New Avengers #11

PREVIOUSLY ON NEW AVENGERS

Hey, we already did that bit in a separate post! Check that out, or you might be a tad confused reading this review.

NEW AVENGERS #11

You know what, I’m going to throw this one out now. This issue was a ton of fun, and I want to get the one problem I had with it out of the way so I can focus on the joy I had reading it.

I think Gerardo Sandoval is a terrible artist and I hope he gets kicked off this comic as soon as possible. I know he’s not the absolute worst artist in the industry, but since issue one he’s been the biggest problem this book had. It says a lot that I wish Greg Land was drawing it. Yes, his art is at least as bad, but you can tell characters are human, instead of those misshapen square creatures Sandoval makes.

Now that we’ve gotten this out of the way...

The issue takes place sometime after the last Avengers: Standoff tie-in. Sunspot’s team has been publicly condemned by Stark’s Avengers team, SHIELD, the media, and Captain America Steve Rogers himself (rather harshly, too). The only members seen in a positive light are the ones Da Costa teleported prior to his attack on a SHIELD helicarrier: Billy, Teddy and Doreen. The first two (officially engaged!) are still living with Billy’s parents and taking a small break by visiting Billy’s soul mom, Scarlet Witch. This is how the issue begins, and it’s fairly inconsequential to its main plot. More might come of it in the future, but it mainly serves to reaffirm that yes, despite Billy’s doubts, he’s pretty much stuck with the name Wiccan for the time being. It also allows Al Ewing to write Wanda better in a few pages than many recent writers have done for many issues (*cough*Rick Remender*cough*).

Squirrel Girl meanwhile is doing great and itching for more adventures. The three seem to have become good buddies, and spend a lot of their time together. They decide to get back into the New Avengers business, remembering the words Sunspot told Billy and Teddy on their very first day: "This is not an academy. This is not a training ground or a proving ground or a waiting room. And – love your work, guys – but this is not the ‘Young Avengers’. Because I don’t need the ‘Avengers of the Future’. I don’t need people who want to wait for permission. The future is now. The future is us. We’re the New Avengers." And since Ewing’s favorite punching bag, the Plunderer, is back in town, the trio suits up and gets back to Avengering.

Meanwhile Hawkeye (Clint, not Kate) is in a terrible mood. Due to his involvement in Sunspot’s assault on the helicarrier, he has officially been fired from SHIELD, with Maria Hill telling him the only reason he’s not in prison is because he’s too pathetic. His mood is not improved by a visit from SHIELD’s other, real plant, Songbird. He begins chewing her out, but that’s put on hold when – you guessed it – the Plunderer and his henchman Terry start plundering in their vicinity.

Both teams end up fighting the same bad guy. Later on, Billy suggest Clint join him, Teddy and Doreen on their All-New Avengers team (or, as Clint puts it, "Wiccan’s Kooky Quartet"), which Hawkeye is happy to accept. Melissa meanwhile is given a cold treatment (even from Squirrel Girl – damn). Despite her betrayal you can’t help but feel sorry for her.

Especially since, as the last page reveals, she wasn’t just a double agent for SHIELD. She is a triple agent for Sunspot, and everything that’s happened regarding her betrayal has been his plan all along.

The issue, despite been mostly focused on showing the aftermath of the last three explosive issues and setting up things for the future, is a ton of fun. I was a bit worried it might be hard for people who decided to skip the Avengers: Standoff tie-in issues, but Ewing nicely introduces the new status quo for the team.

Next week, the Ultimates return with an issue focused on Thanos. And then, the Al Ewing Praise Hour returns next month with the beginning of Civil War II tie-ins for both comics. Well, if anyone can make them work, it’s Ewing.

Dominik Zine is a nerdy lad from northeastern Poland and is generally found in a comfy chair with a book in hand.