Avengers #1 Review

After officially disbanding in Avengers Assemble, the Avengers find themselves in a transitional phase. With Captain Marvel at the helm, the intergalactic hero sets out to assemble a new roster of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Earth is always in need of a team to mobilize against any threats to the planet, and Captain Marvel seeks to bring together a team worthy enough to meet those demands. Avengers #1, written by Jed Mackay with art by C.F. Villa, colors by Federico Blee, and letters by VC's Cory Petit, brings together an all-star roster for high-stakes adventures.

This issue consists of two interconnected storylines. The first is the arrival of Terminus -- a gigantic alien cybernetic organism -- seeking to consume an enormous amount of energy and reign destruction. The second story thread follows Carol -- aka Captain Marvel -- as she assembles the new team of Avengers. The two threads weave together effectively as heroes band together. It's a simple narrative tool used to great impact here.

MacKay establishes a wickedly fun tone for this book. Carol immediately addresses what the Avengers should be, "We're the ones who fly into the blaze, whatever it is," setting the mission statement for the series. Two panels later, she's welcoming Tony onto the team like he's a contestant on a game show. The scale of the action is established in the opening pages, the thesis for the book quickly follows, and then MacKay reminds the reader that this is going to be a blast to read. The issue flies by as familiar faces return and tackle problems as only the Avengers can. The roster feels like a classic Avengers line-up, but each hero has gone through tremendous changes over the years, and MacKay uses that to his advantage.

Villa is a force of nature with the art in this book. Everything is drawn exquisitely, from a close-up of someone's lips to a blast of unfathomable energy. Villa delivers an impressive range of locales, from Asgard to the South Pacific, all sporting stunning vistas. Each Avenger looks as good as they ever have, and the action is worthy of an Avengers-level threat.

Blee's colors bring Villa's expansive vistas and voluptuously drawn lips to life. Striking blues spread across the page when Thor's lightning rakes the skies, amber hues glow as fires burn in the wake of Terminus' destruction, and crimson reds swirl as the Scarlet Witch casts a spell. The entire spectrum is on display. Petit's lettering brings the final touches to this issue with clean, consistent text and expressive, immersive sound effects. This isn't a light script, but the dialogue and narration flow like water across each page.

First issues need to accomplish a lot. This issue presents a wonderfully good time with a tantalizing hook at the end. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's promising to do something incredibly entertaining. With Avengers #1, MacKay and the rest of the creative team lead Earth's Mightiest Heroes in an exciting new direction.

CBR

REVIEW: Avengers #1