There is a new crop of superheroes in town and they are ready to defend the United States against all forms of terror; foreign, domestic, and intergalactic. The U.S.Avengers have started their series, and as per the start of any new series of comic books, we have an origin story in issue one.
The United States this collection of heroes is protecting is a world without Charles Xavier and Tony Stark. It seems to be a darker place, where hope is not lost, but the darkness of violence and hatred is prevalent. As I said this is an origin story, and we meet our roster of heroes in segmented sections throughout the comic.
Roberto Da Costa is the leader of the group. A billionaire mutant who wants to do the right thing and protect his nation has put together a group who are all patriotic Americans that will fight to protect their country. Dr. Toni Ho is Iron Patriot, Aikku Jokinen is Enigma, Doreen Green is Squirrel Girl, Sam Guthrie is Cannonball, and General Robert L. Maverick is Red Hulk. The ingredients are there for an awesome super squad. I mean they even have a Hulk. An abnormally large monster is a necessity for all major super-teams.
The group, which is fighting for legitimacy and recognition, battles an immovable helicarrier that has a volcano on it and unknown bad guys that plan to destroy Los Angeles. Our team comes together to fight it off in this initial battle. General Maverick as the Red Hulk is particularly decisive with his crushing blow on the attacking helicarrier.
My Opinion
Why do we need another version of The Avengers? This was my first question which I followed up with if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it. As I read through the comic I was surprised by how much my attitude changed in so few pages. The Avengers that Iron Man and others have populated have stayed consistent for decades in the comics. There were some variations on the group, but the overall focus of the story stayed consistent. This new take on the group of superheroes was quite an enjoyable read.
In this series the group is trying to establish itself, and find legitimacy in the world. They are trying to differentiate themselves from SHIELD’s Avengers, and in trying to stand out from the well-known group, writer Al Ewing is free to play with the format which makes this story line interesting and stand above being a knockoff or simple reboot.
The makeup of the group seems interesting because we have an Iron Patriot that has no lethal abilities, Squirrel Girl which though she has skills and abilities does not strike a reader as violent. Cannonball appears to be the all American country boy who had to grow up early and support his family after his father died. It just so happens that he is a mutant who studied at Professor X’s school.
They have a Hulk, and General Maverick is easily likable from the first minute he appears on page, but he has restrictions on his Hulk power. He can only be the Hulk for one hour a day. He will be used sparingly. The big brute of a monster is the last resort to be used for this Avenger team.
The U.S.Avengers are people who want to help people. The latter dialogue between Cannonball and Roberto Da Costa outlines this thinking. There are many people in the world, some with intelligence, and some with mutant powers that are good people and want to help protect the world. What could be wrong with that?
I was surprised by how much I liked this comic. I guess in this day and age when so many titles are rebooted and retooled with the same characters, my skepticism was fighting my curiosity. Kudos to writer Al Ewing and artists Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, and Jesus Aburtov. You have started a fine series with characters that have just enough qualities that remind us of the more famous titans like Iron Man and Hulk, but enough room for growth and a breath of fresh air in the comic world