It's Emma Frost's birthday. As a surprise, Scott Summers convinces Hellcat, She-Hulk, Valkyrie, Monica Rambeau (former Avenger and leader of NextWave) and Agent Brand from S.W.O.R.D. to help Emma celebrate. While they drink and are merry, a bunch of stuff S.W.O.R.D. had in holding breaks loose due to a system overload, so our heroes fend off clones of many different scientists and other folks (Einstein and the Red Ghost both appear, though no sign of the Super-Apes). Meanwhile, in a diner, a waitress named Frances goes kind of nuts, stabs a guy, then kills one of the clone scientists she seems to recognize by exploding into flame. Our do-gooders investigate, find her, and take her to the Baxter Building, because that's where she wants to go. Meanwhile, Nova (former Herald of Galactus Nova, not Space Cop Nova) shows up and goes after Johnny Storm, then Frances, then is nearly collapsed into a black hole by Brand before Reed's reverses the effect. We learn Frances met the Silver Surfer once, and he may have placed some small of piece of Nova (original name: Frankie Raye) in Frances, which irks her. Then Nova appears and abducts Valeria Richards for some reason. There endeth issue 4.I like the story Immonen's telling. I mean it is kinda strange that Nova, of all Galactus' Heralds, died and was pretty much forgotten. I mean, even Air-Walker got to come back as a cyborg (about the time Nova died, actually), and years later he got to be killed in Annihilation. Much better than dying at the hands of a dumbass like Morg. Holy crap, I just realized, the court executioner turned ruthless Heralds name is "Morg". Like "morgue". Cripes, how did it take me 15 years to figure that out? I'm so embarassed.
Ahem, back to the topic. Why shouldn't Nova make a comeback, and maybe be riled everyone seems to have forgotten her? If she's missing some part of her soul because the Surfer just arbitrarily decided to place it in some random young woman he spotted, well, she and that young lady have a right to be angry. I mean, Frances is essentially a puppet in all this. The Surfer didn't really care, most of the heroes are more concerned with Frankie, Valkyrie wants her locked up as a murderer (Really Val? You've never been prey to powers beyond your control?)
I like how the main characters interact, and the dialogue between them. I already knew Immonen wrote a great Hellcat, and that's still true. Emma trying to hide how much she's actually enjoying all this behind frustration (some genuine, no doubt) with the antics of her temporary teammates. Val's straightforward, brash, somewhat melodramatic approach, all of which seems appropriately Norse. Not so fond of how Immonen writes Ben Grimm (really, it was just the line about his being glad Johnny dumped Frankie, which one, I was under the impression she became Nova and left without giving Johnny a second thought, and two, it seemed needlessly mean-spirited for Ben. maybe he meant it as a joke, but it didn't seem that way), and some of the jokes fell flat with me. The one about the Miata, for example, or the bit about Ben whistling and Emma not appreciating it like Reed does. Emma seemed to treat it like a wolf whistle, I thought it was supposed to be more of a "Hey, can I have your attention, please?" whistle.
Now we have to talk about the art. It was only Tonci Zonjic is #1. In #2, Zonjic drew all the scenes with Frances, and James Harren drew everything else, so there was at least some consistency there. In #3 Zonjic drew the dream sequence at the start, Harren drew the rest. In #4, I think Zonjic draws the first 6 pages, up through the point where they resolve the black hole problem. Then I believe it's Emma Rios for the next 12 pages, then I think it's Harren for the last 4, starting about the time they realize something's up with Frankie's old roommate.
I don't have a problem with any of the artists' work. It took me awhile to get used to Harren's, because part of my mind says the characters look ugly, though part of that is some of the angles he draws the view from, so we're seeing a character from up close, above, but kind of at an angle, so their head is this sort of moon in a corner of the panel. He does some outstanding exaggerated expressions, say Patsy spying the doughnuts, or Val getting angry about ancient history being dismissed. Also, his Ben Grimm looks appropriately rocky (that was the one thing I haven't liked about Zonjic's work is, his Grimm looks too smooth, not particularly textured). So I can't complain, but I will anyway.
I still think this would have worked better if it was Zonjic the whole way through, and I don't understand why Marvel couldn't have given him time to finish. It's not as though June is the only month with five Wednesdays left in the year, if Marvel was concerned with releasing all of it in a single month. It could have come out in September, or December. I haven't seen anything in the solicits that suggests it's building off this mini-series, so I don't understand the need to rush. Just give Zonjic the time needed to do the whole thing, because the way the pages are being broken up amongst artists, I don't think it was planned this way from the start.
The last issue came out today, which I plan to purchase when I run by the store on Friday, and I'm looking forward to it. Not just for how the whole Frances/Frankie/Nova situation works out, but to see how the heroes part after it's all over. I'm not seeing a big group hug being part of it. How is Agent Brand going to factor in? After Reed stopped her attempt to destroy Nova at the start of #4, she dropped out of sight, and I figure she'll loop her efforts back in with the rest at the end.
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