Avengers #4

by Tori B. on January 30, 2013

They may have (mostly) solved all of their problems on Mars, at least that we know of, but there’s never an end to extra terrestrial / other worldly threats that the Avengers have to face.
 

 


Writer: Jonathan Hickman | Artists: Adam Kubert & Frank D’Armata
Cover: Dustin Weaver & Justin Ponsor | Publisher: Marvel

 
 
Marvel Now! seems to be having its hits and misses but Avengers is still going strong as a hit and definitely deserves to be praised. What started out with a focus on Captain America and Iron Man (a natural, and sensible choice when introducing the Avengers) has certainly evolved with their expansion to the team. It appears to be a conscious effort to shift focus onto the other members as well, in this issue you see Captain America on the first page and then a selection of Thor, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, and Hyperion are sent to the Savage Land on an investigatory mission.
 
A lot of this issue focuses primarily on Hyperion and part of his story. What’s interesting is how his story is written and intertwined within the issue. It’s not just an entire chunk of backstory, it’s woven between, so there’s a lot of back and forth between Hyperion and the Savage Land. What sounds like it would complicated or frustrating to read, isn’t at all. Hickman handles it well. His narrative is poetic at points with a steady rhythm that flows throughout. What’s made the Avengers such a good series right now is Hickman’s handling of the writing. There’s a lot of layers to his story, it almost reads like a thick novel, not a comic book arc that would end in three or so issues. Nothing seems like it really ever ends, and that’s the thing about being an Avenger too though, they’ll never be done saving the world (whether the world knows it or not). Especially so long as organizations like A.I.M. keep popping up.
 
There’s a lot of exploration to be done with all the characters (yes even the ones like Cap and Iron Man), Hickman seems to have shown us that much, and it’s going to be a driving point for this series I think. Even on an issue focused on Hyperion, it only made to bring up more questions rather than answer some, but that’s how he keeps you hooked.
 
To compliment Hickman’s top notch writing, Kubert and D’Armata give top notch art. Every page is a great piece of artwork—if someone were to frame any page, I’d be okay with it hanging in my house. There’s this added dimension to the characters that matches Hickman’s writing it seems, and it’s impossible to drive your eyes away from it.
 
Like after reading every other issue of Marvel Now!’s Avengers, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s in store next. This issue is certainly no exception to the good direction that Avengers seems to be going.
 

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside