New Avengers: The Reunion #1

Before I even open this comic book up, I'm going to state right now, if this comic doesn't explain how Mockingbird survived being killed by Mephisto back in West Coast Avengers #100, I'm going to be major league pissed off. With that said, here's the review.

Overall- First of all, bull s###. The "explanation" about Mockingbird's "death" was pure, unadulterated bull s###. Supposedly, the Skrulls replaced Bobbi prior to her death and it was a Skrull impersonating Bobbi that was whacked by Mephisto. There are SEVERAL things wrong with that story, starting with the fact that when she died, Bobbi didn't revert back to her true Skrull form like all dead Skrull's do. Once Skrull Bobbi died, she should have reverted to a Skrull, thus tipping off the West Coast Avengers 15 years ago about this Secret Invasion. Apparently, Skrull Bobbi's body turned to dust after her death, which is once again a load of bull s###. I've just recently read and posted parts of WCA #100 and that DIDN'T happen. Bobbi died in Clint's arms and didn't turn to dust, she was buried. On top of that, Bobbi's spirit was seen numerous times in the after life, in issues of the Avengers, Thunderbolts and even X-Statix Presents: Deadgirl. She was dead, dead, dead! No amount of revisionist history and lame half-assed excuses can change that fact.

With that major bone of contention out of the way, I have to admit, I really enjoyed this comic book! Everything was pretty spot on. Clint's interaction with Bucky was exactly what I would have expected from Clint, he challenged Bucky to a fight, after taunting Bucky with the fact that he was asked before Bucky to become the new Captain America, and Clint and Bobbi's relationship was as rocky as I remember it being. For a long time Avenger fan like myself, it was a real treat to see Clint and Bobbi fighting the hordes of A.I.M. side-by-side again, even if Clint was wearing the wrong costume. Basically, this issue ends with Clint pinning Bobbi to a wall in one of her safe houses with a net arrow and calling the Avengers in to help him take down A.I.M., which was something Bobbi had wanted to do on her own.

Right off the bat, let me apologize, because this wasn't really a review of this comic per say, it was more my observations and thoughts on it. You have to understand, the story in this comic doesn't really matter to me, as weird as that may sound. For me, the important thing was seeing how the writer, Jim McCann, was planning on handling the various interpersonal relationships between the various characters in this comic book, most specifically, Clint and Bobbi. West Coast Avengers might have been campy, and at times down right dumb, but it holds a special place in my heart. The fact that Jim treated these characters I truly care about with respect left me feeling quite relieved. I expected this comic to be nearly unreadable, but to my surprise, I enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the next issue. For a score, I'll go with a 7 1/2 out of 10. If the crap with Skrull Bobbi would have been better explained, I'd have scored this issue even higher.