Young Avengers #9

The Team
Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Jamie McKelvie

Young Avengers started off normal enough in the first story arc featuring some evil parents possessed by something weird that is hard to fully explain. That arc was very enjoyable as it encompassed the first few issues and got readers acclimated to the new team. Then the unthinkable happened and a fill in with two strange characters took a hard right turn in the direction of the comic book. Since that issue the Young Avengers have been diving head first into some hardcore craziness with some of the older incarnations of the team haunting the new ones. While this newer level of crazy can be annoying, writer Kieron Gillen is worth trusting for the foreseeable future. The stellar collaboration of Gillen and artist McKelvie seems to be worth following in the strange time in the lives of the new team. With reality seemingly collapsing, the group of characters followed the former hero Patriot down a strange reality. Since that strange new world hit the descent into the void of madness seems likely, lets take a look to see if Gillen and company can take the Young Avengers down this strange direction without alienating fans.

This issue continues the craziness featured in the past, but also starts to move in a more grounded direction. Readers do not quite know where exactly this comic is going, but expect greatness and will be rewarded with such. The universe hopping beings to die down within these pages towards a new moment that features the extended cast. The weirdness is also not completely dialed back as readers continue to get some interesting variations on the well known characters of this title. The only aspect of these pages that did not work for me, was the hint of melodrama permeating in the pages. Last issue the cliffhanger was a curious one that was dealt with extremely well in this issue.

As usual Jamie McKelvie proves why is he such a unique asset to the field of comic books in this title. His smooth lines and character work set him apart from every other artist in comics. Yet his style fits perfectly for Marvel, as he can draw a dynamic cast and make them all look different with relative ease. Another tool of his trade is the expressive masks he paints on the different characters in this title. Readers will not be disappointed by what they get artwise in this series. The other fascinating part about the work is what the collaboration can yield from the two creators. These are people that are understand each other immensely, and because of that a crazy visual trick is expressed in every issue. The crazy visual moment in this features some interesting versions of characters crashing out the floor. It is the big centerpiece of the strange work that should have fans cheering in excitement.

Young Avengers remain interesting for those fascinated by this ragtag group of heroes. The creators work very well together and should give readers some extended interest in this series. For some reason this series does not get enough love in comparison to some of the other Marvel Now titles, presumably it is only because of the crowded comic book market and not the extreme quality of this title.