I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up.  That was a happier time for me.

Page one was a big red flag that this book wasn’t for me.  See, it’s totally self-aware.  Like it starts with assistant editors at Marvel being under-appreciated.  (No way.)  (Schway.)  So they decide it would be cool to tell their own stories.  Zowee!

The first story in this book is about D-Man.  I don’t remember him from the Marvel U.  And this story didn’t inspire me to go look him up.  Totally dull, but it did establish a theme: dead dogs.

The next story has Jason Aaron (and dead dogs!) involved in a dispute between the AZ Initiative team, a villain named Cottonmouth, and the Navajo Nation (the native Americans, not a wrestling team).  The art is super reminiscent of The Gunslinger books  (the cover is even a rip-off, sorry, homage, to a Gunslinger cover).  The story partially redeems the pages that came before it.

Wrapping it up is a Mini-Marvel Hawkeye story.  Thus taking this comic from ugh territory to Woo World.    In fact, just take out the expository assistant editor story and you’ve got a pretty decent issue of Astonishing Tales.  Hmmmm.  They should get on that.