Recap

The latest issue of Mighty Avengers opens up like a jugular vein beneath the blade of Dexter Morgan’s favorite butcher knife as spurts and globs of blood coat television screens in a New York City electronics store.

The blood being spilled by the gallon belongs to a gang of enormous, fire-breathing were-roosters who are being hacked into chicken nuggets by Blade, everyone’s favorite vampire killer.

Oh, come on! If you’ve been reading comics for longer than a day, then a group of giant villainous chickens attacking a sword-wielding vampire hunter doesn’t really seem all that strange does it? Didn’t think so.

As Blade continues to lob off the heads of these overgrown Foghorn Leghorn impersonators, he begins to reflect on how sick and tired he is of fighting were-creatures. During his lament on occupational boredom, he becomes distracted, which leads to catching a fire blast to the face and his being hauled off to meet his doom at the hands of Deathwalkers.

The story then shifts over to Blue Marvel, otherwise known as Dr. Adam Brashear, who receives word from Reed Richards that Uatu (The Watcher) has been murdered. Brashear and Uatu were super tight BFFs, so he doesn’t take the news too well, as he fumbles his coffee mug like the Bengals on the one yard line.

Dressed in his Sunday best, Brashear takes a trip to the moon where he meets up with Ulana (also a Watcher) who is said to be Uatu’s “next of kin.” The two have a lengthy dialogue about The Watcher and his death that lasts for a large portion of the issue. At the end of the conversation Brashear promises to exact a punishment so wicked on Uatu’s killer that it would  give Frank Castle nightmares.

Back in NYC, Luke Cage is going a few rounds with a Mindless One, and he’s not winning. After getting tossed around a bit, Cage calls in air support from Falcon, and then Spectrum swoops in and blasts the crazed creature to bits.

Falcon gets permission to tell Luke Cage about Uatu’s murder. The news leaves Luke feeling a bit angry, and my guess is the killer in question won’t like him when he’s angry. Cage decides to join the investigation with the full intent of putting a fist-sized hole in the murderer’s melon.

From there we head back to the moon for yet another conversation between Brashear and Ulana, who begin discussing the pros and cons of funerals for the dead. Things take a bit of a strange turn when Ulana introduces Blue Marvel to a large, floating baby head.

Who needs hallucinogenic drugs when you can just read a comic?

The floating baby head is apparently the offspring of Uatu, but in order for the child to grow and develop, it requires antimatter pulses that are typically provided by the father. Ulana suggests that Brashear fulfill this role in Uatu’s stead, as a tribute to their friendship. Not surprisingly, he says yes.

The issue comes to a close with Blade being strung up like a side of beef in a butcher shop and the Deathwalkers blabbing on about their plan to use his blood in a sacrificial ceremony to bring about the ultimate destruction of mankind.

The Verdict

Mighty Avengers #10 was surprisingly awesome. The story has little in the way of action, with the opening scene with Blade being the only battle that’s longer than a panel or two. What the story lacks in the way of punching, smashing, and blasting, it more than makes up for in character development.

In case you didn’t already guess by the cover, this is an Original Sin tie-in, and is the best one that’s come out thus far. The best part of the issue is the conversation that takes place between Ulana and Blue Marvel. The dialogue is well written and serves to humanize The Watcher a bit more, clue you into a some of his motivations, and gives the reader a glimpse at how deeply Uatu affected Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

With super strong writing by Ewing and stellar art, this issue is a must-read. If you’re the kind of person that hates comics with a lot of talking, then you should probably skip this one, otherwise you need to pick up a copy ASAP!

Overall score: 8.5 out of 10