“Angela Asgard’s Assassin” begins Angela’s first solo adventure in the Marvel Universe. The warrior Goddess has nowhere to call home but still holds on to old traditions. Kieron Gillen, Marguerite Bennett, Stephanie Hans and Phil Jimenez get off to a nice start that gives a lot of hope to the character’s future.
Written by Kieron Gillen & Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated Phil Jimenez & Stephanie HansAll her life, Angela — the finest warrior of Heven — was raised to hate Asgard with every fiber of her being. And now Angela knows the truth about her identity: She is Thor’s sister. She is an Asgardian. Cast out of her home and wanting nothing to do with Asgard, Angela must now strike out on her own! But what does Angela have that both Asgard and Heven want? And why are they so eager to get it? Visionary writers Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett team with the legendary art team of Phil Jimenez and Stephanie Hans to finally throw the spotlight onto the Marvel Universe’s most dangerous inhabitant!
After a lengthy legal battle, “Spawn” character, and Neil Gaiman creation, Angela landed at Marvel. She was introduced at the very end of the “Age of Ultron” miniseries by making her way here through a rip in reality. Angela ended up within Brian Michael Bendis’ “Guardians of the Galaxy” book where she formed a bond with fellow “Murder Girl” Gamora. After this, during the “Original Sin” event, Angela was revealed to be the daughter of Odin who was stolen from her home during a war. As you can see, Angela has been a bit all over the place since she became a member of the Marvel Universe.
“Angela Asgard’s Assassin” #1 begins her first solo adventure that will hopefully define her place in this huge world. The issue opens with Angela walking through a desert with a package of some sort. When she arrives to her destination, a new character named Sera tells a story about Angela that gives the most insight to this character so far in her short Marvel history and builds sort of a new culture for a world still mostly unexplored.
For the most part, “Angela Asgard’s Assassin” #1 works; it does exactly what it needs to do. We get an introduction of the character that’s especially helpful for anyone new and a bigger storyline is set up. The choice to describe who Angela is with a tale from her past was a smart choice. It was on the nose, but not too on the nose. It was even better to have the whole thing told to another character with little knowledge of Angela. It was like we, the readers, were inserted into the story and a part of this instead of being witnesses. Kieron Gillen writes this part of the story and it’s no surprise that this was his approach. It’s something that we’ve seen him do before and a part of why readers respond so well to what he does.
The bigger picture here, the bigger storyline, is a little underwhelming at the moment. However, there’s implications that can come from it and that’s what will more than likely keep me coming back. Angela isn’t being played up comically in any sense the way she occasionally was in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. This is not a bad move because she is a warrior and her situation now is not a lighthearted romp. I do think that this would be a better series if there was something a bit more likable to her. She did come off a little cold despite the clear feelings she has about her friend Sera.
What stuck out the most was the way that this felt like a Red Sonja story – with a character who has a history like this, it’s going to be tough to make her into something different while making her her own person. She rides the line a little too close to being Red Sonja and not Angela, and that does worry me. I think we understand her principles more, but who is this woman? I want to know her personality a bit more. This is the series that will more than likely come to define her so I want something more.
Continued belowThere are two artists at work here and they both do a very nice job. Phil Jimenez handles the main story and I’m very happy to see him doing a monthly featuring this character. His way of drawing women is a perfect fit for telling Angela’s story. Many fans do have issues with Angela’s attire because it is so much a reminder of the 90’s, but there’s a lot to be said about how an artist draws it. Jimenez, and Stephanie Hans in the substory, don’t make Angela into a pin up girl. She’s obviously sexy but it’s never drawn in a way that makes you forget there’s a story going on. There’s beauty in every page he draws here and it’s so grand and epic; it’s art befitting a warrior like Angela. The only nitpick I have is some of the darker inks that exist in the background characters who are also not as detailed.
Stephanie Hans’ substory is largely watercolor like and if there was going to be someone else I’d like to see draw this book, it would be Hans. The details are spot on, and there’s a dream like quality to the substory that does an effective job at setting it apart from the main story. The best panel is not even an action packed one: it’s a panel that features just a close shot of Angela’s face. The way Hans draws her eyes is stunning. It sums up so much about who Angela is because it’s so cold and angry. Like Jimenez, Hans knows how to draw the shape and attire of Angela without making her oversexualized.
“Angela Asgard’s Assasin” #1 is a solid debut that doesn’t totally blow me out of the water but is a visual treat. There’s a lot of potential within this story and with a character like Angela the sky is really the limit.
Final Verdict: 6.9 – Angela is a bad ass but this wasn’t as bad ass as she is.
