Clint Explains It All

I mentioned yesterday in my review of Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes #14 a scene where Hawkeye and the Blonde Phantom are on a stakeout, sitting at a diner. (Interestingly, nobody seemed to notice, like it was an episode of The Tick or something.) Remember, in the story some guy goes around pretending to be Bruce Banner, allegedly kidnapped by his partners and threatening to go all Hulk on everybody if everything isn’t kept nice and calm. For some reason, writer Paul Tobin gives us a scene that would better fit in Marvel Proper’s Civil War event, which gives me pause for concern. Here’s the scene in question.

Frankly, I agree with Clint on this case. If I took it further, it explains why the main continuity (referred to as “616”, it’s supposed place in dimensional records or something) is just hard to get into. That’s pretty much what’s happening there at the moment. Under the circumstances, I can understand the debate coming up, and Blonde Phantom is understandably upset that someone is using..and ruining..her friend’s name like the “Banner Bandits” are.

Here’s where my concern comes from. This was one of the arguments that was key to the whole Civil War event. Super Heroes (and all super powered humans, including mutants) were forced to be registered as if they were hand guns. Based on whomever is writing the particular comic (apparently nobody sat down and tried to figure out just how the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA) was supposed to work), these same superhumans are now pressed into government service (which right now puts them all under Norman “Green Goblin” Osborn’s control, which just sounds stupider and stupider every time I hear/read it!), which Hawkeye mentions almost in passing.

Although this was lighter and more…dare I say…civil, as it didn’t involve our heroes beating the daylights out of each other, I’m not sure it was a necessary scene for the simple reason that it sounds too close to the Civil War event. Based on what else goes on in what passes for the Marvel Bullpen these days, I’m hoping that Tobin (who will soon have sole control over the two remaining “Marvel Adventures” titles) doesn’t end up bringing the MAverse (ignoring the lack of continuity in MA titles) too close to the current Marvel situation. Alternately, is this a case of Tobin weighing in on why 616 is just a disaster in-story? I don’t know. What I do know…

…is “ahhhh, sneezes!” is the funnest curse stand-in to hit comics in a while! Oh, Paul, I can’t stay mad at you.