Young Avengers #13: We Are Noh-Varr Ev-arr Getting Back Togeth-arr

Being punched by Miss America is a privilege.

Lucky number 13! Only two issues left after this! 

What happened?

A bunch of expository banter with other young Marvel heroes we don't care about happens for one whole excruciating page, but then we are blessedly reunited with our main bunch, who are busy fighting Mother and the exes. Sadly, we're immediately met with hot, hipsterish, dashing, but cadish Noh-Varr breaking up with Kate in favor of evil, S&M-themed Oubliette. I feel for them both. Kate deserves smarter and Noh-Varr was probably never going to be a long-term thing. Noh-Varr is like the most beautiful purebred yellow lab ever who also loves 60s girl groups and probably shouldn't be left to make decisions for himself.

Pat, pat.

But then we get the big revelation. Leah and the rest of the exes were Sorta-Kid-Loki the whole time! Obviously this raises a lot of questions, but I think the most important point is that it was actually Sorta-Kid-Loki, and not Oubliette, who convinced Noh-Varr via sexting to shave off his beard, and he is a goddamn hero. At Loki's confession that he's been manipulating them all along to control Billy's cool demiurge power, all the exes disappear, making Kate and Noh-Varr's in-battle break-up just that much more awkward. Loki cries on the floor and once again makes someone the offer of killing him (this time America instead of Thor) and is once again denied. Which is good, at least for the moment, because he's the only one who can save Teddy from being a chair.

Kate is a natural at delegation.

Teddy saves Billy, and thus everyone, with true love. Billy defeats Mother and checks out his new universe-controlling powers in an imaginative spread.

Actually, you're just departing editor Lauren Sankovitch's replacement.

The universe is saved, Billy is reunited with his parents, and Loki, feeling shame for perhaps once in his various lives, Mary Poppins/Gokus it out of there on a cloud.

And Tommy?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Random Notes:

-So...what about the Leah the gang saw in the multiverse? She's just kinda...hanging out? I hope this gets resolved within the next two (final) issues. I think I trust Gillen to not leave her hanging. I mean, she's not Tommy.

-America finally gets the blood-spattered punch-fest she's been waiting for all series.

-Loved the clever credits at the end to help clear up any confusion.

"Dear Noh-Varr, sorry the ghost of the good half of myself that I murdered sexted you."

 -Despite everything, Billy still introduces Loki to his parents (or tries to) as his friend. Billy, that is either really sweet or really stupid. Or both. I guess practicing magic with potato chips really bonds people.

-Nice segue for Loki for Loki: Agent of Asgard. We know from writer Al Ewing that in that forthcoming series he is trying (for reals!) to be better and is back with his mom, stepmoms, and Thor, and Young Avengers is setting that up nicely.

What's next?

Young Avengers #14 will be out on December 18. And then the book's finale, Afterparty, will be out in January. I'm gonna miss these kids. :'(

Like you totally didn't copy his hairstyle.