Dark Avengers #10

Background

Last issue, Ares' son Alexander was taken under the protective wing of Nick Fury. Fury has formed a resistance movement against Osborn and is trying to help him realize his full potential. Ares is aware that Fury is on Norman Osborn's hit list, but decides to allow this to continue. He is painfully aware of his limitations as a father and wants to give his son a better life than he had.

Story Details

Louisiana Bayou: Osborn's Avengers take down Man-Thing and cross another name off of his hit-list. As they leave, they are all surprised to hear Gargan expressing deep concerns for the severely injured creature. They know that the dosage of his anti-psychotic medication is too high, turning him into an emotionally crippled individual unable to pull his weight in battle. They return with Man-Thing to Avengers' Tower.

The next day during breakfast, Victoria Hand tries to explain to the team the mission for today. Bullseye interrupts her and tells her that they're not doing anything today. They're burned out and need a break. And she needs to cut back on Gargan's meds because he's turning into a girl. This catches Moonstone's attention and begins to openly flirt with Bullseye. A move that surprises her teammates.

Osborn appears - in full armor - and asks her what's next on their agenda. Hand explains that they have been asked to find Betty Simpson and Veronica Robbins as a favor to the Secretary of State. Understanding the political implications of his refusal, Osborn sends Sentry to their last known location: Dinosaur, Colorado.

While the Sentry is en route, Moonstone continues her flirtation with Bullseye. She admits to a new-found appreciation for him in the role of Hawkeye. She leaves the room, inviting him to follow.

Upon Sentry's arrival in Dinosaur, he is disintegrated prompting Osborn to assemble the remainder of the team and a contingent of H.A.M.M.E.R. ships to fly there for a personal inspection. Osborn is forced to take Gargan off active duty until his medication can be changed. He is too much of a liability in his current state.

When they arrive, the Avengers vanish without a trace. Osborn awakens - sans armor - and stands face to face with the Molecule Man.

General Comments

So Bullseye is Moonstone's new boytoy, huh? This could be a one-time thing or .. yeah.. it's a one-time thing.

My one real complaint is that the five-page setup for this issue - Betty and Veronica's disappearance (yes, the reference is obvious) - could have been completely eliminated from the story. It's nice but really didn't do much for me. It was supposed to set the tone for the story and establish a mystery but it really wasn't necessary. The real mystery here is why Osborn stays in full armor (mask included) the whole issue. He claims he's calibrating software but there's something going on behind the mask.

Also they include Noh-Varr on the cover. He quit in issue #5, what gives? They need to stop using poster artwork for covers especially when the roster no longer includes one or more characters.

Last issue the Sentry's face was blown off. Now he just shows up late for a mission with no explanation and no damage? I assume this will be explained, but geeze they really need to reinstate editorial captions.

Overall Rating

3 webs. Venom-Spidey was a source of comedy in this issue as he is too touchy-feely to be an effective member of the team. Perhaps this is in retaliation for his actions in the Sinister Spider-Man mini-series?

Footnote

Gargan went all-out in his Dark Reign limited series Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #1 and tried to start a gang war as well as gain some measure of revenge against J. Jonah Jameson.