The Avengers #6
Written by Jason Aaron
Pencils by Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina
Inks by Juan Vlasco and Mark Morales
Colors by David Curiel
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit
Cover by Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales and Jason Keith
Giant sized Avengers, literally. The finale for the first arc of the “fresh start” for The Avengers is capped off with powerful action that sees Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on an epic scale where the stakes rise to new levels. Jason Aaron finishes this arc with some exciting writing that looks to keep the momentum rolling forward.
This first arc has seen a lot. The team coming together, the ancient Avengers from a time long forgotten, Loki doing his normal Loki things, and Celestials like never before. Jason Aaron put enough crazy into this story that it felt larger than life but still had a humanity that allowed the themes to rings true. The arc is not a character study that takes a deep dive and has the readers thinking at all time, or a story full of twists, this is pure entertainment. Did the arc have its cliffhangers that would keep any reader coming back? Yes, but it was all about the spectacle and the spectacle was grand. Aaron always does a great job of balancing the overall scope of the action sequences with great character writing and that is no different with this arc. Readers get to witness mountain sized characters going toe-to-toe all while the conversations between them feel like they were sitting around a dinner table having a nice family fight. Avengers stories should be grand and feel bigger than most books coming out of Marvel and this one hits that in stride. Aaron has, absolutely, nailed the superhero team book so far and what stories may come down the road is only a mystery but he has shown that the entertainment factor will be high.
The art fits the story. That may be a bit cliché but that is the best way to put it. With such a grand story that art has to show that scale on the page and what Ed McGuinness and Pac Median brought to the table is all that and then some. Every issue brings out the best memories of a Kirby-esque style that allows for the look of the issue to feel classic with a wonderful modern spin. The iconic Avengers shot is done at the perfect time and in the perfect way. The team has come together a this point in the story and the team-up has to reflect the plot point. The in your face action really heightens the stakes and brings gravity to a potential Earth ending event. The inks give the pencils depth and the colors brighten the art giving the issue a great flow. This issue, and the entire arc, was just really well done in the art department.
The script sets a wonderful tone. The team is larger than life. The art is on point. The story is epic. This “fresh start” for The Avengers was entertaining with a few surprising moments that saw characters coming into their own on this rendition of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Jason Aaron wrote some fun scripts with the family atmosphere that surrounds the team and some killer action. The art team brought the noise and made this fell like a four-hour epic silver screen event that should be viewed only in IMAX. The epic scale of this story and the art that accompanied it made the experience one to remember and brings great intrigue for where the story leads next.
Cover: A
Script: A
Pencils and Colors: A+
Overall: A
Heroes At The Summit 