Avengers (2012) #1 Review and FREE CODE GIVEAWAY

In the year 2004, Brian Michael Bendis took over as writer for the Avengers, then immediately proceeded to disassemble them, thus ending Vol. 3.  The title would not be relaunched until 2010.  Vol. 4 came to an end in 2012 with issue #34.

While Bendis penned scripts that definitely shook up the team, such as the “deaths” or retirement of several characters (Hawkeye, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Jack of Hearts, Scott Lang, Janet Van Dyne) or the decimation of the mutant race, the controversial nature of these stories would lead to several retcons and undos by either himself or other writers.  In addition, Bendis was prone to decompress his stories, ignore continuity, and turn our beloved heroes into public enemies in the eyes of the Marvel Universe.  So it’s no secret that, during my tenure as Avengers reviewer, I was not enjoying that series.

As Jonathan Hickman (known for his award-winning Fantastic Run run) takes over the overall Avengers direction, can we expect the same quality work he’s put into that series, or will he treat it the same way as his predecessor did?

Avengers #1

“Avengers World Part 1”

Writer:  Jonathan Hickman
Artist:  Jerome Opeña
Color Artist:  Dean White
Letterer:  VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Art:  Dustin Weaver & Justin Ponsor
Variant Cover Art:  Steve McNiven & Justin Ponsor, Esad Ribic; Skottie Young; and Mark Brooks.

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes:  Captain America (Steve Rogers), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), the Hulk (Dr. Bruce Banner), Thor (Odinson)

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

THE PLOT:  Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have a chat in the middle of the night, realizing that the Avengers need to get bigger.

A month later, three alien beings (Ex Nihilo, Aleph, and Abyss) are firing bombs at Earth in an attempt to create a more perfect version of it, though killing millions in the process. The Avengers make their way to Mars (which has been terraformed) and fight them, but they are all easily defeated. The three beings capture everyone except Cap, who is flown back as a message to Earth.

When he wakes up three days later, Steve puts into motion “Wake the World”, a call for more heroes he and Tony recruited to assemble at dawn.

THOUGHTS:  The first thing I noticed while reading this issue is how beautiful the presentation is.  The credits and the roster are in white pages with blue font.  Each Avenger has his or her symbol in a grid. The six main “nodes” at the core represent the main team, but they branch out, signifying whom they have recruited. The last page of the issue is a splash page with the roster after “Wake the World.” The grid at the end of the issue shows that Steve, Tony, Thor, and Clint have recruited old and new faces, including Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Falcon, Hyperion, Wolverine, Captain Marvel, and even Captain Universe.  Some of these nodes are still blank, meaning we’ll see new additions in the future.  It’s neat way to show the main theme of the story arc—expansion.

The issue itself was very well done.  Hickman definitely brings a much-needed change of tone to the series. There’s no funny business—no eating Chinese food at the dinner table, no team drama or romance, no media circus surrounding the expansion of the team, nothing trivial at all.  It’s a very serious issue from start to finish.  There’s some slight banter, sure, but the entirety of the issue is dedicated to showing that a worldwide cataclysm is imminent and that the Avengers as they stand now are insufficient.

In fact, this is done to the extent where Hickman forgoes individual characterization. That is fine by me, since I’ve always felt that’s what their solo books are for.  On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of team dynamic, at first glance, anyway. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that these are people that have known each other for decades.  There’s no need for small talk; they discuss the situation at hand and take action with a single-minded resolve.  Outside of the main fight, we do get that midnight chat between Tony and Steve, which was pretty well done.

You might recognize the roster as being the same one as in the Avengers film.  This issue actually felt more like a pseudo-continuation of it than Bendis’ Avengers Assemble did.  I would venture that, if anyone who just watched that movie wanted to get into comics, this would be the perfect place to start.  Cap even dons a new costume more reminiscent of his film counterpart at the end of the issue.

Hickman shows readers a glimpse of what’s to come, including bringing in Hyperion and a galaxy war.  He introduces three new villains to Avengers lore.  The most interesting one is Ex Nihilo.  He has a very unique design that fits his god-complex.  Aleph and Abyss are all right. A good amount of time is spent establishing the villains’ motivations, but I don’t mind that at all.  These motivations are made clear while Hickman still maintaining a sense of mystery surrounding these characters.

This issue is not without its criticisms.  I realize this is a set-up issue, not just for a new arc, but for a new era of comics, but outside of the battle in Mars and the call for more members, not much happens in this issue.  The fight itself is cool, as every member contributes to it, but you still wish there was more to it.  The art is good, but Opeña makes the Hulk look like an ape, and Thor just looks downright weird.  Because of the bi-weekly nature of this comic, we’ll be seeing a rotating roster of artists, for better or worse.

Personally, I really got the sense that this storyline is going for a grander scale.  I don’t know if it’s just me giving into the hype, but I’m very pumped for what’s to come.

In case you’re wondering, Spider-Man (or whoever this Superior guy is supposed to be) is set to join the team next issue.  His only appearance is in the last splash page.  Otherwise, there’s not much to say.

VERDICT:  Avengers (2012) #1 is a very commendable start to a new era of Avenger comics. Every criticism the series once had has been addressed, making it into a more serious comic featuring a grand-scale threat and our heroes tackling it head on.  4 Webheads out of 5.

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~My Two Cents