After the White Event occurred in ‘Avengers’ #6, the Marvel Universe certainly has a lot on it’s plate. With the world in danger of ceasing to be, the only hope that the Avengers have is to help Nightmask in finding the other heralds of the White Event. They were able to locate the one known as Starbrand at a college in ‘Avengers’ #7, but now they have to find out just how broken the system that Nightmask keeps speaking of it and to confront Kevin Connor, the one who possesses the power to defend an entire planet at all costs.
In the most recent issue of ‘Avengers’, Captain America and Iron Man lead a team to the site where the Starbrand was detected. After trying to keep Kevin Connor calm in an attempt to prevent another unintentional mass murder, things escalate quickly when they young boy’s powers begin to emerge after the Hulk gets involved in the situation.
The first word that came to mind after reading this book was fun. It prominently features one of my favorite parts of any Avengers comic. We get to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes work together and interact with each other in ways that you just don’t get in their solo titles. My favorite part of the whole book is when Captain America asks Captain Marvel to retrieve their Hulk, who ends up in space after a blast from Starbrand. We’ve seen many Fastball Specials over the years, but never before has the Incredible Hulk been the ball! At least, I don’t recall that happening ever. The looks in Hulk and Carol’s faces before this goes down are just great because they’re so in sync. This team action is just so much fun.
But while there are some playful moments in the book, Jonathan Hickman keeps the serious tone of what’s going. The existence of the universe is at stake. It’s a pretty heavy situation, so Hickman’s writing is a wonderful balance of hard-hitting action with light playfulness or jokes.
Fastball Special featuring Captain Marvel and the Hulk
Dustin Weaver and Justin Ponsor’s artwork reflects and compliments the excellent writing. First, the comforting look on Captain America’s face when they first make contact with Kevin Conner shows so much about Steve Rogers. It’s a very genuine look that shows that he really wants to help the scared young guy sitting in a crater surrounded by skeletons. On the flipside, Kevin’s facial expressions show complete confusion and horror throughout the book. The pair of artists really have an excellent way with faces and looks. That Hulk/Captain Marvel scene I mentioned earlier would have been nothing without Weaver and Ponsor’s awesome work.
Then with the final panel of the book, we’re right back to where this all started. But the team has grown and learned a lot since the first time they encountered this particular threat, so it’ll be interesting to see how this next confrontation goes.
Bottom line is that this comic is taking me on quite a ride and I’m enjoying every thought-provoking, cerebral, and entertaining moment of it.
Final Score:
AVENGERS #8
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by DUSTIN WEAVER & JUSTIN PONSOR