“Battlefield Brooklyn”
One might argue as to exactly how “hotly anticipated” this series was, and without the sales figures in hand we have to speculate as to how well it’s doing. The major publishers are wont to make a big deal out of monthlies that have second or third or more printings; since such an announcement has yet to be made for #1, we’re left to assume that it has, at best, met sales expectations. Alas, if people weren’t quite tripping over themselves to snap up the premiere, the second installment isn’t likely to corral many new readers. It’s not a bad book. In many ways it’s very good. It simply doesn’t stand out the way it ought.
Issue two begins with a non-sequiter, ends with an “Oh, good grief!”, and fills the space between with angst, action, and a healthy dose of “Wha!?”. All of the angst belongs to Tony Stark, of course, a man who at this point must be chewing anti-depressants the way House inhales Vicodin. I have to agree with Carol Danvers that Tony really isn’t responsible for Cap’s death. He is responsible for nearly everything else that’s gone wrong with the world of late, however; perhaps lamenting Cap’s demise is his coping mechanism.
After a brief run-through of how in tarnation the Invaders wound up in 2008, Tony and Carol assemble the Mighty Avengers to round up the vintage heroes. I’m not so certain of Ms. Marvel, but Iron Man, Ares, Wonder Man, or the Sentry alone should be sufficient for the task at hand, teamwork notwithstanding. Let’s make that a full stop with the Sentry. It would be too easy to digress into a ten-thousand word rant about Marvel’s most recent answer to Superman. I actually feel bad for Krueger; he’s been compelled to include the Mighty Bob and clearly been saddled with the usual problems. For better or worse, the Invaders aren’t aware of the Sentry’s “issues,” so we settle for Namor taking him out of the equation with a single punch in the face.
The Invaders, emerging from a Brooklyn subway station, remain baffled in general. Bucky seems half-ready to accept that they’ve leapt forward in time, but the Torch is having none of it. Cap appears uncertain, and Namor’s content to pound on anything that moves. When the Avengers arrive to “reason” with them, the fight is on. Hopelessly outmatched in terms of sheer power, the outcome is quick and decisive, and the Invaders are taken into custody, save for Namor who gets in a dramatic last lick before bugging out in search of aid. Namor’s coming quest will hopefully provide some depth to the story, which so far has been limited to confusion, suspicion, and mandatory fight scenes. Modern-era Bucky, in his Captain America guise, has learned of the timeslip; whether this will result in weighty psychological drama rather than further gnashing of teeth remains to be seen.
One question from the first chapter that went half-asked is now half-answered. The mysterious, bespectacled gentleman so startled at the sight of a copy of The Daily Bugle turns out to be one Paul Anselm, a temporally displaced soldier who was with Cap & co. at Cassino. When last seen he was staring into the abyss, so to speak, the Torch and Toro reflected in his glasses as they entered the “Zeitgeist.” His present-day self is, naturally, the old fart we saw bemoaning the modern “heroes.” Armed with a page torn from the phonebook, Paul the Younger tracks down, erm, himself. As the old man doesn’t immediately drop dead of a heart attack, it’s likely that there’s something entirely else going on here. We’re not privy to their discussion, so a whole roll of pennies remains to be dropped. What we’re absolutely not told is who the shadowy stranger might have been that first “introduced” Paul ‘43 to the present. Fury, perhaps? I wants to know!
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, with the captured Invaders secured, Tony again attempts to reason with Cap. Based on everything we’ve seen to this point, Cap’s silence indicates his continued belief that the whole experience is some Nazi trap, so expect the next issue to begin with a full-scale riot thanks to …Bucky.
I’ve always loved Bucky, the nosy kid with no discernible gifts beyond seeming limitless pluck and resilience. Ed Brubaker’s soft retcon has since informed us that Bucky was actually placed with Cap to carry out the dirty work in part to help to maintain Cap’s True Red, White & Blue image. Like Nick Fury or Wolverine, Bucky did the things that nobody else should have to. And he was still a kid, which is either very cool or very twisted. In the present context, Bucky ‘43 gets his balls nasty on and things start to go Boom! Don’t mess with the Buck.
Sadowski turns in his standard work, which couldn’t get much better. Panels featuring the Invaders are presented off-kilter, reinforcing sense of disorientation. Careful attention is paid throughout to shadow and light, anatomy and perspective, with very few hiccups. His architecture is among the best around, and there’s plenty of it, from bridge scenes to brownstones; the Brooklyn Bridge practically constitutes another character. It’s not all beer and skittles, however; the page three tight close-up of Iron Man’s anatomically correct codpiece will haunt my nightmares for years to come. Fortunately, my attention was distracted by further evidence that Sadowski’s Namor is the new paradigm of an old character.
So, in the end the story isn’t advanced a great deal and we’re left with little besides more questions. I had a lengthy diatribe of how outright nuts it is to have Peter Parker take part in a plan to “spring” the captive Invaders from S.H.I.E.L.D., but shelved it in favour of simply saying that Logan and Cage have been awfully bad influences on our Peter. Bummer that Dr. Strange didn’t appear to be at home at the New Avengers’ Sanctum/Hideout, though it’s as likely that Tony has installed anti-magical defenses aboard the Helicarrier, what with his being very clever and all. Will Cap recognize Logan? Will Paul Anselm destroy the Universe by beating himself at checkers? Will there be another eight-page fight? Will somebody please give Iron Man an apron or a desk to stand behind? Stay tuned!
