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When this series was first teased, it was being billed as two things; first, the main Marvel NOW! titles coming out of Avengers VS X-Men, and second as Remender’s successor to his incomparable Uncanny X-Force. For the first several issues, I could see that editorial was doing their best to make sure it actually was the premier NOW! title, but now the title is finally feeling like UXF. And it’s doing so in the most amazing of ways.

In the aftermath of their war against Red Skull and his S-Men, the Avengers Unity team is ready to announce themselves to the world as an official Avengers team. Mutants and Humans working together, just as Charles Xavier had dreamed. Along the way, we say hello to three new team members, and Havok becomes more of a leader.

The “Avengers Unity Squad” continues its battle with the Red Skull and his S-Men, but when Thor is possessed under Xavier’s stolen telepathic powers, things certainly don’t look great for the team.

After too long of a wait since last issue, Rick Remender’s spiritual follow-up to Uncanny X-Force continues this week. The Red Skull and his S-Men move forth with their plans to eradicate mutant-kind, and it’s up to the Avengers and the X-Men to stop them.

Seems to be pretty typical superhero stuff, but things definitely aren’t as easy as they seem for the heroes. Not easy at all.

It’s the penultimate issue of Secret Avengers (vol. 1) and Rick Remender turns the action up to 11. Most of the Avengers are in lockdown as Father and the Descendants enact their plan to turn every human in the world into a robot hybrid, so it’s up to a few brave heroes to face them off by themselves.

So, Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force ended last week. About that… (feels ahead)…

Rick Remender’s flagship amalgamation team between the Avengers and X-Men continue their first adventure in this second issue. Last issue ended with a cliffhanger showing us that the Red Skull has obtained Charles Xavier’s brain. Meanwhile, there are new mutants popping up all over the globe and Captain America has decided to assemble a team to prove to a world even more afraid of mutants than they ever were that humans and mutants can indeed work together. Things are just getting started.

Boy, oh boy, do I love Rick Remender! Which must be why I tend to buy everything he releases and then gush about it all by reviewing the series over here at Pop GO! Well, here we go again with Rick’s second new series for Marvel NOW!: Captain America. 

It’s a tough job to follow up a huge run on a character, especially when that run is the much praised and expansive one by Ed Brubaker, but Remender is up for the challenge. The question is: Is it a worthy successor?

Robots! Monsters! Space! Explosions! Quips! Doctor Who references! Boy, if this issue of Secret Avengers didn’t have it all! As Rick Remender starts heading towards the conclusion of his run on the series, it seems he’s given a new definition to the saying “firing on all cylinders.” There’s more action, intrigue, and suspense than I could ask for and more actual audible laughs than I’d ever expect. This is a hell of a comic.

The penultimate issue of Uncanny X-Force brings the finale of the Final Execution as the new Brotherhood’s plans finally come to a head. A lot happens in this one issue, and it’s not an easy one to read as things really don’t go so well for anyone in the team. It’s a real heartbreaker (spoilers ahead).

As we move closer to the finale of this series, tensions are definitely high. Wolverine’s being interrogated by his son, Psylocke is in mental battle with Shadow King, a healing-factor-less Deadpool is being beaten lifeless by Omega Black, and Genesis seems one step away from embracing his destiny and becoming the new Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler finally gets his revenge. This issue has it all.

Rick Remender starts his final arc on Secret Avengers ”Rise of the Descendants” with a bang, that starts to bring together plot lines not only from the beginning of his run but from the beginning of this series. Plus, things get a little spooky when Hawkeye and Captain Britain take a journey to Earth-666. What think you of an undead Celestial?

Manipulation, betrayal, a trip inside Deadpool’s head, and the worst father/son relationship you’ve ever seen… So it’s a pretty standard installment of Uncanny X-Force. And when I say standard, I mean it’s another awesome issue of this incredible series.

The Secret Avengers’ bout with Abyss and all that it has possessed comes to a head in this issue! Is Venom going to be enough to take on the entire army of possessed villains? Will Black Widow stop the possessed Hawkeye? Will they both succumb to Abyss? There’s a lot on the line in this issue, and it’s all pretty exciting.

Marvel NOW! is here at last, and just like any major movement in the Marvel Universe, it calls for a new Avengers team! But this one’s a bit different. For starters, Brian Bendis isn’t the name on the cover this time around. 

So as the first foray into Marvel NOW!, how did this issue hold up? Good omens or bad? Read on for my review!