There’s a ghost in Avengers Mansion, with a deadly agenda. Good thing The Wasp brought both a Vision AND a Shade with her. Your Major Spoilers review of Avengers, Inc. #2 from Marvel Comics awaits!

AVENGERS, INC. #2

Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Leonard Kirk
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 18, 2023

Previously in Avengers, Inc: Her name is Janet Van Dyne. She’s known “Victor Shade” for years – as the Vision’s cover identity. His name is Victor Shade. Whoever he is, he’s not the Vision. And together, they’re hunting the Ghost of Avengers Mansion – a ghost who might just be… the Vision?

WHAT WERE YOU CREATED AS?

Our story opens in the former Avengers Mansion, now the Avengers Vacation Experience, a resort hotel with superhero ambiance, thanks to the genius of Johnny Storm, The Human Torch. Things have changed, but not so much that Janet Van Dyne wouldn’t bring “Victor Shade” there to try and shake out any lost memories of his previous lives. She has also invited the synthezoid known as The Vision, who originated the Shade identity sometime before, which leads to an immediate confrontation between the two… Well, not men, I guess. Between the artificial man and the artificially reanimated man? Either way, their clash is derailed when a body is found in the elevators, setting off a chain of events that ends with a holographic grim reaper appearing to claim another victim. Both Vic Shade and The Vision have the power to actually commit that particular killing, but when The Wasp peels the false rubber face off the second victim, the key to the mystery is revealed.

A NICE LITTLE THRILLER

Once again, Al Ewing takes cues from the entirety of Marvel history (in this case, a 1971 arc of Iron Man), tying everything together in interesting new ways. The main reveals of the issue are that even The Vision can’t quite break down what has happened with the body of David “Whirlwind” Cannon and the new being that is inhabiting his body. He also mentions that there’s only one man who knows Vision’s construction well enough to intentionally block that information, but… everybody knows that Hank Pym has been dead for years. Leonard Kirk is trying out a new art style in these pages, and I enjoy the swings that he’s taking to give things a more abstract style. It fits very well with the post-noir detective story being told here, but once again the color palette is very muted, almost monochrome. The scenes in the former Avengers commissary are overwhelmingly yellow, and it makes it difficult to appreciate the depth of the art.

BOTTOM LINE: WELL-DONE, IN ONE

Those coloring decisions aren’t a deal-breaker, though, meaning that Avengers, Inc. #2 is another winner, combining strong art, interesting dialogue, and a premise that makes for an enjoyable superhero take on the classic murder mystery, all with the usual Ewing deep cuts of Marvel history, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. The slow burn on the villain is also interesting, especially given what we know about that person’s seeming demise, so I’m definitely on board for more Avengers, Inc.

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AVENGERS, INC. #2

87%

87%

Espionage In Avengers Mansion

Another really good story, with an unusual premise leading to some really great comics.

• Writing

  10
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0