Review of Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #3

One of the problems that genre of Anime suffers from is how poor the dialogue is in the English dubbed versions.  (I can’t speak to the original Japanese versions since I don’t speak Japanese.)  The dialogue is always stilted, unnatural, generally expository, and usually explaining something that is obvious.  Many times the characters scream at other in a tone and intensity the rarely wavers and quietly ponder to themselves making external and internal dialogue happening inside their heads.  A lot of Anime is about grand standing between two opposing characters with one coming out as a victor. 

I think that it is the poor dialogue which hampers the plots of these shows.  It tends to make the conflicts of the show superficial.  I suspect that the dialogue is used more often than not to hide the fact that the writer’s of the Anime really have no understanding of their characters or control of the plot.  I suspect that the writers are trying to hide the fact that they have no clear idea of where their characters are heading.

Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #3 seems to suffer from this same problem.  The issue was written by Al Ewing and drawn by Luke Ross and Iban Coello, Ewing is a British writer with many contributions to 2000 A.D. as well as many other credits to his name.

I began the series because I liked what Marvel was doing with Captain America, the turning of the reins to Sam Wilson.  I was interested in seeing how Sam Wilson, who has for some time been treated as a minor character and support team member, would handle suddenly being the core around which a team of heroes were built.  I thought perhaps the idea of him filling in Steve Rogers shoes, especially with him not being as strong a character as Steve Rogers, would make for a rich source of story lines. 

But then AXIS occurred.

There is not much to say about the artwork which seems typical for a book of this type, i.e., a superhero team facing off with another.  I would note that there is an interesting set of panels in which the new Captain America throws his shield at the Might Avenger Kaluu found on page 14.  Each panel shows the shield approaching its target, the shield in two of the panels blurred to give the effect of motion and the web of Spider-man stopping the shield in sudden clarity before it hits Kaluu.  But I wonder why it isn’t blurred as it leaves the hands of Captain America.  Or how it is that the shield is stopped to a stand still when the webbing is coming perpendicular to path of the shield not behind it. 

What is most noticeable about the issue is the poor understanding and control over the characters and dialogue that Ewing has.  I am willing to give to Ewing that he has to operate within the confines of the larger story that is AXIS, which I thought was not as well executed as it could have been.  Yet, the issue seems to take a poorly plotted arc and make it worse.

Superhero versus superhero are rarely satisfying in and of themselves.  Without some compelling motivation for the conflict, the protagonist on protagonist battle seems like the end result of a “Who would win?” argument.  Oddly, enough  the characters in this issue ask this question.  Seemingly, at one point, Sam Wilson assesses the battle, thinking, “Good takedown.  But this should have been over already.”  At another point, he comments “We can still finish this quickly—,” to which Medusa retorts, “So you say, Bird-man.  I have my doubts.”  Iron man agrees with Medusa, adding his own doubts and noting that the battle is a “PR” disaster. 

And why the hostility between the teams?  Well, according to Iron man, the Mighty Avengers are in breach of the Avengers trademark.  The problem, trademark issues are usually fought in court and on paper, not in the street in front of observers.  How is a good ole fashion pounding going to establish intellectual property rights?  And what makes the contrived conflict even more ridiculous is that the instigator of this street brawl, Tony Stark, has the business acumen to know better.  (I began to wonder whether the psychic switch of Professor X and Red Skull not only moral compass but also intelligence as well.)  I would have to agree with Monica Rambeau, aka Spectrum, in this regard when she asks, “You couldn’t call us on the phone, Tony?”  

And then, to add on top of the inane set-up is that equally insipid dialogue which belies the true nature of the speakers.  Take for example, when Scarlet Witch modifies Iron Man’s armor to allow him to absorb Spectrum.  He says, “What are the chances, huh? Must be one in… Oh, I don’t know… one, thanks to you, Witchie-Poo,” to which she responds, “Oh, you darling little man.  You know just what to say.”  It is hard for me to imagine Tony Stark, a rich, intelligent, sophisticated man, to use cutesy language such as “Witchie-poo”, regardless of his loss of his moral compass, or, for that matter, for Scarlet Witch, who is usually a ball of tension, to use the term “darling little man.” 

Or, take for example She-Hulks comments when fellow teammate Kaluu is attacked by Luke Cage.  Luke Cage makes the comment that Kaluu is a “creepy.”  She-Hulk intervenes, commenting, “Objection!  Kaluu might be creepy—but he’s our creepy!”  Although She-Hulk is a somewhat charismatic character, her manner of speaking is much more erudite and subtle.  Further, the quip is cliché and over-used, something that feels odd out of her mouth.

Even the language used in the descriptive panels doesn’t work.  For example, in describing Power Man, Ewing writes “Strong to the finish ‘cause New York is his spinach.”  The reference to Popeye is barely noticeable, but, even if such a connection is made, the description does not make a lot of sense.  What is meant by New York is his spinach?  I must admit that I am not familiar with the new Power Man, and I wonder if Power Man derives his strength from being in New York.  It is not clear here, and I am just left puzzled.

The real question is what is it that this issue is meant to do.  How does the story move along?  Gideon Mace is killed, but that only occupies a few pages of the issue.  Spider-man joins the Might Avengers, but that occupies very little of the issue.  The real purpose of this issue seems only to occupy space, and, if true, why even bother writing, drawing, and publishing the issue to begin with.  Rather than try to incorporate the AXIS storyline into this title, Marvel would have been better served allowing the Mighty Avengers delve deeper into more complicated problems.