Review: Angela- Asgard’s Assassin

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is exciting and interesting. Angela is a great main character. The character development given to Angela and her culture is very interesting. The artwork looks good and assists in telling the story.

Cons: Too much of the book’s conflict comes from simple miscommunication. Numerous flashbacks disrupt the flow of the read.

Overall: This is an entertaining story that gives a newer character the opportunity to show their worth. The core story here has exciting action, some great character development, and plenty of unexpected moments. Alongside all of this, readers are constantly learning about Angela as a character and discovering information about the strange world in which she was raised. The end result is a book that entertains in a variety of ways. Readers looking for a cool, new Marvel character or those who are already fans of Angela should check this book out.

Story

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, by Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett, is a fun adventure and a terrific showcase for Angela as a character. It follows a series of quick escapades, each more thrilling than the last, wherein readers have plenty of opportunities to learn about Angela. In some places, this means focusing on Angela’s ability to fight and in other places, it means focusing on her history and her unique culture. There are a few problems with small aspects of the storytelling but these are not numerous enough to distract from the volume’s positives. Overall, this is a very worthwhile book centered around a character with plenty of potential.

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Asgard’s Assassin contains a unique storyline that only manages to get more interesting as it progresses. It starts with a woman stealing a baby from her new family and then goes on to show that this kidnapper is actually the hero. This fun subversion of expectations leads to some great action and some unexpected confrontations. The only problem is that a lot of the conflict in this book is derived from miscommunication, which starts to get old after a while.

As this adventure progresses, character development also becomes a priority. Readers have a chance to learn more about Angela and her various allies. Some of this character development is entirely new, like the relationship between Angela and Sera, and some of it elaborates on already present dynamics, like Angela’s friendship with the Guardians of the Galaxy or her animosity with Asgard. The only problem is that much of this development is presented through flashbacks, which often feel intrusive and end up significantly disrupting the flow of the read.

One of the most significant positives throughout Asgard’s Assassin is Angela herself. Angela’s previous appearances mostly kept her character in the background, allowing her to show off her capacity for violence but not fully diving into her passions and motivations. This volume makes time for both. Some pages depict epic battles where Angela is able to overpower her enemies even when she is outnumbered. Meanwhile, other pages show that she secrets harbors deep passions for the people around her and that she cares about others more than she lets on.

Going right along with Angela’s personality is her strict adherence to the code of Heaven. This system of buying, selling, and paying off debt was introduced back in Original Sin: Thor & Loki (Review) but was never fully developed or written in worthwhile ways. However, within this volume, it is expanded upon and remains interesting throughout the entire read. Understanding this code even goes on to make the volume’s conclusion more satisfying, as it helps explain the motivation behind nearly every action Angela makes throughout the volume.

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Art

The artwork in Asgard’s Assassin is positive all the way through. Phil Jimenez’s work on the modern story is crisp and clean. It presents characters and locations in a way that allows them to pop right off the page, making action sequences easier to follow and making emotional moments stand out more. Meanwhile, the flashback pages, by Stephanie Hans, have a more mystical style to them. This allows them to convey the age of these flashbacks and makes the events happening within feel like they truly came from a more regal past. Both artists do an incredible job in depicting the events of this narrative and matching the tone of their respective stories.

Continuity

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin is the first solo comic series centered around Angela. However, many of the characters and concept in this series are introduced in Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm (Review).

The story here continues in Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below.

• A number of references are made to the fall of Surtur in Mighty Thor / Journey Into Mystery: Everything Burns.
• Angela’s association with the Guardians of the Galaxy began back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Angela (Review).