Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Mark Brooks (Pencils), Mark Morales & Walden Wong (Inks), and L. Molinar & A. Street (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Reign: Young Avengers has been a strange mini-series so far. It’s unlike anything Marvel is putting out and yet, I’m not quite sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

The Story: The real Young Avengers test the wannabe Young Avengers by teaming up with them against a bunch of Hydra thugs. Is someone testing them both?

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Alright. Now I’m certain that Paul Cornell is content to let the Dark Reign: Young Avengers mini-series frustrate the hell out of me. The third issue reads extremely well (Cornell makes great use of clever dialogue), looks mighty solid (the darker coloring by Molinar and Streets is an upgrade for the series), and adds a number of interesting twists to whatever the hell the overall plot is about (I’m still not entirely sure). That said, it also leaves me feeling exactly like I did after reading the first two issues of the series. So how did I feel? Confused about the future of the characters and wondering what the whole point of the mini-series is.

Conclusion: So I’m certain Paul Cornell is trying to frustrate me. You know what else I’m certain of? That Dark Reign: Young Avengers is going to read much better as a trade than a monthly. I know I’ll finish it out as a monthly, but I have a feeling everyone else will be better served by reading it once the mini-series is collected.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Mark Brooks (Pencils), Mark Morales w/Walden Wong & Dexter Vines (Inks), and Emily Warren & Sotocolor’s L. Molinar (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Reign: Young Avengers got off to an interesting start. The first issue of the mini-series frustrated as much as it entertained, yet it still had that “something” that made me want more.

The Story: The Young Avengers and their Dark counterparts battle over name rights. The fight quickly turns into a discussion however as the coolest heads prevail. Coat of Arms tells her story and more is revealed about how the Dark Young Avengers came to be.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Am I allowed to just copy and paste my review for Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 into this section? I ask because, in all honesty, most of what I said about the first issue applies to the second. In Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2, more questions are raised than answered, Paul Cornell tosses around some cool ideas about being a superhero in the Marvel U., and most of the cast remains an intriguing mystery. Sounds like another C+, right? Well, almost…

The second chapter of Dark Reign: Young Avengers gets a higher grade than the first for two reasons: the artwork improvements, and Coat of Arms. The artwork looks much more defined and detailed. As a result, the characters look much more distinct and recognizable. As for Coat of Arms, her dialogue is written in such a way that it’s difficult to tell whether she is artsy, pretentious, obsessive, or, possibly completely bat-shit insane. And you know what? It works to great effect. While I wish more of the cast would stand out like Coat of Arms does, I’ll take what I can get.

Conclusion: Dark Reign: Young Avengers stands out because it really feels like something unique. If Paul Cornell can develop the plot a bit more next issue, I think I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of the Dark Young Avengers in the future.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny