All-New All-Different Avengers #1
Released: November 4th 2015
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Sonia OBack
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover: Alex Ross
Avengers! Re-assemble!
Warning – Contains Story Spoilers!
Welcome to New York. Again. See, for those following the yet to be completed ‘Secret Wars’, we know that Earth 616 home to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, was destroyed along with the whole universe and all neighbouring universes. We have yet to come to the conclusion of the event but despite the multiverse being obliterated, the show must go on!
Enter ‘All New, All Different’ Marvel. This is not the first time the publisher has attempted a rebranding. You may remember the failed ‘Marvel NOW!’ fiasco. Well this time, like it or not, the changes are here to stay. Leaving the ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ to Secret Wars, Marvel have relaunched all their titles with #1 issues all over the place. Within the realm of the Avengers, there’s 4 different books carrying the title in some form or another and that’s not even counting the tie-ins!
Today, we’re focusing on what I would call Marvel’s flag ship comic, ‘All New, All Different Avengers’. The new team features old favourites and some new-kids-on-the-block (not the boyband thank Odin!). Comprising of Iron Man/Tony Stark, Captain America/Sam Wilson (previously known as the Falcon), Spiderman/Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Nova/Sam Alexander, Thor/Jane Foster and Vision.
In the initial issue we are hurled into the action, in typical Avengers fashion, with Captain America performing a daring rescue with the help of his pet falcon, Redwing. As is the norm for the super-powered, things are always on the edge of slipping into a public relations nightmare. Cap’ is faced with a crowd of people all with phones out recording the action when he is asked to buy cookies from some girl scouts. Having only $5 dollars to hand, Sam is faced with one white and one black girl. The crowd squeeze in for a better look, which girl will the new Captain America choose to buy from? It’s here that one could easily assume they are pointing out that yes, Captain America is now a black man! One onlooker even commenting ‘he’s not MY Captain America!’ I think what Waid is doing here is instead turning focus on society and how we look for racial controversy where none exists. Luckily for Sam, he’s rescued from all this by the ever charismatic Tony Stark who whisks him away in a flying sports car, naturally!
We see that the famous Avenger’s tower in Manhattan has been sold by Stark and is being disassembled as they pass. Within the tower however all is not still as Warbringer, a Chitauri (the same race of alien that invaded New York in the Avengers movie), arrives in destructive fashion setting himself up as a major enemy for the yet unformed team. Being witnessed by a seemingly hidden Spiderman, Miles is soon discovered only to be rescued by Tony after his ‘sports car’ transforms around him into the Iron Man armour.
Waid points out to us the numerous teams active at the time but none bearing the official ‘Avengers’ title.
We leave Tony & Sam to see another, more recent hero, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel discussing who should be on a new Avengers team. She doesn’t have long though as chaos erupts outside and she heads out just in time to see the latest incarnation of the human rocket, Nova aka Sam Alexander, zooming by!
The interaction between the two is obviously flirtatious with a sprinkle of relatable teenage awkwardness. Nova even taking the bold move of unmasking in front of Kamala and introducing himself as Sam!
This first issue has yet to see the Avengers actually assemble and we still haven’t seen Vision or Thor/Jane Foster as yet. The story is action heavy as you would expect and the artwork certainly reflects that. Panels depicting Captain America soaring to the rescue are a definite highlight. The cover art, by Alex Ross, is striking and most certainly one of the best of any current Marvel books.
All New, All Different Avengers #1 feels more like an introduction to characters more than an Avengers title but considering this a total reboot, we can forgive them that. If you’re new to comics, love the Avengers movies & want to start reading, this is definitely your book! Long-time fans may find the exposition heavy story a tad tedious but I have no doubt we’ll be running with this new team for quite some time to come!
4 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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