MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Jason Aaron
PENCILS: Ed McGuinness
INKS: Mark Morales
COLORS: David Curiel
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
COVER: Ed McGuinness and Mark Morales with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Aaron Kuder with Jason Keith; Greg Land and Jay Leisten with Frank D'Armata; Esad Ribic
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2018)
Rated “T+”
Avengers created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
“The Final Host”
In the 1970s and 1980s, Marvel Comics published comic book adaptations of popular and cult science fiction and fantasy films, from the Stars Wars films to movies like Dune (1984) and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). Some of them had beautiful art (Al Williamson's killer work on Marvel's The Empire Strikes Back adaptation), but the script adaptations were often weak. Reading these film to comic book adaptations was like reading storyboards for a film with some of the boards were missing. That is when you realize the “motion” in motion pictures makes the medium of film not all that related to the medium of comic books with its static or still graphics.
The Avengers #1 that arrived on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 got me to thinking about comic books that try to capture the sound and vision of films. We see comic book writers trying to write for comic books the kind of big, loud, special-effects driven stories that only films can tell. Once upon a time, people said that comic book stories that were written like other comic books were bad things. Now, we have comic books trying too hard to be like films and television. That is the real problem, and brother, Avengers #1 2018 has many problems.
Marvel Comics is just beginning another relaunch of its comic book line, something called “Fresh Start.” The venerable publisher is returning to its “Legacy” characters after publishing new versions of those classic characters – new versions that some retards described as “black, homo, and freaking female.” So enter Avengers #1 2018 (Legacy #691). It is written by Jason Aaron; drawn by Ed McGuinness (pencils) and Mark Morales (inks); colored by David Curiel; and lettered by Cory Petit. At the core of this old-is-new Avengers are classic (white male) Tony Stark/Iron Man, classic (white male) Thor, and classic (white male) Steve Rogers/Captain America.
Avengers #1 (Legacy #691) opens on Earth, one million years ago and depicts the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC. Then it moves to present day Earth, where Thor and Steve Rogers are trying to convince a reluctant Tony Stark that the world needs the Avengers to return, and the Avengers can only return the right way with them – the original Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. It may no longer be a matter of choice when cosmic beings start falling to Earth.
It is clear to me that Marvel is trying to make the Avengers 2018 comic book series be as close to Marvel Studios' Avengers movies as possible. Writer Jason Aaron tries to make it seem like there is a story here and not just action scenes, but there is not much of a story here. This is the Avengers comic book as a Michael Bay movie – if Bay did a mash-up of his Transformers films and the Avengers films. Avengers #1 is big, loud silent scream, and Aaron squeezes in a few quiet, faux-character scenes, mostly featuring the She-Hulk and the Ghost Rider, in a failed bid at adding substance.
Marvel Comics' problems are not “diversity characters.” The main problem is the embrace of event comic books and other publishing stunts that are flash instead of story. DC Comics got the message, and its 2016 “Rebirth” initiative was a return to an emphasis on story, even when those stories may be average at best. At least, DC and its creative teams are working at giving readers substance in story, plot, and character.
Maybe another problem is that many of Marvel's best writers have moved on from Marvel. Most of the really good comic book writers that wrote for Marvel over the last two decades (Mark Millar and Ed Brubaker, for example) are now in Hollywood, at Amazon or Netflix, or are producing comic books for Image Comics. Marvel is left with writers like Jason Aaron and Cullen Bunn who are inconsistent, writing comic books that are surprisingly good or woefully average. And in his bid to make an Avengers comic book act like an Avengers movie, Aaron delivers woeful with Avengers #1 2018.
Marvel is also constantly recycling pencil artist Ed McGuinness, but as usual, his drawing style is pleasing to the eye, although McGuinness' art looks like a chibi slash lolicon version of the art of flaky comic book creator, Arthur Adams. David Curiel's colors over McGuinness and Mark Morales' (inker) illustrations are gorgeous, though. Of Avengers #1 2018's creative team, Curiel delivers the best work.
In about a year or so, the sales of Avengers 2018 will be less than half of what Avengers #1 2018 is now. Who will get the blame, then? Marvel Comics' editorial policy? Marvel's recycled creative teams? Scapegoat “diversity characters?”
This is an Avengers comic book trying to be event entertainment, when being a good comic book is all that is necessary to please most comic book readers. And no, Avengers #1 is not worth its $4.99 cover price.
4 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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