As I say, there's not a lot that happens in this issue. There are three action arcs presented but only one of them involves any real conflict. In one we get to see two members of the team try to work their way out of a dangerous but largely passive situation that provides no drama other than the confirmation of sexual tension between those characters; in another we see someone further mull over his developing sense of identity and heroism. This sort of soap opera-y stuff doesn't really turn my crank but to each their own. They form a lesser portion of the comic over all and hey, it's nice to see Patriot and Hawkeye get a smooch in.

Speed kind of surprised me in this issue in that he had absolutely zero misgivings about doing good for others' benefit; in fact most of his angst comes from being convinced that he isn't able to do enough, a sentiment used as the excuse for one of those classic inspiration-from-a-passing-master moments in which he encounters Ronin and receives some encouragement. It's nice and all but well-trod in any era that post-dates After School Specials. On the other hand, it's awfully good to see Speed giving a damn and getting back up off the ground and giving things another go.

The vast majority of the comic is about Hulkling and Wiccan trying to find and help people who may have been injured in the assault on Asgard. In fact, that's what I loved: that this issue was almost entirely about everyone's favorite gay male teens. I found Wiccan's reflections on his father's bedtime stories genuinely touching - I misted up a little, I'll admit it - and I really adored the hug Hulkling gave him after they had faced down the Wrecking Crew outside the Asgardian throne room. The look of surprise on Wiccan's face and of tenderness on Hulkling's made for a really warm and affecting moment. It was an interesting counterweight to the page before, in which Wiccan surprises Hulkling by going completely Thor on the whole Wrecking Crew at once. It's good that they get to do something by taking out a bunch of '60s throwbacks, sure, but I was more interested in the comic's ability to portray the complete range of emotional extremes in so little time, a portrayal all too true to the rapid-phase wave form of the teen psyche.

All of these stories were helped by the fact that the art is just so good in this issue. It really is beautifully done and the characters' faces are living things in a way not a lot of comics manage. Again, Marvel's cinematic eye for action lends itself well to several pages. The person standing in Asgard and then, one gap-between-frames later, finds themselves in a field outside Braxton - that's a beautifully communicated bit of action. It subtly reflects that Speed is going so fast we can't really perceive him anymore and does so by focusing only on the important part: the person he's just saved.

That said, there are some quibbles. For instance, where are Stature and The Vision? Were they not in the original Siege in which everyone took off for Asgard? Did I simply miss their absence from that comic and not notice it until now? Even if they're not there it would have been nice to hear a little something from them. I'm also tremendously annoyed - tremendously - that we get to see a kiss between Patriot and Hawkeye but nothing more than a hug between Wiccan and Hulkling. Marvel, it is time to gonad up and let the boys get a smooch in. It won't kill you and it won't kill us. Sooner or later, the absence of boyfriendly displays of affection will make them seem less like teens and more like stage props. There's not a lot of point to having compelling gay characters if you're afraid to let them at least hold hands the one time per year we get to see them.

I also felt like a lot of the drama of the comic could be obviated by Wiccan's basic power set. If they want to get everyone off of Asgard, can't he just teleport everyone off of Asgard? If not, can't he teleport lots of them? If not, address that directly; otherwise, he's kind of left holding the idiot ball while the reader wonders why the kid who can do anything by repeating it over and over again isn't just... doing that.

In general I really enjoyed this but underneath that is a nagging suspicion that Marvel just isn't sure how or why to deploy this team as the stars of their own story. I don't know if it's a lack of interested writers, editors, artists or what. Maybe Marvel can't figure out a place for them in the emerging storyline. Maybe Marvel can't find somebody willing to get their start writing gay teens. I find all of these unlikely, but when they do roll out some Young Avengers arc it always seems to feel like they're more the frame than the picture. Last year's Dark Reign: Young Avengers was barely about them at all and this comic, while entirely about them, does nothing to advance their storyline and it's only a one-shot. The fact is that if Marvel wants to get real utility out of these characters they're going to have to give them more room to run: either a limited or ongoing series of their own or strong integration as supporting characters in another title.

Comics like this - well-told and lushly illustrated - don't hurt anything, I'm perfectly happy to buy them, but it isn't enough to remind me that they exist. I already know that. I want them to do something.