Advance Review: Avengers #50 (Lgy #750)

Be warned; this book is not for the faint-hearted or for those who have been away from the Avengers for a while. With its trifecta of previous storylines ploughing on, present arc’s coming to an end and the setup for the next few arc, there is certainly a helluva lot going on. But is the book an arc too far?

This book has it all; the end of the World War She-Hulk and a return to form, of sorts, to Jen just in time for her TV show . The prehistoric Avengers face a bit of an uphill battle and Ka-Zar, probably the most unlikely time traveller since Leela knocked around with the Doctor, faces a bit of a problem that requires a new job. Throw in some new members onto the team and you have got a super-sized issue that feels more gruff and bluster than anything else.

Jason Aaron’s run on this book hasn’t been without controversy. The prehistoric Avengers is one thing, but Phoenix? And what about Phoenix and Odin? With all that said, to fully get this book you will have to been around the book for a while. Repeated themes abound with the same villains that you have seen this run previously. These little subplots have to lead somewhere; I am not sure that more subplots is the right solution. Still, at least the She-Hulk stuff has finally been sorted out. Aaron’s intersperses the main story with Ka-Zar elements which feels like interruptions, not allowing the main story to gain any real traction.

With the book being a super-sized affair, we get to see a plethora of artists including Aaron Kuder, Carlos Pacheco, Ed McGuiness, Javier Garrón and Rafael Fonteriz. The group’s distinctive styles sometimes gel and other times are jarringly different.v. The varyins styles, couped with the stop start style of writing gives the book a chaotic feel and gives me something of a headache. Colors are provided by Alex Sinclair, David Curiel, Matt Hollingsworth and Rachelle Rosenberg. Each of these are great colorists in their own right and there are examples littered throughout this book. That said, the colors do add to the ever present chaos. Not sure who supplied the letters as the creator page is somewhat lacking in details. There is an extra story written by Christopher Ruocchio, with art by Steve McNiven and letters from Frank D’Armata.

I know a certain No Prize Podcast-er who loves the Avengers. I also know that over this last year, he has left this book. Reading this, I see his points and personally, I don’t think that this book would make me want to go buy the book.

Writing – 2.5 Stars

Art- 3 Stars

Colors – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3 Stars

Written by; Jason Arron & Christopher Ruocchio
Art by; Aaron Kuder, Carlos Pacheco, Ed McGuiness,
Javier Garrón, Rafael Fonteriz & Steve McNiven
Colors by; Alex Sinclair, David Curiel, Matt Hollingsworth
and Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by; Frank D’Armata
Published by Marvel Worldwide Inc.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network