Having joined the Avengers only recently, the last thing Storm expected was to have to face off with her old friends in the X-Men. SURPRISE! Your Major Spoilers review of Avengers #21 from Marvel Comics awaits!

AVENGERS #21

Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 4, 2024

Previously in Avengers:  The Avengers face off once more against the X-Men, reopening old wounds and forging new relationships. Captain Marvel and Cyclops square off! Scarlet Witch and Magneto finally confront their history! And the newest Avenger, Storm finds her loyalties put to the test..

ON THE DIAMOND

…in the highest-stakes baseball game we’ve seen in these many years! In the wilds of Alaska, The Avengers arrive at the X-Men’s headquarters, The Factory, for what seems like a standoff… until their leaders hug. Captain Marvel and Cyclops have brought their squads together to blow off steam with a baseball game and have dinner. Good-natured chicanery ensues until Iron Man comes to the plate, and Juggernaut takes over as the pitcher, which destroys their last ball and a chunk of the complex. (Turns out Cain was hungry. And he doesn’t care for baseball.) The teams retire to the dining room, where Glob Herman has prepared a lovely meal, and Magneto gets to talk to The Scarlet Witch, calling her “daughter” again. Much of the issue is quiet conversations, as Captain Marvel and Cyclops discuss whether their teams can count on one another in the clutch, with surprising answers on both sides. As the story comes to a close, no super-battles have been fought, no villains arrive, but readers get a clear idea where these heroes all stand in the post-Krakoa era.

WITH BROKEN HEARTS

While I’m up and down on the work of Jed MacKay, this issue reminds us what the writer does best: Introspection, character development, and some of the best sidebar dialogue since the days of Steve Englehart. The characters are grounded in ways we don’t always get to see. Carol and Scott remember when she was living at the mansion, practically an X-Man herself. Fresh off his own unforgivable sins, The Beast takes a moment to talk with Iron Man about how HE dealt with it, and more importantly, why the Avengers didn’t step in to stop Beast in the first place. All these moments could feel slow, but Schiti and company avoid any semblance of talking heads, with creative layouts throughout the issue and wonderful expressions. Magneto’s regret is clear in his body language and facial expressions, but it’s clear that when he calls Wanda “daughter,” it’s a meaningful moment for both of them. Even more entertaining is when Quentin Quire opines that A.I. is the enemy of both humans AND mutants, only for The Vision to tell him that he learned empathy and humanity with the Avengers. The only thing better than his delivery of “My core programming is derived from the Ultron database.” is the sheepish response on the face of Kid Omega.

BOTTOM LINE: I’M JOINING THE CLUB

In short, Avengers #21 is an example of the kind of Housekeeping Issue that many creators don’t make space for anymore, showing us the emotional and psychological states of two of the biggest teams in the Marvel Universe, and doing so in a way that looks great and makes for an engaging read, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. Perhaps the best part of the issue for me is seeing the new costumes of the X-team in a style somewhat more photorealistic than their normal artist, which gets them out of the realm of Stroman’s Strong Guy or Sienkiewicz’s Warlock, and into the zeitgeist.

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AVENGERS #21

90%

90%

Reminds Me Of The Old Days

The hard-hitting battle between teams leads to a lot of wonderful bonding moments, including Tony Stark and Hank McCoy analyzing their respective fascist heel-turns, Storm and Temper having a heart-to-heart, and Kid Omega making the mistake of needling The Vision. Some good comics to be had.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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