Corey Brotherson
Feb 15, 2008, 04:55 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11757" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newaveng38t.jpg" align="left" hspace=10 alt="New Avengers #38"></A> Reviewer: Corey Brotherson cbrotherson@googlemail.com
Story Title: The Breakup
“Are you @#$% kidding me?”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Color Art: Jose Villarrubia
Letterers: AS & Comicraft's Albert Deschesne
Cover Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (http://www.marvel.com)
The New Avengers is a funny old beast.
With its voice firmly established and the rise of partner title, The Mighty Avengers, few can complain about its tone or direction. Case in point; this issue. While far from what would be considered a 'typical' Avengers tale in terms of bombast and style, it manages to be just as essentially human and excellent as a 'typical' Avengers tale should be. And it does this through a quiet, conflict driven, dialogue heavy, characterisation laden way expected of writer Brian Michael Bendis. In short, it's what we anticipate from The New Avengers now, even if some still don't.
A shame for them, a joy for the rest of us.
The Breakup is -surprise surprise- about the fallout between Luke Cage and his wife Jessica Jones, the latter of which ran to the registered Avengers and their almost as mighty (hell, the thing survived Ultron and a crazed Sentry) Tower after the Hood and his people broke into Doctor Strange's Sanctorum and, well, messed the place up. Badly. Not to mention scare the tar out of the renegade Avengers living there and leaving Jones rather scared for the safety of her newborn.
Much of the issue deals with this, with a tiny bit of light-hearted humour in the shape of the team getting a home to stay in (oh, and for those keeping score, Spidey is back in his red and blue duds. Don’t try to think about the continuity. Really. It'll only be painful). For the rest of it, we see the clash between Cage and Jones - and it's exceptionally well written.
The two characters grind against each other in a way which is understandable. You can relate to both their desires within the situation - one wants to put the needs of the child ahead of everything else, the other his principles, yet neither are exclusive against the other. The reactions are totally true to their characters. Cage is a no nonsense sort of guy who has gone through his life solving problems by simply being who he is. Jones is a person haunted by her mistakes and spends a lot of time trying to second guess herself. The great thing here is both characters are thrown into circumstances they've never been in before, through the problems of not just Civil War, but also bringing a child into the world. All of a sudden, these classic archetypes –the tough guy and the self conscious heroine– are in new situations. New stories. It's fascinating to watch unfold; an engaging study into how what can make a relationship work can be almost the same thing that can make it fail. How its strengths of unity turn into something divisive under strain.
What's especially skilful here is the way the creative team puts us in the middle of the two, Michael Gaydos' sturdy and detailed panels bouncing across from one to the other as we catch each reaction and its consequence, no feeling spared regardless of whether we hear it in the dialogue or see it on their faces. Each beat is given weight and meaning and we become the child in this messy break between two characters Bendis has utterly made his own (obviously in more ways than one when it comes to Jessica). Combined with the art team's more than apt work -Gaydos' facial acting is incredible here- it makes for a convincing quarrel.
Of course, playing underneath all of this is the Skrull question, leaving a lingering doubt over the identity of the issue's participants. Whether or not this element will end up undermining this tragic, well-told tale is currently a moot point - what we have here is a very personal and relatable missive in the run up to what's going to be, for all intents and purposes, a wide reaching and 'global' story.
The good thing is, regardless of whether Skrull involvement is there or not (and to be honest, the Secret Invasion banner suggests something beyond mere suspicion) it doesn’t really matter - because the crux of the issue still works. This is about the breakdown of a relationship, put under the microscope. And thus ties into Secret Invasion in another way: showing its effect on personal safety and identity in the microcosms of the Marvel universe, which will be just as important as the macrocosm. The personal trials of characters who can lift buses over their heads, being tested on the strength of their personal being.
If there's a problem with The Breakup, it's that if you were unlucky enough to miss the rather excellent The New Avengers Annual, most of this will be a bit of a jolt. Yes, the two characters have been at slight loggerheads for the past few issues of the main book, and as such the writing has been on the wall for months now. But the dramatic impact of not having such a pivotal moment in the main series will leave some in the dark, the first page recap not really carrying the significance needed to kick start the issue's gravitas.
It's a trouble that sums up the dangers of Annuals, which are often lambasted for not having enough impact on its parent books, yet can also fall foul of being criticised for conversely having too much impact. The line is thin and not particularly easy, so it may seem like I'm being a little unfair in the process. However, as most of the issue deals with Cage and Jones having it out, the narrative build-up and payoff provided by the Annual (which also partly concluded the story arc with the Hood) makes for a slightly exclusive comic.
But none of this really stops the book from being good. True, it's not the best representation of what The New Avengers is about and may appear a little too talky (there's certainly violence here, but it's all verbal) or slow for newcomers, alongside the aforementioned problem of it being a little too steeped in its own scheduling history, but these are the things which help make it so great for fans who are fully into the series. Take that as you will - but that's been an important part of what The New Avengers has been about from the start.
Bring on the Invasion.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save! ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1546&cat=NEW+AVENGERS+)
Story Title: The Breakup
“Are you @#$% kidding me?”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Color Art: Jose Villarrubia
Letterers: AS & Comicraft's Albert Deschesne
Cover Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (http://www.marvel.com)
The New Avengers is a funny old beast.
With its voice firmly established and the rise of partner title, The Mighty Avengers, few can complain about its tone or direction. Case in point; this issue. While far from what would be considered a 'typical' Avengers tale in terms of bombast and style, it manages to be just as essentially human and excellent as a 'typical' Avengers tale should be. And it does this through a quiet, conflict driven, dialogue heavy, characterisation laden way expected of writer Brian Michael Bendis. In short, it's what we anticipate from The New Avengers now, even if some still don't.
A shame for them, a joy for the rest of us.
The Breakup is -surprise surprise- about the fallout between Luke Cage and his wife Jessica Jones, the latter of which ran to the registered Avengers and their almost as mighty (hell, the thing survived Ultron and a crazed Sentry) Tower after the Hood and his people broke into Doctor Strange's Sanctorum and, well, messed the place up. Badly. Not to mention scare the tar out of the renegade Avengers living there and leaving Jones rather scared for the safety of her newborn.
Much of the issue deals with this, with a tiny bit of light-hearted humour in the shape of the team getting a home to stay in (oh, and for those keeping score, Spidey is back in his red and blue duds. Don’t try to think about the continuity. Really. It'll only be painful). For the rest of it, we see the clash between Cage and Jones - and it's exceptionally well written.
The two characters grind against each other in a way which is understandable. You can relate to both their desires within the situation - one wants to put the needs of the child ahead of everything else, the other his principles, yet neither are exclusive against the other. The reactions are totally true to their characters. Cage is a no nonsense sort of guy who has gone through his life solving problems by simply being who he is. Jones is a person haunted by her mistakes and spends a lot of time trying to second guess herself. The great thing here is both characters are thrown into circumstances they've never been in before, through the problems of not just Civil War, but also bringing a child into the world. All of a sudden, these classic archetypes –the tough guy and the self conscious heroine– are in new situations. New stories. It's fascinating to watch unfold; an engaging study into how what can make a relationship work can be almost the same thing that can make it fail. How its strengths of unity turn into something divisive under strain.
What's especially skilful here is the way the creative team puts us in the middle of the two, Michael Gaydos' sturdy and detailed panels bouncing across from one to the other as we catch each reaction and its consequence, no feeling spared regardless of whether we hear it in the dialogue or see it on their faces. Each beat is given weight and meaning and we become the child in this messy break between two characters Bendis has utterly made his own (obviously in more ways than one when it comes to Jessica). Combined with the art team's more than apt work -Gaydos' facial acting is incredible here- it makes for a convincing quarrel.
Of course, playing underneath all of this is the Skrull question, leaving a lingering doubt over the identity of the issue's participants. Whether or not this element will end up undermining this tragic, well-told tale is currently a moot point - what we have here is a very personal and relatable missive in the run up to what's going to be, for all intents and purposes, a wide reaching and 'global' story.
The good thing is, regardless of whether Skrull involvement is there or not (and to be honest, the Secret Invasion banner suggests something beyond mere suspicion) it doesn’t really matter - because the crux of the issue still works. This is about the breakdown of a relationship, put under the microscope. And thus ties into Secret Invasion in another way: showing its effect on personal safety and identity in the microcosms of the Marvel universe, which will be just as important as the macrocosm. The personal trials of characters who can lift buses over their heads, being tested on the strength of their personal being.
If there's a problem with The Breakup, it's that if you were unlucky enough to miss the rather excellent The New Avengers Annual, most of this will be a bit of a jolt. Yes, the two characters have been at slight loggerheads for the past few issues of the main book, and as such the writing has been on the wall for months now. But the dramatic impact of not having such a pivotal moment in the main series will leave some in the dark, the first page recap not really carrying the significance needed to kick start the issue's gravitas.
It's a trouble that sums up the dangers of Annuals, which are often lambasted for not having enough impact on its parent books, yet can also fall foul of being criticised for conversely having too much impact. The line is thin and not particularly easy, so it may seem like I'm being a little unfair in the process. However, as most of the issue deals with Cage and Jones having it out, the narrative build-up and payoff provided by the Annual (which also partly concluded the story arc with the Hood) makes for a slightly exclusive comic.
But none of this really stops the book from being good. True, it's not the best representation of what The New Avengers is about and may appear a little too talky (there's certainly violence here, but it's all verbal) or slow for newcomers, alongside the aforementioned problem of it being a little too steeped in its own scheduling history, but these are the things which help make it so great for fans who are fully into the series. Take that as you will - but that's been an important part of what The New Avengers has been about from the start.
Bring on the Invasion.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/avnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save! ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1546&cat=NEW+AVENGERS+)