Can’t these heroes just get along?
All-New, All-Different Avengers has struggled to live up to the pedigree of its cast and its creative team these past few months. Issue #5 suggests that the book’s prospects may be improving, though. That has less to do with the underwhelming threat Mark Waid is building up and more with the stronger team dynamic.
This issue directly tackles the question of whether young upstarts like Ms. Marvel and Nova are truly worthy to count themselves among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Not in the annoyingly meta way issue #4 addressed online complaints, but in a more natural way that pits the youthful optimism of these heroes against the seasoned pragmatism of characters like Captain American and Iron Man. So while there’s plenty of fun character banter to be had (particularly the recent Cap/Thor smooch and the resulting Ms. Marvel-penned fanfic), there’s also a sizable helping of drama that gives the book a weight it previously lacked.
All of this plays into Mark Waid’s treatment of Vision, who is easily the series’ most compelling character. Frankly, Vision is shaping up to be the antagonist this series deserves, not the mysterious “Qeng Dynasty” and the utterly underwhelming reveal made on that front in this issue. Vision’s lack of moral compass and his willingness to manipulate his teammates for his own mysterious ends make him a compelling wild card. It might sound counter-intuitive to suggest that removing Vision’s emotions and personality was the best to happen to the character in years, but both this series and Tom King’s solo Vision comic bear that out.
The series’ visual prospects have also improved now that Mahmud Asrar has taken the reins. Asrar provides a winning blend of expressive characters and dynamic action in this issue. For every big splash image of Kamala and Miles swinging their way through the city, there’s an equally appealing shot of Kamala bickering with Bruno or Vision plotting for the shadows. Asrar and colorist Dave McCaig help keep this issue balanced between the story’s light and dark elements. While the general level of detail in this issue can be a bit spotty, Asrar continues to prove himself a rising talent at Marvel.
All-New, All-Different Avengers lacks a compelling villain right now, so it’s good to see that the core team dynamic is becoming strong enough to offset that flaw. Waid’s characterization of Vision alone makes this book worth reading, but the improving visual quality, the general team banter and the Ms. Marvel-centric material don’t hurt either.
