"Avengers: Armageddon," #2 and, "Captain America," #13 are Two Comics by the Same Writer Yet Have Such a Tonal Difference

Chip Zdarsky is a fantastic writer. There are not too many folks writing comics at Marvel right now I get excited to pick up the work of, but they include Jed MacKay, Jonathan Hickman, and good ol' Chip. Last week, he had two comics come out that take place within the same Universe, a part of the same event (to a degree), and are just so different it is astounding. You've got the second issue of, "Avengers: Armageddon," which is full of geopolitical intrigue, arguments about how to utilize militaristic power in the name of affecting change, and so forth. Then, Captain America was brutally injured by the Red Hulk/Thunderbolt Ross before, "Avengers: Armageddon," and his comic follows him in some surreal iteration of Hell, leading damned souls and some demons to overthrow Mephisto. It's good, but weird.

One comic is doing an interesting take on, "Powerful hero questions why the other heroes do so little," concept, which has been riffed on by everyone from Alan Moore (Miracleman) to your friend who complains, "Why won't Batman just kill the Joker?" This questioning is being done with by a newer character, David Colton, who appeared in the start of Zdarsky's run on, "Captain America," in a flashback arc (to establish he's been around in continuity but just hasn't been seen much) and then got some extra powers due to a magical Origin Box from the Ultimate Universe...yeah, it is a bit confusing, comics can be wacky. It is still interesting and slightly grounded in reality with its exploration of if, "Might makes right," and how much justification America has to put its forces in other countries--be they superheroes or the military.

Meanwhile, we've got the same writer taking the, "Captain America," comic that had the same vibe but suddenly segued us into Hell. As for why Captain America went to Hell, Doctor Doom kinda ended up there too when he died in his recent, "One World Under Doom," comic (he's got some beef with the Devil, as past comics established) and used his magic to get Steve Rogers dragged down there too upon being mortally wounded. This is not a metaphorical or symbolic Hell, either; this is a literal Hell, full of mystical monsters and fire. The shift from, "Riffing on real-world politics with fictional superheroes," to, "Hey, let's take a big journey through Hell," brings some tonal whiplash for sure, but Zdarsky is a skilled enough writer that it isn't too jarring. Plus, again, comics can be wacky! Both comics are great reads, and this isn't a review so much as me discussing how strange comics can get. Chip Zdarsky knows how to spin a good yarn, though, and I congratulate him on his, "Stillwater," comic getting a T.V. series order, as well!