Marvel Comics Review: Uncanny Avengers #23

“Let’s Get Well”

Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Sanford Green

Warning: Minor spoilers if you haven’t been following Uncanny Avengers

Uncanny Avengers 23 picks up several weeks after the events of the Planet X storyline. The Unity Squad of X-Men and Avengers are recovering while Kang and his Chronos Corps have disappeared into the time stream. The Wasp returns home from a retreat where the Scarlet Witch helped her deal with the loss of her child, Katie, who never existed, thanks to the time travel shenanigans of Kang the Conqueror. Wasp worries about facing Havok, the father of her child, for the first time since the battle with Kang.  Despite her worries, the Wasp’s reunion with her husband go very well. Havok is left physically scarred, and his powers prevent his teammates from being able to heal him. Sunfire, Rogue and Wolverine also come out of healing tanks with Havok, each changed. While Sunfire says he feels nothing, Rogue is practically going crazy because she has completely absorbed Wonder Man and can hear him inside her head. The Scarlet Witch tries to use her hex magic to undo the process, only to have some of her powers sapped. Previously, Rogue had gained control over her powers and was able to touch others without consuming their life essence and powers. Apparently being filled with ionic energy has jammed up her ability to control her powers, and having a voice inside her head is driving her crazy. Not wanting to go back to a life of being unable to feel another’s touch, Rogue goes on a rampage through the city screaming for Wonder Man to get out of her head. The Scarlet Witch pursues her, calming her down and promising to stay by her until the situation can be corrected. Meanwhile, Havok and Wasp discuss their loss when Immortus, an older version of Kang, suddenly appears. He explains that the future is now unwritten and uncertain and he can help them get their child back. While this conversation is going on, the Red Skull plots with Ahab.

Rick Remender is known for having big ideas, and he really delivered on this with Planet X. It was an epic story that played out over multiple issues. Even better, it was the type of event that seemed befitting of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Uncanny Avengers 23 slows things down a bit and allows the characters some room to breathe. They come to grips with the situation they now find themselves in. Remender utilizes this time to get the reader up to speed on current events, while showing the emotional fall out. It’s also pretty obvious that Remender is setting up for AXIS, the next big Marvel event that he also happens to be the major architect of.

After getting used to Daniel Acuña’s art during Planet X, Sanford Greene provides a pretty drastic change of pace. His line work is a bit loose and rough around the edges. The emotional beats of this issue are fast and furious and Greene hits them all. His characters display a broad range of facial expressions that are almost over-the-top animated. There’s definitely a manga-ish vibe going on at times. When the Red Skull shows up, he looks strangely angular which just adds to the deviousness of his appearance.

Now that Planet X is over and done with, Remender is gearing up for AXIS, which will tie into Uncanny Avengers and several other titles. So far, he has kept the stakes and energy of this book very high. I’m curious to see if the quality of the book can be maintained throughout this event. Since Remender is spearheading this one, maybe he can exert a bit more control over Uncanny Avengers and keep it from getting lost in the event hype.

Rating: 4/5