Review: Avengers- Time Runs Out Vol. 1
Quick Summary
Pros: Almost everything about the main storyline is well-written. The actions of one group are exciting and fun. Meanwhile, the actions of another group help build anticipation and tension for the future. The book’s complexity makes rereading it more rewarding.
Cons: The book’s beginning creates a lot of confusion at first, especially for those unfamiliar with what is happening in the Marvel Universe.
Overall: The first entry in a new Avengers saga succeeds in telling engaging stories while also generating enthusiasm for what is to come. This book is filled with the action and adventure one would expect from an Avengers book, while also maintaining a level of complexity that is pleasing to see play out. There is a bit of confusion in the book’s beginning but, after passing through this confusion, it ends up being a very rewarding experience. Anyone who has enjoyed the Avengers’ adventures thus far or who is looking for a complex and engaging event should check this book out.
Story
Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 1, by Jonathan Hickman, is a great start to a new era of Avengers adventures. It begins by immediately jumping the already ongoing story months into the future. Though this is jarring at first, it becomes more accessible and more rewarding as information is revealed later on. Along the way, multiple different story arcs begin to play out in ways that either help develop instant engagement or help ensure that there is more excitement to come as the series progresses. All in all, this is a fun reading experience that is already showing a ton of potential.
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Time Runs Out Vol. 1 starts out pretty confusing. It jumps forward in time yet keeps readers in the dark about the specifics of this jump for the first few chapters. At the same time, consequences from other comic series affect random characters, like Thor and Captain America. This creates a moderately confusing read for fans of all Marvel Comics and a very confusing read for those who have just been reading the Avengers and New Avengers series. Either way, the first few chapters are rough when it comes to comprehension.
Luckily, things improve as the volume progresses. Characters start to address the jarring changes that have occurred since the last Avengers comic and readers have an opportunity to get caught up to speed. It ends up creating a book with deep levels of complexity that wastes little time on exposition. This makes an immediate reread rewarding and has the possibility to make future rereads just as enjoyable, thus making up for the confusion in the volume’s beginning.
It also helps that the story here is fantastic all-around. On one side of things is a developing war between S.H.I.E.L.D., the former members of the Illuminati, and a few rogue players. This war involves intense chase sequences, elaborate plans, and the surprising reveal of double agents. The entire conflict is well orchestrated, exciting, and is essentially everything one would want an Avengers comic to be.
Alongside this are the players attempting to prevent the end of the world. In one corner, is a new group of Avengers, who are trying to reach the other side of the multiverse and stop whomever is working toward the universe’s destruction. In the other, is a group of villains who’s violent methods of stopping incursions are nearly as terrifying as the end of all things. These factors do not have a major impact on the story told within this volume but do help generate anticipation for larger and more epic conflicts in the future. Plus, they serve as a reminder that the end of the universe is on its way, which really helps build the suspense of the entire comic.
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Art
Almost every chapter in Time Runs Out Vol. 1 features some beautiful artwork. The entire book is laid out well and has a solid level of detail on nearly every page. The individual chapters are also able to reflect the various moods seen throughout the book; for example, Kev Walker’s dark and gritty artwork works well in a chapter where betrayal is rampant and friends are hunting friends; meanwhile, Stefano Caselli’s lighthearted approach to realism lets the optimistic emotions of a different chapter shine through.
The problem in Time Runs Out Vol. 1 comes from the sheer number of different art styles seen here. This creates conflicting visuals that disrupt the storytelling. For example, Sam and Bobby look like children in the book’s first chapter yet look far older in later chapters. This is not a major flaw since, on its own, each chapter looks good, but it is a noticeable problem with the art.
Continuity
Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 1 continues the story from Avengers Vol. 6: Infinite Avengers (Review) and New Avengers Vol. 4: A Perfect World (Review).
The story here continues in Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 2.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Throughout this collection, characters reference events that have taken place over the last few months. These are not references to other comics. They are simply referencing events that took place in the time-gap before this volume. Almost all of these references are explained as the series progresses.
- This collection constantly references the nature of incursions and the threat they present. This is all detailed in New Avengers Vol. 1: Everything Dies (Review).
- Sam Guthrie and Izzy Kane began their romance back in Infinity (Review).
- Thor’s current condition is explained by the conclusion of Original Sin (Review) and the beginning of Thor Vol. 1: The Goddess Of Thunder.
- Captain America’s current condition is explained by the events of Captain America #21, collected in Captain America Vol. 4: The Iron Nail.
- The underground city seen here is the same city from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 1 and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 2 series, now collected in S.H.I.E.L.D.: Architects of Forever and S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hickman & Weaver: The Human Machine.