As far as Marvel events go, this was an enjoyable read. Did it have it's issues? Yes. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either.

In this event we see Steve Rogers, Bucky, and Sam Wilson finally fighting super-villains again. We see several other Avenger teams coming together to tackle the problem of Pleasant Hill.

I am one of those who likes the comics about S.H.I.E.L.D and seeing them tackle problems in the world. I do like Maria Hill and it's interesting to see the direction Marvel has taken her in this event. With these comic worlds we have times where some people get knocked down for a while and then brought back up.

We get some teases in here about what's to come, especially with Red Skull. ( )

I only follow a couple of Marvel series, but usually buy all the event compilations. So, I had no expectations for this "event” when I ordered it. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so much!

Winter Soldier took over as “The Man on the Wall” from Nick Fury – watching and protecting Earth from catastrophic events. He receives an alert that one is occurring, on Earth, and ends up at a SHIELD facility trying to discover what will set it off. He ends up fighting his way through SHIELD at three different facilities. Elsewhere, I young man with amnesia is taken to the small community of Pleasant Hill. Where he repeatedly tries to escape from the Stepford-like town. Everyone here is happy. Too happy.

Maria Hill has been using something known as Kobik, derived from Cosmic Cube fragments, to brainwipe supervillains and imprison them in Pleasant Hill. When several of them wake up, they launch an assault that brings multiple teams of Avengers (with several tongue in cheek jokes about how many there are), three erstwhile Captains America, and SHIELD into a showdown over control of Kobik.

Since I don’t read most of the series which contribute here, I was unaware of the status quo when I started this. I didn’t know how Steve ended up old; or how the various superhero team incarnations came about. But, it didn’t matter. The story was self-contained enough that anyone could dive right in. I think the whole purpose of this event was to restore Steve Rogers to his youthful, powerful self, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun ride. The concept of the prison was really cool, albeit completely unethical. It fit right in with where SHIELD has been heading for years. The reveal of Kobik’s true nature was also clever. And, I absolutely loved the appearance of the characters from the Agents of SHIELD television show! Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Gemma Simmons, etc. are also involved in the story. Though it doesn’t have far reaching consequences (except perhaps the renewed Steve Rogers), Standoff was a fun read. ( )