A lot is going on in Avengers #16; Captain America (Steve Rogers) has confiscated a Helicarrier packed to the brim with vampires, including unrepentant Nazi Baron Blood. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Helicarrier is also full of innocent people, leaving Cap’s ragtag Avengers squad to try and save them all while dealing with the legions of the undead. And that’s just on the first page!
What’s surprising about this comic is how quickly it resolves its plot points. Rogers gets the upper hand by piloting into the sunlight. Quicksilver turns the tide against the vampires, while Kate Bishop finds a way to save the human hostages. Blood Hunt is slated to wrap up this month and writer Jed MacKay is gearing up for incoming runs on X-Men and Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, but I feel like the ending for Avengers #16 is far too abrupt.
That being said, MacKay still mines some gold out of the various interactions scattered throughout Avengers #16. Captain America and Baron Blood are locked in a bitter conflict, while Quicksilver and Kate end up turning the tide for the Avengers. But the best moments come when Hercules and Hazmat fight vampires. This isn’t the first time the duo have crossed paths – MacKay even references their first meeting in Avengers Academy – yet it’s fun to read the boisterous, brawling demigod and the cynical teenage nuclear reactor working together. In fact, the best part of this arc has been the interactions between Rogers’ team of Avengers.
C.F. Villa and Federico Blee end the arc as strongly as they began, packing each page full of stunning images. Case in point: a two-page spread early in the issue shows the Helicarrier breaking through clouds, with the sun’s golden rays putting the finishing touches on a beautiful image. The action never lets up for a minute; when Quicksilver moves it feels like readers are moving with him, and Cap’s fight with Baron Blood is packed full of brutal punches. Cory Petit also deserves credit for giving each Avenger color-coordinated word captions, from Cap’s royal blue to Quicksilver’s bright green.
Avengers #16 might end on a truncated note, but there’s the promise of more. Next issue sees Storm joining the team, and Cap’s planning to assemble even more Avengers in the appropriately titled Avengers Assemble title later this year. This arc has been a reminder of everything I love about the Avengers, and I hope it continues for as long as MacKay is able.
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