Review: Mighty Avengers Volume 3: Original Sin – Not Your Father’s Avengers

Back in 1972, a ragtag group of vigilantes battled the ancient Deathwalkers in a campaign to prevent the apocalypse. Decades later, the Deathwalkers are back and they’ve kidnapped the vampire hunter Blade in order to perform a ritual to put an end to humanity. Luke Cage and his Avengers must uncover secrets from the past in order to save the world.

Mighty Avengers Volume 3: Original Sin – Not Your Father’s Avengers collects issues 11-14 of Mighty Avengers, written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Greg Land and Salvador Larroca.

This volume of Mighty Avengers is told through a combination of flashbacks and present day action. The first couple of issues is set primarily in 1972 and details the adventures of a ragtag band of Avengers as they battle the Deathwalkers. These Avengers reveal themselves to the current ones in order to rescue their one-time teammate Blade from their ancient foes. The second half of this arc kicks off with a rather impressive battle against the mystical Deathwalkers.

Despite being a tie-in to Original Sin, it’s clear that the Mighty Avengers’ conflict with the Deathwalkers had been planned for quite some time. The seeds of this arc had been planted in the first volume and began to grow towards the end of the second. Ewing does a great job fleshing out the ‘70s-set characters in the flashbacks, giving each one a distinctive tone and purpose. Unfortunately, Ewing seems to drop his present-day characters in the process. Spectrum and co. are all but relegated to bit-parts, utilized only marginally in the final fight against the Deathwalkers. This is especially unsatisfying considering how short this arc is (a measly four issues).

Land returns as the primary artist for the first two issues, while Salvador Larroca hops on board for the last two. Neither artist impresses me much. Land continues to offer his familiar style of “realistic” faces and unrealistic body proportions to readers. If I’m being fair, Land does do some decent work here. The male characters look pretty great and the character of Constance Molina doesn’t suffer from his dubious porn face syndrome. Still, there’s a rather deplorable shot of the Bear – a blond-haired female member of the ‘70s Mighty Avengers – where her waist looks to be about ten inches and her breasts a whopping E-cup. Larroca’s art, however, is far worse than Land’s. It’s rough and portrays the characters in a rather harsh light. The musculature of the women is rather disturbing and the faces of just about everyone look overly aggressive. Though Larroca was one a promising artist circa 2001 when he was on X-Treme X-Men, his work since then has been lacking in quality and consistency.

Despite being a relatively fun read, Mighty Avengers Volume 3: Original Sin – Not Your Father’s Avengers lacks the qualities of a good concluding arc for a series. Ewing loses his way early on, largely due to the flashbacks, and never quite manages to pull the focus back to the characters he’d spent 10 issues developing. To make matters worse, the art is inconsistent and often cringe-worthy. There still is quite a bit to like – such as the inclusion of Blade in the cast, the expansion of Power Man’s abilities and the mystical unification of the Avengers that helps defeat the Deathwalkers – but ultimately Ewing failed to pace out his arc well enough. The flashback sequences should have been shortened and the focus should have swung back to the present Mighty Avengers, returning the spotlight to Blue Marvel, Luke Cage et al. Thankfully, Ewing was given the chance to continue his work with Captain America and the Mighty Avengers and The Ultimates.

RATING: C+ 

Review: Mighty Avengers Volume 2 - Family Bonding

While Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are busy moving into their new apartment, the Falcon stumbles upon a criminal operation run by Gideon Mace. Mace was responsible for murdering fellow Avenger White Tiger’s family and this discovery leads to her pursuit of bloody vengeance against the crime boss. Then, Spectrum and She-Hulk accompany Blue Marvel on a mission to prevent a mad scientist from opening an interdimensional portal on Earth.

Mighty Avengers Volume 2: Family Bonding collects Mighty Avengers #6-10, written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Valerio Schiti.

Family Bonding is comprised of three mini-arcs that build upon the mythos of the characters on the Mighty Avengers. The first deals with White Tiger’s hunt for Gideon Mace. She willingly gives herself over to the tiger spirit and this puts her in direct conflict with her teammates, which ultimately leads to a knock-down drag-out between them. The second features Blue Marvel facing off against his youngest son – now a supervillain – as he attempts to open a portal that could lead to dire consequences for Earth. The collection then concludes with the reveal of who Ronin is and why the beings known as Deathwalkers are after him.

As with the first volume of Mighty Avengers, writer Al Ewing proves himself to be capable of creating strong character-driven storylines that help readers to relate to the book’s heroes. Blue Marvel is a particular standout. He’s arguably the most prominent character in Family Bonding and Ewing works hard to develop his character in a way that makes him accessible to the reader. This is great considering he’s the most obscure member of the team. However, what is most impressive about Ewing’s work here is that he’s able to portray the Mighty Avengers as a family. This dynamic is reminiscent of the X-Men in their Claremont-penned heyday. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the usual Avengers fare, which tends to represent its characters more as individuals in a slightly dysfunctional dynamic. Of course, it also helps that the conflicts present in this collection are personal. The fact that White Tiger is pursuing vengeance and Blue Marvel is fighting against his own son heightens the stakes and makes the book feel that much more intimate.

In my review for the first volume in this series, I took issue with the choice of Greg Land as the lead penciller. I was pleasantly surprised to see that his art was relegated to only a couple issues, while Valerio Schiti provided the art for the bulk of this collection. Schiti’s work is leaps and bounds superior to Land’s. His proportions are far more flattering, while his facial work is like an interesting mix of Cliff Chiang with Phil Jimenez (if that’s even imaginable). His art is dynamic, colourful and of the quality that Ewing’s writing demands. That said, it’s a shame that Schiti only penciled three issues of Mighty Avengers. He should have been responsible for the art of the entire series.

Mighty Avengers Volume 2: Family Bonding is a satisfying read sure to please its audience. The characters are multi-dimensional, the action is incredible and the majority of the art is absolutely gorgeous.

RATING: B

Review: Mighty Avengers Volume 1 - No Single Hero

While the Avengers are off-world, Thanos sends one of his generals – Proxima Midnight – to conquer Earth. Though Proxima expects an easy victory, she soon finds opposition in the form of Luke Cage and his Heroes for Hire. With help from heavyweights like Spectrum and the Superior Spider-Man, these heroes prove that Proxima has her work cut out for her.

Mighty Avengers Volume 1: No Single Hero collects Mighty Avengers #1-5, written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Greg Land.

There have been many Avengers spin-offs since Marvel unleashed their cinematic universe onto the world, but none have been as inclusive or as dynamic as Ewing and Land’s Mighty Avengers. With a roster consisting of Luke Cage, White Tiger, Power Man, Spider-Man and Spectrum (my personal favourite), Ewing delivers an incredibly powerful iteration of the Avengers and immediately sets to work proving just how badass they are. He does so by setting up a threat that proves their worth, mirroring the beloved Avengers movie by having our heroes face off against an alien menace. He treats the characters seriously and never once underestimates their strengths, which is refreshing particularly considering his cast is comprised of characters that are all too often relegated to the background (save Spider-Man, of course). I’m especially glad to see Spectrum treated as the most powerful member of the group and that her leadership experience is recognized. Ewing also writes in a rather clever Janet Jackson reference when he refers to Spectrum, framing her even more in the narrative as worthy of being acknowledged as the fierce diva that she truly is.

Despite a few hiccups here and there, Mighty Avengers is a relatively accessible title that emphasizes dialogue and action over continuity. The narrative does owe a lot to both the “Infinity” and “Inhumanity” crossovers, which is a given considering the title is a tie-in to both. As such, readers will be required to have at least a working knowledge of these events in order to fully grasp the references made. Regardless, Ewing does a fantastic job providing action that is easy to follow and engages with the audience. The battle against Shuma Gorath is pretty snazzy, while the brawl between Spider-Man and both Luke Cage and Jessica Jones is rather amusing. Furthermore, Ewing is able to capture the distinctive tones of his characters. From Spider-Man’s arrogance to Jessica Jones’ trucker mouth, the dialogue really runs the gamut to provide the book with a wide range of voices.

The weakest link in Mighty Avengers is its artist Greg Land. Often reviled within the comic book fandom for his tendency to sexualize women’s facial expressions (and bodies) and the rumored likelihood of his work being traced, Land is a controversial choice for any title. His art is naturally very glossy and attempts realism, though his porn-like proportions gives his work a less mainstream appearance. This undermines Ewing’s clear attempt to legitimize his band of Avengers.

Mighty Avengers Vol. 1: No Single Hero is a refreshing and endlessly entertaining start to one of Marvel’s more original spin-off offerings of their iconic super team. With its incredible cast and nonstop action, it’s a title that offers readers an opportunity to become invested in this team and to keep them wanting more.

RATING: B+