Written by Allan Heinberg
Illustrated by Alan Davis‘Young Avengers’ co-creator Allan Heinberg and legendary artist Alan Davis (Avengers Prime) team up to create an epic stand-alone tale that’s the perfect jumping-on point for new readers and introduces the Marvel Universe to an all-new team of Avengers. As a result of the Young Avengers’ crusade to find the Scarlet Witch, Patriot has become Captain America, Hulkling has become Captain Marvel, and Iron Lad has become the Avengers’ new leader, Kang the Conqueror. But the future of these new Avengers is deeply rooted in the untold story of the Young Avengers very first adventure — before the events of ‘Young Avengers #1.’ The past and the future collide – and the secrets of the Children’s Crusade are revealed – in ‘Avengers: The Children’s Crusade – Young Avengers #1.’
Normally I avoid these types of comics like the plague. You know the kind…where the big maxi-series is delayed so they shunt a few one-shots out there to try and stop the bleeding? To assume this comic did not exist within that category would be foolish. However, despite the horribly convoluted title, this one was written by the chief Young Avengers grand poobah Allan Heinberg and drawn by one of the most legendary artists of our day and, shockingly, it doesn’t disappoint.
The issue opens shortly after (give or take) Iron Lad’s disappearance into the time stream following the debut arc of Young Avengers (waaaayyyy back in 2005) with Iron Lad engaged in his endless battle with Kang the Conqueror. At this point, we get thrust into a very “Days of Future Past” scenario as Iron Lad meets the future Young Avengers. While I could go into vivid detail of Heinberg’s vision for these characters in the future, seeing where and how they ended up is honestly one of the highlights of the issue and plays with Marvel history just as well as the original creation of the Young Avengers did, so I’ll let you absorb that for yourself (or just look at the cover and draw your own conclusions.)
It seems the end of the battle currently going on in the main Children’s Crusade book does not end so well for our young heroes, who according to their future selves then escape into the time stream with Kang, taking on his dirty work as their own. Following this, we get a great “in the cracks of continuity” tale taking place right before the YA’s Marvel Universe debut. While this flashback is mostly just cake, it shows just how much Heinberg loves these characters, as their personalities and youthful candor bleeds through the pages and reminded me why I fell in love with them in the first place back in 2005. The end of the issue brings us back into the “present” (AKA the future, AKA ugh, time travel)and reveals the dubious reasoning that Iron Lad returned to the present in the last issue of Children’s Crusade.
In all honesty, my biggest issue with this one-shot is it really didn’t NEED to be a one-shot at all. It very easily could have fit within the overall Children’s Crusade story as a very functional half-time interlude. Maybe this is just the pissed off collector in me, but unnecessary #1 is unnecessary!
On the art end, Alan Davis continues to be at the top of his game, and given how long he’s been playing, that says an absolute TON about this prolific writer and his conventional, expressive pencils. I’ve been waiting years to see when/if he would ever slow down and, granted, his work is not as common as it used to be, but the quality remains just as high as always has been. Every comic he draws these days is an absolute treat.
Overall, I have really been enjoying this long-form return to the Young Avengers that Children’s Crusade has become, and I just hope that they don’t go into another four year hiatus once this sucker wraps up.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
