AVENGERS #5: Page by Page
by Van Plexico


Here we are-- the first "normal" issue of the new series (what with 
all the craziness in the first three issues, and the "roster" business 
in #4).  I really enjoyed this issue a lot-- heck, it took me an hour 
and a half to read it.

So let's get to it!

First page:  Thor swoops down, encountering Jarvis.  Boy, does that 
page send me back to the good old days-- it reminded me of the start 
of #162.  
But has Jarvis aged a bit or what?  Not that anyone could blame him-- 
after all, he had to put up with the pre-Crossing and Heroes Reborn 
characters for a long time.  I know it feels like reading that stuff 
aged me-- surely living it did the same to Jarvis.

Thor was certainly in an... expansive mood.  One might almost have 
thought it was Hercules arriving.  But it's good to see Thor brag on 
Jarvis's food a little.  Good stuff there.

Ms. Marvel working out with Cap:  I love it!  George's rendition of Carol
in this series seems slightly different from the way he's drawn her 
in the past, but she really looks nice.  I don't quite understand why 
Carol has this sudden need to hide stuff from the others-- the 
alcoholism I can see, but the power loss?  I mean, she was a valued 
member back when all she could do was fly and hit people.  She still 
seems more powerful now than she used to be, regardless of the 
removal of that atrocious Binary stuff.

I was really hoping to _see_ the scene where she and Cap had cookies 
and lemonade.  After all, I'd like a brief Cap-Carol fling, and that would 
have been a nice start.  Oh well-- at least we got a great scene with 
Iron Man and the Vision in the lab.  Hey, anti-Iron Man readers:  THIS is 
the Iron Man of old!!  This is the Iron Man we old-time fans love and 
want to see:  The facemask flipped up, hard at work in the lab, trying 
to do some good.  It's been a long time, and I truly savored that scene.

Hawkeye was downright obnoxious all the way through this issue.  
I know that his personality conflict can make for sparks and 
interesting interaction, but I personally prefer the playful kidding 
of Hawk and Cap in last month's CAPTAIN AMERICA to this more 
contentious, angry stuff.  But I suppose, in this more tense, 
professional, "workplace" setting, that's what you'd expect.

Wanda, btw, looked wonderful in her ever-more-Gypsy-looking 
outfit and jewelry.  She's beginning to make me think of Esmerelda 
from Disney's recent "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Two little panels on the next two pages (missing @#$% page 
numbers!) worth mentioning:  the bottom-left corner of the 
left-hand page, showing the entire group in one tiny little panel.  
George pulls this off so well-- the whole group, looking powerful 
and larger-than-life, even as they're squeezed into a 2" x 3" panel.  
Wow.  I could almost see that little panel blown up into a poster.  
Amazing.

The other one is the shot of Carol, in front of Thor, on the next 
page, giving the thumbs-up.  Something about that panel...  "Check." 
 Great art, capturing her expression...  great portrayal of Carol, 
trying to do her duty and follow Cap's orders.  I haven't quite figured 
out what it is about the portrayal of Carol all through this issue 
that I find so compelling, but clearly there's a lot going on with 
her.  Kurt's setting things up well.  I adore Carol and hope she isn't 
messed up too much in the days ahead, but I really anticipate that 
I will enjoy the way it's all conducted.

I hardly need to mention the dynamic scene with Thor standing 
atop the Quinjet, spinning the hammer, and his and Wanda's red 
capes blowing in the wind.  How does George get more out of a 
tiny panel than most artists get out of a two-page spread?  
(to say nothing of Carol in that picture-- not to sound obsessed 
or anything, but-- Whoa!)

The Squadron looked great, of course.  We even get Perez-effects 
around Whizzer's head.  Cool.  I could have done without some of the 
running news commentary, but Kurt always uses that sort of thing 
to good effect, and it played an important role here.  Maybe a tad 
overdone, but it served its purpose.  Since so much of what the 
Avengers does is major public news in the Marvel Universe, I have 
a feeling this won't be the last time we see it.

The battle:  Wonderful coreography, wonderfully scripted.  So much 
going on-- it took forever to read these pages.  

And then:  WONDY!!  Whoa!  Where did THAT come from??  I have to 
admit, when Wanda "saw" Simon floating outside the window last 
month, I figured he would be a somewhat long-running subplot in 
"phantom" form (a nice contrast that gives _him_ the chance to be 
the "ghost," instead of the Vision, for once, and maybe get an idea of 
how Vizh feels sometimes.)  I never dreamed he would turn up in the 
"real world" again so soon, though.  What a shock!  And the others' 
reaction-- wonderful.  Of course they wouldn't freak out.  They see 
insane stuff on a regular basis, and much of it lately has involved 
Simon.  Nice job there, Kurt.  Understated and perfect.

Thor confronting Hyperion:  Wow.  Thor doesn't get that ticked off 
very often.  I'm surprised they were able to calm him down.  (And 
then Clint gets blamed later for wanting to pursue the Squadron.  
I'm sure Thor wasn't too content to let them go, either.)

Lastly:  The villain.  Who is this guy?  My first reaction:  NEFARIA!  
HA!  I've been telling you people he wasn't dead for YEARS now!!  
But then I realized that he might equate with the "Sidney Keith, 
Mission Chief" guy from the Project Pegasus schematic earlier in 
the issue.  (Thanks for including Project Pegasus, btw, Kurt!)
Who else looks like that?  Faustus?  No way.  Graviton?  Naah-- 
I think we'll be seeing him elsewhere soon, anyway, and this isn't 
his style.  The guy who was Taurus in the Zodiac?  Maybe.  The build 
looks too chunky for Nefaria.  So I dunno.  

[Okay, update time:  Since this column was originally posted, the 
identity of the mystery villain has been discovered.  Let's just say 
it has something to do with the jetliner.  Although someone else 
has made an interesting point:  If the jet was on the way to the 
wreck of the spaceship, WHERE was it planning to land?  Did it 
just HAPPEN to crash RIGHT ABOVE the spaceship?  What the heck?!]

And Michael McClelland gets a letter printed.  An ornery letter!  
Ha!  But I can't complain-- after all, his whole letter basically 
reflects the argument I pretty much started, back in December.  
But with #4 and #5, I'm not complaining anymore-- just enjoying 
the ride.

This is classic stuff, gang.  We're in the midst of a return of the 
good old days, and I'm savoring every moment of it!

--Van Plexico