Once again, JMS has brought his best to the table.

This issue focuses on several characters, including the fantastic Black Widow, whose origin is elegantly presented, the Fiery Mask, whose legal troubles continue, the Phantom Reporter, who serves as our surrogate in the ongoing story, and, finally, the Blue Blade.

We have needed to return to the Blue Blade, since it is his murder that frames the overall story of the Twelve. Here, we learn that the Blue Blade may have gained some kind of knowledge that makes him more than the foolish second-rate Errol Flynn that we have seen in prior issues. The way in which this seems to occur is exciting, and it makes me want to grab the following issue out of thin air today.

Marvel is featuring two ongoing 12-issue Maxi-series at this time – The Twelve and Avengers/Invaders. The differences between the two are stark. Although both are based on fish-out-of-water tales due to time travel (who remembers Buck Rogers in the 24th Century?) Avengers/Invaders is acceptable, maybe even decent, but it seems uninspired and stale. On the other hand, The Twelve is engaging and dramatic. We need to know everything that has happened and will happen to each of the characters.

Again the art and production is fantastic. In my mind, this is the best limited series to come from Marvel in years. This book should have more general appeal – I feel as though I have to evangelize The Twelve in order to increase its popularity. I am trying to understand why – perhaps it is because I really believe that it is critical for Marvel to put out material of this quality and style.