One of Marvel’s hottest creative talents, writer Kelly Thompson, has been on fire recently. Her new series West Coast Avengers debuts and explodes with charm, character, heart, and all the adorable.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Our beloved darling of Marvel Comics, Kate Bishop, is settling in on the West Coast. In addition to her P.I. business and new superhero boyfriend, her fellow Hawkeye (Clint Barton) proposes she form her own team to protect the side of the country left mostly unguarded–forming a new West Coast Avengers.
The lineup consists of both Hawkeyes, newbie Fuse, America Chavez, Gwenpoole and Quentin Quire. These are all Marvel characters we wanted more of, who recently saw a cancellation, and some fresh blood. It’s a brilliant move to have this lineup rise from the ashes of a handful of cancelled comics (America, Hawkeye, Generation-X, The Unbelievable Gwenpool).
Kelly Thompson has quickly become a top talent for Marvel, her Hawkeye was easily one of the best comics in the publisher’s lineup during it’s run. The more we see of her, the better. West Coast Avengers taps into the same vein as her other wonderful works.
This is a fast-moving train of fun that makes your heart happy as you smirk yourself into a coma. Thompson injects so much charm into her characters and immediately makes them her own without changing their DNA.
West Coast Avengers #1 wastes no time building on character relationships and team dynamics. In just one issue this already feels like a dysfunctional family that we could be willing to grow with for years to come.
The way Kelly crafted the reason for the team, along with the solution for their financial backing allows us to smoothly get going right away. The reality show device is a great choice for this cast as well as a great way for Thompson to quickly establish each character’s attributes and attitudes.
Artist Stefano Caselli does a marvelous job throwing us right into the action and keeping the tempo up. The interview moments and quieter interactions are filled with beautiful face work. So much of the character and charm that oozes out of West Coast Avengers comes from Caselli’s art, the perfect accent to Thompson’s style and voice.
Colorist Triona Farrell makes this comic pop. The makeup of this team allows her to use and blend a lot of purple and pink that give this book a lot of visual appeal. As always, letterer Joe Caramagna does a wonderful job turning words we read into sounds we hear. There’s a really nice collection of colorful and fun lettering on display.
West Coast Avengers wastes no time establishing itself as the most fun you can have reading a Marvel comic. There’s so much charm, character, heart and hilarity oozing out of each page. It’s impossible not to smile the entire time you read.
