Avengers/Invaders #2 – Review

By Alex Ross and Jim Krueger (Writers), Steve Sadowski (Pencils), and inLight Studios (Colors)

This issue succeeds in building on the promised outlook we received last time around. The story is broken down into three main parts: The inevitable fight between The Invaders and the Mighty Avengers, the build up to the fight, and the reactions to the fight. In the opening, we see Iron Man and Ms. Marvel discussing what needs to be done with the returned Invaders. Of course, the conclusion they come to is that they must be detained and sent back to their own time as soon as possible. As the story turns to The Invaders, we see them questioning whether this new world around them is actually real, or a Nazi trick. Eventually these two teams meet, and when Captain America mistakes the Avengers attempt to detain them (he sees this as a Nazi ploy to recapture them), the battle ensues.

I won’t reveal the outcome, but an all out battle between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the war superheroes of yesteryear is sure to draw attention, and any public doubts to The Invaders return are squashed. Perhaps the most interesting reactions are the New Avengers, who surely mean well, but their hinted plan certainly looks to throw a wrench into getting The Invaders back where they belong.

Even more ominous than this, we see that the actions of one of the common soldiers brought through time. This may have huge consequences on the time line. On a lighter note, we get a touching (albeit brief) scene with Bucky learning about his old partner’s return. I also think this is the first time New Cap has appeared outside his own book. Hopefully, he will play a bigger role in this series as it moves on! So in terms of plot, we get a great balance between “talking heads” and action.

As for the art, Steve Sadowski’s pencils are simply stunning. Whether it is his conveyance of action, or the looks of each individual character, his work is more than satisfactory throughout. I can also honestly say that he draws the best Ms. Marvel that I have yet seen! Get this man to work on Mighty Avengers immediately! His artwork really seems to be all about the characters, with each person getting a significant amount of detail. All together, this issue picks up steam from last month, and I’m certainly aboard this train to see what comes next! (Grade: B+)

-M. Staples

A Second Opinion

This is definitely a better issue. The pacing is just right, the story is entertaining (with the exception to the end), and the art isn’t muddled down with darkened night scenes or that gritty, brown war look. There’s quite a lot of color throughout this book, and because of that, the characters shine. M. Staples is right on the money when he says Steve Sadowski painstakingly makes each character look unique. All his interpretations are pure eye candy except for Namor who seems to always look like his head’s about to explode (heh).

I still have big time reservations regarding the continuity of this book. While I enjoy this story taking place within current Marvel continuity with many nods to Civil War and other events, it still feels out of whack. The other problem I have is the pollution of the time line. Cap and Namor seeing the Avengers is sure to cause problems down the line, right? And the lone soldier meeting his older self? That can’t be good.

Jim Krueger’s script is tight, overall, and he works hard to make us believe that this book is “dated” correctly. But he overdoes it a few times like when the World War II version of Bucky says, “I’d give my right arm to fight with Cap again!”. Awful pun, Jim. I don’t care what year these guys were from.

The fight is really the highlight of this issue, and it’s handled very well. The Avengers make short work of The Invaders and that’s how it should be. What’s bound to happen next issue seems very forced and I’m actually not looking forward to it. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes