Young Avengers #11

Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Jamie McKelvie

Introduction

Over the past five or so issues, Young Avengers has dove headfirst into complete madness. The series has gone from weird elements, to the surreal, to each installment leaving me with a Grant Morrison headache. This is actually great for the overall health of the title, writer Kieron Gillen seems to know where he is going with the madness. Throughout all of the strange, the writer has not seemed to forget about character either. Even if the teen heroes will be confused on what exactly they are doing, they will be wildly expressive while doing so. This is helped by the gorgeous pencils of Jamie McKelvie, who captures the essence of this comic in a seemingly impossible manner. The fringe Marvel books need to be taking some massive risks if these franchises are going to stay alive for the long term. Come one and come all to the Gillen and McKelvie era of the Young Avengers!

Writing

Gillen has the uncanny knack for insane dialogue that will cause a smile to wilt on the face of the most jaded comic book reader in existence. The small hint of sarcasm in many of the lines, really add personality to yet another Avengers book. The author can pull out a fascinating metaphor like adults not understanding teenagers, and meld it into a sci-fi backdrop involving a major plot elements. The big moment here involving Loki is definitely the scene that everyone will be talking about. For the most part the plot element was handled with grace, and it involves a new take on an older more sinister person. The big question on everyone’s mind will be if the change is actually organic in the main context of the series at large. We may never know the answer, but in the long form, this new angle will help the book. Another character also makes a wise aesthetic decision, later on in the book. Having all of these individuals change their look so often, keeps everything feeling fresh and visually dynamic.

Art

Jamie McKelvie has adapted his art style very suitably to fit this new era of the book. The different costumes that keep changing on each character, give the title a sense of growth. Looking back on issue one, you can tell the difference from a glance. There is a splash page early one that proves how bold this entire creative team is. The crew is looking at the readers in the eye with a horde of different outfits, leaving audiences dumbfounded. The artist is allowed to experiment exponentially, with even more designs for the heroes. There are a couple of moments in this issue in particular that have major developments for things to come. These are all visual aspects that can function as huge reveals indefinitely leading to some major things coming down the road. Similar to comics like Hawkeye, Young Avengers employs many impressive tricks throughout this issue. One striking example is a grid of different characters in circles. This book will hopefully consistently remain as interesting as it has been right now.

Conclusion

Young Avengers is one of the most engaging fringe Marvel books on store shelves. The characters all have distinctive personalities and visual quirks. The writing is wildly inventive, bordering on criminally insane. Gillen and McKelvie have done a great job establishing themselves as wonderful comics creators.