Post by goldenfist on May 30, 2008 11:13:57 GMT -5
Ign.com review Young Avengers Presents #5.
It's an inescapable truth that every issue of Young Avengers Presents will vary wildly in quality based on the creative team. At its best, the series has lived up to the high bar set by the original, occasionally making us forget Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung have moved on. Other times the series has been just one more teen superhero book in an increasingly crowded market. I wasn't really expecting Kevin Grevioux to match the quality of the past two issues, and he doesn't. Luckily, Grevioux does deliver a decent effort that proves he has more to offer his readers than the likes of New Warriors.
The star of this month's issue is Cassie Lang, better known as the size-shifting Stature. Here's the first of several problems with this issue - Cassie was already a focal point of the last issue. Sure, it was technically Vision's book, but she was equally important to the story. What does this issue have to offer that the last one didn't? Grevioux ignores her blossoming romance and instead turns toward Cassie's troubled home life. This was a good move, as the early scenes in the Lang household are definitely the issue's strongest.
The real crux of the story, though, is Cassie's torment over having apparently killed an innocent person, anguish that causes her to grow smaller and smaller as the issue progresses. This is where the the other problems rear their heads. First, Patriot is selected to shrink down and talk sense to her. His speech is a bit hackneyed and happy-go-lucky coming from a normally hard-edged teen character. As for the actual murder mystery, the actual revelation strikes me as being far too convenient and a little silly. And, finally, more hackneyed dialogue strikes as the Land family attempts to patch things up for a nice, Hollywood ending. Blegh. Generally Grevioux shows himself to be adept at handling teen characters. This issue, as with the majority of New Warriors, suffers from some awkward plotting and a tendency to wrap things up too neatly.
Mitch Breitweiser is a slightly odd choice to handle the art chores, and one that I don't feel paid off. I enjoyed his work on Captain America: The Chosen. That said, The Chosen was a gritty book and that style doesn't carry over well to a teen superhero drama. The characters tend to look far older and more worn than they should.
All in all, Grevioux keeps Young Avengers Presents afloat better than I might have expected. If only Marvel would see reason and cancel New Warriors. I have faith his talents could be better put to use in a series like this.
Review Score: 7.2 Decent
It's an inescapable truth that every issue of Young Avengers Presents will vary wildly in quality based on the creative team. At its best, the series has lived up to the high bar set by the original, occasionally making us forget Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung have moved on. Other times the series has been just one more teen superhero book in an increasingly crowded market. I wasn't really expecting Kevin Grevioux to match the quality of the past two issues, and he doesn't. Luckily, Grevioux does deliver a decent effort that proves he has more to offer his readers than the likes of New Warriors.
The star of this month's issue is Cassie Lang, better known as the size-shifting Stature. Here's the first of several problems with this issue - Cassie was already a focal point of the last issue. Sure, it was technically Vision's book, but she was equally important to the story. What does this issue have to offer that the last one didn't? Grevioux ignores her blossoming romance and instead turns toward Cassie's troubled home life. This was a good move, as the early scenes in the Lang household are definitely the issue's strongest.
The real crux of the story, though, is Cassie's torment over having apparently killed an innocent person, anguish that causes her to grow smaller and smaller as the issue progresses. This is where the the other problems rear their heads. First, Patriot is selected to shrink down and talk sense to her. His speech is a bit hackneyed and happy-go-lucky coming from a normally hard-edged teen character. As for the actual murder mystery, the actual revelation strikes me as being far too convenient and a little silly. And, finally, more hackneyed dialogue strikes as the Land family attempts to patch things up for a nice, Hollywood ending. Blegh. Generally Grevioux shows himself to be adept at handling teen characters. This issue, as with the majority of New Warriors, suffers from some awkward plotting and a tendency to wrap things up too neatly.
Mitch Breitweiser is a slightly odd choice to handle the art chores, and one that I don't feel paid off. I enjoyed his work on Captain America: The Chosen. That said, The Chosen was a gritty book and that style doesn't carry over well to a teen superhero drama. The characters tend to look far older and more worn than they should.
All in all, Grevioux keeps Young Avengers Presents afloat better than I might have expected. If only Marvel would see reason and cancel New Warriors. I have faith his talents could be better put to use in a series like this.
Review Score: 7.2 Decent