Let me get this out of the way first:

John Cassaday needs to either retire or figure out what the hell is problem is. Look at this cover! Who at Marvel, and more importantly Cassaday himself, thought this was a good cover? It’s sad considering where he once was in this industry so many years ago. It really is.

Okay lets get to the real heart of this issue and why it is so fantastic. Basically everything about this book worked for me. You got the M.C. Escher fortress with Shang-Chi beating the shit out of anything that isn’t Steve Rogers or Sharon Carter. Pepper in some crazy Ellis ideas like ‘Bad Continua’ and using the craziest Captain America villain with Arnim Zola; and this is just on fantastic issue from start to finish. What makes all of these ideas work though is the art by David Aja. The moment Shang-Chi started to fight the Shadow Council I knew this was going to look beautiful. Or was it the two-page spread showing the fortress in it’s surreal design? Or was it the nice touch of keeping the fact that everyone is technically on the ceiling, especially when Sharon and Steve are climbing ladders? Everything worked in this issue art wise as well and god….I want more of this!

I mean I love how every issue is drawn by an amazing artist each month. But this issue is the first time I seriously wanted more of what was offered. I want David Aja to continue to draw Warren Ellis scripts. It was almost like Stuart Immonen doing Nextwave; it just works. This is easily the best issue of this arc so far and with people like Michael Lark and Immonen down the road it is only going to get better from here. That last sentence made me feel really good by the way.