New Avengers #5

So, those of you who read my last New Avengers review better be ready for a change of pace, because this book certainly was.

This issue is the first disappointing issue for me. Usually the pacing on this book is great, but pretty much nothing happens in this issue. There is a lot of discussion (that goes no where), a fight that isn't really explained, and a frankly boring origin story for a character I haven't been made to care about quite yet.

I mean, I know Jonathan Hickman can't knock it out of the park every issue of everything he writes. That would be a totally unreasonable expectation. I just feel like I expect more from out of Marvel's rising star.

Oddly enough, this issue is practically the polar opposite of how the last issue was. The pacing is remarkably slow and it doesn't feel like the best the kind of writing that's best for writing a long story in the single-issue format.

If it weren't for the fact that I've seen Hickman juggle large casts before, I'd say maybe they've gotten away from him. It doesn't feel like every character gets a fair shake, but that could be too much to expect with such a large cast.

Not every member of the Illuminati deserves a monologue, I guess. Although, a Shakespearean version of the Avengers could be pretty entertaining. Or am I the only one who thinks that?

The art, however, has been totally fixed. Epting got rid of the silly little needless flourishes that really just detracted from the art last issue, and no one looks like a recovering alcoholic with burst blood vessels in their nose anymore, so that's nice.

Epting's art is technically good, but some of it feels a little hollow to me. Maybe it's just because so much of it focuses on a character that hasn't found a spot in my heart yet, but none of the emotions were driven home for me.

While he can certainly draw with the best of them, Epting didn't make me feel anything this issue. Although, that could be because there is nothing to feel. This whole issue is a little empty.

Now, anyone who has been reading this book, or almost anything Jonathan Hickman was written, knows it'll be better in the trade format. That's what makes books like this difficult to review. This issue might not be the best, but it doesn't detract from the run as a whole.

You also can't criticize something too much when nothing really happens. As Hickman gears up for Marvel's next big event, it seems like he's written the biggest non-event here.

The problem is, every novel has chapters that aren't the most exciting, but they're important. That's exactly what New Avengers #5 is.

This is the chapter that's kind of boring, but you'll be confused if you skip it. You can't make the story without the narrative equivalent of vegetables. So chomp on the Brussells sprouts, dear readers. Hopefully we get some dessert next issue.