Jason Aaron, Paco Medina, and Ed McGuinness’ Avengers #3 sees the team get closer to fully forming, but still not there yet. The mysteries of Marvel Legacy #1 are still unraveling as Loki takes Captain America for a ride.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Earth’s mightiest heroes fail to destroy Loki and his Celestial posse, throwing them into the sun wasn’t enough. Instead, Steve Rogers is now Loki’s captive as the rest of the not-Avengers are still on Earth trying to process what’s happening and what to do next.
This third chapter of Avengers is more of the same. There’s a lot going on, but still it feels a bit like we’re dragging our feet. By issue’s end, almost all of the characters are together at least. I feel like we still know exactly as much information about the Final Host and these Celestials as we did from reading Marvel Legacy #1. The only difference being the inconsequential hordes of bugs that are annoying our heroes.
Interactions between characters have been enjoyable, despite some being a bit out of character. Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes continues to steal the show as the “young gun” of the group. It’s great to see Aaron isn’t afraid to tap into the animosity there should be between Tony and Carol after Civil War II.
The overall narrative is moving at a snail’s pace, and the relationships building up front aren’t entertaining enough to mask it. Other than Ghost Rider, everybody else feels like they’ve been here before and they’re over it. This makes the assembly of this new era of Avengers feel less monumental than it should.
That being said, it doesn’t feel like the last five years of Marvel flagship Avengers comics. This “Fresh Start” Avengers is taking it’s time because it can. There’s no fear of being cancelled in a year or rebooted with Jason Aaron writing a team composed of almost all of Marvel’s heavy hitters. That reassurance buys this series a lot more rope than those that preceded it. Even still, we comic book readers are an impatient breed desperate for a significant Avengers title again.
Ed McGuinness is another big reason that this feels like it’ll be around for a while. There’s a sense of creative investment in these pages that demands the reader pay attention and appreciate each panel. McGuinness draws his characters and action in a classic manor, but with a modern flair that serves them well and will appeal to newcomers and veterans alike.
Avengers has been good, not great, issue #3 is a true testament to that. Nothing has happened, so far, that’ll stick with you past the time you spend reading the issue. However, it feels a lot more like home for Avengers fans than recent incarnations. It’s a good bet that sticking around through a slow start will pay off with Jason Aaron behind the wheel.
