Avengers Undercover #9 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Timothy Green II (Artist), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Francesco Mattina (Cover Artist)

The Story: See what happens when you don’t have an Akbar to shout out “It’s a TRAP!”?

The Review: Interestingly, the cover of this issue does not feature any of the regular cast of Avengers Undercover. It’s still a dramatic and energetic picture, but it’s a telling sign how things have really shifted in this series, how the stakes have been raised, and how there are all kinds of wheels within wheels that the regular cast simply hasn’t seen.

And yet, the story does not abandon them. It’s still really about the young heroes of Avengers Academy/Arena/Etc., even with all the larger plots and machinations flying around them. This creates some tension and empathy for our characters, although it also contributes to a very rushed feeling as well. Some momentum is fine, and as a reader maybe even preferable, but here there are times when I wish the various story beats deserved a bit more room to breathe.   

This issue’s “point of view” is from Anachronism. There’s no ambiguity about that question, unlike the previous issue. There’s a panel with only him and a caption saying “This is me.” OK, gotcha.  And yet, this trick of using characters’ captions as a narrative frame worked for other issues, and it gets dropped here pretty quickly. The scenes are shifting to too many other characters and the plot is being driven so hard that it’s not longer a defining feature of the book. And then, suddenly, an omniscient narrator’s caption is telling me Cammi is breaking the fourth wall in order to shush me? That’s a bit too sudden a stylistic shift and ruins what could be a more effective cliffhanger.

Avengers Undercover #8 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Tigh Walker (Penciller), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Francesco Mattina (Cover Artist)

The Story: The best-laid plans of teenage heroes often go ka-blooey.

The Review: The best praise I can give Avengers Undercover is how it keeps the reader guessing. This lends a narrative momentum that’s unmatched in most of today’s comics, and it’s what helps make for some powerful storytelling, too, as stakes are raised for characters, the plot has surprising twists, and there’s a palpable atmosphere of impending doom.

This issue follows the pattern of using a singular character for our point of view, and this time it’s Hazmat’s turn. Unfortunately, this issue’s attempt at point of view is probably the weakest element of the storytelling, actually. The first few pages have the bulk of narration, with a montage of various characters and no way to distinguish whose voice we’re hearing, and I had to mentally cycle through the characters on panel until the story settled into Hazmat and Anachronism’s portrayal. Often, we get a little symbol or some colors to help us out, not to mention some key poses of the narrator, but all of those are missing here. What’s more, it doesn’t really pay off as the remainder of the issue becomes a pretty standard third-person kind of view. I’d even argue that the key phrase of the narration, “I dunno, not much” is a cool idea, but placed awkwardly. Because the writer wants to save it for the punchline at the end, it makes the previous stuff a bit confusing.

One of the strengths of this comic, of course, is the way characters change, and often in unexpected ways. Having Hazmat and Anachronism as focal characters shows this brilliantly, since both have found themselves in places that are really quite different from the start, and most definitely quite different from the start of Avengers Arena. The narrative skips three months from the events of last issue, which in comicbook-storytelling-time has to be like five years of publishing or something. So it’s no wonder. But these changers are purposeful. They allow for new interactions and impact on other characters, too.

And not all these changes might be welcome by fans. Deathlocket has changed, too, after all, but has embraced the idea of being a part of the Masters of Evil, but you have to give readers what they need, not what they want, and this important development now means that that the whole plot is nearly off the rails, and everyone’s fate is still up in the air.

Also, this all means that there are plenty of costume changes, too. Both Hazmat’s and Anachronism are effective in treading that line between superhero costume and streetwear, which is quite contemporary but also misses the point on visually showing that they are supposedly becoming master villains. Deathlocket, on the other hand, has spiky hair and a costume with spikes, studded belt, halter-top, and mettalic padding– nearly 90s in its aesthetic. It’s no wonder she’s making bad choices, then. (And once again it feels like she’s drawn a bit too bombshell-y, three months of development or not).

Avengers Undercover #7 –

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Kev Walker (Penciller), Jason Gorder (Inker), Jean Francois-Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Francesco Mattina (Cover Artist)

The Story: You can’t keep a bad man down, but you can keep a good man down for a little while at least.

The Review: Deaths and resurrections are an essential part of comicbook storytelling, as there can’t really be any higher stakes to play with. And play with the stakes it does. The consequences of Death Locket’s actions and Chase’s condition serve as a catalyst for some significant displays of emotion, and the last-page appearance of a truly surprising resurrection makes for one of the best cliffhangers in recent comics.

There’s very little direct action here, making yet another talky issue, despite a bit of super-power training in the beginning. But the best of Marvel comics have always featured characters stuck in the middle of “will they won’t they” tension, and here’s a comic full of them. Nico takes the focus in this issue, with her training serving as the opening and her moral dilemma to give into the horrors around her as the featured illustration of the conflict facing our heroes. It’s truly a tragedy (in the classical Greek sense of the word) to see Nico slip into darkness — whether it’s truly her own decision or as a victim of the forces around her. But the combination of situation, dialogue, and expressive art make this an engaging and effective, emotionally-resonant, story.

Avengers Undercover #6 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Timothy Green II (Penciller), Jason Gorder (Inker), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Francesco Mattina (Cover Artist)

Spoiler Alert: Red Level

The Story:
“Shooting people is so much FUN!” she says, until it’s not.

The Review:
That opening line actually provides a great opening sequence to this issue, which starts with Death Locket’s embrace of being among the Masters of Evil, and then ends with her trauma of having shot a friend in point-blank range. It brings the premise of the series into the forefront in order to show a very character-driven internal conflict and to see how it then plays out when the conflict gets personal.

The only thing that would make this a more perfect opening line is if it was reinforced by the art, which makes me think this is a missed opportunity. Look at the final shot/final panel of Death Locket, with her extreme close-up and distraught expression in a half-page splash. Then look at the first shot/first panel, which does feature an ecstatic expression but is barely an eighth of the page– meaning the dune buggies are more important than that opening line.

The art returns to Green and Gorder from Kev Walker’s previous issues. The first time that happened, there was a confusion of characters since they all shared the same cocktail dress/attire. Here, at least, that problem is removed since the characters are all in costume, and the issue really only focuses on three people in particular. However, there still remains some significant problems when depicting female anatomy, which really is a problem when this issue features Death Locket, a 16 year-old girl. Check out the page when Death Locket announces that she was “just getting the hang of this whole punching thing.” Her torso is so completely elongated. To be fair, other depictions are more competently rendered (see two pages previous where she transforms her metal hand into a mace), but the figure is still highly stylized. Perhaps it’s just that comic art in 2014 has different expectations, and what is displayed here is more of an aesthetic of twenty years ago.*

Avengers Undercover #5 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Kev Walker (Penciller), Jason Gorder (Inker), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer)

SPOILER LEVEL: RED ALERT

The Story:
Our heroes make a deal with devil, but cross their fingers behind their back.
(Attention, fans of Runaways: You will want to read the issue first, so if you read this review instead, you will find SPOILERS.)

The Review:
The pacing of this series is near-perfect. We all knew from the beginning what kind of decision the young heroes would be making (hint: the name of this series is AVENGERS UNDERCOVER) so the big decision the characters make at the end of this issue is not so surprising. What’s actually full of tension is HOW they go about their decision-making process, which in this issue means a tour of the underworld of Bagalia (which includes a quite literal sense of the word) and lots of character interaction.

The characters are divided more or less among lines that parallel their use in the series– the supernatural characters in one area, the “leaders” go with Madame Masque, with Chase and Death Locket, largely reactionary/follower figures, with Constrictor and the Young Masters. It’s in the latter’s group that we get the sense of what exactly “the deal is” with Bagalia, which is revealed to be the hangouts for grunt labor (“like supervillain marines”) for the higher-up, big name villains. At least that provides a sense of place and purpose, to which Death Locket immediately gravitates, relishing the idea of just being “dumb” for once.

This makes it interesting when Death Locket is left out of the circle when the others come up with the idea of a third option in their “in or out” dilemma. The plates are spinning so that Death Locket as well as Cullen/Bloodstone can be set up for further conflict among the group. This is not a cohesive group, which means the antagonists may not be just the villainous cabal above them but could also very well be their peers, the ones they most need to rely on.

Avengers Undercover #4 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Kev Walker (Penciller), Jason Gorder (Inker), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer)

The Story:
Out of the frying pan, into the hellfire, and in front of Zemo.

The Review:
The cover to this issue pairs very nicely with the last page of the comic, which is a bit unfortunate in that the cover’s colors are too muted to “read” very well, making what could be a provocative and tension-filled cover more of a muddled mess. It’s nice that the logo is a focal point, but the brightness of the logo and the running border at the bottom completely dominates everything else.

Inside, there’s more improvement to the art and colors from last issue, which owes a considerable amount to Walker/Gorder’s return. There are still a few problems of not being able recognizing key characters in some panels, which again is probably down to an unfortunate tendency to continue to dress characters in similar outfits (first formal wear/little black dresses, then prisoner uniforms) that don’t lend themselves to immediate recognition. But the art really shines with very emotive facial and body expressions.

Because let’s be clear, the tension and atmosphere of this book are clearly centered on characters. The comic starts immediately after last issue’s dramatic ending, but the characters’ confusion and arguments play out against the background of their (somewhat aimless) escape attempt. The big showdown of this comic is a conversation between the characters and Baron Zemo, with the cliffhanger demanding an answer born from the characters rather than being a mere plot point. And all of that is made more tragic as the readers hope for the best for these guys, but can only watch as they have to develop on their own, and at their own pace. As Hazmat says, “maybe I’m not totally fine, but I’m fine enough [for now…]”

Avengers Undercover #3 – Review

By: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Timothy Green II (Artist), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Francesco Mattina (Cover Artist)

The Story: Revenge is a dish best served with gratuitous violence and radiation blasts.

The Review: That cover! Interestingly, the title logo is in the lower third, and the Marvel brand logo all the way on the bottom. More interestingly, the words “game over” overshadow the title logo, of which the words “Avengers” are the smallest of all. It’s rare to have copy/blurb, title, and logo in nearly opposite ratio to each other from what we expect. Perhaps it speaks to what’s inside in a more metaphorical way: this is a comic where traditions are inverted, expectations are reversed, and anything might happen.

The art inside, however, maintains a mix of great and not-so-great expectations. There are many good elements, including key panels that use the depth of field in background/foreground very expertly, and colors that are amazingly vibrant and textured/gradated (especially in the depictions of superpowers.) However, there is a bit of 90s aesthetic to Green’s art, such as an overuse of thin lines and hash marks, and a similarity of faces and clothing choice that can often lead to confusion between characters. Perhaps accordingly, there are even a few lapses of basic anatomy and the facial expressions fail to exhibit a range of expression. The attempt to integrate a flashback scene was not integrated well.

There’s enough goodness here to compensate, though. In particular, a double page spread of Arcade being attacked, and the full splash page of Hazmat’s final answer to their archenemy. These moments are effective too because they perfectly culminate the tension and tone that’s been building. The characters argue among themselves, amid the confusion and trauma of their experiences, but it’s balanced well with the action that is both in the background (in Arcade’s latest iteration of the Murder World theme) and in the forefront (as the characters work together on two fronts to face down Arcade himself.)

Avengers Undercover #1 – Review

by Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Kev Walker (Artist), Jean-François Beaulieu (Colorist)

The Story: I suppose life must be hard after you become a celebrity due to the fact that you almost killed people on an island and that everyone knows about it.

The Review: Taking chances can sometime be rewarding. When Avengers Arena had been announced in the first wave of Marvel Now!, I was particularly unimpressed, even a bit disgusted by the very idea of a book so incredibly obvious in its premise and what it promised. This was a title that offered teenagers fighting each other to the death while isolated on an island, with most of them being established and well-loved characters. With no intents to read that book, I simply skipped and dared not even interest myself on what it tried to tell.

However, when the book was over, one of the employees of the local comic shop I go through (the same that recommended I read this) convinced me to give it a try. Skeptical, I was nonetheless very much entertained by the book in the end, reading through all three trades to get the full story. With an ending that promised a lot of storytelling possibilities, I was anxious to see where this book and those characters could go. Now that the next step in this huge story is here, does Denis Hopeless match the tone of the previous story as well as offer a proper continuation?

The answer, unfortunately, is a bit of a mix with a penchant on a more negative side. While what is offered here is certainly making a good use of the very impressive ending to Avengers Arena, there isn’t much offered beside a continuation of what was previously established. The problem, however, lies in the way things are presented more than anything.