Avengers World #1

Writers Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer Artist Stefano Caselli

 

Introduction

 

The biggest problem that most people have with Jonathan Hickman’s massive Avengers Saga is that it requires an intense amount of money and concentration. The next biggest issue is the fact that some of the character work can be slightly glossed over in favor of that next giant space battle. Thankfully, Nick Spencer has teamed up with the writer to give readers Avengers World. The saga that is set to give the smaller heroes some well deserved screen time. The advertising on the book has been strange, and not billed at all as a companion piece to the other entries in the saga. Spencer is a great writer that has been making waves in the industry for a long period of time. Superior Foes Of Spider-Man has proved that the author can really dive into the brain of what makes another person really tick. It also helps that in this issue readers are being treated to the art of Stefano Caselli.

 

Writing

 

This issue disarmed me due to the way it was marketed towards those looking for smaller character pieces, and turned out to be yet another Avengers story. A couple years ago, this would have been a fine story, but as of right now, it’s hard to figure out who this would appeal too? Those seeking a more classic incarnation of the title will not find it here, and the people that really enjoy the Hickman saga are buying the Hickman books. Making this an average jumping on point to the overall story just does not work. Portraits of different heroes are painted as very vague, and do little to make me care about the other individuals in the context of this issue. Pretty soon, this series is just going to be written by Spencer, and the comics buying press are going to need a reason to care. The threat of A.I.M. proves intriguing, but still all too vague at the moment. It was nice to see some of the different plot threads from early Avengers issues come back into play. The plot threads teased at the end leave some possibility open to the future of this book. There is some definitive room to grow off of this lackluster first installment. Overall, both writers fail to give readers a reason to care.

 

Art

 

Stefano Caselli does an adequate job on delivering the pencils of this issue. The faces on some characters look really strange, it is also hard not to get a massive sense of deja vu, as he has drawn the Avengers numerous times in the same poses. Backgrounds also seem more sparse than usual from the artist. When some of the truly unique designs of the monsters A.I.M. soldiers take control of the story, things start getting more interesting. As always, storytelling and polish are two things Caselli delivers in spades. While this may not be the best set of pencils for the artist, He is not exactly phoning the project in either.

 

Conclusion

This is a worrisome first installment to a new Avengers title that does not prove why it deserves it’s existence. Readers may want to hold off on this book until Spencer and company give readers something deeper to sink their teeth into.