NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #3 – Finally we get to see how the heck Ronin manages to get freed after being captured in his attempt to kill Norman Osborn. Finally. Looking at you Marvel editors. Osborn is actually pleased to have Clint in his grasp, hoping to learn where New Avengers HQ is located. Mockingbird wakes up to find Clint gone and sends Ms. Marvel to scout Avengers Tower – which is completely locked down top-to-bottom. Wolvierine is apparently still on Nation-X, Spidey is out, Iron Fist isn’t around and Luke Cage is still feeling the effects of having a heart attack and major surgery (wait… didn’t Clint help out with that? c’mon Marvel… WFT?!?) – leaving Jessica Jones, Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman to bail Clint out. As the ladies are making plans, Clint is being worked over by the psychic, Mentallo; who is forcing him to relive his own death and every other bad memory he has as he tries to uncover the location of the rest of the New Avengers. Mentallo finally manages to break Clint and give Osborn the location, sending all of the Dark Avengers into action followed by numerous H.A.M.M.E.R. squadrons. Osborn and his team completely level the building the New Avengers were using as an HQ, only to find that they had already evacuated to another location. While all this is going on, the ladies are invading the main H.A.M.M.E.R. Heli-Carrier to free Clint. Once they have him, they rendezvous with Winter-Cap, a very confused Spider-Man and Luke cage at their back-up HQ. As Clint profusely apologizes to everyone for being a bonehead, Steve Rogers himself steps out of the shadows to rally the Avengers – leading into this month’s Siege. Another great Brian Michael Bendis written issue that actually featured more action than talking for once. Pencilling this issue is the always phenomenal Mike Mayhew (tons of Marvel covers a few years ago and the Mystique series…). I really don’t mind the way Mayhew’s painter art looks… unlike some artist with a “painterly” style, Mayhew’s arts actually conveys both action and emotion while looking really good at the same time. I just hope that Marvel puts out a poster of the last page which is a splash of Steve Rogers (sans mask), doing his best Uncle Sam pose. It’s definitely going to be my desktop in the next 24 hours…
Undercover Fanboy Rating: 
DANTE’S INFERNO #1 – This new series from Wildstorm and DC Comics is based on the upcoming video game from EA. Anyone with any kind of academic background has read or at the very least, heard Dante Alighieri’s forteenth-century epic poem Divine Comedy. Based on that piece of literature, EA has created an incredible looking game with dark, detailed graphics. Writer Christos Gage and artist Diego Latorre beautifully adapt the video game into comic form. Latorre has pulled a “Jim Lee” on Jae Lee and created artwork that is beautiful, visceral and horrific at the same time. By the way, a “Jim Lee” is copying someone else’s art style and doing it better (Jim did it to Marc Silvestri on X-Men…). Marc got the last laugh artistically though, his stuff keeps getting better and as much I loved Jim Lee’s stuff back in the day, the man hasn’t drawn a new pose in ten years. Back to Dante’s Infero. Dante is going off to fight in the Crusades, leaving his beloved Beatrice at home with her family. An assassin steals into their castle one night, killing her father the king, her mother and Beatrice herself. While she is destine for heaven, Lucifer steps in to make a deal with her. He shows her Dante’s brutality in battle as he slaughters soldiers, men, women and children in his bloodlust. Then, Dante is killed by the same man who killed Beatrice and her family. Lucifer tells Beatrice that Dante’s soul is destined for Hell, but will allow both her and Dante to go free if Dante has been true to her during his travels. Though not shown in the comic, Dante was apparently a bad dog and Beatrice forfeits her soul to Lucifer himself. Witnessing this transaction, an enraged Dante begins to fight the devil himself and his shades. Beatrice is carried to the depths of Hell and meets Virgil as Lucifer is engaging Dante. Lucifer retreats and Dante begins his quest to free Beatrice from Hell. I still can’t believe this is going to be a video game. It has to be just a tad ambitious. And long if they’ve done it right. If you’re not going to pick up the individual issues, at least pick up the trade when it hits. Even if you don’t play the game…
Undercover Fanboy Rating: 
X-MEN FOREVER #13 AND 14 – Chris Claremont continues telling the stories he had planned for the X-Men had he stayed on the title in the ‘90’s. Kitty, Lil’ Ororo and Gambit had travelled to Russia to let Colossus know about Wolverine’s death. Peter has become the Russian version of Captain America and is now in a relationship with the Black Widow. While the friends are busy catching up, Collossus’ sister Illyana is kidnapped by The Cossack and is forced to once again to become the demonic Magik. Being old friends with Kitty (who even had access to Magik’s Soul-Sword for a while…), Magik transforms Kitty into a demonic FireCat bathed in hellfire. As the Black Widow calls in the rest of Russia’s heroes for back-up Gambit, Ro and Colossus desperately try to fight Magik, Kitty and The Cossack. Kitty finally breaks free from the demonic control and as she is about to deliver the killing stroke to The Cossack, The Black Widow arrives to shot him herself – saving Kitty the burden. Unfortunately, his death does not change Illyana back to normal and she tells the X-Men that she is now who she is meant to be and escapes back to Limbo. Back in the States, Jean and Hank enjoy a night out together and look to be starting a new relationship. This is kind of a weird series for me – as long as Tom Grummet is handling the art, I pick it up. Anybody else and it’s a pass. Being a comic reader from the ‘90’s, it’s cool to see how Claremont would have continued the series… it’s kind of one big “What If…?” storyline. Check it out if you’re an X-Fan…
Undercover Fanboy Rating:
Rating System: 0 to 1.5 stars = save your money unless you are just mindlessly collecting the title. 2 to 3.5 = worth a shot if you are up to trying something new or wanting to get back into a title. 4 to 5 = a must buy for any comic reader.
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