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Review: Young Avengers #6

By | June 28th, 2013
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Imagine that it is your ninth birthday. You’ve been eyeing this superbly awesome set of Legos; we’re talking big box, bottom shelf, only for special occasions, set of Legos. You expect that Mom will come through, because for every other occasion in the past, she has delivered. You’re seated at the head of the table, friends and family smiling your way, waiting with bated breath as your handed the final gift. You rip away the paper, and what do you find?

Mega Blocks, frickin’ Mega Blocks, man.

You try to play with them, they work basically the same way as the Legos you were hoping for, but they are not compatible with your other sets. You are limited to building the new, slightly impressive thing on the box, while your prized Lego collection gathers dust on a shelf. It is still sort of fun, but it’s not what you were expecting, and it grows tiresome after a while. You find yourself waiting for the ‘new’ to wear off, so that you can get back to the mini-fig madness you really enjoy, you had big plans for those guys.

If the first five issues of “Young Avengers” have been big boxes of Legos, issue six, is Mega Blocks.

Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Kate Brown

Ever wonder what the super hero equivalent of a terrible soul-sucking talent-wasting temp job is? You haven’t? Oh go on. Actually, don’t. We’ve done it for you and written a story about it. This one. Wonder what Tommy (aka Speed) has been up to? Discover herein. Wonder why mutant David Alleyne (aka Prodigy) hasn’t been even in the background in any one of the eight thousand X-books? Discover that herein too.Existential horror turns cosmic horror as something emerges from the shadows of the past. It seems the Young Avengers have yet one more thing to worry about.

In “Young Avengers” #6 focus is shifted from the core team to two disenfranchised young super heroes, Prodigy and Speed. Leaving the high-stakes, humorous group dynamic of the Young Avengers team, this issue adopts an Odd Couple formula; playing on the wildly different personalities of Billy Kaplan’s (Wiccan’s) twin brother, Tommy (Speed), and David Alleyne (Prodigy). David is a quiet intellectual who keeps to himself, while Tommy is a party-boy who lives life in the fast lane. Speed and Prodigy run into each other working in a nondescript office. They hate their jobs, and bond over a mutual nostalgia for the good old days of X-manning and superheroing. With a ‘what is the world coming to’ sensibility that seems well beyond their years, the pair finds that despite their many differences, they have a lot in common.

The premise of this issue is sound enough: two seemingly contradictory characters find that they can be friends. But is it what we have come to expect from “Young Avengers?” The connection between this issue and the series as a whole is a little more unstable. Thematically, the subject matter of “Young Avengers” #6 seems like a solid addition to the series; looking at what life is like for bright young people who cannot find a use for their talents seems like an appropriate topic for the creative team to portray. Like many new college graduates trying to enter the job market for the first time, Speed and Prodigy find that the real world is nothing like what they have been prepared for, and that the skills they possess are not as useful or desirable as they expected.

Maybe, “Young Avengers” #6 suffers from it’s attempt to be timely and relevant; this issue seems more like a social commentary than well written teen-angst comedy. It lacks the crackling wit, unexpected levity, and over the top irony that make the rest of the series so much fun to read.

Kate Brown’s art suits the series well. She uses a highly animated style to integrate the backdrop of the cubicle doldrums with the larger than life characters featured in this issue. The surreal feeling of character work adds a much needed injection of the fantastical to the otherwise ordinary setting. In the final pages of the issue she accomplishes some truly impressive work, breaking down the human body’s movement in innovative ways. She captures tension, drawing every possible iota of suspense that she can find from the events that take place. She eases comfortably into the driver’s seat, delivering visuals that fit the tone of “Young Avengers,” while retaining her own style and aesthetic.

“Young Avengers” #6 ends with the unlikely friends, Prodigy and Speed, taking on a mysterious new foe. Gillen establishes a mystery, which is likely to connect this dangling issue to his larger body of work in the series. As a self-contained story, this issue touches on all of the points that it should. As a monthly dose of “Young Avengers,” however, it is a little unsatisfying. Readers will likely be pining for the team that they have come to know and love, wondering how much longer they have to bide their time with these two before getting back to the good stuff.

Final Verdict: 6.8 – I really wanted Legos.


Sam LeBas

Sam resides in Louisiana, and has a twang in her voice, even when her words are in print. Her first crush was Burt Ward. She reviews comics, writes features, and co-host podcasts at imageaddiction.net. She also blogs about comic books from a feminist, literary perspective at comicsonice.com You can find her on twitter @comicsonice where she makes inappropriate jokes and shamelessly promotes her work. Other than comic books, her greatest passions are applied linguistics and classic country music. She enjoys quality writing implements, squirrels, and strong coffee.

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