Mighty Avengers (2013) #3 Review

INFINITY TIE-IN!

The Blue Marvel joins the fight – and the Ebony Maw makes his move!

A plague of demons is raging through Manhattan, and the only Avenger who can defeat them is… Spider Hero? What?

Seriously, who is that guy?

 

 The Good

Cover- There are times where Greg Land’s art works and this cover is one of those. Blue Marvel looks badass, convicted and out for justice! It’s highly reminiscent of Superman but it’s fitting none the less……..he is created from the superman archetype after all.

Surprisingly good– This issue really sold me on the idea that this team of Avengers will be different enough from the others to warrant existing. The combination of powers, knowledge and skill on this team is pretty awesome.

Art- Greg Land turns in his best art for this series thus far, a few faces were not what I would have wanted but for the most part the action and emotion was spot on.

Humor– Ewing has also sprinkled a healthy dose of humor throughout the issue which enhance the overall story in a very subtle way: “It’s Monica…or Spectrum if you Nasty!” 🙂

Blue Marvel– How awesome was it that big blue just tore through Shuma Gorath, conversed with Spider-man, Luke, Blade/Spider-hero and proceeded to save Monica Rambeau while decked out in his dope as f*** new costume was simply too much for my fanboy senses. If this is what Al Ewing has planned for big blue under his pen I will gladly give him my money for the next ten years. Mighty Avengers is the truth!

Black Heroes– roll call for those not reading the book and thinking about picking it up; This book contains Luke Cage the old hero for hire turned family man and Avengers leader, Monica Rambeau former Avengers leader, former main squeeze of the deceased Dr. Voodoo with light based powers, Ava Ayala the latest in the Ayala family to carry the mantle of the White Tiger, Power Man a chi based superhero with ties to Luke Cage’s past trained by Iron Fist, Blade/Spider-hero the world-famous day walking vampire who for some reason is in disguise and Blue Marvel who I’ve talks about so much in this review you already know who he is.

Christopher Priest’s dream– So back in the early 90’s when Christopher Priest was on his out of writing the Black Panther he pitched an idea to marvel about a team comprised of mostly ethnic characters with a few white ones attached. Marvel failed to allow Priest to play with all the characters he wanted *Cough* Quicksilver *cough*. That book became ‘the crew’ a very short-lived title that has all but been forgotten by everyone at marvel. Mighty Avengers is a book through which that idea lives on. Luke Cage, Ava Ayala, Power Man, Blue Marvel, Spectrum, Blade/Spider Her/Ronin etc embody what Priest realized, comics needed a team which truly reflected the diverse society that comics represent.

Budding romance– The flirtation between Ava and Victor was cute, I see the potential for drama down the line.

The Amulet- At the start of the issue Ava voices something that many have thought about but never quite realized. The White Tiger mantle has been held by those who mostly wind up dead, especially if you’re related to the original. Her brother died because of it, so did her parents and her niece also died but was brought back by the hand. Her pessimism but reverence for the mantle added some emotional depth to the opening that I truly hope gets touched on later as the series continues.

Continuity- We get nods to Hector Ayala dyeing and Ava’s history which was told in Avengers Academy, we also get a nod to Victor Alvarez’s dad Shades death during the Shadowland crossover. As a continuity buff, this really rocked my boat!

Kevin Grevioux– For those new to the character of Blue Marvel I must name drop the very talented writer/actor Kevin Grevioux who created the Blue Marvel Character for Marvel comics. Kevin may not even think World of Black Heroes is noteworthy in any way but he’s someone comics fans in general and black comics fans in particular should keep their eyes on. Kevin wrote Underworld and later starred in it and let us not even get into his Uzan the Mighty series and the fact that with Michael Clark Duncan dead he’s the best person to play M’baku nemesis of the Black Panther in any considered movie!

 

 

The Bad

White wash-Let me get this off my chest early so I can sleep better tonight. I’m hoping that the picture Land drew of Ava holding in her hand was of her father and not her brother Hector because news flash to the uninitiated Hector did not have hair like Marc Anthony or J-Lo. He’s not that kind of Latino. He has always had medium to dark brown skin and clearly negroid hair. It would be an absolute travesty for marvel to pull a Monet St. Croix with the original White Tiger after he was killed. If a character was created as black/white/Asian etc let him or her remain so. If your story involves a body swap like Psylocke I’m cool with it. If we are making a new version of the character that is also cool, I’m even cool if for the purpose of a movie you want to add diversity and change a character’s ethnicity. HECTOR AYALA WAS A BLACK LATINO CHARACTER, LET HIM REMAIN SO!

Spoilers- Well I’ve avoided posting it but it’s been everywhere, Spider-Hero is really daywalker Blade in Disguise. It adds depth to this issue surely but did marvel really have to blow the whistle before the mystery even had legs to stand on?

One Liners- Expect a great many fans to quibble and complain about a few cheesy one liners.

 

The Ugly

Al Ewing has in three issues hooked me on the Mighty Avengers! This is quite possibly the best Avengers book you’re not reading! Epic battles, glorious action and serious potential, Mighty Avengers is all that and more! 4/5