Artist: Daniel Acuña
Although this series went through a rough patch at the beginning of the series due to shipment issues, it has really picked up, and is starting to become one of my favourite series. One of the major things to make this so has been this fantastic story, and I just love reading more, and more, and can't get enough of it.
Plot
The Apocalypse Twins, Uriel, and Eimin continue their plans, whilst the Avengers Unity Squad deal with their own problems, and question whether they can trust each other.
Review
This was yet another amazing issue, and although the pace has slowed down a touch, the quality is still very high. To be honest I'm actually happy that the pace slowed in this issue, as although I usually hate slow paced issues, it's sometimes necessary, and can really help the story, as this issue does. Rick Remender has really been impressing me with this series, and although I initially questioned whether he could continue from his brilliant Uncanny X-Force series, when this series started, he's certainly shown as of late that he can, as this storyline has been amazing. The dialogue in this issue was simply amazing, and I loved the interaction that we got between certain character's. I also love how Remender continues to grasp my interest towards the Apocalypse Twins, as although the haven't yet became as interesting as Archangel was during The Dark Angel Saga, they are becoming a force to be reckoned with, and although I don't see them becoming as interesting, or as big as Archangel, I do see them becoming a thorn in the Avenger Unity Squad's side, and there's already signs of that in this issue. I also loved that despite the fact that Remender took this back a step in the way of pacing, he was still able to add some action, which although scarce, still amazing, and entertaining.
Daniel Acuña once again produced some amazing artwork. His art is simply outstanding, with the detail being perfect most of the time, with very few imperfections, and I'm glad he's been working on this series. His layouts are also fantastic, adding depth, and drama to the story, whilst also giving a great feel, and tone. Acuña also draws every character perfectly, with my favourites being Wolverine, and the Apocalypse Twins. He just makes Wolverine look like the stubborn little maniac that he is, which I love. He also makes the Apocalypse Twins look more and more dominant with each issue, as they are really starting to look like the awe-inspiring villains that this story has been shaping. Acuña also handled the small pieces of action that featured in this issue perfectly, making them feel explosive, as well as making them look like an action scene from a film. With less action Acuña has also been able to show more emotion in the character's, which I've loved, as it gives yet again more depth, and drama to the story, whilst also giving some suspense. The thing I loved most about Acuña's art however was once again his colours, and the fact that Acuña does his own inks, and colours is the reason I feel his art is so good.
The issue starts with S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.W.O.R.D. contacting the Avengers Unity Squad to talk about the fact that their are moles in their organizations, as well as the fact that Captain America is still missing. This was an interesting scenario, and I loved seeing Maria Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Abigail Brand from S.W.O.R.D. feature in the same discussion. I also like the fact that someone has enough power as to have someone on the inside of both S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.W.O.R.D., and although the logical suspects are the Apocalypse Twins, I personally feel it's someone else, especially after what happened later in this issue.
The Apocalypse Twins continue to scheme, and this issue showed that they have a plan. Now I won't go into detail over this, as to avoid spoilers, but people who follow the series, and have seen the future solicits will probably know what's about to happen anyway. What I loved most about the Apocalypse Twins in this issue was that they were being questioned over their plans by their mother, Pestilence (Ichisumi), showing that although they're Apocalypse, they still get questioned over their plans. I did however also like how they calmly reacted to that, as well as the fact they acted calm through most of the issue, showing that they're confident enough to be calm. I do however look forward to the development of their plans.
We also get a continuation of Cap's mysterious message that started last issue. Now I will once again avoid details, as I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that the person that the person Cap was speaking to was who I guessed whilst reading last issue. Without revealing who this person is I will say that this was a very interesting conversation, and I enjoyed the entire thing. I also loved that Cap didn't seem to have much emotion whilst viewing this message, and how he went on about his normal business afterwards. There were also a couple of other references that I enjoyed, which also made the sequence more intriguing.
Rogue once again confided in Wolverine over her thoughts about the team. Rogue has been a brilliant addition to this team, and I love how she is very proud of being a mutant, and how at times this makes her feel out of place. It's also brilliant how she never backs down, and sticks up for her believes, which mostly cause arguments with Wasp. Anyway the interaction between her, and Wolverine in this issue was brilliant, and I loved how she continued to try and find out what was bothering him. The way Wolverine responded was also interesting, and the relationship between these tow character's is something that I've loved reading, and Remender handles his perfectly.
I'll finish by talking about the division of the team, that was highlighted in the solicits. Now the brilliant cover from John Cassaday also shows friction, showing Rogue, and Scarlet Witch fighting each other. Now for most of the issue I was questioning whether or not anything was going to happen, as it didn't look like there was, but just before the end of the issue there was some friction on show. Now I won't go into specifics, as to avoid spoilers, but I found this brilliant, and although the issue didn't focus on this as much as I initially thought it would, it was well worth the wait, and was one of the most exciting debates that I've ever seen. I also loved how this played into the Apocalypse Twins hands, and look forward to seeing how this will effect the future of the story, as well as the future of the team, and series.
Final Verdict
This was a phenomenal issue, and although there wasn't a great deal of action, it was still very exciting, and dramatic. By taking the pace down a notch, Remender was able to focus more on the character development during this story, as well as adding small hints for things to come. It also had great dialogue, and fabulous art from Daniel Acuña, and due to all this I'd highly recommend it, along with the story so far.
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