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