THE NEW AVENGERS #1: The New Beginning

The New Avengers #1: Bucky has been once again roped into the world of heroism and forced to put together a team! This time however, they may be up against a foe not even Namor and Wolverine can fight as demented mutations of friendly faces as well as other horrors await!

Creative Team:

Sam Humphries (WRITER) Ton Lima (ART) Rain Beredo (COLORS and COVER) Joe Sabino (LETTERS)

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Story:

Matt: Sam injects a lot of flirtatious humor and angst in this story with all of our new heroes. I love how Natasha and Bucky have a battle-hardened romance and Bucky will follow her so long as she asks despite wanting to leave behind the lifestyle.

Seeing Namor and Laura burst onto the scene were a welcome addition in this new lineup as well and brought a lot of humor between their two personalities. I wasn’t ready for a body horror type kick off issue but New Avengers #1 is an action packed body horror full of suspense!

Megan: After Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, Bucky has held a personal vendetta against Doctor Doom and all those who serve him. Now that the revolution has taken off, Bucky has decided to be on his own, fighting the good fight. All was going according to plan until Natasha, AKA the Black Widow, stopped by on one of his missions. Turns out, it was much more than a check in, but it was her needing help. There is a lumber camp in Russia that she needs help checking out, as they’ve received a wild amount of genetic technology. Natasha wants to put a team together, which Bucky is completely against. Of course, he won’t have it his way.

Once they get to Russia, the first of their new team arrives, Laura, AKA Wolverine. Laura proves herself very useful to Natasha and Bucky as they find out it’s actually The Jackal they’re hunting down. The Jackal, who is more than happy that they’re there, has been working on something extra special. Before they find out, in walks their next recruit, none other than Namor, the Sub-Mariner.

Together, the new team finds out exactly what they’re up against, and even when they do, they still don’t know how big of a threat they truly have on their hands.

Sam Humphries really did a great job making this such a fun first issue. Humphries had me hooked into the storyline all the way through, making me want even more by the end of the comic. Can’t wait to see what happens next with the New Avengers!

The Art and Letters:

Matt: Ton and Rain did an incredible job making the mutilated clones look similar to faces we know from our Avengers but, the twists they have put on them make it that much more fun and horrifying. Namor’s clone being a light blue octopus of sorts was a fun design and seeing the duo take up the task of being creative with these creatures enhances this issue. Laura’s slashing and blood-soaked introduction is a close second as the art doesn’t shy away from how violent she can be. Tie it in with Joe bringing the heart and words to life and this first issue kicks ass!

Megan: Ton Lima and Rain Beredo made a visually exciting comic that kept you hooked into every page. With excellent action sequences from Bucky, Natasha, and Wolverine, Lima and Beredo kept the energy high throughout the book. The tone was set immediately with Bucky using a molotov cocktail to destroy a gas station, and the artists followed that tone throughout The New Avengers #1.

Overall Grade: 9.3/10

Matt: 9.5/10

The New Avengers are here and this isn’t your happy-go-lucky group of heroes and yet it feels like the group we need right now.

For more from Matt: http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews

Megan: 9.1/10

More from Megan! https://linktr.ee/vigilantevibespodcast