All-New, All-Different Reaction to Marvel's New Line-Up

I'm reading all kinds of inside-the-industry responses to Marvel's 45 title post-Secret Wars line-up this week.  All most all of it glowingly positive.  Everyone seems to be excited about this creative team's take on this, or the mixed-up roster for that X-men team, or esoteric character Y getting his/her own comic.  And while I admit the information dump is a lot to take in, this old school comics fan isn't quite so ready to ask Axel Alonso to marry him.  (I have a few emails from Axel from back in my letter writing days when he was getting started at Marvel, so I feel like I have an "in" if nuptials are in order).

My initial reaction was almost entirely negative, jaded skepticism.  One discussion with my local comic shop owner and that skepticism has been tempered with some guarded optimism and a slightly more open mind.  Listen, I'm going to be honest with you, long-time readers know that I have lost a LOT of faith in the past 10 years.  They absolutely destroyed my favorite character (Spider-Man) beyond recognition, and they seem to have no idea how to handle the rich history or their universe.  It is VERY hard for me to have a completely open mind for anything Marvel does.  When you have been burned as badly as I have, you're just not going to get unbridled enthusiasm.  I think anyone who honestly sits there and tells you that you are looking at 45 issues of pure gold is lying to you.  There are dogs in this lot.  I promise.

So, in the interest of doing more than just writing a bitter, scathing critique of Marvel's new line-up, I decided to wait a few days and chew on the big picture, then give you a quick-hit review of my first impression of each of the 45 titles.  I know it sounds like a lot, but all we really have to go on are some covers, some blurbs, and a couple of interviews, so some of these are going to be pithy at best. At the very least, maybe I will be able to provide some much needed counterpoints to all of the industry cheerleading that is going on out there.  You'll also notice that I am far less up the butts of the creators involved than most of the people out there.

Carnage:  Why does Carnage get his own comic book?  I know he's been a bit of a fetish for Marvel lately, but I just don't see this character carrying an entire comic, even with the legendary Gerry Conway at the helm.

Venom: Spaceknight:  I am so over Venom there really isn't much more to say.  Honestly, the character lost something the minute he became the Lethal Protector.  Larsen ruined him with the tongue and once he left Eddie Brock, there was no reason for him not to just become Carnage.  Now, he's off in space doing god knows what?  Is he still Flash Thompson?  I'll pass.

Ultimates:  Galactus and Black Panther are together on a super-hero team and you expect me to pay money for that?  No.

Web Warriors:  I'm going to call it now, this book does not see an issue #5.  Peter Porker?  In a universe with "real" human people, we have a Fred Hembeck cartoon.  Never mind the rest of the "Spider-verse" nonsense that is here, Spider-Ham is the final straw.  I don't even think the fan-ravenous Spider-Gwen can save this mess.

Spider-Man 2099:  I would be all over this one, actually, but the "Smack to the Future" blurb is so blowful that any excitement I had gets undermined.  I am hoping Peter David will prove me wrong.

Spider-Woman:  If you are 8 months pregnant and you even think about doing anything super-heroic, then you are a bad person.  Shock value will get everyone in the door, but I'm not convinced that there is more here.

Daredevil:  DD is one of those characters where I honestly feel that every story has already been told for Matt Murdock. Unless you just drop him back to street level and let his heroics be the outlet for his need for justice that is not met by his lawyering by day, you really can't do more to DD than has already been done. There is some intrigue that results from the Gambit-esque protege, but that's about all.

Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.:  This one is so bizarre it will either work like nobody's business or it will be done before Christmas.  I like the line-up of monsters, but I'm not convinced the premise works.

Amazing Spider-Man:  Like with Daredevil, all of the good Peter Parker stories have been told.  All of the best ones were told before issue #401.  Marvel has finally admitted this and they've just gone ahead and made him Iron Man, down to having Spider-Man be PP's body guard.  Yes, it's that bad.  I'm already working out the retcon for this one.  Dan Slott has had a long run on Spider-man comics, but he's done very little that demonstrates he understands the character at all.  I can't believe I'm going to say this, but they should have left Doc Ock's mind in there.

Spider-Man:  Our only hope for a good Spider-Man comic lies with Miles Morales.  He's still a kid, I think, and he's still street level, I pray.  This is the only chance we have.

Ant Man:  I'm ready to skip over this one, but the supporting cast of C-List villains is giving me pause.  If it's handled correctly, this might be the dark horse of the lot.

Silk:  I know nothing of Silk.  I gather she is a shining beacon of goodness that emerged from the smoking pile of crap that was "Spiderverse," but I honestly know nothing.  It's the taint of Spiderverse that keeps me from seeing what this is all about.  I'm sure I'm missing something, but again, the taint.

Uncanny Avengers:  Let's reach into our character grab bag and the first 6 characters we pull out, we'll team with Deadpool and Spider-Man because those two sell a LOT of comics.  No.

Uncanny X-men:  Pick 4 mutants that no one cares about (sorry Psylocke) and let's team them with Magneto.  No.

All-New Wolverine:  Never mind the fact that, if this comic book makes it, a name change will be in order in a couple of years, I've never cared for X-23 in any way, but I am heartened to see a status shift handing the Wolverine mantle off to a different character, even if it is a full grown daughter from another universe, time line, dimension, something.

All-New X-men:  Again with the name thing, but honestly if an X-men comic has a chance, it's this one.  The 60's X-men were an interesting gamble when they were brought into the current Marvel U, and they were a fresh commentary on how dumb the X-men had become.  Can they avoid the same fate as those they came to mock?

Extraordinary X-men:  Look pretty ordinary to me.  And Ramos cartooning up the art chores will not help.

Old Man Logan:  This one is likely worth reading.  Everyone is nuts over this grizzled older version of the furry runt, so there is probably something here worth seeing.  At the very least it's a fresh take on a character that has been done to death.  (why no Old Man Peter Parker?)

Nova:  He's never been able to carry a book before.  Why now?

Karnak:  Another book that is so unlikely that it will work or flop right out of the gate.  Warren Ellis is capable of doing some great stuff here, but I'm not sure Karnak is the right platform.  It will take Paul Jenkins level work to breath life into this character.

Hawkeye:  This is another case of "50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong."  I'm willing to give this one a pass just on the fan excitement.  Will I read it?  Probably not.

Sam Wilson: Captain America:  I don't know why we need the "Sam Wilson" part of this, but I'm pretty excited to see a real successor to Steve Rogers that makes sense.  I only hope they commit to it and really give Sam a chance to be the great Cap I know he can be.

New Avengers:  You know who's counter-culture popular right now?  Squirrel Girl. Can she carry a team comic?  Maybe, but just in case, let's toss in Hawkeye and the Young Avengers.  No.

Illuminati:  Bendis so loved the Hood that he made him way cooler than he ever should have been.  But he had his day in the 00's.   This one doesn't get into the double digits.

Scarlet Witch:  And the Vision also gets his own comic.  Neither one should be able to carry a solo book.  Untapped potential?  Maybe.  Riding the coattails of House of M and hoping for a popularity resurgence?  Likely.

Star-Lord:  Guess who's red hot popular right now:  Guardians of the Galaxy.  Guess who the leader is?  Star-Lord.  Let's stretch the readership extra thin by giving him his own comic.  If they make him Space Han Solo, they have a chance.

Guardians of the Galaxy:  The curse of Venom ruins this for me.  I liked the "original" new team back in '08, but this has morphed into something I cannot recognize.  And the original original Guardians fan in me is screaming for justice.  No.

Spider-Gwen:  I know the fans are all hot and bothered about this, but for me, Gwen Stacy fell off a bridge and died in EVERY MARVEL UNIVERSE ever.  Having her become Spider-Man (woman?) is the dumbest thing I can think of, apart from her having kids with Norman Osborn.  She wasn't anywhere near the accident that created Spider-man, alternate universe or no.  And calling her Spider-Gwen is incredibly stupid too.  Fans are hungry for more Gwen Stacy, I get it.  That's what caused the whole clone saga which, in light of the past 20 years, now looks like a Marvel Masterwork.  It may be well written, it may be popular, but to me any thing that resurrects Gwen Stacy diminishes both her and Peter Parker.  I just can't go with you on this one.

Ms. Marvel:  I know next to nothing about this one, but I give Marvel props for trying to shake up the status quo.  Not enough there for me to be interested though.  It's possible this one just isn't for me.

Drax:  Maybe this is the new Silver Surfer comic for those looking to get their cosmic fix?  None for me thanks.

Angela:  Asgard Assassin:  The best thing Marvel has done in the past decade is acquire a new character they hadn't already written every possible story for.  Now they've mixed her in with Marvel's resident, accessible godhead? I'm in.

Howard the Duck:  Didn't work in the '80's.  I see no reason why he works now.

Deadpool:  If there is one character who defines all that is wrong with Marvel Comics it is this one.  Ever since they decided he would break the 4th wall and be a commentary on comic books, he became a never ending Jay Leno monologue: not quite actually funny, but funny enough to keep going long past the natural end of the gag.  Any attempt to actually develop the character is undermined by his self-awareness.  People will buy this for the same reason plenty of people watched Leno, but that doesn't mean either one are actually worth watching.

Squadron Supreme:  Has this long suffering team finally found a regular comic they can call home?  Maybe, if you like D-List Avengers who walk the line between super-hero and anti-hero.  In the past that has been hardly anyone...

The Mighty Thor:  I am so glad this isn't called "She-Thor" or something miserable.  Still, it's Thor, just the title passed to Jane Foster.  Probably worth a look in the post-Secret Wars era.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  I can't wait to read a boring comic book based on a boring TV show.  Oh, wait.  Turns out I can.

The Vision:  I like the Vision more than I like the Scarlet Witch, but I haven't really followed the character in years. Is he still a kid?  I'll probably thumb through this and then make a call.

Uncanny Inhumans:  I like Charles Soule.  I'm bored of the Inhumans.  For my money Paul Jenkins had the first and last word on this group.  But I still like Charles Soule.

Contest of Champions:  If this is what it looks like, then the Maestro is going to pit Marvel characters against one another in gladiator style combat.  If that's what this is, and that's all there is to it, I'm in.

Captain Marvel:  Just not a character I have ever had much affinity for.  If she's your favorite, then I hope they do her justice.

All-New, All-Different Avengers:  Why is Miles Morales on this team of otherwise heavy hitters?  Because the Avengers cannot exist without a Spider-Man, dammit.  Spider-Man means sales.  Otherwise this is a strong team.  But Miles has school.

Doctor Strange:  If I had to pick a hyper-stylized artist to like, it would be Chris Bachalo.  I've liked his Doctor Strange in the past.  Let's hope the Sorcerer Supreme can make another go at a regular comic.

Totally Awesome Hulk:  I hear it's not Banner.  Speculation is that it's Amadeus Cho.  As long as we are done, done, done with all of the Red Hulks, Purple Hulks, Yellow She-Hulks, and so on, I'm willing to give the Hulk another look.  But you have to promise me we are done with all of that.

A-Force:  I'm kind of liking this during Secret Wars, so if I still like it when Secret Wars is over, I'll likely keep going.

Invincible Iron Man: We already have an Iron Man book in this announcement.  It stars Spider-Man.  This book is redundant at best.



So all in all I'm looking forward to about 4 of these books, Spider-Man, Contest of Champions, Angela, and Captain America.  There are a lot of iffy titles, and plenty of outright "no thank you" books out there.  It will be interesting to come back in a year and see what still stands.  My bet for first blood is Web Warriors.  That thing has Slingers written all over it.  If you haven't seen all of the covers and blurbs for all 45 announced titles, you can check them out at CBR here.

The Original All-New, All-Different...

Marvel Comics: House of M

As I am making my way through the letter "H" during my comics PURGE, I ran across the House of M limited series from 2005.  I remember being moderately satisfied with it at the time, but ultimately saw it as just another piece of the flawed attempt to resuscitate the floundering House of Ideas. However, upon my second read this weekend, a decade later, my eyes were opened to what is actually a rather good story with some really strong, character defining moments.  Let's take a look:


Just after the turn of the century, Brian Michael Bendis, for all intents and purposes, acquired complete control of the Marvel Universe with the goal of bringing it back from the brink of disaster.  Heroes Reborn/Return had flopped, Spider-Man Chapter One was yet another disaster in the life of that franchise, and the rest of the Marvel U was just all over the place.  Bendis swept into the Marvel offices like a less skeevy Rasputin with a grand plan to save the comics giant from becoming another DC.  His plan centered around completely destabilizing the status quo of most of the signature characters and then filling in the gaps with extremely solid characterization and a lot of "realistic" dialogue.  Whether he was successful or not is really a matter for debate and, at least for me, hinges upon how much you loved the Marvel Universe before about 1995, but either way, Bendis undeniably changed the way Marvel Comics were written, thought about, and executed.

It was also during this time that the "Marvel Way" became synonymous with "write for trade."  And for good reason.  Bendis is the king of the big picture.  His strength is in writing the long story.  His single issue work is extremely hit and miss, with a lot of misses, but when it comes to writing a 6 or 9 part story (or longer in the case of his absolutely riveting run on Daredevil), he is a master.  House of M demonstrates this better than any other series of his I've read thus far.

The story is a bridge between two of Bendis' main events.  The preceding event, Avengers Disassembled, was a huge story that rocked the world's greatest heroes to their core, Marvel-killed* a few major players, and led to the creation of a very different kind of Avengers team.  This event was caused by the Scarlet Witch losing control of her powers after going quite mad.  (*Marvel-killed, of course, means that the character "dies" with the full intention of bringing them back as soon as sales dwindle or fan reaction is negative enough).  House of M was the next step in the plan.  After determining that the Scarlet Witch was the cause of the crisis, all of the major players in the Marvel Universe came together to decide what to do with her.  This sets the stage for issue #1 of the House of M limited series.

The story is a little slow to start with the first four issues slowly establishing the world we are about to play in.  First we see the world in the aftermath of Avengers Disassembled and the major players deciding the fate of Wanda Maximoff.  Then, in a literal flash the world is remade into one where mutants reign supreme.  Magneto is the monarch of a world in which humans are the minority.  One of the interesting side effects is that all of the heroes involved in the Avengers Disassembled event have been given their most cherished desires.  All would be just fine, except that one very important character remembers things the way they were (and are supposed to be).  That character is Wolverine, whose greatest desire was to have complete memory of his past.  Unfortunately, that level of recall also allowed him to remember that things used to be different.  Armed with this knowledge, Logan realizes it is up to him to set things right.  Along the way he encounters another mutant, a new character named Layla Miller, who can awaken the same realization in other people.  Together, they set out to convert the other key players and find a way to reverse the effect of the House of M.

All in all a good premise and a pretty good superhero yarn.  And then we get to issue #5.  Issue #5 firmly plants this story into the Marvel Archive as one of the classics.  In this issue we get the full impact of the consequences of the House of M because it is here that Logan must show Peter Parker that his ideal life is a lie and must come to an end.  Peter does not take it well.  Nor should he.  In the House of Magnus world he has it all.  He's married to Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben is alive and well, he has a child, and he is famous for being Spider-Man.  He has everything he could ever want and it is all as real as anything could be.  There's no "too good to be true" aspect to his life, it's just his ideal life realized.  So, of course, Logan has to come and literally destroy all of that by having Layla awaken the reality inside him.

Bendis shines in his depiction of Peter's suffering as a result of the loss.  His grief and rage are real and powerful.  From this point forward, the character of Spider-Man should really never be the same.  (sadly, that becomes all too true, but not in a good way)  As a reader and life-long fan of Spider-Man, I can honestly say Peter's turmoil hits home hard.  It is painful to see the character put through these paces and presented with such profound anguish.  But because Bendis is smart and a true character writer, it is also a very satisfying read.

The story goes on as planned with the heroes banding together to right the wrong that created the House of Magnus alternate universe.  I'll not spoil some of the better twists of the story here. Very entertaining and all in all a good superhero plot, but the real strength of the writing is the handling of the characters and their various reactions to learning the truth.  Peter's reaction is the one that really resonates with me, but there is a lot of great character work being done in this series.  When the awakened heroes all get together to plan their attack, Cyclops is laying out the battle plan explaining that there will be three strike teams.  Then Jessica Drew interrupts with the apt question as to whether or not reverting things is even the right thing to do, suggesting that maybe this was meant to happen and is the right thing to have happen.  The heroes all go down that theoretical path with her for about a page and then Cyclops basically says, "are we all done with that?  Good.  There will be three teams..."  It is an incredible moment for that character as well; perhaps one of my favorite Cyclops moments of all time.

There is also a nice moment with Spider-Man and Logan, shortly after Spidey learns the truth, where he emotionally crosses a moral barrier he once held sacred.  I'll let the comic speak for itself here:

If you are a classic Spider-Man fan of any measure, that is a huge moment.  Bendis makes it very easy to get caught up in the moment with Peter.

And then of course, there is the iconic moment at the end of the series where the Scarlet Witch strikes again with her incredible power, this time in reverse, wiping out all mutants except for a tiny handful. This sets the stage for the next big Marvel event.  The Bendis era at Marvel was defined by yearly, mythos-shattering events that constantly rewrote the Marvel status quo.  The only real downfall in the House of M is the lack of a truly satisfying ending. The end of this series is really just a prologue to the next big event as the Marvel Universe deals with the sudden near-extinction of the mutant population and it feels like the story is more of a transition than a fully told tale.  If this story was allowed to have a more complete end, it would easily stand up next to classics like Days of Future Past or the Dark Phoenix Saga, but since the end feels more like a prologue, the denouement of the main plot is a little hollow.

But if you want a good look at how to tell character driven stories in a microcosm, you really cannot do much better than House of M issues #5-8.  Bendis gives a clinic in how to take established characters and put them through their paces.  I am extremely, pleasantly surprised to rediscover this series after nearly dismissing it a decade ago.  There is some tremendous work here if you are a fan of classic Marvel.

Marvel Movie Project SPECIAL EVENT: The Avengers

That's right.  Nerds that we are, the Lovely Wife and I made the midnight showing of The Avengers last night.  Chances are good if you are a reader of this blog, then you did as well.  However, in the event you are on the fence about seeing it, haven't had a good chance, or just want to see if you share the sentiments of your favorite bloggers, we are going to give you our take on Marvel's most ambitious movie project ever!  We will try very hard not to spoil too much along the way, but if you are sensitive to knowing too much, proceed with caution.

What Stan says:

This movie defines and then redefines the term blockbuster.  Grandiose in every way, The Avengers is truly the culmination of a body of work that began with Iron Man in 2008.  And yet despite all of the explosions, alien invasions, and super-hero squabbles, the film manages to have some heart and take loving care of its characters.

When you have a film like The Avengers, you have a rare opportunity.  Just like Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Back the Future III, or other films of the sort, we already know the characters, we already know their back story and we already like them (at least for the most part), so we can dispense with all of the exposition and get straight to the meat of the beast.  The Avengers does this exceptionally well.  While I think you could still see this movie cold and get enough to figure out what is what, your experience is definitely enhanced by seeing the previous 4 movies leading up to this (I discount Iron Man 2 with good reason, and you'll find out more about that in the coming weeks).  So instead of boring us to death with a lot of needs explanations, the movie puts us into the action very quickly.  SPOILERS AHEAD! Loki is up to no good again and this time means to enslave the Earth under his rule, not only to pump up his own ego, but to rub it in his brother's face.  This is set up right away when he steal the Tesseract (read Cosmic Cube), last seen at the end of the Captain America movie.  This theft puts SHEILD on full alert and they call in all of the super-heroes they have contacted in order to combat the threat.  Despite some personality conflicts, the team bands together to combat Loki and his extra-terrestrial invasion force. SPOILERS OVER.

It is a simple Avengers story and that is exactly what this film needs to be: simple.  With so many characters and personalities in play, if you attempt too ambitious of a tale, you are going to lose everyone in the process and end up with a mess (I call this the Iron Man 2 problem).  Keeping the story simple gives some great characters a chance to play off one another and really shine in the process.  I would love to give one example, but I think pretty much every character is at their very best in this film.  Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is in full form, snarky and irreverent and NOT a team player.  Evan's Captain America (although I like him better as Johnny Storm) is a duty driven and true soldier and plays the "man out of time" smartly without over doing it.  While Ed Norton should have returned as Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo's portrayal is as good with plenty of nuance and substance. Ruffalo manages to continue the character work Norton had so brilliantly began in Incredible Hulk. Thor is freaking Thor.  Just as awesome here as he was in his own film, his entrance into this movie was for me the "shit's about to get real moment" that turned the intensity of the film up a notch.  "Minor" characters like Black Widow (far better here than in IM2), Nick Fury, Hawkeye, and Agent Colson get plenty of attention and development as well.  With the tendency for Sam Jackson to steal every second of screen time he gets, it was nice to see him playing a less overt character and being more of a member of the ensemble than the show stopper that we have become accustomed to.  I don't mean to downplay the importance of these four characters, they are every bit as instrumental in the success of the film as any of the heavy hitters, but without major motion pictures to support them it would be all too easy to over or under emphasize their part in the film.  There is a real tendency for any given character here to steal the show, but thankfully it never happens.

And that is another reason why this film works so well.  Joss Whedon knows character chemistry.  He knows it well and his credentials on Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and Astonishing X-men more than speak for his talents.  The Avengers only succeeds if the character chemistry is just right.  To see this fail spectacularly, got watch either Fantastic Four movie.  This doesn't mean that the characters have to get along, as a matter of fact it is better if they don't from time to time, but it does mean that their interactions have to feel organic and real.  They have to feel like real people in real situations acting and reacting based on what the other characters are giving them to work with.  This is quite literally Acting 101.  Whedon seems to have a natural affinity for this and gets the absolute best work out of his actors.  To put it plainly, it is fun to watch these characters hanging out with each other, fighting with and against each other, and you get the feeling they are having fun too.

Of course, this isn't The Breakfast Club, so character chemistry alone isn't going to fill our action-hungry stomachs.  Thankfully, The Avengers fills our plate with giant chunks of sweet delicious action as well.  I honestly think at some point every super person in this movie fights every other super person at least once even if only briefly.  You want action, you are going to get it and thanks to the strong character foundation the action has meaning, it is not just gratuitous fighting for fighting sake. (like in Iron Man 2...)  SPOILERS AHEAD! The battles between Iron Man and Thor, Hulk and Loki, Hulk and Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow are particularly incredible.  And when Hulk and Thor team up to take down the alien space whale (you tell me its not) you cannot help but cheer!  The final, climactic battle between the Avengers and Loki's army is huge, intense and surprisingly complex, keeping all of the characters in play, both in the air and on the ground.  It also manages to keep from being too over the top and does not lose itself in its own intensity  There isn't a terrible sense of dread, you know the Avengers are going to win the day, but that doesn't take away from the fun of watching them square off against the invading aliens, each in their own unique way.  There is one particularly compelling shot in the heat of the battle, where we look in on each Avenger as they battle the invaders.  For me, that shot, plus the very final scene at the end of the credits, sums of the greatness of this movie. SPOILERS OVER!

Finally, speaking of the end,  DO NOT LEAVE just because the end credits roll.  As you probably well know by now with these films, there is a little tidbit awaiting those whose bladders can hold their 32 oz. soda for a few more minutes.  This film has two such tidbits and the first one is a reveal that comic book fans absolutely cannot miss.  The second tidbit is pretty much a thank you to both the audience and the characters.  Both are great and worth the brief wait.

To sum up, The Avengers movie is superb!  A perfect summer action blockbuster in every possible connotation of the term.  Top shelf action, fun characters with strong chemistry, a simple plot knitted together with smart dialogue; this film has it all.  I won't say it is the ultimate super-hero film, but I will say that it delivers on every promise it makes and I cannot imagine anyone not having fun with this movie.  Go see The Avengers already!

What Aimee says:

I was very nervous about this movie. I'm not a card-carrying member of the Joss Whedon fan cult, and I'm not a particularly big Avengers fan, although I do enjoy many of the characters individually. I wasn't exactly in love with all of the movies leading up to this one, and the trailers looked silly and pandering. Like, Transformers 4 level stuff, seriously. Don't get me wrong, that can work fine--I like a mindless blockbuster--but this movie was being heralded as the second coming of Jesus.

I'm happy to say, my nervousness was completely unfounded! Avengers is a very nicely constructed homage to all the characters we love and some we didn't (Iron Man 2's Black Widow, I am looking at you!) and manages to make them all interesting. It's a lot of juggling to keep all these big names in the air but the pace never dulls and the fun never stops. You feel pretty satisfied that every character has enough weight to carry their part, and no one is slighted.

That being said, Thor is my favorite. Still swaggering and still a powerhouse, he shows up and lays down the law. Hulk is also a loveable addition to this film. You'll find out later how much I appreciated Ed Norton's portrayal of the big green guy, but I have to give credit where credit is due: Mark Ruffalo knocks it out.

The movie is light and funny and still manages to be fairly intense. My one problem is one that I have with a lot of modern movies. POSSIBLE SPOILER Loki is a compelling villain and I love every minute he's in. But the "alien/robot" army is faceless, cardboard and has NO weight whatsoever. I get aggravated when I see compelling heroes fighting bands of video game spawn--I never think there's going to be a real issue, because, clearly, only the "real" enemies would pose any danger. This is redeemed in the first "extra" scene after the credits roll. You will understand why. But within the confines of the main film...? Reads a little "Episode 1 droid army" to me. It gets better, though, I just wish I hadn't had to feel bad before I felt good. I can deal. END SPOILER.

Bottom line, if you love Marvel, you want to see this. If you don't love Marvel--the characters are easy enough to engage even without having seen the previous movies. That said, seeing at LEAST Captain America and Thor will help you understand finer plot points.

I'm not afraid to eat crow when I have to--and this movie is fantastic and belongs in the upper echelon of comic book movies. Is it the best? I don't know. I really don't believe so--too much happens and the character studies can't compete with the very top--but it is very, very good. The end-credit scenes managed to ratchet its standing up a few places... with me at least.