This is the worst “Avengers” comic I’ve ever read! Back in my day, Brian Bendis wrote all the “Avengers” books, and putting anyone else but him on any of these books is stupid and I don’t like it!
…HA! Naw. I’m just kidding.
Real review below.
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Illustrated by Jerome OpenaThe greatest heroes in comics together on one unbeatable team! Now shipping twice a month, the Avengers “go large,” expanding their roster and their sphere of influence to a global and even interplanetary level. When Captain America puts out his call – who will answer? Big threats, big ideas, big idealism – these are the Avengers NOW!
Consider this: we’ve seen Jonathan Hickman write the Avengers before, in a manner of speaking. A few years ago when the Ultimate line was relaunched (again), Hickman kicked off “Ultimate Comics Ultimates” by destroying the Ultimates and blowing up the world, in a manner of speaking. It was a sprawling story, grounded in a version of reality, and while he seemingly didn’t tell the full story he may have planned to, having left the title with Sam Humphries and friends, it essentially laid the groundwork for the type of story you could most likely expect when Hickman has his hands on a franchise as big as the Avengers. At the end of the day, though, the Ultimate universe is not the 616, so that was more of a Twilight Zone story than anything else; a big What If scenario in which anything was possible.
However, let it not be said that Hickman doesn’t come at “Avengers” #1 with the same focus, drive and ambition that made “Ultimates” #1 such an entertaining beginning, because while this doesn’t start off with the same kind of bang “Ultimates” did, it certainly doesn’t begin with a whimper.
As “Avengers” kicks off, things are remarkably different. This is the second title that Bendis was the chief pilot of to be handed to a new writer, and it’s rather clear from the beginning that Hickman has no plans to tell the same kind of story. Bendis is always great at first issues (as he should be — he’s certainly done enough of them in the past few years) because the man knows how to deliver plausible character-based hooks; when reading something like “All-New X-Men” #1, you’re almost immediately invested in seeing where the characters go and that keeps you coming back first and foremost. Yet with Hickman, the hook has always lied in the sheer awe of scope. It’s what works for “Manhattan Projects,” it’s what worked for “Secret Warriors,” and it’s seemingly what will work for this. This isn’t to say that the aspect of character is unimportant, but from the first page – one that begins with the creation of everything – it’s very clear that Hickman has an epic planned for the Avengers, the extent of which is only partially clear from a clever graph on the second.
“Avengers” #1 doesn’t just succeed because it reads like the prologue to an epic, however. Truth be told, that aspect is more of a detriment; this is the kind of read you’d expect from a comic labeled Point One, because this is a prelude to the central idea. What’s actually impressive here is how much it accomplishes in so little a space. Given this issues structure in terms of introduction there obviously isn’t much room for meandering, and while this is perhaps atypical for some of the introductions we’ve seen lately, the title does a great job of establishing the necessity of the Avengers. While kicking off with the familiar movie team arrangement, the book quickly expands to a look at the past, present and future of the Avengers as a whole, with new villains in somewhat familiar scenarios resulting in something big. It’s a book that is ostensibly familiar yet strikingly new in execution, and with teases of whats to come and a nod to the duality between this book and “New Avengers,” “Avengers” is quite the interesting reading experience after a decade of Bendis.
What’s clear, though, is that Hickman is bringing a rather sunny disposition to the title. It’s not clear right away, mind you, but the prime idea at the center of the book is hope — hope for a better world, hope for a brighter tomorrow. While certain aspects of the book come off a bit unusually dark, thanks in part to the collaboration of Jerome Opena and Dean White, it’s important to see how the new idea of the Avengers works. This isn’t just Captain America calling up his friends to save the planet anymore, but something brand new and entirely optimistic towards what the Avengers can accomplish. It’s similar to the idea of what the Phoenix Five wanted when they re-shaped the world to be a better place, just without all the inherent greed and insanity. In fact, an interesting comparison is made by Tony Stark in the early pages of the book between the beginning of the Avengers, when Captain America is found in ice (“Avengers” #4), to now, and this sequence is very telling. It’s the catalyst for what leads into the final page, and it’s clear what is going to shape the future of the franchise.
Continued belowIt’s good, then, that such a talent as Jerome Opena is on the book to help really drive these points home. The structure of the issue calls for stylistic renditions of a grand and operatic sequence to unfold over time, like the crescendo and finale of “Festival” by Sigur Ros, and Opena brings the book to life with a cinematic eye. The whole issue is full of rich details and texture, from the interior of Stark’s lab to the plains of Mars, and Opena’s eye for framing becomes particularly noticeable quite a few times to the extent that you’d almost imagine you’re looking at storyboards. It’s only Opena’s characters that seem a little off at few points, such as with his rendition of the Hulk, now rather small in comparison with the grandiose behemoth that character is portrayed elsewhere. Yet the overall attention to structure and the beautiful renderings of literally every other aspect let smaller elements like this easily slide to the side, as Opena delivers high quality pages to the finished product. Add to that Dean White’s colors, which beautifully helps the book transition from the dystopic beginnings into the bright finale, and this is one fantastic opening issue.
Suffice it to say, “Avengers” #1 is a very strong start. Hickman’s Bigger and Bolder take is staggering to behold at first but refreshing, and Opena’s illustrations fit perfectly with the grandiose vision of the series. Marvel’s NOW! initiative is so intently focused on delivering a shake-up of ideology, and “Avengers” is strong proof that the plan worked. Given all that is potentially in store it’s certainly a great time to be a Marvel fan, and if his “Avengers” is even half as densely plotted as “Secret Warriors” or “Fantastic Four,” it’s rather difficult not to expect great things down the road.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – You already knew you were going to buy it. Just go get it.
