ANGELA: ASGARD’S ASSASSIN #3
Written by Kieron Gillen, Marguerite Bennett
Art by Phil Jimenez, Stephanie Hans
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: February 4, 2015
Angela gets some highly publicized (and totally necessary) new duds and her quest to avoid the forces of Asgard continues in Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #3.
I must say, this comic has it all. It has the grandiose, epic feel of anything involving Asgardians, and some heartwarming, touching moments that show a side of Angela that we have seldom (if ever) seen before. Her relationship with Sera is one that craves to be known better and both characters are shown in this issue to have fascinating pasts and strong wills. Sera, in particular, represents a breakthrough character for the Marvel Universe and certainly the realms of Asgard, and due to not wanting to spoil a major (and emotional) aspect of this issue, I will not reveal why. Let me state, though, that this aspect of the issue is written brilliantly and is touching in the manner with which it is told. Hell, the whole issue is written brilliantly, with Gillen and Bennett bringing heart, humour, action and fantastic dialogue to this issue. The story flows gracefully and elements, even major ones like the revelation involving Sera, simply occur without massive fanfare which makes them feel all the more natural and organic. Angela’s new duds are unveiled in a manner that makes sense for the story that is occurring and slower elements of the story are framed by strong action sequences that allow the art team to cut loose. These are skilled storytellers bringing a level of depth to a character that I never expected, and with this issue a very important addition is made to the Marvel U. I cannot applaud these writers enough.
The artwork in this issue is phenomenal, and both Jimenez and Hans are to be commended for how skillfully they are portraying this character. No matter her costume, the ridiculous one or the new, powerful one, she is a strong and confident character that is not to be trifled with. Both Jimenez and Hans capture her brash, strong exterior but also delve behind the wall to the softer side of Angela, without ever portraying the character as being weak. There is an inherent grace to any page that Angela appears on and this story flows very smoothly. There are no awkward transitions and some of the layouts in this issue are jaw dropping. Not all artists can capture the grandiose nature of Asgardian warriors, but Jimenez and Hans have no problem with it, in fact, they sell it. As with anything Asgardian there are some crazy high level concepts going on but the artwork in this issue is so well crafted that it all feels natural to the story and while Jimenez and Hans do not have the exact same style, the way the issue is structured their work gels together perfectly. The two combine to create a unique tone and bring an extra level of depth and emotion to a very important comic book.
Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #3 is an excellent read and any fans of Thor stories (current or old) need to give this book a shot. Gillen, Bennett, Jimenez and Hans are telling an important story here in a very skilled and graceful way and I while I never expected to be a fan of a comic headlined by Angela (the character just never clicked for me outside her banter with Gamora at times) I’m all in for this series.
The Verdict: 10/10
