Broken Frontier

The team faces a trial by fire as Kang the Conqueror comes to collect what’s his. But why are the original Avengers helping him?

Hoping to dissuade the mysterious Young Avengers from the crimefighting life, Captain America, Iron Man, and Jessica Jones have trapped the kids in the ruins of Avengers Mansion and attempted to contact their parents. But things are complicated when the time-traveling despot Kang arrives for his younger counterpart, Iron Lad. If the boy refuses to go, his future as Kang will vanish but so will Avengers history as we know it. As the timeline shifts around them, the young heroes must learn to work together and decide what’s more important—their friend or the sanctity of history itself.

I was among those who initially thought Young Avengers sounded like a bad idea. It seemed like Marvel’s ham-handed attempt to cash in on Teen Titans’ popularity with mini versions of Marvel heroes. Then an odd thing happened. Word of mouth spread and good buzz surrounded the book. The characters developed fascinating ties to Avengers history, from the introduction of the Vision’s protocols to Iron Lad and Patriot’s true identities to Cassie Lang’s unexpected powers. So with foot planted firmly in mouth, I gave the book a shot and found myself pleasantly surprised.

This may be an unpopular opinion among True Believers and Bendis fans, but Young Avengers is every bit the comic New Avengers should have been. While I’ve found the core Avengers book to be somewhat padded and disappointing, Young Avengers has not yet failed to entertain me. Allan Heinberg delivers an excellent blend of action, plot twists, character development, and fun. Miniature Avengers they may be but as secrets are revealed and masks removed, there has proven to be much more to them than most expected. The interaction of these characters with each other and with their disapproving idols has made for interesting reading. With time itself unraveling and the fate of a teammate and an unborn child at risk, the stakes are appropriately high for this super-team’s debut, thus increasing the tension and keeping the reader’s attention with the steady progression of the story. Not all is angst and drama however and the script achieves a nice balance of humorous elements, particularly the fanboyish nature of a team emulating the big guns of the Marvel Universe.

Jim Cheung’s artwork excels at the same balancing act as Heinberg’s script, incorporating accomplished action, humor, and character moments into a solid superhero style. His young characters genuinely look and behave like teenagers and his version of Kang is a wonderfully smug and smirking creep. Cheung is backed by Dell and Geraci, a pair of inkers whose styles mesh unobtrusively, and colorist Ponsor, who lends the story a moody shadowed feel while still capturing the rich deep purples, blues, and reds of the cast.

I’m happy to admit I was wrong in my initial perception of this series. Young Avengers has turned out to be an excellent superhero tale, one that (in my opinion) is even outshining their would-be mentors. It certainly gives one hope for the new generation.

-Eric Lindberg