Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2 of 9 (Marvel)

"Sure, when Magneto says it, you believe it."~Wiccan (Billy)

Writer: Allan Heinberg
Penciller: Jim Cheung
Inker(s): Mark Morales with Jim Cheung
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letters: VC's Cory Petit
Associate Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer: Alan Fine

Comic Book Week: September 1, 2010




Okay so Kara's comic this week is part 2 of a 9 part limited series that may or may not bring the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)-whom I love-back into the Marvel U after she kindof disappeared in the "House of M" limited series. It stars the Young Avengers who are like the Tiny Toons or Teen Titans or Muppet Babies of the Avengers. Two of them may or may not be the twin sons of the Scarlet Witch, a mutant witch, and the Vision, a synthetic man sort of like a robot and now a teammate of his potential sons (sortof). The twins were originally supposedly imagined into existence by the Scarlet Witch and then absorbed back into Mephisto, Marvel's version of the devil (*scary!*). Then Scarlet Witch went crazy and the twins showed up as identical teenagers with 2 different sets of parents but the same first names and looking just like their grandfather Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) as noted in this issue by Luke Cage of the New Avengers. The 1st, the quoted Wiccan, has the same powers as his potential mother , and the other, Speed (Tommy), has superspeed like the Scarlet Witch's brother Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff). Tommy & Billy are joined on the team by Teddy's boyfriend (he is gay just 2 clear things up) Hulkling (Teddy), who is not related to the (or any!) Hulk but is actually the son of the Avenger Captain Marvel (Captain Mar-Vell) & a Skrull princess; the aforementioned Vision, who is now a teenaged robot; Vision's girlfriend Stature (Cassie), daughter of the second Ant-Man (Scott Lang), who can shrink & grow; team leader Hawkeye (not that Clint Barton Hawkeye, Kate Bishop Hawkeye.......no relation), who has a bow & arrow & a staff & some other weapons; and her boyfriend Patriot (Eli), who is the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, who was the original African American Captain America.

*whoa!* Out of breath! *gasp!*

So unless you have not figured out the Young Avengers are basically a soap with cheesie names. And in this issue they are joined by Magneto to find the Scarlet Witch at Wundagore Mountain where she was born. And then the New Avengers try to stop them because they think Magneto's still a bad guy but he says he's not. Then Quicksilver shows up & they seem to find Wanda very quickly. And then there's a quick appearance by one of the few bigger bad guys there are than Magneto. And Billy demonstrates that he's gay by making everyone dress as the Von Trapp family.......that just seemed odd. O,o

The artwork is magnificent! The story's pretty good if really decompressed. The letters & colors are pretty. What I just do not understand is the way the characters talk. While the Young Avengers seem in character based on what little I know of them, the other characters just do not seem in character. Magneto seems to be more of a kindly grandpa who may have done something bad in the distant past. Wolverine (a New Avenger) seems more cold, calculating and almost villainous than he should. Ms.Marvel and Spider-Man (also New Avengers) seem to have reversed personalities if not memories (and yah.......that's weird! O,o).

I hope the story picks up 2 months from now (it's bimonthly, btw!)........because its honestly too complicated to make up for its strong points.

RATING: 6 ½ good Wandas out of 10

Thanks 4 reading guys! ツ*