Uncanny 8 CoverIssue #8 of Rick Remender and Daniel Acuna’s Uncanny Avengers starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. As the remains of two space stations fall to Earth, Thor attempts to save Rio from total annihilation first with his hammer and then with the “Lorn Bolt” – a lightning bolt containing the energy of a star that could destroy one of the largest cities on Earth. Luckily for Brazil, he is saved from using it by Sunfire – himself displaying a worrisome level of power. But if the Lorn Bolt isn’t a Chekhov’s Gun, I don’t know what is.

While Shiro and Thor fly into space to investigate the Apocalypse Twins’ ship, the rest of the team flies to the North Pole in search of The Metropolis of Akkaba – a whole city of Apocalypse’s faithful. As they do, the group continues to be suspicious of each other. Rogue rightfully wonders about Thor’s history with the axe, and Janet about Wolverine’s past as a whole. And when Rogue attempts to pull the story of Archangel – and by extension the Uncanny X-Force – Janet gets even more suspicious. Meanwhile, Captain America has been shipped off to Sudan, where he is causing quite the stir – and receiving messages from a cryptic mysterious stranger. Finally, at Akkaba Metropolis, the Apocalypse Twins have their first major scene, explaining their powers, their motivations, and the extent of their ruthlessness/”kindness”.

This issue does several things that Rick Remender does best: it sows discord among teammates, draws on decades of continuity, and features strange new incarnations of Apocalypse. There’s also some impressive action, whether it’s gods calling down lightning or mutants incinerating space stations or Super Soldiers decimating militants or creepy futuristic twins committing genocide. Daniel Acuna makes this book look spectacular. Rio looks bright and tropical, Sudan looks rather war-ravaged, and Akkaba looks tense, mysterious, and foreboding. There’s an air of tension and ominousness throughout the issue, and it really makes the book feel important and exciting.

Uncanny Avengers isn’t perfect. There’s still the frankly obnoxious narration, and the revolving door of artists hasn’t done much to create a sense of stability. But it’s become more and more fun as it’s gone on, and Rick Remender is easily one of Marvel’s greatest assets right now. This book is great now and has the potential to be truly incredible.

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