Review: Avengers Assemble
Quick Summary
Pros: The volume is full of fun action. The artwork looks wonderful and allows the fight scenes to shine. The entire collection works well as a compliment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Cons: The main storyline has a number of plot holes and unexplained story elements. Most character motivations are weak and some character actions seem to happen for no reason at all.
Overall: This is a collection that could be good or bad depending on what the reader is looking for. Those looking for an Avengers story with high stakes and fun action will find that in spades throughout this collection. However, those looking for a narrative that holds up to scrutiny or a story with any sort of complexity will not find that here. This collection works well as a starting point for new comic fans or as an uncomplicated story for old complicated fans, not for anyone looking for deeper storytelling.
Story
On the surface, Avengers Assemble, by Brian Michael Bendis, is a fun volume that works well as a comic entry point for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, digging any deeper than this reveals a story that is full of logical inconsistencies and strange decision making. Character motivations are weakened and plot holes are ignored to make the storyline as uncomplicated as possible and ensure that the action continues to flow. For those looking for a light comic full of action, these problems won’t matter, but anyone looking for more will find this to be a very mediocre collection.
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It is clear that the goal of this volume is to serve as an entry point for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a goal it accomplishes rather well. The main cast is balanced and compliments one another well. They also work well as a core team of Avengers who have the ability to engage in high stakes battles without going too overboard.
The biggest positives in Avengers Assemble come from the volume’s focus on fun action and a streamlined storyline. Readers get to watch as a core crew of Avengers fight a number of villains, uncover a mystery, and end up defeating Thanos himself. Their progress through these occurrences is straightforward and uncomplicated, making an easy and relaxing reading experience. The focus on action also injects plenty of excitement into their adventure. On the surface, this narrative is very positive and enjoyable.
However, upon closer examination, readers may realize that this straightforward narrative is only made possible through annoying plot holes and unanswered questions. For example, how the Avengers escaped from the inescapable Cancerverse is never explained, nor is how they had time to retrieve weapons from the Collector. In addition, at one point the members of Zodiac are depowered easily by Iron Man, yet moments later they get their powers back and seem unable to be depowered again. These problems push the narrative along and keep things going but are frustrating for anyone who takes the time to notice them.
Alongside plot holes, weak motivation and strange character actions also negatively affect this collection. Thanos’s motivation for attacking Earth changes from wanting some vague idea of universal balance to just wanting to destroy Earth. Meanwhile, the Avengers’ decide not to include other members in their fight because they are unsure who they can trust, yet they had no reason to distrust anyone. In addition, Clint and Natasha’s kiss comes out of nowhere, disrupts the story, and seems to have only been included to add some sort of relationship drama into the mix. All of these problems hurt the collection as a whole and make it hard to enjoy this story from anywhere deeper than surface level.
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Art
The artwork in Avengers Assemble is one of the collection’s most significant positives. Mark Bagley’s pencils and Danny Miki’s inks are a wonderful compliment to the action-packed storytelling present throughout this volume. They allow the volume’s many fight scenes to tell a story all on their own, which places the focus on characters and the powers they possess. Bagley’s splash pages also look amazing and are one of the biggest visual positives in this book. Overall, this is a nice looking collection that almost every fan should be able to enjoy.
Continuity
Avengers Assemble is the first volume in a new Avengers series and does not continue any specific storylines.
The story here does not directly continue in any specific volume. However, elements from this story continue in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Iron Man’s latest armor is mentioned. This armor first appeared in Invincible Iron Man #25.
- Iron Man and Captain America’s reaction to being questioned about the Infinity Gems is due to the events of Avengers #12, now collected in Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
- The Cancerverse was last seen in The Thanos Imperative (Review)