written by Mark Waid
illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After a full-blown six-issue arc featuring two artists and the return of a major Avengers villain, as well as a brief dalliance into crossover territory, Mark Waid treats readers of this title to a simpler, three-issue arc featuring another major villain (Annihilus) and some sterling art by Mahmud Asrar.
On a mission to find Jesse Alexander, the missing father of the current Nova, Sam Alexander, the Avengers find themselves trapped on a planet along with several other space travelers, and in trying to escape they realize that the person holding them prisoner is none other than Annihilus, who is using some sort of space cannon to ensure no one can escape. While the Avengers have dealt with Annihilus in the past, this will certainly be a baptism of fire for its newer members like Thor (Jane Foster), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).
While the story was a pleasant enough read, knowing that the book, and the Marvel Universe as a whole, is headed for even more status-quo-shattering upheaval puts a bit of a damper on the enjoyment. In a few short months, Miles, Kamala and Sam will be splitting from the Avengers and forming their own book, which makes all of this "team-gelling" seem somewhat pointless at this stage, though I will credit Waid and Asrar for a well-crafted, short but sweet story, even though the cleanness of Asrar's art sort of tapered off towards the last issue of the arc. Also, the time spent on Nadia Pym, the late Hank Pym's daughter and the new Wasp is clearly meant to set her up for big things, but, to me anyway, felt like wasted pages. The next story arc will likely focus on her.
It's also evident at this stage that none of the new Avengers like Thor, Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel really gets the attention each of the individual characters deserves. While Thor got a bit of interesting solo time during the first arc, in which she made out with Falcon and had her nasty little secret revealed (also to Falcon, coincidentally enough), but there's no such development here, arguably for lack of time. I was also a little bewildered at how the Avengers like Spider-Man suddenly know Ms. Marvel's secret identity, which she kept a closely guarded secret. Clearly, something significant happened in another book, which is another thing that kind of peeved me.
Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much of a point in "investing" in these characters as a team considering where they're headed, but for the time being I am enjoying these stories well enough, if with a little sadness at knowing what's to come.
7.5/10 for issues 10 and 11
6.9/10 for issue 12
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