New Avengers #23
Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art by: Kev Walker
Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe Namor? I really, really hate that guy. Which definitely says something about the power of Jonathan Hickman’s writing. After last issue’s explosive battle between T’challa and Namor, the Illuminati have broken. As the title of this issue states, the angels have fallen. Hickman uses this downtime to explore what each of these characters would do in their final moments. Every member is allocated 1-3 pages and Hickman uses this space perfectly. Reed Richards visits his daughter in Latveria (a standout due to Hickman’s expert portrayal of Doctor Doom), Beast confides in his younger self, T’challa visits his one true love and so on. This was a beautiful issue because Hickman truly comprehends all of these characters. Every “final moment” felt spot on for each of these corrupt heroes. And then comes the final pages of this issue. Hickman adds yet more layers of threat and peril to this story. The Illuminati now have active antagonists and I’m truly eager to see how they will go about it. Next issue is an 8-month time jump which should be interesting even though I would like to see the direct aftermath of this issue’s cliff-hanger.
Kev Walker handles the art duties and is not close to on par with Valerio Schiti but it’s still adequate and gets the job done. His figures are a mixed bag, some are greatly drawn yet some look quite stale. His Black Bolt for example, isn’t the finest design.
Overall, this issue was an expertly written character study and Hickman even manages to thicken the plot some more by the end of it. The art wasn’t perfect but the writting warrants a perfect score. The payoff to the illuminati’s actions is stunning, shocking, flabbergasting any way you would like to put it. This issue is a example of why you should stick with Hickman’s books when they falter, the payoff is always incredible.
Art by: Kev Walker
Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe Namor? I really, really hate that guy. Which definitely says something about the power of Jonathan Hickman’s writing. After last issue’s explosive battle between T’challa and Namor, the Illuminati have broken. As the title of this issue states, the angels have fallen. Hickman uses this downtime to explore what each of these characters would do in their final moments. Every member is allocated 1-3 pages and Hickman uses this space perfectly. Reed Richards visits his daughter in Latveria (a standout due to Hickman’s expert portrayal of Doctor Doom), Beast confides in his younger self, T’challa visits his one true love and so on. This was a beautiful issue because Hickman truly comprehends all of these characters. Every “final moment” felt spot on for each of these corrupt heroes. And then comes the final pages of this issue. Hickman adds yet more layers of threat and peril to this story. The Illuminati now have active antagonists and I’m truly eager to see how they will go about it. Next issue is an 8-month time jump which should be interesting even though I would like to see the direct aftermath of this issue’s cliff-hanger.
Kev Walker handles the art duties and is not close to on par with Valerio Schiti but it’s still adequate and gets the job done. His figures are a mixed bag, some are greatly drawn yet some look quite stale. His Black Bolt for example, isn’t the finest design.
Overall, this issue was an expertly written character study and Hickman even manages to thicken the plot some more by the end of it. The art wasn’t perfect but the writting warrants a perfect score. The payoff to the illuminati’s actions is stunning, shocking, flabbergasting any way you would like to put it. This issue is a example of why you should stick with Hickman’s books when they falter, the payoff is always incredible.
A Look Inside
