Marvel Comics’ Avengers: Twilight isn’t just an exciting concept; it’s a complex and nuanced exploration of the times we live in. Writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Daniel Acuña, and letterer Cory Petit bring us yet another flawless, destined-to-be-classic issue in Avengers: Twilight #2. This is an issue that’s full of characters who are trying to convince themselves they can live life like they’re in a simple, straight-forward comic book world. But that’s not the world they live in now, and try as they might, things aren’t as simple as just hitting a reset button. This creative team dives deeper into their themes of nostalgia, control, and rebellion.
Writing
Zdarsky’s script continues to feel as multi-layered as real life. No one is fully right, no one is completely wrong — with perhaps only one exception (you’ll have to read it to see who I mean). The last issue showed us what it’s like for Steve Rogers to live and age — without the help of his Super Soldier serum — under an oppressive government. In Avengers: Twilight #1‘s final moments, he found a way to get his powers back, and joined the Defenders, a clandestine group of freedom fighters who rally under Luke Cage’s leadership. And while characters like Luke Cage and Steve Rogers seem to be paragons of virtue, Zdarsky shows us that their singlemindedness is not only naïve, but it fails to see what their war will cost other people.
Yes, they’re fighting a fascist government that’s brutally keeping its populace in line. And yet, after the events of Heroes’ Day, it makes an awful kind of sense that the nation would have to use extreme methods to keep its most powerful citizens in check. As we dive deeper into this story, we see that every character seems to believe they know what’s best for everyone, and all of them are wrong in some ways. Zdarsky’s world of Avengers: Twilight isn’t a world of primary colors and flashy action sequences. This is a world where moral stances lead to collateral damage. This is a world where fear radicalizes even the most well-meaning. This is a world where the wealthy elite dictate what the media puts out, and no one knows where to get trustworthy information. Avengers: Twilight is full of colors that have faded with time. Nothing is black and white. Everything is grey.
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Art
There’s another reason that Avengers: Twilight feels so real, and it’s Acuña’s stunning artwork. Acuña straddles the line of detailed realism and stylistic minimalism with unmatched grace. At times, we see every wrinkle, scar, and mole. Acuña populates many of his backgrounds with meticulously rendered characters — who you have no trouble believing have full lives outside of their one panel. Other times, buildings, people, articles of clothing, or even details on someone’s face, are presented as a block of color. It gives this work an incredible dynamism and also shows us that the details that are there are there for a reason.
There’s a few places where it seems like Acuña has certain people in mind as he draws. Steve often looks like a haggard Robert Redford. Jarvis’ jowls and chin make him look a bit like Marlon Brando. Luke Cage gives us that same tired expression we see from Danny Glover. What this does, though, is it makes each character look distinct. And hopefully, somewhere out there, a Marvel exec will wonder if this would be a good movie. (Hint, hint. It would be perfect!)
Coloring
Acuña’s use of colors is impeccable. As you might expect, there are lots of reds and blues in this issue. In many ways, it comes to represent the resistance fighters. Their base is often shown in varying hues of crimson and cerulean. It’s in the glow of their screens and the gleam of their dull fluorescent lights. It shows up in their uniforms and battle plans. Their confrontations with others Acuña also colors this way. The brightness of the page accentuates the sudden influx of danger.
Yet, when we see the rest of the world, outside of the resistance’s hideouts and skirmishes, there’s not nearly as many primary colors. Instead, we see a lot of browns, greens, greys, and blacks. Maybe Acuña is suggesting that Steve, Luke, and the rebels are longing for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. They want to go back to the simplicity of the good old days. But simple isn’t the same as good. The intricate, gorgeous work that is Avengers: Twilight is surely proof of that.
Lettering
There’s so much to love about the lettering of this issue. Acuña seems to work a lot of the sound effects into the artwork himself. The CRACKs, POPs, THUDs and BLAMs of the issue all blend seamlessly into each panel. (If this is Petit’s work, that’s even more impressive! He compliments Acuña’s style perfectly.)
Petit’s work with the dialogue and captions is fantastic. Everything from character’s whispering in smaller font to their cries of surprise leaping out past the bounds of their word balloons. There are two points that Petit pushes the story forward perfectly, though. At one point, one character is faced with the fact that they could be doing more. They have their eyes closed, but their face is directed down and towards the words that beg for their help. Petit makes this connection between what we see and what the character hears by making it look like even they can’t bear to read those words on the page. Later, Petit gives us the sense that someone who is speaking through multiple mediums is everywhere. We see them say their first few lines with a word balloon coming from their mouth, but as they go on the balloons are instead coming out of screens elsewhere in the panel. It’s a brilliant way to drive home the point of that moment.
Conclusion
The first issue of this series flawlessly introduced us to a new world. Avengers: Twilight #2 picks it up from there and shows us that these characters want their old world back. Zdarsky, Acuña, and Petit leave us wondering if it’s really as uncomplicated as all that. You do not want to miss this issue, out from Marvel Comics now at a comic store near you!
