this feel like a main Avengers title. And yes, Wolverine has been in every group imaginable.
Overall I rate it 4.5
Havok is an interesting choice for leadership. He has always seemed like an unmined character in the Marvel Universe. Combining ex- Brotherhood of Evil Mutant characters was a nice touch.
The Red Skull is a good choice for a major baddie and the brief intro of Kang sounds like the writers are serious about the Avengers aspect of the title. I like the way the series impacts continuity in the regular Uncanny titles as well.
The artwork is solid and well done. Bringing in Avengers heavies like Cap and Thor definitely make this feel like a main Avengers title. And yes, Wolverine has been in every group imaginable.
Overall I rate it 4.5
June 16, 2015
This book is a thinker on the philosophy side of Remender's world, and a dreamer on the crazy villain action side. Remender is a solid writer, pulling out some great ideas to keep Cassaday and Martin busy entertaining us.
But the level of bombast in the narration is just too much. I can see what Remender is doing - showing us the old-school comics style that he apparently loves - but I'm struggling to find a way to like it. I grit my teeth through it and just take it for the history lesson that it is - like watching Lethal Weapon II with its now-anachronistic references to apartheid, or digging up that ancient Intellivsion console and playing me some Utopia. (Well, I enjoy the latter still, but I can't for the life of me look at Mel Gibson anymore without imagining him drunkenly ripping on Jews.)
Still, for the sheer craziness of who he pulls out of his magician's hat as villains, and what they're up to, I am mostly enjoying the raucous old-school yarn.
I hate to make this terrible observation, but it feels to me like Cassaday's art went a bit to waste here. Or maybe he just wasn't putting his 100% into it. The figures and camera angles looked good, but stuff felt flat and a bit lifeless, like I was looking at cardboard standees of the heroes being shown us.
Spoiler plot points to remember, since I know I'll keep reading this insanity:
But the level of bombast in the narration is just too much. I can see what Remender is doing - showing us the old-school comics style that he apparently loves - but I'm struggling to find a way to like it. I grit my teeth through it and just take it for the history lesson that it is - like watching Lethal Weapon II with its now-anachronistic references to apartheid, or digging up that ancient Intellivsion console and playing me some Utopia. (Well, I enjoy the latter still, but I can't for the life of me look at Mel Gibson anymore without imagining him drunkenly ripping on Jews.)
Still, for the sheer craziness of who he pulls out of his magician's hat as villains, and what they're up to, I am mostly enjoying the raucous old-school yarn.
I hate to make this terrible observation, but it feels to me like Cassaday's art went a bit to waste here. Or maybe he just wasn't putting his 100% into it. The figures and camera angles looked good, but stuff felt flat and a bit lifeless, like I was looking at cardboard standees of the heroes being shown us.
Spoiler plot points to remember, since I know I'll keep reading this insanity:
May 19, 2025
3.5 stars. After the events of AvX, Professor X is dead. The Red Skull has got his hands on the body and has somehow got his psychic powers. Ah hell. That’s definitely not good. Also after the events of AvX, Steve Rodgers wants to try to fix the public view on mutants by creating a half Avenger, half mutant team. Their first scuffle is dealing with telepathic powered Red Skull. Pretty solid intro to this Uncanny Avengers series. Curious to see where this goes.
March 13, 2015
***Buddy read with the Shallow Readers! This weeks criteria: Scarlet Witch is red all the time! Plus Thor and Captain America! And it's called THE RED SHADOW which means RED SKULL! I'm killing it***
This wasn't everything that I wanted it to be, BUT it has promise to turn into something grand. At least I'm hoping. But realistically the big reason I rated it so low is because I was really confused at first, having no background of the relationship between the Avengers and the X-Men, not to mention I totally had no clue about what was going on with Cyclops. But it gets cleared up pretty quickly, and then you're on your way.
So in this story, mutants and super heroes alike are reeling over Charles Xavier's death (I've never heard anyone call him Chuck, but whatever Wolverine). And this leads into Captain America and Thor approaching Havoc and requesting that they band together to make life better for everyone, so that Mutants and humans can peacefully coexist, thus honoring Xavier in death. Havoc becomes the leader of this group, rounding in Wolverine, Rogue and Scarlet Witch (WAHOO!). The only problem, without giving too much away, is that Red Skull is back and he has the whammy of all whammies up his sleeve in order to bring about HIS world order (which is very similar to Hitler's, of course).
My favorite part of this, which we all can probably figure out, is Scarlet Witch. Not only is she a kick ass hero, but her powers are virtually unparalleled in this volume. Her devotion to Xavier and his longing for peace in the world are her driving force in realizing how polluted Red Skull is. And her scenes with Rogue while they mourn Charles are incredibly powerful.
Back onto the WTF train though. My lack of knowledge in this world is becoming overwhelming.
I just want more information. And I want to continue this because this was cool, and I think it could get way better.
April 26, 2014
This arc reads better as a trade because I can't recall enjoying reading the single issues as much as I read the digital collected edition. I do remember this title losing momentum despite that it was one of my most eagerly awaited launch from the original Marvel NOW initiative.
Uncanny Avengers came to being as a result of the Avengers Versus X-Men event. This new Avengers squads brings together members from both its hallowed roster and the X-Men. One could expect sparks and they did! Half of its roster don't see eye to eye, especially since Rogue, who once took down a whole Avengers line-up herself back in the day, wants the Scarlet Witch to pay for M-Day.
The first arc brings a lot of promise to the title. Here are my reasons why:
1. Restores the Red Skull as a legit apocalyptic threat to both the Avengers and the X-Men. The Skull does something in the first issue that is sure to tick all X-Men off.
2. This book continues threads started in the other Remender series that I like, Uncanny X-Force. Wolverine's more recent sins are going to catch up with him soon enough.
3. Remender is mining both the Avengers and X-Men mythos for his run. The teaser at the end of the of chapter four appears to be a return to the dystopic future of Days of Future Past, an appearance by Onslaught and Kang the Conqueror's fingerprints all over it.
This book may have Avengers on the cover but this is more of an X-Men book. Regardless, I'll read anything written by Remender.
Uncanny Avengers came to being as a result of the Avengers Versus X-Men event. This new Avengers squads brings together members from both its hallowed roster and the X-Men. One could expect sparks and they did! Half of its roster don't see eye to eye, especially since Rogue, who once took down a whole Avengers line-up herself back in the day, wants the Scarlet Witch to pay for M-Day.
The first arc brings a lot of promise to the title. Here are my reasons why:
1. Restores the Red Skull as a legit apocalyptic threat to both the Avengers and the X-Men. The Skull does something in the first issue that is sure to tick all X-Men off.
2. This book continues threads started in the other Remender series that I like, Uncanny X-Force. Wolverine's more recent sins are going to catch up with him soon enough.
3. Remender is mining both the Avengers and X-Men mythos for his run. The teaser at the end of the of chapter four appears to be a return to the dystopic future of Days of Future Past, an appearance by Onslaught and Kang the Conqueror's fingerprints all over it.
This book may have Avengers on the cover but this is more of an X-Men book. Regardless, I'll read anything written by Remender.
April 17, 2019
Holy shit this was a freaking blast!
So after Xavier is killed by Cyclops, the world isn't to fond of mutants. This is nothing new, but Captain America decides to try and fix it. Try to join forces with mutants to show a public PR face. He chooses Scott Summer's brother, Alex, and together they create the Uncanny Avengers. Of course something awful has to bring them all together. Red Skull has taken Xaiver's brain and is using it to have people murder mutants and non-mutants alike while claiming all mutants need to be killed.
This is a action packed, insane, over the top, and extremely fun volume. The start was a little rough at points. But as soon as the avengers and x-men all began working as a team to take down red skull it was great. However, the stakes felt higher, as the heroes don't always win. Then the PR meeting and trying to show a new face to mutants will never work out as hoped.
Great character development, fun dialogue, and solid pacing. The art is a bit iffy at points as is the story at the start but all come together to hand you something super fun. A 4 out of 5.
So after Xavier is killed by Cyclops, the world isn't to fond of mutants. This is nothing new, but Captain America decides to try and fix it. Try to join forces with mutants to show a public PR face. He chooses Scott Summer's brother, Alex, and together they create the Uncanny Avengers. Of course something awful has to bring them all together. Red Skull has taken Xaiver's brain and is using it to have people murder mutants and non-mutants alike while claiming all mutants need to be killed.
This is a action packed, insane, over the top, and extremely fun volume. The start was a little rough at points. But as soon as the avengers and x-men all began working as a team to take down red skull it was great. However, the stakes felt higher, as the heroes don't always win. Then the PR meeting and trying to show a new face to mutants will never work out as hoped.
Great character development, fun dialogue, and solid pacing. The art is a bit iffy at points as is the story at the start but all come together to hand you something super fun. A 4 out of 5.
August 26, 2019
Oh hey, it's a Rick Remender book I managed to read from beginning to end without abandoning it halfway through! It may sound like I'm hating on the guy, but I'm not — I just genuinely have trouble getting into most of his writing. This particular book, though? Not bad. I like the team roster, I like the way Remender writes everybody and gives certain characters some really great moments, and the story, while nothing too special so far, promises to get better in the future. The first arc about Red Skull was a bit of a snoozer, I admit — it's same old same old, humans hate the mutants, yada yada yada. The twist that Red Skull is actually using Xavier's brain to mind-control everybody raises an eyebrow — how exactly does he do that? It was all a bit too blah. However, I really liked the closing issue of the book where the whole team gets officially introduced to the public and certain characters get into some serious trouble. This is the issue that sold me on at least checking out the next volume, and it also made me bump my rating up a star for this — the gears really start turning here, the team gels together and it feels like a great starting point for further adventures to come. We'll see how it plays out in future volumes, but for now color me intrigued. John Cassaday's artwork is a nice bonus here, though it definitely looks rougher than it used to in his glory days of Planetary and Astonishing X-Men, and I actually enjoyed the Olivier Coipel-drawn last issue of the book a lot more.
July 23, 2020
2.5 stars.
Nothing about this was really spectacular? As usual, a few characters don't speak like normal human beings? There's a balance to writing in superhero speeches and writing in too many superheroisms into every day speech. A few times here, I felt as though Cap and Havok didn't talk like a human being.
I didn't like the way Scarlet Witch was used for 90% of this. Although, aside from some of Busiek's Avengers, I don't like the way most people write Scarlet Witch. I felt like she was just here to be used and yelled at. I don't understand why more emphasis was placed on who Rogue had sex with (if that was even canon?) than anything else she's done in the past. Like... really? And these are your two female characters.
I'm just going to say it: thus far, I have yet to read a female character with depth written by Rick Remender. No matter if they have an established history or if he's creating them, the women in his books are solely defined and driven by the men in their lives. It's reductive and it's exhausting.
So... what was the point of this?
The art was pretty.
Nothing about this was really spectacular? As usual, a few characters don't speak like normal human beings? There's a balance to writing in superhero speeches and writing in too many superheroisms into every day speech. A few times here, I felt as though Cap and Havok didn't talk like a human being.
I didn't like the way Scarlet Witch was used for 90% of this. Although, aside from some of Busiek's Avengers, I don't like the way most people write Scarlet Witch. I felt like she was just here to be used and yelled at. I don't understand why more emphasis was placed on who Rogue had sex with (if that was even canon?) than anything else she's done in the past. Like... really? And these are your two female characters.
I'm just going to say it: thus far, I have yet to read a female character with depth written by Rick Remender. No matter if they have an established history or if he's creating them, the women in his books are solely defined and driven by the men in their lives. It's reductive and it's exhausting.
So... what was the point of this?
The art was pretty.
April 5, 2019
When Logan is with Thor and other avengers!!!
Yay!!!
Yay!!!
March 29, 2013
It takes a while to get going on John Cassidys art isn't as strong as some of his previous work, but this will read well in trade. It does bother me a little though how Wolverine ALWAYS refers to Charles Xavier as 'Chuck'. I get that that's his nickname, but every single time?
And the last issue is pretty great, because it's drawn by Olivier Coipel, who should have drawn the whole arc. He should draw everything ever, actually.
And the last issue is pretty great, because it's drawn by Olivier Coipel, who should have drawn the whole arc. He should draw everything ever, actually.
April 15, 2015
Like a lot of both DC and Marvel comics for over the past decade this was OK. Also in common with both of the big two's titles there was potential here but that potential was, for the most part unfulfilled.
Still a decent follow up/aftermath of the whole A vs X storyline.
Still a decent follow up/aftermath of the whole A vs X storyline.
Read
December 14, 2014Oh dear. This is apparently the 15th Rick Remender trade I've read, and while many of them have been pretty good, I've realised - there's no way I could identify him as the writer if you gave me something I didn't know was him. At his best, he writes competent modern superheroics. At his worst, he writes this. After all that solid work on second-tier titles, this is clearly intended as his elevation to the big leagues - not a Moore or Morrison, not even a Bendis, but maybe an Aaron or Hickman. Alas, it is utter bobbins.
The story so far: in Avengers vs X-Men, Cyclops and his X-Men - powered up to godlike levels by the Phoenix Force - tried to make Earth into a utopia. The Avengers tried to stop them, because...well, because if they'd done the sane thing and helped them, you would have had to change the title of the event, and that would never do. In the aftermath, anti-mutant sentiment is rife (rather than, as you might expect, anti-Avengers sentiment). So Captain America enlists Cyclops' flaky quisling brother, Havok, to lead a joint team of Avengers and X-Men in promoting unity. This is bad enough in theory, but the execution doesn't help - Cassaday's art has become oddly stiff at some point since Planetary, and Remender has everything drowned in speechifying and explanatory captions like he's channelling Chris Claremont. Meanwhile, the villain is a clone of noted Nazi the Red Skull, who is now teaming up with all manner of untermenschen against the mutants because now he's racist against mutants instead? But not sufficiently so to stop him stealing Charles Xavier's brain and melding it with his own in some manner which is never explained, leaves no visible effect, and results in the personality of the Red Skull with all the powers of Professor X. Quite a trick, that - clearly supervillainy's gain was neurosurgery's loss.
The story so far: in Avengers vs X-Men, Cyclops and his X-Men - powered up to godlike levels by the Phoenix Force - tried to make Earth into a utopia. The Avengers tried to stop them, because...well, because if they'd done the sane thing and helped them, you would have had to change the title of the event, and that would never do. In the aftermath, anti-mutant sentiment is rife (rather than, as you might expect, anti-Avengers sentiment). So Captain America enlists Cyclops' flaky quisling brother, Havok, to lead a joint team of Avengers and X-Men in promoting unity. This is bad enough in theory, but the execution doesn't help - Cassaday's art has become oddly stiff at some point since Planetary, and Remender has everything drowned in speechifying and explanatory captions like he's channelling Chris Claremont. Meanwhile, the villain is a clone of noted Nazi the Red Skull, who is now teaming up with all manner of untermenschen against the mutants because now he's racist against mutants instead? But not sufficiently so to stop him stealing Charles Xavier's brain and melding it with his own in some manner which is never explained, leaves no visible effect, and results in the personality of the Red Skull with all the powers of Professor X. Quite a trick, that - clearly supervillainy's gain was neurosurgery's loss.
June 1, 2014
Remender's take on a joining of Avengers and X-Men gives me a headache. It's a decent enough premise, and in other hands, it could even have been a fun one. But from issue one, we get nothing but HUGE PLOT and HUGE TWISTS and it becomes very old, very quickly. Cassaday's art feels very one-note as well, and while I enjoyed his stuff on Amazing X-Men, I don't enjoy it here. Meh. I might catch up with the story later on, but I dropped this series pretty quickly in favor of the much better Avengers and X-Men books.
November 2, 2015
A good different start to a different Avengers team that's mostly X-men. Very interested to see where this goes.
January 1, 2020
Very good, with a lot of promise to get even better.
It’s about time they did a team like this.
The book explores the tension between the X-Men, the Avengers, and society as a whole following events of AvX. It’s fun to see Havok in this role, and it’s also cool to see people like Rogue having to work with Cap, Janet and especially Wanda.
The first mini arc felt a bit frantic and rushed... but it did the job. I was never bored, and it left me wanting more.
The Red Skull’s plan may have been ridiculous and over the top, but is sure was evil. I felt like there was a lot kf political symbolism revolving around prejudice and racism, but it fit the plot and wasn’t preachy.
I’m happy this series exists and I can’t wait to get more of it.
Also... ONSLAUGHT!!
It’s about time they did a team like this.
The book explores the tension between the X-Men, the Avengers, and society as a whole following events of AvX. It’s fun to see Havok in this role, and it’s also cool to see people like Rogue having to work with Cap, Janet and especially Wanda.
The first mini arc felt a bit frantic and rushed... but it did the job. I was never bored, and it left me wanting more.
The Red Skull’s plan may have been ridiculous and over the top, but is sure was evil. I felt like there was a lot kf political symbolism revolving around prejudice and racism, but it fit the plot and wasn’t preachy.
I’m happy this series exists and I can’t wait to get more of it.
Also... ONSLAUGHT!!
March 2, 2021
the ending... marvel is simply sick for that
September 4, 2015
In the wake of Avengers vs. X-Men, those long-segregated franchises came together for a book that kicked off the “Marvel NOW!” era. Feeling he’d let the mutants down with his “hands off” approach, Captain American tapped Havok to lead an Avengers Unity Squad that mixed heroes from both teams. Wolverine was a natural member and Thor, expressing disgust at the treatment of mutants, also insisted on joining. After the memorial for Professor X, Scarlet Witch quietly visited his grave, only to have an ugly scene with an angry Rogue, before new villains the S Men overran them. The S Men reported to a clone of the Red Skull, who stole the body of Professor X, harvested his brain and grafted it onto his own, to tap into the Professor’s psychic abilities. The Red Skull used his new power to turn normal humans against mutants, sparking violent riots. The combined might of the six heroes foiled the Skull’s plot, but he escaped.
Shortly thereafter, Pestilence, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, gave birth to the twins of the brain-wiped X-Man Archangel, only to have time-traveling villain Kang kidnap them from their nursery and spirit them into the future. Wasp, back from an extra-dimensional exile, joined the Unity Squad, as did the now pacifist Wonder Man and disgraced former X-Man Sunfire. The new team mixed uneasily and Havok struggled with his leadership role. At a PR event to introduce the Unity Squad, Havok sparked discontent by suggesting that the “mutant” label was unhelpful and that the world should just think of them as people. But the Grim Reaper interrupted that moment, intent on killing the Scarlet Witch. With the others momentarily incapacitated, Rogue absorbed Wonder Man’s powers to fight Grim Reaper, accidentally killing him.
Marvel gave Uncanny Avengers a high profile launch, including blue chip creative team Rick Remender, John Cassady and Laura Martin. Remender brought lots of interesting ideas to the table and assembled a cast of dynamic personalities that he effectively played off one another. The Red Skull’s plot was appropriately twisted and the mutant-hating S Men were intriguing foils. The spotlight on Havok was welcome, though his “Just call me Alex” press moment generated a lot of fan controversy, sort of making Remender’s point for him. Cassady was onboard only for the first four issues, but set a strong visual standard for the new series, nicely matched by Martin’s dynamic color work. Olivier Coipel stepped in for a single issue and did his usual strong, clean work. This was a strong start for Marvel’s then-new direction and a strong melding of its two most important franchises.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
Shortly thereafter, Pestilence, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, gave birth to the twins of the brain-wiped X-Man Archangel, only to have time-traveling villain Kang kidnap them from their nursery and spirit them into the future. Wasp, back from an extra-dimensional exile, joined the Unity Squad, as did the now pacifist Wonder Man and disgraced former X-Man Sunfire. The new team mixed uneasily and Havok struggled with his leadership role. At a PR event to introduce the Unity Squad, Havok sparked discontent by suggesting that the “mutant” label was unhelpful and that the world should just think of them as people. But the Grim Reaper interrupted that moment, intent on killing the Scarlet Witch. With the others momentarily incapacitated, Rogue absorbed Wonder Man’s powers to fight Grim Reaper, accidentally killing him.
Marvel gave Uncanny Avengers a high profile launch, including blue chip creative team Rick Remender, John Cassady and Laura Martin. Remender brought lots of interesting ideas to the table and assembled a cast of dynamic personalities that he effectively played off one another. The Red Skull’s plot was appropriately twisted and the mutant-hating S Men were intriguing foils. The spotlight on Havok was welcome, though his “Just call me Alex” press moment generated a lot of fan controversy, sort of making Remender’s point for him. Cassady was onboard only for the first four issues, but set a strong visual standard for the new series, nicely matched by Martin’s dynamic color work. Olivier Coipel stepped in for a single issue and did his usual strong, clean work. This was a strong start for Marvel’s then-new direction and a strong melding of its two most important franchises.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
July 3, 2013
Lately I've been inundated with tons of graphic novels, which is my own fault since I requested them all from my local library. Since I have a lot of reading and a bevy of due dates looming over my head, I've had to make some hard decisions about what to escalate to the top of my reading pile. The decision is made a little harder, since most of these titles are collected collections of recent DC New 52 and Marvel Now titles.
I'm happy I made a decision to read this first volume of Uncanny Avengers sooner than later, because quite honestly I had no idea how wonderful it would be. Initially, I thought the mash-up of classic Avenger and X-Men characters (including Wolverine, naturally) was simply another cash-cow decision. And, on certain levels, sure. It is. Yet underneath the umbrella of crowdpleaser antics lies a beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully written book filled with complex relationships and a genuinely creepy antagonist in the form of the most deliciously evil take on Red Skull ever.
Uncanny Avengers is clearly written by people who know their stuff, and it's written with a nudge to readers who know their history. Characters like Wonder Man and The Wasp are introduced with a sophistication that feels fresh and new, yet loses none of the fun of these spandex-clad super jocks. Second-string villains are given a fresh coat of paint, and readers are asked to look with new eyes at characters who have been around for decades, yet have never quite been fleshed out. Not until now, anyway.
Maybe the biggest b-list character makeover in this book is that of Havok, who most people might kind of know as the guy in the black suit with the white circles, or "uh wasn't he in that First Class movie??" Alex Summers is given a strong personality in this book, and is even promoted to the leader of the team. In these days of accelerated comic-to-movie ventures, Havok could be Marvel's next big leading man at this rate.
More than a big splashy action extravaganza, Uncanny Avengers explores questions about these familiar characters that go beneath the expected surface of fisticuffs and things blowin' up real good. And it's a book that looks glorious in so doing.
I'm happy I made a decision to read this first volume of Uncanny Avengers sooner than later, because quite honestly I had no idea how wonderful it would be. Initially, I thought the mash-up of classic Avenger and X-Men characters (including Wolverine, naturally) was simply another cash-cow decision. And, on certain levels, sure. It is. Yet underneath the umbrella of crowdpleaser antics lies a beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully written book filled with complex relationships and a genuinely creepy antagonist in the form of the most deliciously evil take on Red Skull ever.
Uncanny Avengers is clearly written by people who know their stuff, and it's written with a nudge to readers who know their history. Characters like Wonder Man and The Wasp are introduced with a sophistication that feels fresh and new, yet loses none of the fun of these spandex-clad super jocks. Second-string villains are given a fresh coat of paint, and readers are asked to look with new eyes at characters who have been around for decades, yet have never quite been fleshed out. Not until now, anyway.
Maybe the biggest b-list character makeover in this book is that of Havok, who most people might kind of know as the guy in the black suit with the white circles, or "uh wasn't he in that First Class movie??" Alex Summers is given a strong personality in this book, and is even promoted to the leader of the team. In these days of accelerated comic-to-movie ventures, Havok could be Marvel's next big leading man at this rate.
More than a big splashy action extravaganza, Uncanny Avengers explores questions about these familiar characters that go beneath the expected surface of fisticuffs and things blowin' up real good. And it's a book that looks glorious in so doing.
July 10, 2013
The entire farce of AVX seems to have been just an extremely lame reason to restructure and shake up a few teams in order for Marvel to create their own version of the Nu52- Marvel NOW!
Marketing gimmicks like AVX have me shaking my head at Marvel more than DC these days, seeing as how there seems to be an "earth-shattering" event every 2 months or so. And all of these crossovers are fairly worthless in the end with almost no ramifications in the long-run and is just a way to fix short-term sales goals.
I viewed Uncanny Avengers as just such a gimmick, but collected the single issues because I have a hard-on for Remender and damn near everything he writes. So I figured, gimmicky or not, this might be worth the read. I was right. It was definitely worth the read. Because Remender is off his rocker. Like, Philip K Dick insane. And I love it.
I don't agree with pretty much any of these characters being on this team except Havok (who has always been my favorite X-Man, especially during the days of David's X-Factor run in the wake of Muir Island Saga). Wolverine is spread too thin and completely over-saturating Marvel books, nearly monopolizing the entire run of titles they have on the shelves, Rogue hasn't been written right or interesting since Claremont left the X-books, Captain America is here for obvious reasons and is clearly undermining Havok's leadership just by being on the team, and on and on. Thor and Scarlet Witch are definitely my favorites, but the dynamic between all these characters feels forced, no matter how fun the story.
The Red Skull, on Remender's hands, is like a mad scientist. More Mengele than Hitler. Good God, it works. Works beautifully. You really just won't believe the balls on Remender in this volume. Some seriously jaw-dropping stuff here.
But, overall, the book is fun- not important. There's nothing here that will mean much of anything in a few years other than it being a seriously fun book with some fairly terrible art in the first 3 issues.For a revamp of the entire Avengers line, this kinda falls flat in the wake of a supposedly important event.
Writing: B
Art: C-
Marketing gimmicks like AVX have me shaking my head at Marvel more than DC these days, seeing as how there seems to be an "earth-shattering" event every 2 months or so. And all of these crossovers are fairly worthless in the end with almost no ramifications in the long-run and is just a way to fix short-term sales goals.
I viewed Uncanny Avengers as just such a gimmick, but collected the single issues because I have a hard-on for Remender and damn near everything he writes. So I figured, gimmicky or not, this might be worth the read. I was right. It was definitely worth the read. Because Remender is off his rocker. Like, Philip K Dick insane. And I love it.
I don't agree with pretty much any of these characters being on this team except Havok (who has always been my favorite X-Man, especially during the days of David's X-Factor run in the wake of Muir Island Saga). Wolverine is spread too thin and completely over-saturating Marvel books, nearly monopolizing the entire run of titles they have on the shelves, Rogue hasn't been written right or interesting since Claremont left the X-books, Captain America is here for obvious reasons and is clearly undermining Havok's leadership just by being on the team, and on and on. Thor and Scarlet Witch are definitely my favorites, but the dynamic between all these characters feels forced, no matter how fun the story.
The Red Skull, on Remender's hands, is like a mad scientist. More Mengele than Hitler. Good God, it works. Works beautifully. You really just won't believe the balls on Remender in this volume. Some seriously jaw-dropping stuff here.
But, overall, the book is fun- not important. There's nothing here that will mean much of anything in a few years other than it being a seriously fun book with some fairly terrible art in the first 3 issues.For a revamp of the entire Avengers line, this kinda falls flat in the wake of a supposedly important event.
Writing: B
Art: C-
September 28, 2021
Uncanny Avengers volume 1: The Red Shadow. Part of my Marvel Now! reread.
Set after the events of AvX and the death of Charles Xavier. The world is scared of mutants again. Steve Rogers aka Captain America has a plan: form a new Avengers team that is part Avengers, part X-Men.
The team consists of team leader: Havok, Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch and Rogue. The team is later joined by Wasp, Sunfire, and Wonder Man. For me this made for a really different team. Yes we’d see some of these characters work together in crossover events, but it’s great to see them all in one team. Talking of team leader, it’s different to see Cap taking orders from someone else.
Main plot: Captain America and Avengers villain Red Skull is back and this time he is supercharged with the powers of Charles Xavier! How this is dealt with felt a bit clunky, but it makes for terrifying version of this villain. Considering the villains background, it is no surprise he now turns his hatred on mutants.
The artwork is good throughout with some decent action set pieces.
This volume also sets up a couple future plot lines for our newest Avengers team. Overall a promising start for the Avengers/X-Men merger team.
Set after the events of AvX and the death of Charles Xavier. The world is scared of mutants again. Steve Rogers aka Captain America has a plan: form a new Avengers team that is part Avengers, part X-Men.
The team consists of team leader: Havok, Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch and Rogue. The team is later joined by Wasp, Sunfire, and Wonder Man. For me this made for a really different team. Yes we’d see some of these characters work together in crossover events, but it’s great to see them all in one team. Talking of team leader, it’s different to see Cap taking orders from someone else.
Main plot: Captain America and Avengers villain Red Skull is back and this time he is supercharged with the powers of Charles Xavier! How this is dealt with felt a bit clunky, but it makes for terrifying version of this villain. Considering the villains background, it is no surprise he now turns his hatred on mutants.
The artwork is good throughout with some decent action set pieces.
This volume also sets up a couple future plot lines for our newest Avengers team. Overall a promising start for the Avengers/X-Men merger team.
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