The Good
The sixth issue of AVENGERS by Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert is interesting. Readers are given a recap of the most recent events, something that makes this issue very accessible to new readers who may not be caught up on the story in general. The issue opens with a completely black panel and the recounting of the 'big bang:' the birth of the universe. It's an incredibly dramatic sequence of panels leading up to a moment of meditation shared between two characters. The scene is very pretty, and speaks to this higher level of thought that all things in the universe have "some bits of celestial uniformity." There is a reason why Hickman titled this issue 'Zen And The Art Of Cosmology,' and it becomes very obvious very quickly as to why. What we get is a rather interesting conversation between a Man and a God. The dialogue from the very start of this issue is fantastic and really compelling: it pulls you right into the story in a really eloquent way.
Just as the last two issues focused on Smasher and Hyperion, respectively, this issue zeroes in on Shang-Chi. What are his abilities? What strengths and advantages will he bring to the Avengers team? Through Shang-Chi's dialogue and actions we discover more about the Universe's "Mother," a figure that appeared briefly in the third issue of this series. It is because of her that the three Gods we met on Mars let the Avengers go. The question remains, though, who is she? With Shang-Chi's help, the figure begins to recount her earliest memory and attempts to recall who she used to be.
These are not the only two characters we see in this issue, either. This is not the first time that Hickman has written Spider-Man. In fact, some of the most sentimental moments in FANTASTIC FOUR and FF featured the character. This is, however, one of the first times that Hickman has written this new Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus) and it's fun to see the blatant differences between the two characters and the way they are written.
I think beyond the fact that we get beautiful dialogue and stunning art in this issue, we also get a peek at Hickman's "bigger picture." In the third issue of this series we saw this being mentioned that the Earth bears some sort of importance and it is the reason why it cannot be destroyed. Hickman delves into this idea and explains why and what role the earth plays in regards to the bigger picture. Hickman draws a parallel between the universe and the host body in an interesting way.
The Bad
Nothing bad here, another brilliant issue in this incredibly compelling story.
The Verdict
Although the first three issues of this series felt like they were self contained and had a definitive beginning and an end, it is clear that Hickman has a bigger picture that he is playing with, and we see a glimpse of that here/ The being that the Avengers are introduced to at the start of this series plays an important role not only in this issue, but in this story in general. It's great to see Hickman circle back to a concept we saw previously, something I think that is essential to the story he is trying to tell. The dialogue is fantastic: it sets up the story in a compelling way and it clues us into the direction that Hickman plans on taking this series. Not only do we get a great story, but we have equally gorgeous art, too. Hickman manages to teeter between executing a story that is compelling and complex while still accessible to new readers.
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