After Avengers Disassembled, four young heroes emerged from the Marvel Universe. Brought together by a young Kang the Conqueror through the Avengers Fail Safe Program, our heroes faced many obstacles, deaths, and horrible company-wide event miniseries. Recently, after the death of Young Avenger, Cassie Lang, the team called it quits. With a new threat arising, the Young Avengers must assemble once more, because it is a threat they created.
YOUNG AVENGERS #2
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie with Mike Norton
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Young Avengers: With the team officially disbanded, the Young Avengers attempt to live “normal” lives. Kate Bishop has been whisked away by the Noh-Varr, a.k.a. Marvel Boy, a.k.a. Protector, to his space headquarters, only to be attacked by Skrulls. Meanwhile, Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, catches Hulkling on superhero patrol. After a big argument, Billy feels guilty. He uses his magic powers to bring back Hulkling’s dead foster-mother, Ms. Altman, reuniting Hulkling with his mother. However, something is wrong with Hulkling’s mother as she overpowers Billy’s parents.
ADULTS ARE NO HELP WHATSOEVER
Kieron Gillen continues his Young Avengers series as Wiccan and Hulkling deal with an evil Ms. Altman mother. Although all the members of this new Young Avengers team were introduced in the previous issue, this story mainly focuses on Hulkling, Wiccan, and Loki, which is a good decision by the writer. Since none of the other members are involved in Wiccan’s mistake, jumping to these characters would have been a distraction. Like previous Young Avengers comics, a common theme in this issue is that adult superheroes are no help. In this case, Wiccan and Hulkling seek the Avenger’s assistance, only to be returned to Hulkling’s mother. Their misadventures remind me of a teenage sitcom. However, it is a little confusing what powers Ms. Altman has and what she did to everyone, including Wiccan’s parents. So far, the only information about her is from Loki, who says she is an interdimensional parasite. The scenes with Loki are very funny, who saves Wiccan and Hulkling from imprisonment so they can pay his food bill. Traditionally a villain, a young Loki adds a simplistic humor to a serious, complex teenage cast. He has already fought with Miss America so it will be interesting how the team will accept the trickster god if some of them do not trust him. Overall, Kieron Gillen is a great successor to the Young Avengers series.
TAKING RISKS AND PAYING OFF
Jamie McKelvie does an amazing job with the artwork in this issue. The young heroes and overall design have a very modern approach. He shows his knowledge of youth culture by having the introduction page appear as a Tumblr (or Yamblr) web page. His style is also structural: proportional figures, clean ink lines, and very little action words. His pencilings depict powerful emotion, even in the panels where there are no words. It shows the writer has faith in the talent of his artist, depending on him to convey scenes without dialogue. Jamie McKelvie also takes some risks in art direction. For example, Wiccan and Hulkling are captured by Ms. Altman and thrown into white space. The two page spread of their rescue is creative and imaginative. Jamie McKelvie brings a different artistic talent to Young Avengers than his predecessor, but still a remarkable comic to read.
BOTTOM LINE: GREAT ON-GOING SERIES
All of the Young Avengers comics up to now have been short mini-series. This is the first time they have an ongoing title. Kieron Gillen’s storytelling and Jamie McKelvie’s art make a dynamic pair that can captivate new and old fans of the series. With a solid plot and gorgeous design, Young Avengers will be around at Marvel Comics for a long time. Young Avengers #2 earns 4 out of 5 stars.
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