Thursday, January 1, 2009

Mighty Avengers #20 - Hank Pym Strikes Back

With Janet Van Dyne's death and Hank Pym's return both happening in Secret Invasion #8, you knew the follow-up stuff would be a tear-jerker. Well, this is the issue to grab your hankies.

Hank Pym became the "face" of the Skrull invasion as spokesman for them during the main part of the whole thing. Now the real Hank Pym is back and he's having to learn how to deal with not only the death of his ex-wife, but the fact that the entire planet still sees him as responsible for something he wasn't even around for!

This issue is basically Hank having to catch up on all the things he's missed while being gone (the Civil War, World War Hulk, the death of Captain America, etc) and then finally finding someone to blame everything on: Tony Stark. During the emotional funeral service, Hank steps up to say a few words and really lets them fly, blaming Stark for everything that's happened in the Marvel Universe lately, from Cap's death to Janet's, and asks the most important question: "Why are you still here?"

There's no doubt we're about to see the tide change for Tony Stark, but this issue was more about Hank dealing with the numerous changes in his life while he's been gone. It's an issue full of emotional angst and righteous anger, and it definitely sets the stage for Hank's future.

While I've been very down on Marvel for miring this title (and New Avengers) in nothing but Skrull backstory, it was nice to see this side-step. The aftermath is the interesting thing now, and they managed to create a story that's gripping and actually moves the plot forward for the first time in a year. This is setting the stage for the upcoming Dark Avengers, and I for one am really looking forward to it.

This is a highly-recommended issue for those who are ready to see Tony Stark finally be held accountable for everything he's been involved with.

Happy New Year everyone!

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