Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #1

Writer – Al Ewing
Artist – Luke Ross
Colours – Rachelle Rosenberg

Thanks to the recent inversion spell cast in AXIS, the all-new Captain America is a bit of a bastard.  So it is that when dealing with the criminal element he is not too subtle about his thoughts nor on holding back when going up against them.  Another thing he is not too keen on is having a paler version of the Avengers running around in the form of Luke Cage’s team.  He aims to do something about that.  The great thing that you notice about this first issue of the rebooted series is that Al Ewing makes it seem like no time has passed at all even though it obviously has.  This issue is a little Cap-centric, most probably to give the character a bit of a push, but it would have been nice to see the rest of the team, aside from Luke Cage that is.  There was a bit of a funny moment with Spider-Man trying to make amends with Luke, trying to get the words out and failing miserably.  It was a little unfair of Luke to give him the cold shoulder and all, after all, Peter did die so it was not his fault what it was that Doc Ock decided to do.  While the book might have been light on the team member front, it still has one of the best and most eclectic casts of any Marvel book at the moment.  New series artist Luke Ross delivers some great pencils and gives the book a nice new fresh look to go with its first new issue.  And true to the books origins, it features one of Marvel’s lesser known villains, particularly The Plunderer, and it is a truly inspired choice.  The Mighty Avengers, now with added Captain America, is a truly fantastic book by Ewing and company, one that is a continual source of excitement and joy.

5 out of 5

Deep State #1

Writer – Justin Jordan
Artist – Ariela Kristantina
Colours – Ben Wilsonham

Justin Jordan brings readers an X-Files for the new millennium, one that still plays upon government mystery and civilian paranoia and one that deals with the unexplained and those that want to make sense of it.  This book has all of that, including its very own Mulder and Scully and it details a story which would have fit right in with the show.  There are little tidbits dangled in front of the reader to pique interest for possible storylines in the future and there is the moon-landing conspiracy brought to the forefront once again, one that has Russians and aliens and secret government agents and a plan to keep it all from the public eye.  With the X-Files having re-emerged over at IDW, it seems like a perfect time for this title to launch as well, as the public’s interest in things of this sort has spiked over the last few years.  The book is fun, intriguing and filled with so much mystery and suspense, it will keep you hooked and wanting for more.  This was a very solid start with some wonderfully moody artwork for a book that pretty much flew in under the radar.

4 out of 5