Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 (Marvel – Cornell / Brooks / Strain)
Alright, here’s the problem. I should start a tally of how many times I start a post with that. Young Avengers are cool. It’s been a strong title since it was introduced. The fact that Marvel squandered it away is baffling…oh, wait no it’s not, its Marvel.
So, start with that premise. Young Avengers are cool. How much sense does it make to take their title and hand it over to another team? I know the whole Dark Reign concept is that the bad guys infiltrate and subvert the good guy trade marked teams. I get it. However in DRYA that is not what occurs. Now there is a ‘New’ Young Avenger’s team, not supplanted by Green Goblin cronies but by a bunch of young punks a bit more radical and violent than the original YA, but still, apparently good guys trying to fight the good fight. Why? And it doesn’t fit the DR mold. So, why?
Now, if for instance, any one of the New YA was interesting, which they are not, or had any character, which they do no, or if they had cool, new or interesting powers, which they do not (Big Zero does have a cool costume) I could maybe see staying around to see where it was heading, after all the Original YA do crash the party at the end of issue one. I’d like to be able to say I was excited enough to go out and get issue two and read it, maybe it answers some questions, but I just don’t see why I would.
In addition to the tofu type characters, the dialoge is lame and obvious, their code names are lame (Melter? Big Zero? Paste Pot Pete was way cooler. Melter, ha. Guess what his power is). While the art was competent, Brooks has good command of anatomy, and the colors cool and subdued in an anime sort of way, the action was clearly unclear. On page 5 & 6 Melter (see it’s growing on me already) does something…to something…I’m still not sure what, to stop the bad guys but it had some sort of bad effect, I’m still not sure what it was, but it involved some poor ladies baby, which he proceeds to not even really care about. And then, oh no, the police, we’d better go. And later, I’m not sure what instigated the thing with the old lady.
And here are these C-List punks with a secrect invisible hideout in Central Park? How does that escape HAMMER’s notice? And is this THE Enchantress from Asgard or the daughter of Enchantress or someone pretending to be the daughter of THE Enchantress (which would be preferrable) because I can’t see the actual Enchantress haning out with these losers.
And now look, there’s a misunderstanding, Melter was only trying to help (I can’t tell if he accidently tripped the old lady or if he came to her aid) but look the old lady is over-reacting , dork brain hangs around trying to explain that there’s been a misunderstanding, he’s only trying to help can’t she see that, oh she hit him with her mace (spray) and then, then oh no Melter accidently turned her to goo…makes no sense. Walk away (especially since your a wanted man), that makes sense. Accidently ‘melting’ an old lady, not credible. Having some deep seated emotional problems and melting an old lady, maybe. But since it wasn’t intimated that Melter had those deep seated emotional issues, it makes no sense.
Pretty much like the whole book. Weak Sauce.
Story C
Art B-
Colors B+
