The Long National Nightmare that is Fallen Son is Finally, Mercifully Over

Fallen Son, Chapter Five: "Acceptance" (Loeb & Cassaday).

So the title to this blog post is a bit harsh, given that Chapter 5 of Fallen Son is the best issue in the entire series, but as loyal readers of the Anxiety know, I've found this entire LS to be completely underwhelming. So, yeah, it's the best issue, but that's faint praise.

The problems with "Acceptance" are the same basic problems that plague the rest of the series - primarily that Jeph Loeb never gets beneath the surface of the characters. Fallen Son is all example and not enough (or any, really) examination of the issues raised, which keeps the series mired at the level of a gimmick.

What raises this issue up a notch is the Falcon's eulogy, which comes off as heartfelt despite the Hallmark Channel-inspired dialogue coming out of Sam's mouth.

There's a nice touch at the end with a private burial for Steve in the Arctic. Returning Steve's body to where it was discovered back in the day is fitting, and Stark has his best words of the entire series when he notes how many Avengers have fallen by the wayside in recent years. If Loeb's performance in this issue (and series) matched his reputation, it would have been a truly touching ending, but it never escapes the fact that Loeb's dialogue has just been off this entire series.

The end is fitting for another reason. Janet tells Tony that "we have to accept" that Steve is gone: "One era ends. And a new one begins." But Stark clearly doesn't accept this change. He never accepts anything he doesn't like (save for his own battle with alcoholism), which is one of the traits that makes Stark such an interesting character. You can see the wheels spinning in his head.

If we get to the end of the five stages of grief, however, and we don't see the acceptance of Cap's death, I do kinda wonder what the point of all this was. That we don't accept what we must? Doesn't that make the five stages a failure? If that's the point, it would have been nice to see that examined, but, again, there is no examination anywhere in this series at the level it should have been given who it was that died.

If this issue had been entitled Fallen Son: Falcon, like it probably should have been, then having Sam deliver those final words in the Arctic would have worked to bring a better sense of closure. As it is, the ending rings hollow. The fans don't accept Cap's death and Stark doesn't accept Cap's death, but we get no inkling about what his plans for the future are, really. Which means that Marvel has used this mini-series, basically, to sell some future story or stories down the road. Thanks.

And yes, once again the art is gorgeous, but the mini-series dealing with the aftershocks of Captain America's death should do more than look pretty.