First off I'd like to thank those of you who posted spoilers w/o warning in the issues forum. Classy indeed! You are the people who take 50 single issues to a creator for autographing and deny others a chance to meet their heroes.

..but, I digress. As I often do.

So eight months of turmoil and this is where it ends? With Norman Osbourne being handed the keys to the city (figuratively)? Why? I don't read Thunderbolts and I'm not going to. I guess that's that. Feel free to tell me why.. now.

And what could be worse than ending a story from a perspective in which it's already ended? Again, why? Did BMB want this to feel flat? If so, he's succeeded.

Wait, my confusion doesn't end here..

"Hey, Carol's back!"

But apparently it's no big deal, because no one noticed she was gone. That's the beauty of it, you see? It's the sort of reality in which Black Bolt finds himself amidst a spread of heroes when he probably should have been aboard the skrull captive ship? Shouldn't he?

(damn, there are a lot of question marks in this review)

Maybe I've got a shitty memory? Scratch that. I do have a shitty memory, so I could be wrong on some of these points. I'll probably even give this a decent rating after I've shredded it. It's what I do. 

My single joy in this issue can be found in it's ending. No, it's not Emma Frost's boobs. Though they are nice. No, my joy comes from seeing my man, Namor, resurfacing. It is 'so' about time. Why he's sitting at a table comprised of villains I do not know, but I'm just enough of a sucker to find out.

Yes, you will see FACE aboard the Dark Reign train. Check out the Special Dark Reign Edition Previews and you'll know why:

* Look at the cover to New Avengers #48, see who's on the team?! Cap! Joy!!

several other facets of the post SI world intrigue me as well:

* I look forward to seeing Hank handle the death of Jan (and show some respect please. she 'was' one of the founding Avenger members).

* and I quote from the Dark Reign Preview for Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 : "The X-Men have often operated on the outside of the Marvel Universe; that stops now.." - Prove it.

* Is that Hawkeye? Yup.

* The Iron Patriot costume is badass! Gee, whoever could it be?

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One last note (speaking of Iron Patriot):

I'm not convinced that Tony Stark deserves all the hate. The fallout blame ought to be shared among a number of members in the Marvel U.

"I'm just sayin."