Picked up Avengers # 14 this week as it's officially the start of Jonathan Hickman's Infinity. This one though is written by Hickman with co-writer Nick Spencer and Stefano Casselli on art duties. Special thanks to Castle Geek and Comicx Hub.
Here are my thoughts. I loved the book and thanks to Hickman's layered storytelling everything that's happened in the past 13 issues are starting to come into full view. There's Ex Nihilo and Abyss in Mars watching for their masterstroke come into full bloom. There's the problem with the organisms that came out of the origin bombs which hit Earth back in issue # 4 or was that # 5.
So much is happening in this issue alone that you wouldn't even notice that there was really nothing that tied up with INFINITY in this. But you do sense that everything that is transpiring in this issue will lead to the inevitable clash between the Avengers and Thanos back in space. It's just that, it's really nothing there. I'm inclined to think that come Infinity # 1, Thanos will probably refer to something from this issue when he finally encounters the Avengers; all that because there's already a secret stalker/ sleeper agent on Earth (as seen in FCBD Infinity).
Another reason why I loved this issue is due to the fact that the team is actually responding to world threats and they're finally gelling as a first response superhero team, something that the Justice League has been doing over at DC Comics for a steady flow of a few months. That's just my gripe with Avengers as of late, Hickman's slow on the uptake when it comes to pacing so the tendency is that we get character driven stories that look good but has zero action. In a way it's a modern version of the Bendis writing disease where everybody just reveals their 'feels' and we're supposed to enjoy it. Avengers # 14 didn't do that, opening that first page alone we get to see the scope of the risks and dangers the team must face in order to keep the world safe.
Art was also great. I sure miss Jerome Opena's work on this book but Stefano Casseli does not disappoint either. He draws a lot of great, widescreen stuff in this issue which will make his previous works on Avengers Assemble and even Amazing Spider-Man cower in fear. Plus, those action scenes although just a few panels, were just so beautiful.
This might be a preference but I'm not too keen on the inclusion of AIM and the newly minted AIM island in the story. It felt like they could have taken a back seat but instead of that, they get the focal point for the ending.
Overall: Good plot and interesting character development and interaction, solid art and just unbelievable one non-stop action. Get your copy of Avengers # 14 from Castle Geek in The Collective or in Glorietta. You can also order online thru Comicx Hub [order HERE].
Verdict: 9/10
This is powered by Comicx Hub. I got my Avengers # 14 online!
