Customer Reviews

Young Avengers Vol. 1: Sidekicks

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When this series first came out, there was a lot of skepticism. A book called Young Avengers had the potential to go seriously wrong, and many people dismissed it as a rip-off of DC's Teen Titans. However, Allan Heinberg, a writer from The O.C. (which I am actually not a fan of), gives us a great story that turned into a huge sleeper hit. In fact, some review sites have claimed that Young Avengers is even better than New Avengers, the other book that came from the wake of Avengers Disassembled.

After the events of Avengers Disassembled, Iron Man and Captain America were forced to disband the popular superteam. Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, and The Vision were all killed, the Scarlet Witch lost her mind and caused massive destruction, both physically and emotionally, to the team, and Tony Stark (Iron Man) was forced to step down as the Secretary of Defense, and the mansion was destroyed. But before the New Avengers could start up, a quartet of teenage superheroes were spotted disguised as members of the Avengers. Patriot/Eli Bradley is dressed as Captain America's sidekick Bucky, Hulkling/Teddy Altman obviously looks like the Incredible Hulk, Asgardian/Billy Kaplan models himself after Thor, and Iron Lad/Nathaniel Richards wears a suit of advanced armor, similar to that of Iron Man.

The series begins with a great line from Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson asking reporters Kat Farrell and Jessica Jones (pregnant with Luke Cage's baby) who the Young Avengers are (the name was chosen by Farrell, and is fairly disliked by the teens). JJJ orders them to find out who they are and what they are up to. Furthermore, once Captain America and Iron Man learn about the teen group, they are also interested in finding them... so that they can stop them.

Meanwhile, the Young Avengers are having trouble adjusting into the roles of heroes. They try to help diffuse a hostage situation at a wedding, but they end up getting saved themselves by Kate Bishop, one of the bridesmaids. Later, Iron Lad tries to warn the others that the time-travelling supervillain Kang the Conqueror is coming for them (though if you know a lot about the Marvel universe, I've given away the ending to the first issue already). As it turns out, Iron Lad found files in the remnants of The Vision for a contingency plan in case the Avengers ever disband, and it brought the four would-be heroes together. Eventually, Cassie Lang, the daughter of the late Ant-Man, and Kate Bishop find their way to the destroyed Avengers Mansion to sign up with the Young Avengers. Although, Cap, Iron Man, and Jessica have already found the kids, and try to dissuade them from being heroes. Eventually, Kang does show up, and the Young Avengers are forced to fight when the adult Avengers get incapacitated.

While the series may seem contrived, it really isn't. Heinberg's plot and dialogue are very good, as is the art. While the story synopsis I am giving in this review is minimal, I am trying to keep from spoiling too much, and the repurcussions of Kang's actions are amazing. Also, some people may be turned off by the fact that this is a book about teenagers, but you shouldn't let that stop you. While media about teens (whether it be movies, television, or books) has been polluted by some really terrible offerings, this is one of the great offerings. Strangely, this and another book about a group of teenage heroes are two of my favorite comics currently on the shelves (the other being Runaways, which is even better than this, so check it out too!).

I guess the one drawback I found is that not all of the Young Avengers have fully developed personalities. Hulkling and Asgardian don't really have distinctive personalities, but by the end of the book, we can see them developing. Fortunately, the other characters are well developed. Patriot is headstrong, Cassie and Iron Lad are idealists, and Kate is a tough girl with definite leadership potential. So even though not all of the characters have been fleshed out yet, don't let that stop you from picking up this book.

Overall, this is an excellent offering from Marvel. Pretty much everything about it is top-notch and shouldn't be written off. This first story arc is good, and from what I hear, it only gets better from here.

The Young Avengers is a surprising well written and drawn comic series. The dialogue is humourous and very tongue in cheek at times. The collection covers the first 6 comics in the series, so throughout this book you are still just meeting the main characters and learning about them. Even so, it quickly drags you into the story with the great dialogue and action. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a bit of fresh air! I can't wait until the next release!

This is a great comic about hero's dealing with their powers and working as a team. It reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's well written, well drawn, and worth the time reading.

Young Avengers: Sidekicks is what I beleive to be Marvel's answer to the highly successful Teen Titans by DC Comics. Although somewhat unsure about the title, overall concept and some of the characters I was delighted by this volume. With some similarities to Teen Titans, the first 6 issues of Young Avengers do stand on their own. Sidekicks primarily puts the focus on the introduction of the new characters as well as their introduction into the Marvel universe. I would of liked to see some more backstory to some of the characters (like Patriot and Hulking), plot is a little thin and the appearance of Captain America and Iron Man weighed this volume down. In the end quite an enjoyable read and highly recommended. Look forward to volume 2 explaining more of their origins.

A Loyal Fan.

Brian Michael Bendis' "Avengers Disassembled" event was, all in all, a pretty poor story, apart from the unrelated conclusion to "Thor v.2" written by Michael Avon Oeming, which was utterly brilliant. However, it is fair to say that most of what spun out of it was incredibly valuable, the main exception being Bendis' own "New Avengers" series, which, while a sales hit, has never clicked with me; the AD reboot, however, gave us Ed Brubaker's Captain America, Warren Ellis and then Daniel and Charles Knauf's Iron Man, (belatedly) J. Michael Straczynski's Thor, and Allan Heinberg's Young Avengers, which has a seemingly awful title and premise, but utterly fantastic execution. If you are skeptical, give it a shot.

This first arc, titled "Sidekicks" (something of a misappelation in my opinion, since the characters are not sidekicks, unlike, say, the original Teen Titans), is just about the perfect origin arc for a superteam. Heinberg effortlessly weaves old continuity into his story in fascinating ways, carrying on from the fallout of AD better than Bendis ever did. The Young Avengers first appear in New York, consisting of four heroes whose appearances are modelled on Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk; understandably alarmed, the real Captain America and Iron Man investigate, bringing along reporter and former superhero Jessica Jones (another Bendis creation); and two girls, Cassie Lang (daughter of the deceased Ant-Man II) and Kate Bishop (daughter of a rich family, and the only character without a connection to an existing hero) decide to look for the team, and insist on joining. Hanging over all this is the impending arrival of Kang the Conqueror, arguably the worst foe in the history of the Avengers (he physically conquered the world once, and blew up Washington, although that's rarely mentioned, since it's largely been ignored since). I won't get into much detail on the plot (other reviewers have already done so, and, in any event, it's better to discover these things for oneself), but sufficed to say that by the story's end the team will have gone through the ringer, and come out both triumphant and sorrowful.

Heinberg's writing is brilliant; witty, dramatic, poignant, and insightful; he takes basic character types and brings them to life. He is matched by Jim Cheung on art, whose beautiful work (albeit with a somewhat limited array of facial types) brings the characters and their world to vivid life. The only flaw on the part of each is how slow they are, but that's not a problem in trade (although it will be when you become addicted to the series, as I did, and are then confronted with the paucity of published adventures for this team).

I give this my highest recommendation.

You had me at "Who The #*&% Are The New Avengers?"

On the first page J.J. Jameson pops the question on the readers mind, and it's a great way to start this book. The team of superheroes here aren't really all that cool; they have names like Hulkling and Iron Lad. However, great writing and an appearances by Captain America, Iron Man, the Vision, J.J. Jameson, and Kang the Conqueror make this story awesome. By the end of the book you actually care about the Young Avengers future. All you skeptics out there should give it a chance. The Young Avengers was nominated for Best New Series by Eisner and Harvey awards, and it got Allan Heinberg an Eisner nomination for Best Writer. What have you got to lose?

I was skeptical at first, but this title is very good. Heinberg (the TV writer dude) makes a solid book out of this seemingly weak premise. Do we really need Junior Avengers? In short, yes. The book goes in directions that I didn't expect at all. I won't ruin the story for you.

Great story, great art. Buy this!

Here is a how to book for all creators when introducing new characters in an established universe. Heinberg and Cheung deliver a fantastic collection of the first six issues of a series that I wished was still going. Heinberg's dialogue is great and the plot is smart and meaningful. Jimmy Cheung is great once again and he always draws young characters well. Overall, this book was really fun and great for all ages!

This trade paperback collects the first six issues of Marvel's 2006 Young Avengers series. OC and Grey's Anatomy writer Allan Heinberg and Marvel's 'Young Gun' artist Jim Cheung introduce a new team of super-powered teenagers that each resemble a charter member of the Avengers.

I enjoyed the inclusion of supervillian Kang The Conqueror and other references to early Avengers comics. Unfortunately the promising beginning slips into an awkward time-travel plot with a deux ex machina ending. I'd rate this volume worthy of 3-1/2 stars but still enjoyed it enough to read Volume 2 (which I liked more).

This is fun. Smart, snappy writing, really good looking art and colouring. No sign of Wolverine near this team, either! Better than New Avengers, it would seem, none of the 4 splash pages per issue rubbish here. There is also the introduction of a non powered character who uses her wits and training only. She may be the best thing in the book.