REVIEW: ‘Avengers,’ Issue #2

Avengers #2 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Jed MacKay, art by C.F. Villa, colors by Federico Blee and letters by Cory Petit. Captain Marvel’s meeting with Kang the Conquerer doesn’t turn out the way she planned, as he gives her clues that will save hundreds of lives.

This issue’s plot has an interesting structure, splitting the narrative between different points in time. Serving as the spine of the comic is Carol’s conversation with Kang, outside of time and space. That is where the exposition is crafted, creating implications and anticipation for the deeper story to come. Alongside the main storyline, there are also brief snippets of what Kang predicted, taking a look at different dangerous situations, with an individual Avenger attending each one. It fits the remit of Mackay’s run: the Avengers are there to save lives first and foremost. Having the two sides to this story benefits both. The exposition can be processed in chunks, not all at once, broken up by pieces of excitement and energy. The discussion lacks that same energy but it’s necessary and full of magnitude. The fractured structure has now been used in two issues, so it will be interesting to see if that carries on being the case.

Avengers #2 features fantastic character and expositional dialogue. On one side, there is Captain Marvel and Kang. These are two characters who are staunch enemies but one who is in a much more vulnerable position. It takes a significant amount of time to get what either one wants due to their distrust.

Each disaster scenario forseen by Kang has a different hero assigned to it. The last one, featuring Captain America, is perhaps the best. The premise demonstrates different ways heroes help others on a more genuine and grounded level. Sam is given a particular highlight, with the format showing the amount of thought taken to choosing which Avenger was sent on each mission.

The art is glorious. Every one of the scenarios looks stunning. The locations they are in is brought to life spectacularly as a disaster erupts in the center. The cities are irregular to standard superhero stories, so it is intriguing to see how Villa approaches them and puts the action within them. All of the Avengers look amazing in this art style, with Black Panther in particular adopting a sleeker, cooler design. He has a great fight montage, split into tiny panels that show points of impact and certain moves.

The colors are also gorgeous. The skylines in every city, every setting, are stunning, with unique shades that then affect every surface around them. In each scene, it is like there’s a new palette that Blee is working with, and it keeps the book visually engaging. The lettering is always clear, even when there are custom word balloons or fonts.

Avengers #2 starts expanding the wider story for this run. The book is settling into a groove through these examples of heroism but also showcases that something new is on the horizon. Introducing a major villain like Kang and depicting him as vulnerable and weak, suggests that a whole new stratosphere of an enemy is coming. Kang is old-school Avengers level and this new territory is uncharted. Throughout all of this MacKay finds the time for the heroes to be personal and warm and just human in general.

Avengers #2 is available where comics are sold.