The 2nd arc of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on “Avengers Assemble” kicks off after a ridiculously fun and bounding 1st arc featuring the whole gang. If issue #12 is any indication, this run looks to darken things just a tad.
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Illustrated by Pete WoodsThe sins of Black Widow’s past have resurfaced and threaten the safety of not only the Avengers, but also the entire world! Widow, Spider-Woman and Hawkeye must travel to Siberia to search for a missing girl with ties to an old Soviet assassination. But the truth behind this girl’s disappearance may be more than the Avengers are prepared to handle! Acclaimed writer Kelly Sue DeConnick teams with Pete Woods for an all new Avengers Assemble epic!
The first arc centered around a playful bet between science bros Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Oh sure, it eventually ended up going bigger than that by introducing some villainy and whatnot, but the conceit and the payoff surrounded the Avengers bantering amongst themselves and dueling with their egos. The 2nd arc sets itself apart immediately by opening with a flashback from Black Widow’s mercenary past. It’s more than a little dark, but it serves as a terrific set-up for an excuse for her to go globe-trotting with Spider-Woman and Hawkeye. Black Widow left a chip with the family of the victim that could be used to call her back in an effort to make up in some way for the assassination she was ordered to commit.
Unfortunately, this set-up sort of morphs into a more generic comic story of heroes vs. nameless, faceless hoard of baddies. There’s not much to hook into from this point forward. Once the Avengers get into trouble, the script feels like it only exists to serve a hero-vs-villain plot out of convention. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t live up to the fun and the outside-the-box thinking of that first DeConnick arc. And unfortunately, the comparison needs to be made, because of the shift in tone.
Thankfully, DeConnick’s dialogue remains punchy, keeping an irreverent tone and energy while refusing to overindulge or get too caught up in being clever or funny. It doesn’t try too hard. She has cited The Avengers film as her inspiration for writing these characters, but in truth she writes a more interesting, wittier Hawkeye and Black Widow than we saw on the big screen. It’s a delight to watch the three characters bounce off of one another, giving each other crap and taking it all in stride. This alone makes the book easier to like.
Pete Woods’ art highlights the comedic aspects of Hawkeye traveling on a mission with his current girlfriend and his ex. Caselli’s linework favors realism while Woods is more stylized, but both styles work well for a book that purports to tell oddball Avengers adventures. Woods’ style works well for the early goings in the issue, especially during the comedic back-and-forth between the trio of characters at the issue’s center. Where Caselli is missed is when the threat reveals itself near the end of the issue. Caselli made the action of the first issue feel larger than life. While Woods isn’t given as much of a unique threat to work with, his pencils also don’t add much. Honestly, the enemies at the end of the issue are a overly familiar comic book trope, especially in the Marvel universe and don’t come off as anything but par for the course for a team like The Avengers.
“Avengers Assemble” remains worth reading for terrific dialogue and art that highlights the comedic and interpersonal aspects of The Avengers. Unfortunately, the scope of this arc doesn’t look to be as imaginative or as fun as the previous one was and towards the end the art starts to match that smaller, less interesting scope too. There’s no reason to jump off of this book, but interested comic fans should definitely go pick up DeConnick’s first arc before judging this book.
Final Verdict: 6.9 – Straddling that buy/browse line.
