Post by goldenfist on Aug 14, 2008 14:20:50 GMT -5
Ign.com reviews Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2.
After the shallow forcefulness of Runaways/Young Avengers Civil War, I came into this series apprehensive of the two teams being shoehorned together, once again based primarily on their relative similarities. So imagine my surprise that after two issues, the book is about as important to the ongoing plotlines of both titles (both stuck in hiatus), as any story that has shared their respective monikers over the past year. The events in SI Runaways/Young Avengers thrust Xavin and Hulkling's ongoing subplots directly into the forefront, transforming this miniseries into a must buy for fans of both series, as opposed to yet another unnecessary exploitation in the modern era of event based tie-ins.
When Allan Heinburg scripted "Family Matters" in his original Young Avengers run, the inclusion of Teddy and his involvement in Skrull prophecy felt more like an homage to a the author's favorite silver/bronze age stories, as opposed to a precursory planting of Secret Invasion seedlings. Here we are two years later and because of this little labor of love, of all the Secret Invasion tie-ins, this book should, at least in theory, become one of the most important. Allegedly, Bendis has been laying the groundwork for the event for years now, so it will be interesting to see if he and Yost plan to restrain the whole prophecy issue within this mini, or embrace it full on by making the Hulkling one of Secret Invasion's most pivotal characters.
Beyond the larger scope, Yost bonds these characters together in admirable fashion. His flashbacks of Xavin training on her home planet are well executed, never coming off forced, while properly conveying the character's vested interest into Hulkling's well being. Everything he does here makes perfect sense. Obviously, the Skrull invasion affects the duo on a much deeper level than the rest of their teammates, so Yost doesn't waste a second in handing them the starring roles. This leaves the rest of the crew to bash a few skulls, making for the perfect combination of violent fun and more astute plotting.
For the most part, Takeshi Miyazawa's art works fair enough, although he, like all the other Secret Invasion artists, occasionally has a hard time in differentiating the arsenal of Skrulls populating every page. This isn't exactly his fault, but when shoulder pads are the only visual clue as to the identity of any given Skrull, things begin to get confusing rather quickly.
What Miyazawa does do particularly well, however, is portray both major groups in age-appropriated manner. There is a visible difference between the older characters like Chase and the younger members, such as Molly and Klara. This sounds like a rather perfunctory task, but I've seen artist screw it up all the same, especially when using this specific cast.
I don't know if I've been more surprised by a comic at any point over the period of the last few months. Yost has all of the Runaways/Young Avengers characterizations down pat, while also providing a story of substance and significance. Even if you're not picking up the main Secret Invasion titles, if you're a supporter of either of these two teams, this series is required reading- its ramifications having the potential to affect both series for years to come.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive
After the shallow forcefulness of Runaways/Young Avengers Civil War, I came into this series apprehensive of the two teams being shoehorned together, once again based primarily on their relative similarities. So imagine my surprise that after two issues, the book is about as important to the ongoing plotlines of both titles (both stuck in hiatus), as any story that has shared their respective monikers over the past year. The events in SI Runaways/Young Avengers thrust Xavin and Hulkling's ongoing subplots directly into the forefront, transforming this miniseries into a must buy for fans of both series, as opposed to yet another unnecessary exploitation in the modern era of event based tie-ins.
When Allan Heinburg scripted "Family Matters" in his original Young Avengers run, the inclusion of Teddy and his involvement in Skrull prophecy felt more like an homage to a the author's favorite silver/bronze age stories, as opposed to a precursory planting of Secret Invasion seedlings. Here we are two years later and because of this little labor of love, of all the Secret Invasion tie-ins, this book should, at least in theory, become one of the most important. Allegedly, Bendis has been laying the groundwork for the event for years now, so it will be interesting to see if he and Yost plan to restrain the whole prophecy issue within this mini, or embrace it full on by making the Hulkling one of Secret Invasion's most pivotal characters.
Beyond the larger scope, Yost bonds these characters together in admirable fashion. His flashbacks of Xavin training on her home planet are well executed, never coming off forced, while properly conveying the character's vested interest into Hulkling's well being. Everything he does here makes perfect sense. Obviously, the Skrull invasion affects the duo on a much deeper level than the rest of their teammates, so Yost doesn't waste a second in handing them the starring roles. This leaves the rest of the crew to bash a few skulls, making for the perfect combination of violent fun and more astute plotting.
For the most part, Takeshi Miyazawa's art works fair enough, although he, like all the other Secret Invasion artists, occasionally has a hard time in differentiating the arsenal of Skrulls populating every page. This isn't exactly his fault, but when shoulder pads are the only visual clue as to the identity of any given Skrull, things begin to get confusing rather quickly.
What Miyazawa does do particularly well, however, is portray both major groups in age-appropriated manner. There is a visible difference between the older characters like Chase and the younger members, such as Molly and Klara. This sounds like a rather perfunctory task, but I've seen artist screw it up all the same, especially when using this specific cast.
I don't know if I've been more surprised by a comic at any point over the period of the last few months. Yost has all of the Runaways/Young Avengers characterizations down pat, while also providing a story of substance and significance. Even if you're not picking up the main Secret Invasion titles, if you're a supporter of either of these two teams, this series is required reading- its ramifications having the potential to affect both series for years to come.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive
