Post by goldenfist on Feb 21, 2008 9:29:46 GMT -5
Here's a review of the Mighty Avengers #9 from ign.com
I feel like I'm coming into Mighty Avengers at a new #1. For the bulk of its existence, the title has been bogged down with delays and then forced to trek through storylines that had already been detailed in other books. Now, with the team's trip to Latveria, we're squarely in the realm of new material and (presumably) a regular shipping schedule. Coming into issue #9 with a fresh attitude and cautious optimism, I have to say that I came out confused. Entertained on some level, yes, but still confused.
Don't get me wrong, Mighty Avengers #9 is by no means a bad book. The Avengers hunt down Dr. Doom in his castle to, uh, avenge the Venom Virus outbreak in New York and a fight ensues. It's standard superhero stuff, minimal frills. And Mark Bagley's art is mostly great. There's a set of splash pages depicting a battle and, while completely gratuitous, they're rendered beautifully. Marko Djurdjevic puts in a guest spot for a couple pages and naturally it's gorgeous stuff. His sequence, a Doom flashback, adds a nice layer to the story that will hopefully pay off big later. What baffles me, though, is the same thing that's been nagging at me about the book for the last few months. None of this seems like it matters very much.
For the most part Mighty Avengers operates for the Avengers franchise in the same fashion that Astonishing X-Men does for the X-Men. Both titles tell their own little stories, blissfully ignorant of what's going on in the rest of their brands. New Avengers and Avengers: The Initiative are knee-deep in Skrulls, but Mighty is just sort of floating along, playing with some Venom monsters here, having a slap-fight with Doom there. Jessica Drew and Tony Stark had a Skrull conversation an issue or two back, but for the most part Mighty just pits its cast against iconic(-ish) villains and has them fight dramatically with little consequence to the outside world. Now, of course you could argue that none of that is important. To a reader who's not attuned to the Marvel Universe at large, Mighty Avengers reads like a very traditional interpretation of contemporary Marvel heroes, and there's definitely a market for that. But the title was set up as a flagship for the new direction of the publisher's books. It rarely, if ever, feels like it achieves that goal.
It's absolutely possible to read Mighty Avengers #9 and thoroughly enjoy it for what it is: an uncomplicated, fun superhero book. All the pieces are at least competently done. I just have to wonder what the point of the title is meant to be.
Review Score:7.2 Decent
I feel like I'm coming into Mighty Avengers at a new #1. For the bulk of its existence, the title has been bogged down with delays and then forced to trek through storylines that had already been detailed in other books. Now, with the team's trip to Latveria, we're squarely in the realm of new material and (presumably) a regular shipping schedule. Coming into issue #9 with a fresh attitude and cautious optimism, I have to say that I came out confused. Entertained on some level, yes, but still confused.
Don't get me wrong, Mighty Avengers #9 is by no means a bad book. The Avengers hunt down Dr. Doom in his castle to, uh, avenge the Venom Virus outbreak in New York and a fight ensues. It's standard superhero stuff, minimal frills. And Mark Bagley's art is mostly great. There's a set of splash pages depicting a battle and, while completely gratuitous, they're rendered beautifully. Marko Djurdjevic puts in a guest spot for a couple pages and naturally it's gorgeous stuff. His sequence, a Doom flashback, adds a nice layer to the story that will hopefully pay off big later. What baffles me, though, is the same thing that's been nagging at me about the book for the last few months. None of this seems like it matters very much.
For the most part Mighty Avengers operates for the Avengers franchise in the same fashion that Astonishing X-Men does for the X-Men. Both titles tell their own little stories, blissfully ignorant of what's going on in the rest of their brands. New Avengers and Avengers: The Initiative are knee-deep in Skrulls, but Mighty is just sort of floating along, playing with some Venom monsters here, having a slap-fight with Doom there. Jessica Drew and Tony Stark had a Skrull conversation an issue or two back, but for the most part Mighty just pits its cast against iconic(-ish) villains and has them fight dramatically with little consequence to the outside world. Now, of course you could argue that none of that is important. To a reader who's not attuned to the Marvel Universe at large, Mighty Avengers reads like a very traditional interpretation of contemporary Marvel heroes, and there's definitely a market for that. But the title was set up as a flagship for the new direction of the publisher's books. It rarely, if ever, feels like it achieves that goal.
It's absolutely possible to read Mighty Avengers #9 and thoroughly enjoy it for what it is: an uncomplicated, fun superhero book. All the pieces are at least competently done. I just have to wonder what the point of the title is meant to be.
Review Score:7.2 Decent
