Hitting theaters in early May is the much awaited and anticipated action-packed superhero “The Avengers” movie. With any new movie, you can expect to see new toys, collector’s items and my personal favorite, comic books hit the shelves.
Going into reading the new “Avengers Assemble # 1”, I felt a little ping of nostalgia. Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote other issues of “The Avengers” as well as this one, has finally found his niche after a substantial period of bleakness.
It made me want to be 13 again, waiting outside of my favorite old comic store, which sadly is no longer around. Illustrations were done by Mark Bagley and I love how he was able to capture the essence of comic drawings from years long past.
To me, this was the most noteworthy attribute to this comic book. There is nothing like picking up a comic book and feeling like that nerdy kid I used to be.
You will recognize most of the characters from the movie in this issue, and I am sure that is no coincidence.
Wanting to stay in league with the movie, this book was primarily made to ride the coattails of the cinematic version. Characters in this comic include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow and all original Avengers.
One of the things that make this comic great is that it’s by Marvel. Being a huge Marvel fan this last year or so has been great. It is a smart move on their part.
With the releases of many of their titles in theaters, it only makes sense to put six of the most highly recognized comic book characters in history on a cover that is geared to the movie that will soon be arriving in Bakersfield.
As for the not-so-awesome parts of this comic, I would have to say that in the past, Marvel dutifully tried to give an old-fashioned feeling to their comics that aficionados could sink their teeth into, giving them a thick storyline with spectacular freshness, but this comic seems to lack the luster that Marvel used to have.
Marvel readers are quite confused, including me. The book doesn’t specify where the action actually takes place. In previous Avengers comics it was clear what was going on and where. Not in this one.
It just mentions references. Iron Man and Captain America mention the Avengers Tower being leveled. There is no information on how these events transpire. Bendis was truly an idol to me, especially when he started working on the Avengers franchise in 2004. In this comic the Avengers form a zodiac. This to me is a disappointment. They don’t explain why the zodiac is formed.
Another question that formed is why does Cancer (a nefarious member) promise power to his team of bad villains? Why does a caravan go through the desert carrying an unknown parcel in a land that is not named?
When you get to Latveria, the two dominant female superheroes Hawkeye and Black Widow stake out a target, yet the target is completely unknown. They see an odd happening on the other side and that too is not described, along with the Taurus that really has an attitude and for no reason apparently, as it is not disclosed either.
A rag-tag storyline doesn’t make for a good read.
Other than the fact that this is a Marvel comic with Bagley and his reminiscent art of when comics were in its heyday, I found this issue to be lacking in story line and leaving tons of questions unanswered.
Perhaps it’s an opener for Avengers 2, or maybe it really was rushed and they just want to make money from the movie franchise.
I truly feel that regardless, it’s a publication that is highly recognized and should do well either way.
I will probably still collect the series for the simple fact that it is by Marvel, who is known to be the godfather of comics. If you are a fan of the Avenger characters or comic books alone, it is worth checking out, just be ready to put your thinking cap on.