Uncanny Avengers #20

Writer – Rick Remender
Artist – Daniel Acuna

Avenge the Earth continues with Cyclops deciding to side with his brother to set things right.  Everyone is in a battle with everyone else, Stryfe with Cable, Thor with Eimen, and Wolverine with Daken and so on.  The fights are fierce and violent and Havok’s team come out on top, for the moment, with the help of Kang and his time corps.  Remender delivers a real pulse-pounding issue and even injects a little bit of humour into it as well to lighten it up just a wee bit.  His choice of characters from the very inception of the series has been interesting and as it has progressed, has become more diverse with each passing storyline.  Whether it is the main team, Kang’s team, the future X-Force or even Eimen and her Horsemen, there is going to be a favourite character for everyone in this book.  The great thing about the book is that it features Havok so prominently.  Even though he has led multiple times in the past, it still seems like Havok has something to prove, not only in the eyes of his peers, but in the eyes of the readers.  Suffice it to say, he has done just that and proven himself a strong leader the past number of issues.  Having taken the last dregs of mutants and humans that want to see the timeline restored, he has held off Magneto, Cyclops, Eimen and everyone else for quite some time and is incredibly close to fixing everything.  Acuna’s art on top of everything else, is still as good as ever and the book has never looked better.  The next chapter should be quite interesting.

4.5 out of 5

Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #1

Writer – Marc Andreyko
Artist – Piotr Kowalski

The story starts off in 1857 with Peloquin putting the hurt on some people in the swamp and then jumps forward to 1945 to a whorehouse where a young senator likes a lady a little different from the norm, one who just happens to be Shuna-Sassi, the lady with the quills for those that do not know or cannot remember.  More than anything, the issue is a set-up book, not necessarily for future storylines though it does indeed do that, but to essentially introduce us to these monsters who share our planet.  Andreyko does a great job of doing this and injects the story with a lot of action and suspense as well.  Piotr Kowalski who handles the art does some fantastic work and both Shuna-Sassi and Peloquin look very similar to their movie counterparts.  As the book switches between time periods it will be interesting to see if they meet up and if one tale has to do with the other.  With Nightbreed, there are definitely endless possibilities for stories and this book looks like it is off to a good start with this first issue.

4 out of 5