Avengers/Invaders (TPB) – Revuew

Plot by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, Written by Jim Krueger, Penciled by Steve Sadowki, Patrick Berkenkotter, Alex Ross, and Jack Herbert

We’ve all gotten those miniseries or events that have just too many issues and there’s easily one or even two issues that didn’t even need to be there. Avengers/Invaders is not one of those series. There is just a ton of stuff happening in this graphic novel that if anything, there’s so much going that there’s no room to breathe.

So what is Avengers/Invaders about? A lot. It starts with the American people so distraught over Cap’s death (this is after Civil War, before Secret Invasion) that their psyches, channeling though the villain D’Spayre, manipulate the cosmic cube and pull Captain America, along with Namor, Bucky, the Human Torch, Toro, and some poor soldier named Pau Anselm, out of World War Two and into present day. Their arrival is frickin’ amazing. They land right in New York interfering with a fight between Spider-Man and the Thunderbolts and the Invaders tear the Thunderbolts apart. Krueger’s script isn’t exactly cinematic, because if as much happened in these twelve chapters (and they do call them chapters) happened in a movie, I think the cast, crew, and director would commit mass suicide. It’s more like season for Lost, when they had to shorten the season due to the writer’s strike, so shit happened every single episode (except for that one crappy Juliet episode). In fact, Avengers/Invaders is much like Lost but with superheroes and you get answers at the end. The Invaders are stranded in our time, and then someone tries to change the past, screwing up even more than they fixed. But where it is most like Lost is in the character interaction. This series has a huge cast. The New Avengers (Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ronin, and Echo), Mighty Avengers (Iron Man, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Ares, Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Wasp, and Wonder Man), and the Invaders (the ones listed before as well as Union Jack and Spitfire) are all represented and each member of the team truly get at least one moment to shine, one of my favorites being when Echo takes down D’Spayre. D’Spayre’s power is based on manipulating his opponent’s fear by basically telling them everything they don’t want to hear. As it turns out, Echo can’t hear anything and just walks up to him and punches him in the dick. Okay, so maybe it doesn’t quite happen like that, but you get the idea. Sure, some characters get a little more love than others, but none of them get robbed in any way. The only part of the story that I thought could be scaled back a little was the Life Model Decoy attack on the Avengers. I’d go more into why and who was behind it but, though it’s kind of obvious who it is, I don’t want to spoil it.

Avengers/Invaders #6 (of 12) – Review

By Alex Ross (Plot), Jim Krueger (Plot & Script), Steve Sadowski & Patrick Berkenkotter (Pencils), and InLight Studios (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m going to be honest here and just admit that the only thing that made me purchase this issue is the fact that I already own the first five. I figured I might as well at least finish out what I presume to be the first trade volume before dropping the series. While visually impressive at times and interesting enough, the overall plot has yet to hook me in any serious way. Also, I can’t shake the feeling that nothing of consequence is ultimately going to come out of Avengers/Invaders, despite reports that it will have an impact on Marvel continuity. With all that said,  somehow, I still hold a small bit of hope that the halfway point will prove to be a turning point for the series.

The Story: Dr. Strange and the rest of the underground New Avengers find the past and present versions of Paul Anselm, the regular soldier pulled into the time travel, in an effort to sort out what exactly caused the time disruption. Meanwhile on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, where the Mighty Avengers are trying to take control of the situation, Human Torch of the Invaders begins a Life Model Decoy revolt over the nature of the L.M.D.’s.

What’s Good: As a student of philosophy, I’d be lying if I acted like I didn’t enjoy the concepts thrown around regarding the nature of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Life Model Decoys. It brought an interesting (if somewhat throwaway) dimension to the superhero battle. Also compelling is the way the plot is really starting to tie into the death of Captain America and touch upon some of the inherent (though generic) problems/consequences of time-travel. As for the visuals, they continue to feature a nice level of detail and solid direction.

What’s Not So Good: As with the other issues in the series, Avengers/Invaders #6 suffers because it never really brings the various ideas together in a way that forms a well-rounded package. The emotional drama feels a bit heavy handed, and it occasionally falls a bit flat. On top of that, the philosophical crusade of the Human Torch, while interesting, feels like nothing more than a distracting addition to the overall plot. Also, there is still very little indication that anything of consequence will result from this storyline. I expected something relevant to the current state of the Marvel universe to have happened by now. Disappointingly, that is not the case.

Conclusion: The problem with the series falls on the idea that far too many characters are in play to make a single chapter feel satisfying. It really drags the entire project down and makes the plot move at an extremely slow pace, despite characters expressing the urgency of the situation. That is why I am going to consider this latest chapter to be my jumping off point. As for Avengers/Invaders #6? It is entertaining and decent enough to look at, but far from a must read. As such, it is worth picking up if you have stuck around this long, but I doubt many will feel the need to see this series to its end.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

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