Story by Chelsea Cain
Art by Kate Niemczyk
Well, there are only three issues left of this title at this point. And it sucks. This is a well-written, well-drawn title that is a lot of fun, with great stories and a writer who really shows how much she researches a character such as this. Various parts of Bobbi Morse's character have been hit upon throughout this wonderful book: The fact that Bobbi has both the Infinity Formula and the Super-Soldier Serum running through her veins, her past relationship with Dr. Wilma Calvin in the old ASTONISHING TALES series from the 70s, her relationship with Hawkeye, and more.
This issue is no exception. The story opens with Bobbi boarding a cruise ship. She has received a ticket from a mysterious source that promises information that could tip the scales in favor of Clint Barton during his trial for killing Bruce Banner. What needs to be noted here is that the ticket is made out to "Mrs. Bobbi Barton." Bobbi hasn't gone by that name in years, since her divorce, so this is a clue that the sender is someone who thinks she is still married to Clint, that he or she is someone from Bobbi's past.
And so, it begins. Bobbi settles in and waits to meet whomever sent her the ticket. In the meantime, she tries to avoid thinking about Clint and his trial, but there are reminders of it everywhere she looks. From tickets to a Corgi show where Clint was supposed to be the key speaker (but now is not because of his incarceration) to news broadcasts she hears on the television set in her room. There is a moment where she sits and listens to the news and has a momentary lapse in tears that is presented quite effectively. She still loves Clint, even if she can't be married to him anymore.
I love the setting for this storyline. A cruise ship that is sailing for the Bermuda Triangle, which in itself will be likely very troublesome. There is a cosplay thing going on all around Bobbi as she waits for the mysterious ticket sender to meet with her, as he promises to do via telegrams he keeps sending to her. We see Bobbi relax in the pool, play Dungeons & Dragons with various cosplayers, and have a dozen Corgis racing by her in the hallways. Even her other ex, Lance Hunter, is aboard (for the Corgi convention). When she finally encounters the ticket sender, he's a guy wearing a horse head who refuses to give her the information outright. He wants to do it at his own pace. But she already knows who he is: Some guy she's never heard of. And when she later goes with Lance to the guy's room, thing suddenly take a serious turn:
As silly as that image looks, and as quirky as the book is with its art, it's still a very engaging title. One worth reading compared to some other more poorly written titles out there (such as the atrocious Captain America titles). We now have a murderer on board this cruise ship of cosplayers and Corgi lovers. One that is tied to Bobbi's past somehow. An old adversary of some sort, obviously. There is a part in this issue where the horse head guy talks to Bobbi about Clint's murderous act and mentions some things that have led me to believe that the Phantom Rider is involved in this somehow. The Phantom Rider, just for some information, was the guy who raped Mockingbird back during Steve Englehart's run on WEST COAST AVENGERS. She was trapped in the past, during the Wild West era, and the Rider used drugs to make her love him. Eventually, their final encounter ended with the Phantom Rider falling to his death off a cliff, with Mockingbird allowing it to happen. He has since plagued her via his ghost. The last instance was during HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1-5 where he possessed the body of his descendant, Jaime Slade.
So, I think it's the Phantom Rider orchestrating things in this storyline. There are still two more issues to go, so we'll see how things progress. In any case, this is a great start to Bobbi's final three-issue story of Corgis, cosplayers, murder, and ultimately the Bermuda Triangle, where we know Weirdworld awaits.
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