Post by Van Plexico on Jul 8, 2006 9:48:52 GMT -5
NO SPOILERS HERE!
I just finished reading one of the best comics I've read in quite a long time: YOUNG AVENGERS #12.
This is a wondrous comic book and a very satisfying end to a twelve-issue storyline. If you are a true Avengers fan, you will not let the word "Young" on the cover deter you from enjoying the best-written and best-illustrated AVENGERS story in a long time.
I sat down to read it, and forty-five minutes later, I still wasn't done. *Forty-five minutes.* When was the last time it took that long to read a comic--particularly a regular-length comic (okay, two extra pages, but not including the other story after it, yet).
This comic was simply brilliant, from top to bottom, start to finish. I am very impressed with the manner in which Heinberg has unravelled this story for us, over twelve issues, and the skill in characterization, pacing, and attention to every detail. This comic is so much better-written than NEW AVENGERS, it's staggering.
But speaking of *staggering*... With his art in this issue, Jim Cheung should firmly have passed into the "legend" stratosphere of Avengers artists.
Not only are his renderings of the characters utterly consistent, lovely to behold, and engaging (love the costume of the new character, and it's obvious that the gorgeous Kate Bishop is a favorite of Cheung, the way he pushes her to the front so often), but his layouts in this particular comic book pretty much *define* the way to *constructively* use splash pages (are you listening, NEW AVENGERS?!).
I pored over them for minutes each. They're single, big panels, obviously, but within each of them, lots of stuff is happening, and it's not just a "melee"-- you can pick out individual battles within the splash page.
And that's just what Cheung does here: He sets up two or three heroes in each splash, then expands upon what they're doing, in conjunction with each other, in the six smaller panels on the following page. Simple, yes, but so few artists actually seem to do this!
In all, this is one of the most beautiful comic books *just too look at* that I can remember in years.
And, being the last issue (for a while), things come to a satisfying conclusion, with enough loose ends still dangling to make things interesting for the future. And it looks like we have a long-term storyline just beginning, which should see the YAs through the new year. (And it also explains why certain old-time Avengers have been treated the way they have-- or rather not-- recently.)
I won't even address the issue of Kate's and the Vision's names/status, beyond stating that they're resolved here. The Handbook spoiled one (couldn't be helped) and there's been some contention on the other (was he "the Vision" or a wholly new "Young Vision?). Now we know, for better or worse.
All told, YOUNG AVENGERS #12 was the comic of the year for me, thus far. It will take quite an effort to top this. Given what we have to look forward to, the rest of the year, I don't see anything looming out there that could challenge its status.
Hail the Young Avengers!
Van's Rating:
YOUNG AVENGERS #12: ****3/4 out of 5 stars
I just finished reading one of the best comics I've read in quite a long time: YOUNG AVENGERS #12.
This is a wondrous comic book and a very satisfying end to a twelve-issue storyline. If you are a true Avengers fan, you will not let the word "Young" on the cover deter you from enjoying the best-written and best-illustrated AVENGERS story in a long time.
I sat down to read it, and forty-five minutes later, I still wasn't done. *Forty-five minutes.* When was the last time it took that long to read a comic--particularly a regular-length comic (okay, two extra pages, but not including the other story after it, yet).
This comic was simply brilliant, from top to bottom, start to finish. I am very impressed with the manner in which Heinberg has unravelled this story for us, over twelve issues, and the skill in characterization, pacing, and attention to every detail. This comic is so much better-written than NEW AVENGERS, it's staggering.
But speaking of *staggering*... With his art in this issue, Jim Cheung should firmly have passed into the "legend" stratosphere of Avengers artists.
Not only are his renderings of the characters utterly consistent, lovely to behold, and engaging (love the costume of the new character, and it's obvious that the gorgeous Kate Bishop is a favorite of Cheung, the way he pushes her to the front so often), but his layouts in this particular comic book pretty much *define* the way to *constructively* use splash pages (are you listening, NEW AVENGERS?!).
I pored over them for minutes each. They're single, big panels, obviously, but within each of them, lots of stuff is happening, and it's not just a "melee"-- you can pick out individual battles within the splash page.
And that's just what Cheung does here: He sets up two or three heroes in each splash, then expands upon what they're doing, in conjunction with each other, in the six smaller panels on the following page. Simple, yes, but so few artists actually seem to do this!
In all, this is one of the most beautiful comic books *just too look at* that I can remember in years.
And, being the last issue (for a while), things come to a satisfying conclusion, with enough loose ends still dangling to make things interesting for the future. And it looks like we have a long-term storyline just beginning, which should see the YAs through the new year. (And it also explains why certain old-time Avengers have been treated the way they have-- or rather not-- recently.)
I won't even address the issue of Kate's and the Vision's names/status, beyond stating that they're resolved here. The Handbook spoiled one (couldn't be helped) and there's been some contention on the other (was he "the Vision" or a wholly new "Young Vision?). Now we know, for better or worse.
All told, YOUNG AVENGERS #12 was the comic of the year for me, thus far. It will take quite an effort to top this. Given what we have to look forward to, the rest of the year, I don't see anything looming out there that could challenge its status.
Hail the Young Avengers!
Van's Rating:
YOUNG AVENGERS #12: ****3/4 out of 5 stars