Type of Series: Super-Hero; Action-Adventure;

    Similar Comics: Fantastic Four; West Coast Avengers;

    Strengths: This issue's strength is the story.

    Weaknesses:

    Plotting: Elaborate. We get a lot of back-story here.

    Logic: Chunks of what is going on, is not explained. But that's fine with me.

    Originality: Zero. This is another one of those tales where the hero is in the right place at the right time for the action to happen. Kinda like the way Thomas Magnum never seemed to have an actual case (instead he was always helping friends, or stumbling into stuff, which really bugged me). Here's a story about three avengers on holiday, who happen to stand in the crowd beside a very powerful fugitive. Puh-lease!

    Ending: Superb. The last two panels convey a great sense of irony, and I really loved it. It was nothing big, and nothing to get very excited about. But it did work, and it did impress me. The story opens with Captain America, Thor and Gilgamesh visiting Ellis Island on an afternoon off. The opening pages of the issue devote a lot of space to the history of the place. Then all hell breaks loose and the reader is inclined to forget all about the location.

    Until the closing seconds of the tale.

    When Fingeroth ties the whole thing together. I love that. Both as a reader/viewer and a writer. I love to close on the same note you opened with. I love to write it. And I love to see it written.

    Well written.

    Like here.

    Re-Readability: As is usual with good Avengers comics, this is very re-readable.

    Impressive Characters: Puma.

    I like Puma (who I've encountered in the pages of Spider-Man, and Secret Wars II). He comes across very well here. Heroic, but flawed. Not the most level-headed of heroes, but understandable. Fingeroth does a fine job of taking us inside his head.

    Impressive Writers: Danny Fingeroth is the writer here, with Howard Mackie acting as Editor.

    Impressive Artists:

    Less-Than-Impressive Characters:

    Less-Than-Impressive Writers:

    Less-Than-Impressive Artists:

    Continuity: With previous Avengers comics there's almost no continuity. But once the bad guys show up, we are treated to a comprehensive summary of their exploits to date.

    Worth mentioning, though, is a comment Cap makes to Gilgamesh during the early stages of battle. When Puma steals Cap's shield and sends it flying back at high velocity, Gilgamesh jumps in and takes the brunt of the impact. Causing Captain America to praise his "teamwork". I enjoyed seeing that, since back in #301, he was expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of his new team. Things have (its seems) started to turn the corner.

    Mind you, with different writers (and editors) on these two issues, I wonder how deliberate this "continuity" was.

    Guide:

    Reviews:

    Other Info: This issue contains the first Bullpen Bulletins page in 15 years, to feature a "Stan's Soapbox" column. Other comics that came out that month would include: Sensational She-Hulk #1, Web Of Spider-Man #50, New Mutants #75, X-Men #244, Hulk #355 and Spectacular Spider-Man #150.

    Miscellaneous Comments:    July 28, 1999

     This impressed me more than I thought it would.

GRADE: A

Review by Michael Leddy

Comments are welcome: dec@iol.ie

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