Avengers #40
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Stefano Casseli
Jonathan Hickman’s epic Avengers saga is coming to a close in a mere 3 months. The imminent end of this series became completely obvious to me in this issue and I miss it already. Hickman’s Avengers is a comic so powerful that it brought out aspects of myself that I hadn’t ever known were there. The themes, struggles and characters felt enlightening and I was instantly attached. Now, Hickman is starting to say his goodbyes to this book in grand fashion. Avengers #40 is one of most satisfying comics I’ve read in the past year. Everyone always says that Hickman is extremely adept at providing incredible payoff to his set-ups and this issue is proof of that. Hickman begins the final leg of his Avengers saga in this pivotal issue that may be his best outing yet.
While I certainly enjoyed the Illuminati’s battle with Cap’s team, I thought that the psychological aspect was wanting. Hickman’s Avengers has always been about psychological tension and intense arguments which the last 2 issues didn’t explore. Thankfully, though we get our fair share of discussions here and there are no surprises in saying that Hickman writes interesting conversations that are worthy of multiple re-reads. And with all that, Hickman builds to the climax of this issue, where the Avengers unite once again to take on the cabal and it was glorious. Not only did Hickman give us an interesting segment with Namor, showcasing his great character-development, but he puts the cap on arguably the best plot-line in this series with one of the most gratifying moments in the entire run. A flabbergasting, and pivotal moment that was only bolstered by perfectly placed flash-back scenes. This moment will be remembered for years to come and rightfully so.
In addition to the powerful and captivating storytelling, Stefano Casseli steps in to give us some of his best work on the series yet. Avengers/New Avengers has been plagued with fill-in artists and visual inconsistencies but thankfully Casseli gets to pencil this entire issue. His pages are filled with the grand scope that Hickman writes with and the emotional weight that Hickman is trying to convey. It’s good to have an issue where the art holds up to the quality of the script on this book.
Avengers #40 is the issue of this series that I didn’t know I wanted to read. A certain plot-line that’s been sidelined since August came back to the fore-front in the most satisfying way possible. A truly beautiful way to seemingly end one of the most compelling rivalries in comics. The end is nigh and Hickman is headed towards it in full force.
Artist: Stefano Casseli
Jonathan Hickman’s epic Avengers saga is coming to a close in a mere 3 months. The imminent end of this series became completely obvious to me in this issue and I miss it already. Hickman’s Avengers is a comic so powerful that it brought out aspects of myself that I hadn’t ever known were there. The themes, struggles and characters felt enlightening and I was instantly attached. Now, Hickman is starting to say his goodbyes to this book in grand fashion. Avengers #40 is one of most satisfying comics I’ve read in the past year. Everyone always says that Hickman is extremely adept at providing incredible payoff to his set-ups and this issue is proof of that. Hickman begins the final leg of his Avengers saga in this pivotal issue that may be his best outing yet.
While I certainly enjoyed the Illuminati’s battle with Cap’s team, I thought that the psychological aspect was wanting. Hickman’s Avengers has always been about psychological tension and intense arguments which the last 2 issues didn’t explore. Thankfully, though we get our fair share of discussions here and there are no surprises in saying that Hickman writes interesting conversations that are worthy of multiple re-reads. And with all that, Hickman builds to the climax of this issue, where the Avengers unite once again to take on the cabal and it was glorious. Not only did Hickman give us an interesting segment with Namor, showcasing his great character-development, but he puts the cap on arguably the best plot-line in this series with one of the most gratifying moments in the entire run. A flabbergasting, and pivotal moment that was only bolstered by perfectly placed flash-back scenes. This moment will be remembered for years to come and rightfully so.
In addition to the powerful and captivating storytelling, Stefano Casseli steps in to give us some of his best work on the series yet. Avengers/New Avengers has been plagued with fill-in artists and visual inconsistencies but thankfully Casseli gets to pencil this entire issue. His pages are filled with the grand scope that Hickman writes with and the emotional weight that Hickman is trying to convey. It’s good to have an issue where the art holds up to the quality of the script on this book.
Avengers #40 is the issue of this series that I didn’t know I wanted to read. A certain plot-line that’s been sidelined since August came back to the fore-front in the most satisfying way possible. A truly beautiful way to seemingly end one of the most compelling rivalries in comics. The end is nigh and Hickman is headed towards it in full force.
A Look Inside
