Written by: Kieron Gillen
Artist(s): Jamie McKelvie with Mike Norton
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Publisher: Marvel
Young Avengers is always one of my top Marvel comics to read each month. It’s not super flashy or over the top with its story line, but it’s consistent and I know that with each issue I’m going to be entertained and have questions until the next issue comes out.
This issue is no exception. For those unfamiliar with the Young Avengers it’s a comic that follows Hawkeye, Hulkling (Teddy), Loki, Marvel Boy, Miss America, Prodigy and Wiccan (Billy) as they deal with both regular teenager problems and super hero problems. Throughout almost every issue of the comic the presence of social media is very present #duh #takethat #enoughofthis…
In this particular issue Mother has a more lead role than she has had in previous issues. Mother is Teddy’s mother whom Billy, his boyfriend, brought back from the dead to surprise Teddy. However Mother was not just your regular mother, she along with other parents she brought back with her from her “home dimension” attempted to feed on Billy, Teddy and any of the other Young Avengers they could get their hands on. Eventually the parents were banished back to their home dimension where they remain, unless any of the Young Avengers go to New York in which Mother can cross over and feed her hunger. In issue #10 Mother has a talk with Loki in which readers learn he was the one behind Billy bringing her back to begin with, but he was also partly responsible for her demise. They have a Q&A session before Loki departs and Leah of Hel appears to talk to mother about her own agenda, which of course is taking Loki down. Leah of Hel is the newest addition to this comic’s cast and her role become more important with every issue.
This issue also shows that as usual Loki cannot be trusted. Both Mother and the Young Avengers see him as being on their side, but Loki has only one side…his own. And as long as he is far away from Leah of Hel, and no one suspects his trickery, he’s a happy Loki. Speaking of Leah of Hel, she had become Teddy’s therapist, helping him deal with his breakup from Billy. However sometimes it’s hard to see who is the therapist and who is the person receiving the therapy. In this issue Leah takes Teddy to a group counseling session that is set up similar to an AA meeting. This meeting is full of people who want revenge on certain members of the Young Avengers. Teddy however wants no part in this and exits the meeting early to find himself in a coffee shop in New York… And I think you can see where this is going… #issue11
This issue is one of the best to date. You learn more about the world of Mother, and see that in the future the Young Avengers may have some evil ex’s to battle. And I predict Loki will have a lot of explaining to do. The dialogue fits the ages of the characters perfectly and everything just flows together extremely well. The creativeness Gillen brings to each issue is truly amazing and his use of social media references (“yamblr”, instant messaging, twitter, etc…) is spot on with today’s youth. If the Young Avengers were real this is how they would act.
The artwork is always one of the best parts of this comic in my opinion. The colors are the perfect balance of dark and bright, which is good for a comic about young people. And the artwork itself is relaxed but still had the edge it’s grown up avengers titles has. This is the perfect comic for someone just getting into marvel and/or wants to learn about the Avengers without being thrown into the craziness of all the main titles.
4 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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