Front Lines - Secret Wars 2 and Convergence Week 6 (Part 2 of 2)

by Michael Maillaro, Michael Weaver, and Guest Writer Graham “Grey” Scherl

Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #8 (Secret Wars: Last Days) by Al Ewing and Luke Ross

Summary: About six months before the final incursion, Steve Rogers comes to see the Mighty Avengers and warn them about the incursions.  Cage is pissed that Rogers had worked with the Illuminati. Rogers says it was the only way to keep them from destroying other Earths. They then wiped his mind, and he was only now recovering those memories.  Rogers is asking the Mighty Avengers to help him in taking down the Illuminati.  If the Mighty Avengers stand with Stark and company, Rogers won’t hesitate to take them down too.

20 days before the final incursion, the Mighty Avengers meet again to discuss which side they are on.  Captain America (Sam Wilson) and Spider-Man are not invited because they have close ties to Steve Rogers.  A few days later when Rogers is fighting the Illuminati, he is able to call the Mighty Avengers in as his secret weapon. Monica and Blue Marvel reveal he have been looking for a solution to the incursions for a while and have no better answer.  Adam believes if Reed and T’Challa had shared their information, then Earth could have stopped this.

Short Review:  It was interesting to see other characters perspectives on the incursions, but it was also a little too late.  We already know this all fails.  They should have done this issue at least a month ago.  Instead, it all felt very rushed and jumpy.  I liked a lot of this issue, but it definitely could have been a lot tighter read.  So far, both Secret Wars tie-ins have just been all right.

Score: 3/5

Convergence: Green Arrow #2 by Christy Marx and Rags Morales

Summary: Ollie and Conner have met Black Canary and Ollie/Dinah’s daughter from the Kingdom Come Reality.  This causes a lengthy discussion about how they all fit together.  They are very hesitant to fight each other.  Telos insists that they must take up this challenge or both cities will be destroyed.  After a running battle through city, Olivia Queen defeats the Arrows with her paralyzing Canary Cry.

Short Review:  I was confused in the beginning of this issue when it is suggested that Kingdom Come Superman wasn’t brought to the dome.  We’ve seen him in Convergence 6 and the two Convergence Superboy issues.  It really feels like each Convergence book takes place in their own bubble, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense.  It has definitely created some big continuity questions that have affected my enjoyment of this crossover.  I loved seeing how this “family” reacted to each other. But, I also think it was strange that Ollie thought of Dinah as being old.  This should have taken place around Grell’s run, which dealt a lot with Ollie getting older.  So that felt off to me.  There was a lot I liked about this issue, but the little things really bugged me.

Score: 3/5

Convergence: Suicide Squad #2 by Frank Tieri and Tim Mandrake

Summary: Waller’s Suicide Squads are having trouble cooperating.  The teams are finally brought to Kingdom Come’s Green Lantern’s satellite.  A lot of this issue is a chaotic fight scene where it’s hard to tell who is from each world.  Cyborg Superman ends up betraying his team at some point for no explicable reason.  Lex Luthor is able to reach Green Lantern, but then our world’s Captain Boomerang kills Lex Luthor.  He has cancer and he wants his life and world to end.  Waller is able to set off a bomb killing both sides.

Short Review:  The art here was awful.  It was impossible to tell who was fighting who.  There was just way too many characters here with no real rhyme or reason.  And then you have characters switching sides and acting without any reference of why they would do it.  This was painful to read.  Probably the worst Convergence tie-in so far (which is a shame, since I mostly liked the first issue)

Score: 2/5

Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix #2 by Keith Giffen and Timothy Green II

Summary: Ambush Bug is trying to explain to Supergirl what is going on, but he keeps breaking the fourth wall and confusing the situation more.  Ambush Bug vanished and Lady Quark returns to continue her fight with Supergirl.  Supergirl rushes off to chase down Ambush Bug again.  When Lady Quark catches up, Supergirl convinces her to delay their battle until after she can deal with Ambush Bug.  Lex wants Ambush Bug’s help to get them all out of Telos’ world.  Lady Quark is convinced that Ambush Bug brought them all here to tries to attack him, causing him to teleport away again.  Supergirl finally gets Lady Quark on board with the plan of capturing Ambush Bug. They end up chasing him across several of the cities on Telos’ world.  They finally get back to Supergirl’s city, and Lady Quark becomes convinced that Supergirl is trying to betray her.  At they fight, Ambush Bug sneaks off again.

Short Review:  This issue was so much fun.  There was a running joke about the way Supergirl smells (like spackle) and the lame Legion members like Matter Eater Lad. I also liked Louse Man from the Extremist’s world.  You can tell Giffen was just having a lot of fun here, and the result was a very entertaining comic.  I will say, this issue was barely coherant at times, but damn was it a blast to read.

Score: 4.5/5

Convergence: Superman: Man of Steel #2 by Louise Simonson and June Brigman

Summary:Steel is paralyzed after his battle with Gen 13 and Parasite.  Nat and Jem decide to stand as Metropolis’s champions and get revenge.  Nat hopes that Parasite hurt Gen 13 enough so that they can be defeated.  Steel asks Dr. Hamilton to infuse him with the dome particles they used on Allie Cat.  Nat and Jem find Gen 13 still fighting Parasite.  Gen 13 finally win, but they are weak, so Nat and Jem jump them.

Steel is turned into a freaky metal man.  He rushes to join the fight.  Steel convinces Gen 13 that they should all be working together.  Fairchild agrees.  Gen 13 vanishes, and Steel says that he suspects the real battle is just beginning.

Short Review:  There was a lot in this issue that I enjoyed, especially Gen 13 being the only Wildstorm characters that weren’t kill crazy.  Nat and Jem were done real well, and I hope that enhanced Steel has a bigger role in the rest of Convergence.  I miss Steel and hope that he sticks around after all this ends.  The New-52 version just did nothing for me.

Score: 4/5