With a customary dose of comedy on top of a feeling of hope, Al Ewing’s “U.S.Avengers” #9 brings its “Secret Empire” tie-in arc to a close.
Written by Al Ewing”Cover
Illustrated by Paco Medina and Alex Arizmendi
Colored by Jesus Aburtov and Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramagnaSECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!
• As Steve Rogers’ prisoners of war attempt to break out of HYDRA’s top-secret prison…
• …the other half of the U.S.Avengers – and a host of international guest stars – break into America!
• Plus: The fate of the Red Hulk! And what’s going on with Cannonball? Did we kill him, or what?
Even with its status as a tie-in to the “Secret Empire” event, “U.S.Avengers” #9 acts in a similar way to others of Al Ewing’s tie-in storylines. Emphasis is placed on how characters develop in spite of world-changing events, in particular Toni Ho, the latest Iron Patriot.
However, that isn’t to say that Ewing’s writing in the other parts is too lacking. Much like the other issues of his run on this evolving A.I.M. team, the writer captures the campy fun of a Saturday morning cartoon, with comedic moments on the side of the villains, a group of relatively mundane Hydra thugs, helping to decrease their menace, such as treating controlling a hero with nanites as if it were a simple fighting video game that they each want a turn in using. While this kind of behavior might have been unappreciated in other works, the overwhelming superiority of the superhero community helps to bring some much-needed hope to a rather bleak overall storyline. In essence, this issue proves that sometimes, heroes don’t need to spend their time arguing over who’s “right” or “wrong,” about the morality of a situation or other forms of superhuman politics and legal issues. On occasion, a villain pops up that heroes need to band together against and just defeat as a team, pride be damned.
This distinction from others in the Marvel universe is shown most clearly in Ewing’s choice of teams for American Intelligence Mechanics to ally with. The Troubleshooters are a group that specializes in cosmic level threats, and the Champions of Europe are, as implied, heroes that written as complaining at all about who should be in charge of what, even when an outsider takes control of their team for the time being.
Paco Medina and Alex Arizmendi keep the story dynamic, whether in a scene of people just standing together, or in intense action sequences, enhancing the “cartoon” feel of the whole plot.
On introduction, most of the heroes are given full panel views of their heads combined with an introductory caption, allowing readers to quickly grasp who is who out of those who are important to the plot, so that they can get back into the story itself. Thereafter, they are each shown in spreads across larger pages, providing a view of a full scale battle instead of one-on-one combat, like a superhero aircraft combat mission.
The head minion of the opposition, with his relatively unique yellow cape, is primarily shown with his other underlings right behind him doing one thing or another, demonstrating his position as someone in authority. This show allows for a comedic moment when he is actually faced with superheroes in person, as his underlings are nowhere to be found and he viewed from behind, not in front, with a significantly less impressive view.
The only truly unnerving part of the story provided by the artwork is the reveal of “La Deuxiéme Bastille,” essentially a flying fortress and jail that serves as a cross between a miniature version of the Raft prison and what would be the equivalent to a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. This advantage is portrayed from below, giving the same view that a civilian on the streets of Paris would have and demonstrating why they should fear the wrath of Hydra if the heroes are incapable of fighting back.
While the pencils are important, the coloring provided by Jesus Aburtov and Rachelle Rosenberg really lets the joy of “U.S.Avengers” #9 stand out, with the duality of the shadow for villains and light for heroes.
Continued belowThe glow of Sunspot’s crackling energy clashes well against his blotches of black circles, and give an impressive glow over those around him to further give him an image of someone to be feared by foes and respected by heroes, further enhanced when he really lets his solar energy loose in combat. Meanwhile, the bright Eiffel Tower behind the Champions of Europe enhances their own heroic image.
On the other hand, there is far less bright coloring around the minions of Hydra, showing them both as evil and rather pathetic due to their relative lack of power. All of their meaningful actions are performed in some form of shadow, and when brought into the light, they are summarily defeated, whether it be the light of a hero or news from a bright holographic screen. In essence, this use of light and darkness gives the impression of the Hydra minions being the proverbial “men behind the curtain,” ostensibly strong until they’re brought out to show themselves or face something actually dangerous to their own wellbeing, and demonstrating that they are little more than bullies who cannot face true adversity in any significant way.
Through the cartoonish artwork and the fun plot, the team behind “U.S.Avengers” #9 proves that sometimes, heroes don’t need to take too much time to think about what they’re doing, and should just save people.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Although there is very little real difficulty on the part of the heroes, “U.S.Avengers” #9 manages to utilize that relative lack of issue to inject much-needed hope into the overall rather dark and dour storyline of “Secret Empire.”
