All New Invaders #15 - A Reflection

Keen-eyed readers may have noticed this article is dubbed "A Reflection" rather than "A Review". In truth, there is little point in my reviewing this book, as it is the last issue of All New Invaders. There is little I can say about the book itself at this point. Steve Pugh's artwork is, as always, excellent. And James Robinson offers some great insight into these characters in this final chapter, though the actual script reads like a transcription of an Oscar acceptance speech delivered by someone who was two seconds away from being played off by the band for over a minute.


I don't fault Robinson for this. It is clear in both the text of the issue and his comments at the end that he had so many plans for this book that never came to fruition. The plot involving The Kree and a weapon that could control Celestials?  Bucky Barnes working with the British Invaders on a secret mission involving Martian invaders from an alternate reality and the revival of Killraven?  Even the promise of a romance between the original Human Torch and the new heroine Radiance seems to have been rushed into life as a footnote in this issue, so great is Robinson's haste to show What Might Have Been and (hopefully) What Will Be.


Unfortunately, I can't say I'm as optimistic as Robinson.  Given the whole of time and space to play with, he created a great number of wonders in a very short time.  Alas, that doesn't seem to have been enough to satisfy The Powers That Be at The House Of Ideas. Books which portray Namor as the complicated character that he is seem to be out of vogue at the moment.  Then again, true anti-heroes tend to languish when all heroes are forced into an anti-hero's place, as seems to be the prevailing attitude in many of Marvel's titles heading into Secret Wars.

Still, we will see what we will see. And I will hope that Robinson is given the chance to tell the tales he wishes to tell. In another reality, if not this one.