Birthright #20

Writer – Joshua Williamson
Artist – Andrei Bressan
Colours – Adriano Lucas
Letters – Pat Brousseau

Sameal is a man with many secrets it seems, some he has kept from his family and some he has kept from his friends and neither of them are too happy with him at the moment. His family hates him for abandoning them and for not telling them he was a wizard in some far off land and his friends are more than a little angry that they did not know that Mikey was a part of his family and now is protecting despite the presence of the Nevermind within him. To that effect, Sameal’s keep is under siege and while Sameal has a few tricks up his sleeve, they ultimately prove that they are not enough and Mikey is taken. Aaron of course is frustrated and hurt and it is almost all of the time now and the only reason he can push past it is for the sake of his sons who are now consistently in the path of danger. He also feels helpless because there is nothing he can do, being the only one in the family aside from his wife who has no powers to speak of whatsoever. There is also a death in the book at one point, one that readers may or may not have expected, but you had to know that casualties would take place and that nothing is guaranteed. With this issue, Joshua Williamson finally makes a big reveal to the reader and to say that it was unexpected is putting it more than lightly. What he and Andrei Bressan tell us in this issue is miles from what readers might have guessed up until this point and it puts the book in an entirely new light. Yes, the secrets that Sameal and the other mages have held back were big ones, but this reveal takes the cake and leaves you wondering just where it is that they will go from here. At times, Williamson can be infuriating the way he holds everything back, but he is also quite genius in that regard, only letting things out at his own pace and he keeps you hooked that way, as you wait to find out just what those things might be. In fact, there is not only one big reveal, but a few and we also finally get our first real look at the big bad. Things are starting to come together, all of those threads that have been woven from the first issue and while it is by no means the end of things, it is nice to see everything shaping up for the next big chapter.

4 out of 5

Captain America: Steve Rogers #6

Writer – Nick Spencer
Artist – Javier Pina
Colours – Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters – VC’s Joe Caramagna

There are two stories being interwoven in this book at the moment – one taking place in the past and one in the present which also happens to be a Civil War II tie-in. The more interesting of the two that Nick Spencer writes at the moment is the former as it features young Steve Rogers as a child, an exploration of his past that may or may not be true given the alterations that Kobik made to him during the Standoff event. If finds Steve being put through his paces at a Hydra camp amongst other kids his age and suffice it to say, he is too weak and frail to compete on the same level as most already know from past accounts of his origin. There is a moment where he tries to make an escape, Steve’s will already like a piece of steel, but instead runs into the Kraken and for the moment, is convinced to go back. In the present, Spencer continues to build upon that moment from the main Civil War title that saw Spider-Man killing Captain America in a vision from Ulysses. Arguments continue to propagate on both sides of the fence so to speak, until finally Cap decides to speak up and allows poor Miles to go home. While Tony and Carol continue to have their own thoughts on what should happen, Steve uses the situation to further his own goals and that of Hydra’s. It is still a little strange to think of Steve as an agent of that particular organization and yet it makes for incredibly good reading, thanks in part to Spencer’s ability to write it so convincingly. While a part of you has to know that things will eventually go back to the status quo of Cap fighting for everything good in the world, a part of you also hopes that he continues down this road as he has become a lot of fun to follow as a bad guy. Javier Pina provides some wonderful artwork to accompany the story and it is made all the better due to Rachelle Rosenberg’s vibrant colours. At the moment, it is hard to tell just where Spencer is taking us, but at some point Steve is going to run into the Red Skull and it cannot come fast enough.

4 out of 5