New Avengers member Storm has joined the team just in time to deal with catastrophe, and she’ll need to call in other mutants to help against this world-ending threat. A who’s-who of the Marvel Universe must unite against the supreme power of Hyperion. Find out how that goes in Avengers #18, written by Jed MacKay, drawn by Valerio Schiti, colored by Bryan Valenza and lettered by Cory Petit.
Sometimes in life, it takes numerous tries to strike gold. Or at least a metal that is similar in rareness but maybe not precisely that value.
Adding the right amount of spices to get that recipe to peak deliciousness. Getting back up on that skateboard till you can pull off that one sweet frontside half-cab kickflip youâre determined to hit. Getting your learnerâs permit like 10 times into adulthood till you gain that sweet license of freedom (thatâs me!).
All of this to say, hey look at that, Avengers #18 is that issue.
What issue, you say? Well, the issue that shouts from the rooftops, âWe have arrived!â
Will it last? This is comics, nothing really lasts when one gets down into the nitty gritty of the industry and how the Big Two tend to operate. But for right now, weâre here.
Last month, I spoke about how the issue that was about Storm joining the Avengers was pretty hit or miss. Funny since the whole premise of these two issues is that Hyperion (the one from the forgotten Mephisto-created Heroes Reborn event) is depressed and suicidal and is headed toward Earth at full speed to hit it into oblivion. Bet they really are wishing that Hyperion will miss.
Iâm getting ahead of myself, though.
This issue is mostly the Avengers trying to drum up allies and plans for how to stop Hyperionâs death-missile routine. Storm comes into the picture, after Captain America (Sam Wilson) invited her, and the rest of the Avengers raise not a single complaint. Nor should they, if they know what is best for them. Thankfully they do, because they are more than happy to see someone of Stormâs caliber on their team.
Unlike a certain line of comics that she should be leading the way in.
Anyways, through some shrewd work, the Avengers have a plan. With the help of the X-Men, the Stranges and Sif of Asgard, they are going to kill Hyperion during his flight. While the idea of the Avengers speaking about killing is a bit âWhoa,â the reason to do so is to save the entire planet. Itâs also not something Captain Marvel or any of the team takes lightly. Itâs a neat bit of scenes chiefly for this back-and-forth, letting MacKay tap into his character development chops more, and also the semi-Mutant Circuit situation happening here.
The Stranges and Scarlet Witch combine, and connect with Quentin Quire on Cerebro and Sif to create this amorphous, all-seeing, all-sensing situation. They find Hyperion easily, and the panels of this are just gorgeous, as one expects from Valerio Schiti at this point.
Everything feels dire and compelling; the colors keep things in a space where they are fantastical but also darker and heavier. Basically, everyone is, naturally, playing their A+ game, and it shows. There wasnât even a moment where I stopped to think things over that much, unlike last issue.
Having Vision come to the decision of an actually better plan was great, since it matches that he and Carol were the major voices in the previous issues about any deaths being unacceptable. The solicits promised this big âStorm vs. Hyperion!â fight and all that jazz, cleverly covering up that there is no fight here, just a peaceful resolution that shows the Avengers doing something more heroic than throwing fists.
I walked out of this issue feeling so good, I didnât even find Stormâs inclusion here to be a detriment as I did before. A detriment in the sense that she deserves better. I mean she still does. Get out of her way, Scott and Rogue (my ties for favorite X-characters), the Queen should be leading the way! (I did not really dig the âAvengers are equalsâ vs. âX-Men are a strike team with a combat leaderâ line at all.)
While Avengers #17 might have been a very âmiddle of the road type experienceâ by my own words, Avengers #18 is a complete package that hints at what this title could and should be. With things getting very Doomy in the next issue, Iâm curious where my opinion will fall next.
Wherever Storm goes, well, Iâm gonna follow.
Buy Avengers #18 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Scott Redmond
Scott Redmond is a freelance writer and educator fueled by coffee, sarcasm, his love for comic books and more "geeky" things than you can shake a lightsaber at. Probably seen around social media and remembered as "Oh yeah, that guy." An avid gamer, reader, photographer, amateur cook and solid human being.
