New Avengers #2

Writer – Al Ewing
Artist – Gerardo Sandoval
Colours – Dono Sanchez Almara

The Maker is up to no good, which can be expected because he is always up to no good. Currently, he is looking at the mystery of life and death, souls and ghosts and trying to map out the universes that came before this newly reconstructed one. Parts of those discoveries have resulted in the newly-created Neohedron as well as the summoning of a demon from the time before time. So while the Avengers deal with Neohedron, the Maker is left unchecked and that is only going to mean trouble for everyone in the long run. Continuing his foray into the lives of the Avengers, albeit a different team than the one he used to write, Al Ewing does so with some great dialogue, a compelling story and some of his trademark humour to help it along the way. While all of the members of the team are somewhat interesting, it is Songbird and White Tiger who really stand out apart from everyone else. White Tiger has always been a fascinating character and it is good to see her continue here after her tenure in the Mighty Avengers. Songbird remains an enigma for the moment, her reasons for joining the team a mystery, aside from the paycheck she is most likely receiving from their benefactor Roberto da Costa, better known as Sunspot. Primarily though, this book belongs to the Maker, the Ultimate version of Reed Richards who has survived Secret Wars and now makes this new Earth his home. He is completely evil and free of all morals and it will be very intriguing to see him go up against the new team of Avengers. The only problem that makes itself known at this point is that when that time comes, as good as these Avengers are, the Maker seems to have them outmatched and outclassed. It will remain to be seen what Ewing does when the time comes, but it cannot come fast enough. Gerardo Sandoval’s artwork may not be for everyone, but there is a fantastic energy about it and is very modern in appearance, perhaps slightly influenced from all the wonderful Manga published here and overseas. The book always seems to be in a state of motion with Sandoval at the artistic helm and it is nice to see something different on the page than the usual style normally associated with the Avengers. So far, New Avengers is shaping up quite nicely in every possible way.

4 out of 5

Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1

Writer – Frank J. Barbiere
Artist – Brent Schoonover
Colours – Nick Filardi

One of the more interesting books to come from Marvel this week is the second iteration of the Howling Commandos to be made up from some of Marvel’s various monsters. The great thing about this particular concept is that it gives readers a chance to see one or more of their favourite creatures in action who might not have seen the light of day in quite some time. The team in this instance is made up of Warwolf, Man-Thing, Orrgo, Vampire by Night, Zombie Jasper Sitwell, Teen Abomination and Hit Monkey. A strange combination for sure and in charge of them all is Dum Dum Duggan, or at least the LMD that Duggan is now. The book finds our heroes on a mission to retrieve an idol that turns people into plant-based creatures which, if it falls into the wrong hands, could be very bad indeed. Though the idol is retrieved, the mission is a disaster and while it looks like it could be the last mission this new team of commandos take, Duggan sees a lot of potential in them – even Hit Monkey. Frank J. Barbiere creates a fast-paced and fun story that sees these creatures brought together to do the missions that S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot. It is a strange mix of creatures, some that are known more than others like Teen Abomination late of Superior Iron Man and Manphibian from The Legion of Monsters to those some may not be as familiar with like Jack Russell’s cousin Nina aka Vampire by Night. While the team has an overall mission, how they managed to come together and what direction the book is going to take will be intriguing to see. A few of them are powerful beings and it does not stand to reason that they can be locked up indefinitely. A little sad to see is Man-Thing captured for the umpteenth time and forced to work towards another’s purpose. He does add an extra level of horror and wonder to the book, so that is good, but there are all sorts of supernatural creatures in the Marvel Universe, they do not always have to use Man-Thing as the go-to guy. With some great artwork by Brent Schoonover, an interesting premise and some cool characters, Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. is off to a pretty decent start.

3.5 out of 5