U.S. Avengers # 1 Review

by Fanboy SEO · January 7, 2017

Our thoughts for the book U.S. Avengers # 1 by Al Ewing and Paco Medina for Marvel Comics.

The book picks up from the ashes of the All New All Different New Avengers book, which in turn was the rehashed version of Hickman’s Avengers World title from a few years ago.

This one tries to cash in on the ubiquitous Avengers brand while going all American both in story plots and with the team members. Actually I thought it was a novel concept to do so. Problem is, its been done to death.

But anyway, this is still something interesting at least for the first issue anyway. We’re seeing some big changes for characters like Sunspot who now looks like the male version of Rogue.

They’ve also revisited some concepts and characters that worked, some that have been out of the limelight for sometime and characters that have built-in fanbases.

Issue 1 is just basically an introduction to the team members juxtaposed with “interviews” with the same character. We’re expected to get their motivation from the speech bubbles and at the same time expected take it for what it is. Seriously I scratched my head for a bit and raised some questions throughout the book like:

SPOILER ALERT

Why wasn’t Thunderbolt Ross the Red Hulk? Was this something from the previous ‘Hulk’ run where Hulk had been de-Hulking characters?
Is Cannonball still with Smasher aka Dan Dare’s granddaughter? What happened to their kid?
Why is the character Pod now going on human form?
Why isn’t Sunspot sick with the Terrigen Mist? Last I checked in with a ‘New Avengers’ book, he was coughing like hell.

So I dunno, I’m walking into this title a bit confused as to what’s happening. It might be my fault but there’s still a small need for more explanation on why and where these characters are the way there are.

I’m still on the fence with the LGBT / diversity stuff between Enigma and Iron Patriot, props though as Enigma/Pod has been written as a lesbian character even during New Avengers.

I like the enemy for this issue with their evil island floating base complete with volcano. It was fun to look at and the way they took down the damned thing (or at least the HYDRA wannabes running the place) was entertaining. The tease for the first story arc’s villain intrigues me.

But the tease for what’s coming for U.S. Avengers was what might make me stay for this title for at least 2017…