New Avengers #8

by kanchilr1 on July 24, 2013

The Team
Writer
Jonathan Hickman Artist Mike Deodato

The Avengers titles have never been closer to Infinity, and I for one am holding onto these pages with baited breath. Hickman and Thanos were two things that I could not have predicted melding together in my wildest dreams. The Mad Titan and friends have finally begun crashing down to earth. So far we have only got the smallest hints that the characters lurking around the pages, this latest issue changes all of that. Fans should be re-reading these issues to get ready for what will surely be an event dense with plot material. This is all only worth getting excited about if readers enjoyed what they read before, and in the case of New Avengers quality has never been issue. From the very first issue, a slow moving story filled with some awesome characters have always been present in this series. Without further ado it’s time to take a critical look at this issue.

The fact of the matter is that this comic will serve as a cryptic tease in the same way the main Avengers book has, unless you have been following news closely. The Black Order of Thanos has been teased for quite some time, and shown in a massive CBR article a few weeks ago. Without that prior knowledge into them, I am unsure if someone will enjoy this particular comic. Other than the Black Order, there are still a bunch of cryptic teases littering this issue. Namor and the Swan, Iron Man and the Watcher, Medusa and Black Bolt, and Namor with Black Panther are among the many different flashes in the subplot in the comic. All of these subplots will eventually go somewhere, the question is where? How could all of these ties intersect in this exact moment. Part of that answer is in the issue, but most is a guessing game from the reader.

This installment of the comic constantly had me saying one thing while reading the title, I miss Steve Epting. Deodato’s new style actually suits this book quite well in most ways, but the artist is just not a suitable replacement for the dour pencils of Epting. It is also unfortunate that this is happening so close to such a big part of this run. This is meant to be the crescendo for these two Avengers titles, and the best artist has left. I have to hand it to Hickman for slightly changing the scripts for this issue to suit the new artist better with a wider sort of scope. This title is no longer covered in dimly lit rooms with people scowling across a table from each other. Now scenes are full of light, but the characters seem so stiff. As a storyteller the flaws in Deodato’s artwork start to come out in spades, because he is simply better at drawing static images than a full series. His new style cultivated recently for the main Avengers book began help the work move better, but still it just is not enough for a  modern comic book artist.

The bottom line is your enjoyment on the title also majorly hinges on whether your trust Jonathan Hickman as a writer. Going forward much time, money, and attention will be essential for following this big event. All of these plot lines are moving somewhere!

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside