Posted in: Avengers, Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: avengers, captain america, captain marvel, celestials, cory petit, david curiel, doctor strange, ed mcguinness, fantasy, ghost rider, hulk, iron man, jason aaron, juan vlasco, loki, Mark Morales, Marvel Comics, paco medina, Robbie Reyes, sci-fi, she-hulk, superheroes, the final host, the horde, thor

The Avengers #6 Review: Not All it Could be But Still a Joyous Read

Thor and She-Hulk are Celestial-sized, the Ghost Rider has taken over the body of the dead Celestial, and Iron Man has unleashed an armor to match them all for size. Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther are battling the Horde on the ground, and Doctor Strange is shutting down Loki. It looks like the Avengers may be able to save the world after all. However, they soon learn that even all of this isn't enough. The Final Host and the Horde reassert their strength, and this may be the end of humanity.

There is something inherently awesome about the Avengers coming together to spit in the face of the very gods of the Marvel Universe. Seeing Celestial-sized Thor, She-Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man battle them on their own terms is also just plain awesome.

However, Avengers #6 doesn't quite live up to the sum of these parts. It's not a bad comic by any stretch, but there is something about this issue that just doesn't gel like it should.

Framing is one problem. The prominence of awkward panels and close-ups doesn't allow for the reader to take in the scope of the conflict. Some of the dialogue is pretty weak too and many jokes come at inopportune and tone-breaking moments.

The Horde themselves are undercooked and underwhelming. A swarm of uniform and generic bug creatures is pretty standard as comic book villainy goes. These are creatures that infect and consume gods from the inside out; their visual design should reflect that. Unfortunately, it doesn't. The Horde is boring, and that puts a damper on the comic.

That said, the camaraderie, the lineup, and the broad strokes of the conflict do a lot for the book and keep it in the realm of good.

Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina once more turn in solid work, with McGuinness' work especially shining in this issue. That said, Medina falters a little, with some panels looking under par for this otherwise excellent artist. Mark Morales and Juan Vlasco contribute some good inking work here. David Curiel covers the color art for the entire comic, bringing a good and drastic contrast that adds to the emotional tension of the conflict.

Avengers #6 isn't all that it could be, but I would be lying if I said that much of it wasn't still a ton of fun. We get to see the Avengers come together and fight the gods that wrought them, and they do so in a truly mighty fashion. This one earns a recommendation. Check it out.

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