Preview pages of Avengers #502 are up at Pop Culture Shock. Shrugging ensues at Fanboy Rampage. Spoilers crop up across the Internet like kudzu. (They also lurk in the comments section at the Rampage, so be warned.)
Some retailers of note have gotten their hands on preview copies of the issue. They skip the spoilers and manage to contain their enthusiasm. My favorite assessment thus far comes from Highway 62:
“No amount of punchy dialogue will top the impact of a dramatic demise. No amount of expertly-drafted and computer-colored-to-the-point-of-being-overdone artwork can suprass the looming shadow of a hero’s mortality. Enjoy the cover and all the dread that it inspires.”
(Notes to Matt: Yes, you did spell “schadenfreude” properly. To hear it sung properly, click here. And, if the Dread Dormammu wants to review Identity Crisis, how dare a puny mortal stand in his way?)
Usenet wonders if Brian Bendis is being unfairly criticized for his Avengers run. In other corners, haters be hating (with spoilers). Ambidexterous at Silver Bullet Comics responds to the perceived Bendis Backlash thusly:
“Apparently, Bendis has just become too big for people recently, and it[‘]s sparking an Internet campaign, proclaiming his creative doom. If we’re going to use this little community as a place that engenders discussion, and as the staging point for pushing the industry forward, we have GOT to stop wasting webspace on stuff like this.”
I disagree that evaluation of the work of a high-profile creator isn’t worthy of discussion. Is the suggestion here that the only worthwhile discourse is positive discourse? I’m not sure I understand.