Avengers/Invaders #5 – Review

By Alex Ross & Jim Krueger (Writers), Steve Sadowski & Patrick Berkenkotter (Pencilers), and inLight Studios (Colorists)

The Story: The beginning of the book is the same as it was for the first four issues, where the Invaders have been brought forward in time. And as it inevitably happens in these situations, they get into a big fight with the Avengers. In this issue, Iron Man and Captain America are finally talking to each other and working things out, while Doctor Strange focuses on sending the Invaders back where they belong.

What’s Good: With the Avengers and the Invaders starting to reconcile, Krueger and Ross throw in a bizarre twist toward the end of the book. I won’t spoil it, and I’m not even sure it will work, but it’s certainly intriguing. A link between SHIELD and the Holocaust was the last thing I was expecting.

What’s Not So Good: Well first of all, you read the credits right, there’s no inker on this book. Some artists are so tight and so good that scanning directly from their pencils can work (take Frank Quitely on All-Star Superman for instance). As for Sadowski’s and Berkenkotter’s pencils, unfortunately they are simply not that good. In fact, I think this is the ugliest artwork in a mainstream comic today. I know others will disagree with me, but I hold comic art to a high standard, I recognize it’s a visual medium. A comic can survive mediocre writing, but not mediocre art. Secondly, as with the Earth X and Justice books, Krueger’s script is full of sweeping generalizations and awkward non-sequitors. If not for Ross’s beautiful covers, it would be easy to mistake this for fan fiction.

Conclusion: Krueger writes with the subtly of a sledge hammer. Look at the third panel of the next-to-last page. It’s ridiculous, unlikely, and unnecessary. But this book has the Avengers, the Invaders, and SHIELD; and if you love the Marvel Universe, you kind of have to buy it. It remains to be seen, however, if this series will be remembered fondly once it’s over, or if we’ll all want to sweep it under the rug as quickly as possible.

Grade: C+

– Andrew C. Murphy