Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Ed McGuinness & Paco Medina
Inkers: Mark Morales & Juan Vlasco
Colors: David Curiel
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Avengers #6 brings the end of Jason Aaron’s first arc on the newest relaunch of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. With the earth on the brink of destruction from the arrival of the Dark Celestials, Celestials who have been driven mad by the Final Host, the Avengers stand as the last bastion of hope for the people of earth- just as they should be. These Dark Celestials are linked to the defeat of the Fallen Celestial by the Avengers from One Million Years Ago and over the course of the arc they have killed their fellow Celestial’s who then plummeted to earth causing mass destruction, fear, death, as well as the formation of the newest iteration of the Avengers, an eclectic grouping of the Big Three (Cap, Thor, & Iron Man), long time members (Captain Marvel, Black Panther, & She-Hulk) with some intriguing new blood (Doctor Strange & Ghost Rider). Avengers #6 is the last stand of this new Avengers team as they are the last line of defense between the Dark Celestials and their desire to destroy earth.
Avengers #6 is the final confrontation of the extinction level threat the Dark Celestials. There are oversized Avengers, who have grown to Celestial size to battle the behemoths, and an earth bound team attempting to stop the infestation of the Final Host that will lead to the literal death of the planet. There are some great action sequences as this team finally starts to meld into a cohesive unit, but just like all great Avengers squads there is still some division and internal turmoil and drama that eventually, as in Avengers teams of the past, leads to some great Avengers moments. There were scenes of enjoyment, especially the Ghost Rider stepping up to the plate as the last line of defense while other moments fell flat for me, such as Thor and She-Hulk continuing to hook up for no apparent reason. The battle(s) build to an exciting culmination and the widescreen cinematic feel to the issue draws the reader in but the conclusion is less then satisfying and actually makes it feel like the arc needs one more issue.
I have high hopes for this Avengers title as I think that Jason Aaron is one of, if not the best writers at Marvel if not in all of comics. Yet this team hasn’t quite come together yet, which may be and probably is by design. But the magnitude of this arc never felt quite as epic as it was intended and although it didn’t turn me off to the title it does make me hesitant going forward but I have faith in Aaron and will give him the luxury of time to make me love his Avengers. The art is somewhat uneven, its never a good thing when the solicited artist (Ed McGuinness) doesn’t make it through the initial arc without help but thankfully that help comes by way of Paco Medina whose clean cartoony style is actually a better fit for the title and his page layouts and art are fantastic. I hope he gets a shot at an arc of his own and not just to pinch-hit for McGuinness. The colors are great; the heroes are deep and vibrant which helps to contrast the Dark Celestials and the Final Host who are dark and menacing. On a whole it’s a solid issue, a fun conclusion to the first storyline but with Jason Aaron at the helm I expect more and will probably receive more as the run continues. Some more consistent art would be nice as well but if you’re looking for a fun team book you can’t go wrong with Avengers #6.
