Review: YOUNG AVENGERS #14

YOUNG AVENGERS #14
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, Emma Vieceli, Lee Loughridge, Christian Ward, Annie Wu, and Jordie Bellaire
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: December 18, 2013

YNGAVN2013014_DC11_LRThe penultimate issue to writer Kieron Gillen and artist Jamie McKelvie’s run on Young Avengers arrives this week and it comes in fresher and cooler than Fonzie on a pair of water skis jumping over a shark! Gillen and McKelvie have breathed new life and vigor into the collapsed lungs of super-powered teens of the Marvel Universe and not only was it incredibly beautiful to look at, but it also ran these characters through a crash-course gambit of battling aliens, former lovers returning, betrayal, evil parents, multiple-dimension hopping, new friendships, fighting, laughs, and saving the entire universe. Basically high school all over again? Right?

Well maybe “jumping the shark” isn’t quite appropriate reference here being that Gillen and McKelvie have decided to bid farewell to this series for now rather than rely on gimmicks while they run out of ideas. Instead, this creative team has chosen to celebrate and what better way to celebrate than to throw a party! Not only do the Young Avengers team party it up with some other familiar teenagers from the Marvel Universe, but Gillen, McKelvie, and colorist Matthew Wilson invite a slew of artists and colorists to join in on the issue including usual colorist Emma Vieceli, Lee Loughridge, Christian Ward, Annie Wu, and Jordie Bellaire. Each pairing take five pages to visually tell the story and we get some interesting reveals about some of the characters that we haven’t seen before. Some highlights include intimate moments between Teddy and Billy, a visual hallucinatory backstory of Miss America Chavez, and Kate not letting the musically inclined, Kree warrior Noh-Varr bring her down. All of which make the comic fun and entertaining, without a whole lot of gravity to weigh you down.

Writer Kieron Gillen just absolutely lets all of our endeared characters take a moment to breathe and just enjoy the fun and experience of being young as they dance and mingle –and just be young. The art changes can be a bit jarring, but it subtlety lets the reader know that they are entering different perspectives as we hop from character to character at the party. This issue is more about the interaction and dynamics between these Young Avengers, as well as a toast to the fans that have taken this journey with them. There’s even a guest appearance from a former Young Avenger that will have hardcore fans delighted.

If you have been a fan of this series, you can relish in this and rejoice. Kieron Gillen even has a recommended playlist for music at the party (which I must admit isn’t bad really, in terms of “party music”) to kick off the celebration motif of this issue. So pull up your skirt or roll up those sleeves and get ready to dance with this issue because the next one might be all tears.

The Verdict: 8.0/10

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