We are like two issues, including this one, away from finishing Infinity for good. After a very poorly planned filler issue last time that totalled the momentum built from Infinity #5, can Avengers this time actually keep the ball rolling and deliver something truly amazing for the upcoming conclusion? Is it good?
Avengers #23 (Marvel Comics)
The Avengers and the Council head straight for Earth, attempting to smash through Thanos’ space wall defense. They need to get through it so they can get to the big man himself and finally liberate the Earth from his clutches. Can they do it?
I am deeply disappointed in you. Seriously, how many heroes were still left on this planet and you guys couldn’t do shit to stop him?)
This is a plain old, straight-up action issue and not much else beyond that, besides setting the stage for Infinity #6 by moving the players into positions they need to be at. So don’t expect any characterization or character moments, besides Shang-Chi standing tall against Black Dwarf at the end (which is good cause I needed a reminder that he even existed due to the fact he hasn’t done squat this entire event). The dialogue is perfectly acceptable and ending offers up some promise. Heck, this issue was an improvement over the last by actually having things happen (like expected, all the information from the last issue was easily summed on the recap page, making that issue entirely useless) and not feeling like filler at all.
Smasher! Stop posing and actually hit something! People I never heard of are dying!
This issue is all action for the most part like I stated, but unfortunately this is where the comic completely falls apart. It looks AWFUL. That’s not the writer’s fault at all and lies with solely with the art team. The action looks incredibly stiff and static in the space scenes or the characters look badly posed when they are fighting. The artwork is so scratchy and unfinished looking due to a lack of inker, the coloring is done by two different people so it become very obvious when they switch and the tone shifts, some pages are brighter looking even if the scene hasn’t changed due to the use of shadows, some pages are more detailed than others, Black Dwarf’s appearance can seem to change (sometimes he looks exactly like Etrigan from DC Comics), and so many other factors.
Black Widow on one page…
…and here she is on the next page. Consistency! We love it! Also, her outfit is very purplish for some reason.
There are some occasional looking drawings that aren’t completely bad (like someone going all Gallagher on another guy’s head, for instance) and the scenes before the action aren’t too badly drawn. However, a good chunk of the book just does not look good at all, seems to constantly change the tone and feel, and can hamper the experience. It got so bad at points that I had actually stop reading the comic and recheck who was drawing the book.
Carol, will you please stop fixing your hair in a wind tunnel? It’s just not a good look.
5.5
- Good at setting the stage for the finale of Infinity.
- The writing is decent enough.
- The artwork is just awful.
- The story for most of issue takes a backseat.
Is It Good?
Avengers #23 is all about the action and setting the stage for the final part of Infinity. Unfortunately, it suffers greatly due to a lack of quality and consistent looking art, which degraded the action and tone at several points. If you’ve come this far, you might as well continue forward, but don’t expect this issue to really wow you with the visuals.
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