The Good
I just knew that if I gave this heady, bizarre, cerebral, sci-fi superhero book enough time that things would begin falling into place, and so they have. There's no massive, grand pay-off nor spectacular "AH-HAH!" moment, but things are definitely moving in a logical, thought-out direction, one that is rewarding longtime readers of Hickman and Spencer's work on this title as well as Secret Avengers. Johnathan Hickman and Nick Spencer's collaboration on this book has been an absolute joy to read, and it is very, very hard to summarize, but I shall give it my best. Last issue saw a strange automaton, somehow linked both to the mysterious life bombs that crashed various places on Earth. The entity overcame the combined might of some of the strongest Avengers, leaving the entire team in a ruined pile before emissaries of A.I.M. Island, where the creature wasn't created but it did originate, appeared on the scene. This issue opens with them reclaiming their "property," but suspiciously not taking advantage of the prone, vulnerable Avengers, an option which is quickly off the table upon Eden's return, using his teleportation powers in ways that were scarcely thought possible prior. Thereafter, he relays a message from Captain Universe about the need for Avengers to grow their ranks, and they realize what that will truly entail. Hickman and Spencer, as always, tread the very fine line between analytical and dry dialog VS solid characterization, but it's a balance they strike perfectly. Despite the epic scope of the events taking place (and they are cosmic-level events, even though the book is set primarily on Earth) and despite most of the involved characters being some of the oldest and most well-worn in Marvel's entire roster, Hickman and Spencer STILL feel like they have fresh takes on them and the situations they're facing.
Stefano Caselli's got some company on artistic duties in the last several pages of the issue as he's joined by Marco Rudy and Marco Checchetto (with Frank Martin handling the colors across all three artists, lending a great deal of continuity of tone). Caselli continues its trend of being perfectly suited to this title, his strange, sometimes hilarious, facial expressions blending perfectly with the larger-than-life events occurring on nearly every panel. This is an action-light issue, so it's up to him to make the most out of heroes standing or sitting and talking about what to do next, but fortunately: that happens to be something he does extremely well. One of the many advantages to how dynamically and detailed he is with faces is that even conversational panels have their own kind of excitement. Likewise, Marco Checchetto is fresh off a great few issues of Spider-Man and Punisher and brings the same bright, sparking gravitas to this title that he brought to those, making the panels feel electric and kinetic, again, while very little action is actually happening on them.
The Bad
I, unfortunately, have to put the third artist Marco Rudy in this column and not because his art is bad by any stretch, but because it really doesn't fit the tone of the title. He takes over after the heroes go off-planet, but his art would be much, much more suitable for something more like Secret Avengers, or another, more grounded, title. Some of his panels are entirely too shadowy for what's going on, others are flat, though fortunately not drab. Ultimately, it's an unfortunate mistake in tone and that's something that could be said of the middle of the book in general. None of the art is bad, but even with Frank Martin keeping the colors consistent (and positively popping), the visuals grind as they shift gears, and while it's only eight pages of content, it's still noticeable and unfortunate.
The Verdict
This issue concludes with the words "End Prelude," and with what is established (and what is the final visual) at issue's end, it's a wild ending. I wouldn't go so far as to declare "nothing will be the same" or "world will be shattered," but this new roster has a ton of potential to go very, very right or very, very, very wrong (and I mean both in the best possible way) so I truly can't wait to see what this book has to offer next. This issue ties together several dangling plot threads while leaving enough touched upon, but unanswered, to make the upcoming weeks and months ones to very much anticipate, but as all good lead-ins do: it also stands remarkably well on its own. If you've been reading the Avengers since Marvel NOW's launch, you're already picking this up, but if you haven't, get ahold of some back issues and grab this one while you're at it because something big is coming and this is just the book to introduce you to it.