Ivan Drago
Written by: Mark Waid and Jeremy Whitley
Art by: Adam Kubert, Sonia Oback and Cory Petit
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 7, 2016
All-New All-Different Avengers has been a book that's made me feel like an outsider every time I review it. I have enjoyed it, but I can't tell you I have a grip on it's team or story just yet. The problem stems from it jumping from a min-arc, to a Vision-centric annual to this issue which is a Civil War II tie-in and Wasp story. I don't know if Marvel fans are having the same rubber necking reaction as I am, but...I am. With all that being said, I have enjoyed the issues I've reviewed, but does that continue here? Let's find out...
The issue opens with the "Russian Immigration Bureau" coming to take Nadia off of Janet Van hands. Yes, the All-New Wasp is an Underage Ward of the State, but something felt off right away. I was about to chalk it off as "Comic Book Politics", but Nadia also thought things were a bit odd.
The scene continues with a Rocky IV reference (which I always love!) and the Russians about to get their way until they show their hand. Sure, they have a ton of "official" documents, but when they leave without taking them back from Janet, the jig is up! A pretty cool battle ensues with W.H.I.S.P.E.R where the master becomes the student and the student becomes the master and there is plenty of ass kicking. We also get the promise of Shrink Fu and an Iron Fist name drop which is pretty cool.
After the fight, Janet calls up SHIELD to come "mop up", but doesn't spill the beans on Nadia. We then have to take a timeout for some Civil War II tie-in action. We get a Cliff's Notes version of the Event so far and I have to admit that while I didn't learn anything new (and even rolled my eyes a bit), I liked Nadia's reaction to it all. Superheros aren't supposed to act like this!!! She has a plan to make it right, though.
She heads into the Microverse to figure out things that will solve this whole silly Civil War and after Janet eventually joins her, we see the plan. Nadia wants to make a machine to refine Ulysses' abilities and make everyone get along.
Spoiler...it doesn't work. In fact, the whole thing blows up in her face. After Janet tells Nadia it's a "people problem" that needs to solved as such, we end the book with Janet and Jarvis talking about Nadia and it's a nice transition into her own book coming up and just a nice peek at a little girl being thrust into a much bigger world. I can't say I am a huge fan of the All-New Wasp, but this helped a bit.
Not a whole lot happens in this issue as far as the "big picture", but if you have been enjoying the progression of the Wasp story, I think you will enjoy yourself here. I can't say I am one of those people, so it really left me feeling lukewarm overall. However, Mark Waid does a good job of expanding on the characters and their relationship so all is not lost. It's not a bad issue, it's just not a great one either.
That kind of goes with Adam Kubert's art as well. There is nothing here that wowed me, but nothing made me run in horror, either. It was pretty middle of the road.
Bits and Pieces:
Mark Waid sets up the All New Wasp for her own book, but not much more. Sure, we get a couple of Civil War II pages and an attempt to end the conflict, but it all goes back to Nadia. The story and art were pretty middle of the road and while I wasn't upset I read it, nothing here grabbed me.
6.5/10
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