ICYMI! Uncanny Avengers #5: Uncivil war, what is it good for?

To all good things must come an end, and that’s what we say to the end of this volume of Uncanny Avengers. But fear not, my fellow Xvengers fans, as it looks like they’re going to launch a brand new ongoing in the upcoming new year! Gerry Duggan and Javier Garron race this miniseries to the finish line, did they get the gold? Or does it just miss the mark? Let’s get to the review then…

As the Fall of X event is starting to wind down, and the respective minis and ongoings start pushing the narrative to the final big battle, a lot of the stories are leaving the endings rather hopeful that what was ending was just the beginning, with the same being with this ending. If this happens, I could not be elated more, especially after the untimely demise of Ewing’s Avengers Inc., that’s getting the ax after only five issues. This mini was fine, and a decent companion piece to the overall story. Often when we get these huge stories that involve the X-Men, one of the biggest complaints I’ve noticed online is the “where are the Avengers at while this is happening to the mutants?”, and this answers that call. They’re right there in the thick of it, and putting their own lives on the line for the mutant cause. 

Sure, the Avengers and the mutants haven’t always been bosom buddies, who can forget the huge event AvX? Or how the tensions during the Krakoan era made both sides distrusting of the other, coming together to defeat the rogue zombie Celestial who decided to judge the entire world, and all we got was a lack of any Eternals material since, but here they’re legit teammates. Does the lineup make sense? Not really. I understand why Duggan brought on Deadpool, despite the fact that he should never have been an Avenger to begin with, but he’d used him before in his first run. It made the whole secret of who is the false Captain Krakoa all the more obvious to readers, as it was almost telegraphed every panel that had Deadpool in it. 

GROAN

Deadpool wasn’t the only cast member who didn’t quite fit the bill. Having Psylocke and Monet there was another strange choice. Especially considering that Duggan didn’t do much to expand on their roles in the story. They were essentially wallpaper who had a witty quip from time to time, plus the out of left field blooming romance between M and Quicksilver. This isn’t the first time they’ve been on the same team. They were both members of Peter David’s X-noir X-Factor book, so seeing the pair develop a romantic relationship because of…they’re both arrogant doesn’t seem like the best way to form a romantic relationship, but who knows? 

Thanks, but no thanks.

One thing that has been absolutely brilliant this mini was Javier Garron’s art. Garron’s run on the Jason Aaron era Avengers book put a very big spotlight on him, and was often a few of the storylines saving grace, so putting him here was a brilliant choice. I especially loved the way he drew Quicksilver, and what it looked like when he was running was a beauty to behold. The fight scenes were dynamic, and a pleasure to read, but it was the scenes when Stevil makes his resurrection to be public knowledge, and his transformation into the new Flag Smasher that held the most weight in this issue. I’ve been a devoted Captain America reader since the Mark Gruenwald days, so seeing one of his creations being dusted off and revamped made me kind of giddy. Is Stevil going to live up to his predecessors? I don’t know, but I want to find out, and that’s a hook that’ll get me to pick up the next appearance.