There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re assembling to read up on Marvel’s premier super-team, “Avengers,” as they continue through the biggest battle the multiverse has ever seen.
Who’s this by?
The current “Avengers” run is written by Jason Aaron, who’s also writing “Avengers Forever” and “The Punisher” for Marvel. Readers will undoubtedly recognize his name from everything from his critically acclaimed run on “Thor,” his own time writing the “Star Wars” comics, and a personal favorite, “Wolverine and the X-Men.” Basically, he’s written for practically every character in the Marvel Universe (and a few for DC and IMage Comics as well), and it all comes together in this “Avengers” run.
It’s illustrated by Javier Garrón, also known for his work on “Miles Morales: Spider-Man,” “Cloak and Dagger,” and “Ant-Man & the Wasp.” At DC Comics, he was the artist behind “Batgirl: Future’s End,” but the comic he’s spent the most time working on consecutively is this “Avengers” series, including “Heroes Reborn.”
Javier’s illustrations gets their colors from David Curiel, who’s also provided the colors for several “X-Men” comics, including “Immortal X-Men” and “New Mutants,” as well as several issues of “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” (among many other Marvel comics). He was also a colorist for the New 52’s “Action Comics,” but like Javier, his recent work has been mostly on the Marvel side of things.
In short, it’s got an experienced team that’s contributed to some of Marvel’s best in recent years.
What’s it all about?
I mean… it’s the Avengers, you know what they’re about. “Earth’s mightiest heroes” and whatnot.
Okay, so this story has been building ever since the start of Jason Aaron’s run. Everything, from “The Age of Khonshu” to “Heroes Reborn” has helped set the stage for this showdown, all starting from the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC at the dawn of humanity.
Mephisto has been making plays across Marvel’s multiverse and history, bringing in some of the biggest bads he can find to reshape every Earth they can find into their own twisted worlds without heroes. The Avengers themselves are fighting against them by gathering a team of multiversal variants of all kinds, from a samurai Ghost Rider to a Thor that’s the god of punching, and even a Steve Rogers that’s just a dog. And the mysterious Avenger Prime is at the center of it all.
Now, the Avengers of modern day, the past, and the multiverse are all together, teaming up to fight… first each other, then the Multiversal Masters of Evil, then Mephisto, and an army of Doctors Doom. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of fighting going on—enough to fill several issues. And it has. And it’s awesome.
What makes it so great?
A good “Avengers” story needs to balance both the big and personal stakes. It needs to be a large enough threat that only a team of Earth’s mightiest heroes can oppose it, but it also needs to matter to at least some of the characters on a far more individual level.
Well, this current arc does that to an extreme in every way. For the big stakes, we have multiple worlds and the entire history of Earth-616 on the line, if not the entire multiverse.
For personal stakes, several members of the Multiversal Masters of Evil represent a key conflict for another Avenger, such as Tony facing an alternate version of his father who made a deal with the devil, or Maya (the current Phoenix) fighting a Dark Phoenix. Heck, Thor even has his own family drama to deal with, given how Odin is one of the prehistoric Avengers (not to mention his newly-revealed connection to the Phoenix Force).
With all those stakes, is it action-packed? Yes, of course it is, the past few issues have been nothing but action, while still giving us time to see each character shine, or even make heroic sacrifices. But the fighting is still helping things progress, as we see some enemies fall and others put new plans into action.
Continued belowAnd of course, each scene looks awesome with Javier Garrón’s art and David Curiel’s colors, whether it’s an action sequence or a moment to breathe. The art is big, bold, and bright; the characters pop off the page, and every image is brimming with detail. This is the type of comic that captures all the iconic elements of a modern comic book and slams it into your eyes on every page.
These huge set pieces can’t be easy to draw, but they look great. We’re given huge scenes with a vast number of heroes, each with unique designs that incorporate iconic elements while having their own personal touches and flavor.
Plus, we still get new twists, such as the reveal of Avenger Prime’s identity (which makes perfect sense, but is still shown to us very nicely).
In short, if you’ve been reading Jason Aaron’s “Avengers” run, this is what it’s all been leading up to. It’s perhaps the biggest battle the team has ever faced, and it’s nonstop fun, sure to go out on a high note.
How can you read it?
“Avengers” #65 is out this week and can be found at your local comic shop, as well as online at Marvel.com and Comixology. You can find previous volumes in paperback wherever comics are sold. While you’re at it, you’ll want to read “Avengers Forever,” which covers the search for heroes across the multiverse.
