Review: AVENGERS #2

AVENGERS #2
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Jerome Opena
Release Date: December 19, 2012

avengers 2

Marvel NOW’s flagship title continues its double shipment schedule alongside the momentum of issue 1.

As Aaron put it so well, Hickman’s Avengers has a completely different feel than the past few years of what we’ve seen.  Bendis focused heavily on the family aspect of the Avengers with playful bickering and more focus on the team around the mansion. Hickman brings back that this is a TEAM first and everything else a distant second. In just 2 issues, the tone of what to expect is set.

The issue itself is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The issue jumps back and forth from the present day and a very short time ago in the past when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers (Why is it so weird to put Steve Rogers’ name, but feels so natural to say Tony Stark? A story for another time I guess) begin to assemble and expand the Avengers roster. During the present day storyline, the motives of the main villain, Ex Nihilo, are beginning to show.  If you read issue 1, then nothing will feel surprising with where the arc is going.  The story itself won’t be very memorable years down the line, but it is a very good vehicle to show off what Hickman wants to do with these characters.  I think issue 2 did a great job to set up the action scenes we will be seeing in issue 3 and beyond, even though we didn’t see much of the action yet. The other main story of the issue, dealing with getting the team together, didn’t do much for me. I enjoyed it, but I don’t understand why so much of the book was dedicated to it. All of the conversations were done well, with the Sunspot cell phone conversation being done very well. Each conversation felt mostly the same, though just slightly different, and each response as well.  It was a passable way to introduce the new characters involved in the book, but I think there could have been a more effective scene to bring them in. One thing that I feel is going under the radar with all of the huge plot lines and massive roster upgrades is that Hickman is writing a PERFECT Captain America. 2 issues in and there are no WWII monologues or “I wasn’t born in this time period” jokes. Captain America is shown to be a tactician who is able to evolve and be an inspirational leader — as he should be when leading the Earth’s mightiest heroes.

The art is something to behold. Opena has now vaulted himself as one of the best artists in the comic book world. It is grittier than what we have been used to with Avengers and a completely different look than the other Avengers main title, Avengers Assemble. The character and creature design are both top notch. Opena’s facial expressions on all of the characters really stood out to me. The panel at the end, showing one of the poor civilians of Earth trapped by one of the new creatures, was one of the most painful expressions I have seen drawn in a panel in a long time.

Avengers has been an extremely solid addition to the Marvel NOW! lineup. Hickman is going to do some big things with this series and he’s done a great job at bringing the ‘prestige’ and feeling of being a hero back to the Avengers.

Every Marvel fan should have this in their pull list.

Verdict: 8.5/10

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