Review: Young Avengers #1
Some things just make you smile. And not just a little, mouth-closed smirk, but a full-on smile with teeth. It can be a good movie, or the right song at the right moment. It’s a completely involuntary thing, and once you realize you’re doing it you know you’ve struck on something good. Young Avengers #1 is one of those things. It wasn’t until the very last page that I realized what a big, stupid grin I had on my face. After reading it a second time, that grin only got bigger.
Originally the brainchild of writer Allan Heinberg and superstar-artist-to-be Jim Cheung, Young Avengers has passed into the more-than-capable hands of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. They’ve kept some of the original team members (Wiccan, Hulkling, Kate Bishop) and brought in some new ones (Kid Loki, Miss America, and former Marvel Boy/Protector Noh-Varr) in order to put their own stamp on things. Gillen and McKelvie made their names on Phonogram, a book about the power of music, and it’s clear they have similar things in mind for this book.
For a first issue using established characters, Young Avengers is remarkably accessible. Gillen and McKelvie (with an able assist from Battlepug‘s Mike Norton) introduce the characters in pairs – Kate Bishop and Noh-Varr, Miss America and Kid Loki, and, perhaps most importantly, Wiccan and Hulkling. The dynamics between the character pairs are quickly, effectively established before moving on to the next scene/set of characters. Wiccan and Hulkling are at the center of this issue as their status quo is established. It’s easy to see where things are going once they go their separate ways, and just as quickly as they’re introduced their circumstances are uprooted. The best drama comes from good characters making bad decisions, and by the end of the first issue that’s just what’s happened.
Pages 4 & 5 of Young Avengers #1. Art by Jamie McKelvie.
Even if the team doesn’t all come together in this first issue, it’s be impossible to say that nothing happens. There’s plenty of action, and things move very quickly. Part of that is the jumping from character to character, and part of it is the way that McKelvie lays out his pages. He knows how to slow down with equal-sized, evenly spaced panels during most of the Hulkling/Wiccan scene. McKelvie also knows when to ramp up the pace. There’s a pair of double-page spreads in this issue that are crammed with action, but with plenty of room to still savor what’s happening.
The title of this Young Avengers #1 is “Style > Substance.” While this issue certainly has a lot of style, it’s definitely not lacking in the substance department, either. The characters are engaging and the conflict is natural and compelling. As long as Gillen and McKelvie are working on this book, it’s sure to be at the top of the read pile.