This issue is a perfect example of the type of writer Brian Michael Bendis has become. He is slow, methodical and deeply interested in the finer intricacies of conversation.
Despite the fact that I didn't mind the slow pace of this book I do have to start this review off with one complaint. When on earth does this story take place in current continuity? I scanned the book for a, "3 weeks earlier" tag but was denied. I can personally guess when it takes place, but I am not sure why this story would be included right in the middle of the "Fear Itself" arc. It is pre-Thing turned into monster, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the grand scheme of Fear Itself.
Bendis continues his crusade to bring B-list characters into the spotlight. It has been easy to see that he has had a special spot in his heart for Mockingbird, ever since Secret Invasion. This issue continues to try and bring this very uninteresting character into the Marvel limelight. Bobbi had recently been saved from what should have been a fatal gun shot wound by being injected with a rare strand of the super soldier serum. The end result, Mockingbird is now more like Captain America than Squirrel Girl!
The book is laid out as a giant interview with Mockingbird, mixed with splash scenes of her testing out her new powers. Bendis; as always, does a nice job of capturing the mood through conversation. I do however, understand fully why some people hate his style. He slows stories down to a virtual crawl.
Mike Deodato does a nice job pencilling this issue. He is able to match Bendis' finer writing nuances by capturing indiscreet body language within the characters' interactions with one another.
I know that the backlash is beginning against Bendis, so it won't be long before he is gone. But I have to say, in juxtaposition to the other writers in the Marvel landscape he is a bit of a breath of fresh air to me. With that said, if all the writers wrote like Bendis, I would stop buying comics!