Writers: Mark Waid, Al Ewing, & Jim Zub
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colors: David Curiel
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Avengers #690 concludes the highly enjoyable No Surrender weekly event that saw the combination of all the Avengerstitles into one world shattering (moving) event. As a whole the No Surrender story was compelling, high on action as well as having some wonderful character moments. For the most part the action wrapped up last issue, with the defeat of the Challenger, who along with the Grandmaster orchestrated the events of No Surrender.Avengers #690is a wrap up issue, a quiet conclusion to what has been a great tale.
Avengers #690 is full of vignettes the pick up the pieces from the past fifteen issues and not only concludes this storyline but sets up the future tales of not only the core Avengers cast but also the peripheral characters that populated books like U.S. Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, and Occupy Avengers. The main story deals with rebuilding Avengers Mansion and nothing can be done at the mansion without Jarvis, who is as much a staple to the Avengers as any of the big three. There’s also an uncomfortable moment between a revived Bruce Banner and Clint Barton, who assassinated the Hulk all the way back in Civil War II. Brother Voodoo, the Scarlet Witch, and Synapse go in search of Quicksilver, who seemingly fell in battle but Marvel may have other plans with that, and Robert Da Costa (Sunspot to old school fans and Citizen V to the new) decides to take a new direction with his life. Maybe not as an enjoyable issue as the previous issues but its still a fun issue and a great wrap up to this streamlining event.
The Avengers have been eclectic over the past few years with a wide array of titles. With new takes and new directions like the highly enjoyable Uncanny Avengersand U.S Avengers. That being said it was nice to get back to one Avengerstitle with a large cast of characters and some wonderful creators. It doesn’t get much better than the brain trust of writers involved with No Surrender– Mark Waid, Al Ewing, and Jim Zub- and the artwork has been fantastic and Avengers #690is drawn by the star in the making Pepe Larraz who must do more work on the Earth Mightiest Heroes in the near future. But Avengers #690puts a bow on this tale and sets up the relaunch of Avengersunder the care of Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness next week. No Surrenderwas a lot of fun and I have a feeling its just the beginning of a great time to be a fan of the Avengers.
Verdict: Avengers #690is a wonderful wrap up to the sixteen-part No Surrenderstoryline. With its delightful character moments and A list creators it was a satisfying epilogue to a line wide revamp of the Avengersfranchise and perfectly sets up the next evolution of the title.
