Erwin Rafael
Apr 16, 2002, 05:35 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/avengv3-52.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/avengv3-52t.jpg" align=left alt="Avengers (3rd series) #52"></a>Reviewer: Erwin Rafael, 3rdsummers@edsamail.com.ph
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Counter Attack
The rebellion uprising against Kang's empire kicks into full gear as the Kang epic continues.
Written by: Kurt Busiek
Cover by: Kieron Dwyer & Studio 13
Penciled by: Ivan Reis
Inked by: Randy Emberlin
Lettered by: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Saida Temofonte
Colored by: Tom Smith
Assistant Editor: Marc Sumerak
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I have been seriously reading American comic books for a decade now, and my appreciation with certain writing and artistic styles has changed a great deal over the years. I tend to think that I have outgrown the traditional superhero genre, which I think is quite natural for someone like me who have read hundreds or even thousands of comic books during my lifetime.
Not that I do not appreciate well-written and illustrated traditional superhero stories anymore. In fact, I make sure that I still have a regular dose of classic superhero stuff to please that little kid inside me who still enjoys watching the good guys in tights beat the megalomaniacal bad guys. And month-in and month-out, it has always been Kurt Busiek's Avengers which provided me my monthly superhero fix.
This issue starts the final phase of the long-running Kang war, as the Avengers finally fought back to overthrow Kang's dominion over Earth. It is a good action-packed story written in the classic Marvel manner, which has been Busiek's signature in his long tenure with the title. The final scene particularly touched those wild childhood imaginations I still harbor, leaving me in eager anticipation for the next issue.
The issue in a flash: The remaining Avengers set into motion their plans to ovethrow Kang. First in their plan was to free the captured Avengers and superheroes. Anticipating a retaliatory strike from Kang, the Wasp contacted forces all over the globe to coordinate their battle plan. Kang finally struck with a threat to annihilate two American cities, but the well-organized pre-emptive attack of the Avengers and their allies caught Kang off guard. Kang retreated to Damocles base and quickly regained the upper hand. Thankfully, Captain America and the Avengers lost in space arrived just in time to distract Kang. The issue ended with a promise of good over-the-top action as a planet-sized simulacrum of Kang prepared to fight with an equally planet-sized simulacrum of Captain America.
The pace of this issue is frenetic. Somebody complained to me that after a slow couple of issues, there were just too many events crammed in this story. However, I think the fast pace perfectly fit the surprise nature of the Avengers' uprising. The quick transition from scene to scene also reinforced the dire nature of the Avengers' assault.
Although action-packed, a Busiek Avengers issue would not be complete without those few pages of pure characterization. Inserted in the middle of the story was a sequence spotlighting each Avenger's thoughts before their assault of Kang's fortifications. There were interesting issues raised, such as Hank Pym's admiration of Janet van Dyne's growth in personality, Iron Man's self-doubt after a long period of inactivity and Warbird's contemplation of her actions against the Master of the World. The biggest spotlight, though, was in revisiting the Thor-Firebird godhood issue. This time around, Firebird used some sort of reverse psychology, chiding Thor by comparing him with the Judeo-Christian concept of God. Its' a powerful speech which played off nicely the differences in personalities between the two characters. Hopefully, there would be a satisfying closure to this issue in the coming months.
This was also the first time we saw Triathlon after his transformation in issue #50. I do not know if the transition from a down-to-earth athletic superhero to a cosmic-powered being would be well and good for the character, but Busiek made good use of the transformation as Triathlon played a pivotal role this issue. Does the complete overhaul Triathlon went through signal that he is a prime candidate for Busiek's hint of a hero who would bite the dust by the end of this epic?
The big ending featuring the planet-sized Captain America and Kang raring to go against each other would definitely go down as one of the book's classic moments. It really felt like a page taken from old 70s comic books, where imaginative out-of-this-world sequences were commonplace. I felt weird at first seeing such a sequence since the popular movement in comic books nowadays is towards realism. Still, it is a refreshing sight, and I am looking forward to see these planet-sized warriors go one-on-one next issue.
I guess the only setback I found in the writing this issue was that the script felt a bit dated in some places. While Busiek has been using the classic Marvel style of writing for his whole run, his scripts did have a sense of modernity in them specially during the Perez issues. This issue, though, the dialogue sometimes felt too melodramatic, sounding like old Roy Thomas or Steve Englehart Avengers issues. There was this recurring speech pattern where a character pauses midway through his/her sentence to insert a new phrase or to start a new sentence. Additionally, the characters this issue tended to use a lot of repetition like Iron Man saying, "But if I fail...if I fail,". Usually, I do not have a problem with speech patterns used by the writer because I dismiss it as a stylistic choice on his part. But I do find it annoying when it's done quite excessively, which I think was the case this issue.
The only sample I have of Ivan Reis' artwork was last year's Avengers 2001 Annual. I saw his artwork then as solid but not really impressive. His work this issue, however, was enough to make me change my opinion. Reis showed this issue that he has the chops to become a heavy hitter in drawing mainstream superhero titles. His work showed a bit of his Alan Davis influence, but it has enough qualities to make it distinctly his own. I hope that Ivan Reis would get a major gig soon because this boy really deserves it.
The Kang epic looks like it is racing to an explosive finish, a fitting sendoff to the writer who returned the Avengers to premiere status. The inimitable Kieron Dwyer, who did this issue's amazing cover, would also be returning next issue to illustrate the big Kang and Captain America grudge match. Here's to looking forward to a great final four issues of Kurt Busiek goodness on Earth's Mightiest title.
Art:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
Story:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Overall:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Counter Attack
The rebellion uprising against Kang's empire kicks into full gear as the Kang epic continues.
Written by: Kurt Busiek
Cover by: Kieron Dwyer & Studio 13
Penciled by: Ivan Reis
Inked by: Randy Emberlin
Lettered by: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Saida Temofonte
Colored by: Tom Smith
Assistant Editor: Marc Sumerak
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I have been seriously reading American comic books for a decade now, and my appreciation with certain writing and artistic styles has changed a great deal over the years. I tend to think that I have outgrown the traditional superhero genre, which I think is quite natural for someone like me who have read hundreds or even thousands of comic books during my lifetime.
Not that I do not appreciate well-written and illustrated traditional superhero stories anymore. In fact, I make sure that I still have a regular dose of classic superhero stuff to please that little kid inside me who still enjoys watching the good guys in tights beat the megalomaniacal bad guys. And month-in and month-out, it has always been Kurt Busiek's Avengers which provided me my monthly superhero fix.
This issue starts the final phase of the long-running Kang war, as the Avengers finally fought back to overthrow Kang's dominion over Earth. It is a good action-packed story written in the classic Marvel manner, which has been Busiek's signature in his long tenure with the title. The final scene particularly touched those wild childhood imaginations I still harbor, leaving me in eager anticipation for the next issue.
The issue in a flash: The remaining Avengers set into motion their plans to ovethrow Kang. First in their plan was to free the captured Avengers and superheroes. Anticipating a retaliatory strike from Kang, the Wasp contacted forces all over the globe to coordinate their battle plan. Kang finally struck with a threat to annihilate two American cities, but the well-organized pre-emptive attack of the Avengers and their allies caught Kang off guard. Kang retreated to Damocles base and quickly regained the upper hand. Thankfully, Captain America and the Avengers lost in space arrived just in time to distract Kang. The issue ended with a promise of good over-the-top action as a planet-sized simulacrum of Kang prepared to fight with an equally planet-sized simulacrum of Captain America.
The pace of this issue is frenetic. Somebody complained to me that after a slow couple of issues, there were just too many events crammed in this story. However, I think the fast pace perfectly fit the surprise nature of the Avengers' uprising. The quick transition from scene to scene also reinforced the dire nature of the Avengers' assault.
Although action-packed, a Busiek Avengers issue would not be complete without those few pages of pure characterization. Inserted in the middle of the story was a sequence spotlighting each Avenger's thoughts before their assault of Kang's fortifications. There were interesting issues raised, such as Hank Pym's admiration of Janet van Dyne's growth in personality, Iron Man's self-doubt after a long period of inactivity and Warbird's contemplation of her actions against the Master of the World. The biggest spotlight, though, was in revisiting the Thor-Firebird godhood issue. This time around, Firebird used some sort of reverse psychology, chiding Thor by comparing him with the Judeo-Christian concept of God. Its' a powerful speech which played off nicely the differences in personalities between the two characters. Hopefully, there would be a satisfying closure to this issue in the coming months.
This was also the first time we saw Triathlon after his transformation in issue #50. I do not know if the transition from a down-to-earth athletic superhero to a cosmic-powered being would be well and good for the character, but Busiek made good use of the transformation as Triathlon played a pivotal role this issue. Does the complete overhaul Triathlon went through signal that he is a prime candidate for Busiek's hint of a hero who would bite the dust by the end of this epic?
The big ending featuring the planet-sized Captain America and Kang raring to go against each other would definitely go down as one of the book's classic moments. It really felt like a page taken from old 70s comic books, where imaginative out-of-this-world sequences were commonplace. I felt weird at first seeing such a sequence since the popular movement in comic books nowadays is towards realism. Still, it is a refreshing sight, and I am looking forward to see these planet-sized warriors go one-on-one next issue.
I guess the only setback I found in the writing this issue was that the script felt a bit dated in some places. While Busiek has been using the classic Marvel style of writing for his whole run, his scripts did have a sense of modernity in them specially during the Perez issues. This issue, though, the dialogue sometimes felt too melodramatic, sounding like old Roy Thomas or Steve Englehart Avengers issues. There was this recurring speech pattern where a character pauses midway through his/her sentence to insert a new phrase or to start a new sentence. Additionally, the characters this issue tended to use a lot of repetition like Iron Man saying, "But if I fail...if I fail,". Usually, I do not have a problem with speech patterns used by the writer because I dismiss it as a stylistic choice on his part. But I do find it annoying when it's done quite excessively, which I think was the case this issue.
The only sample I have of Ivan Reis' artwork was last year's Avengers 2001 Annual. I saw his artwork then as solid but not really impressive. His work this issue, however, was enough to make me change my opinion. Reis showed this issue that he has the chops to become a heavy hitter in drawing mainstream superhero titles. His work showed a bit of his Alan Davis influence, but it has enough qualities to make it distinctly his own. I hope that Ivan Reis would get a major gig soon because this boy really deserves it.
The Kang epic looks like it is racing to an explosive finish, a fitting sendoff to the writer who returned the Avengers to premiere status. The inimitable Kieron Dwyer, who did this issue's amazing cover, would also be returning next issue to illustrate the big Kang and Captain America grudge match. Here's to looking forward to a great final four issues of Kurt Busiek goodness on Earth's Mightiest title.
Art:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
Story:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Overall:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!