Mann About The Racks: Avengers Assemble #12
Editor’s Note: This is the first of what will be a monthly column by Kulbir, in which he highlights a comic that he thinks is a great entry point for new readers. Special thanks to Mr. William B. West for the title. Agree, disagree, have a suggestion, or just want to call us names? Leave your feedback in comments at the end or feel free to email us. - Brian
It begins with a flashback to a time long ago, a former KGB spy hired to assassinate a super intelligent scientist. It is not a pleasant memory as it comes back to haunt her and she cannot let it go. She takes her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend to Siberia, to help a friend she once knew. That ex-KGB agent is Black Widow and her ex-boyfriend? None other than Hawkeye himself! If we then add in his new girlfriend to the mix we have a volatile group, which can only cause trouble! The comic moves onto a fast paced, action filled adventure with a whole load of bickering! This book has everything you want from a superhero comic and moves at a great speed, ending with an all out fight and a huge twist
Who are the Avengers?
If you have watched the movie then you will recognise the team already! One day Earth’s mightiest heroes joined to take on bigger bad guys and aliens. A group of superheroes is better than fighting individually. This comic focuses on two members of that cast and an additional hero rarely seen on television.
Hawkeye is a man with exceptional accuracy and fighting skills, whilst Black Widow is a phenomenally talented ex-KGB spy. Spider-Woman has powers consisting of super strength, agility, speed and the ability to climb walls and fire electrical bursts from her hands. These “spidey” powers came from being blasted whilst in the womb by a laser containing spider DNA. With this explosive love triangle we enter a strange reptilian adventure from Black Widow’s past!
Who are the artist and writer of the comic?
Kelly Sue DeConnick is writing this book and she has a very straight talking and natural style. The conversations between the three characters are genuinely funny and the women dominate with poor Hawkeye caught in the middle! There is a great balance between the plot progression and dialogue, keeping you on your toes and not bored for a minute.
The comic is drawn by Pete Woods who is an experienced artist, having worked for DC and Marvel companies. The natural vibe of the writing is well matched by the artwork. The characters move realistically during conversations as well as the fighting scenes. The flashback sequence occurs in a beautifully quaint town square in Switzerland and is coloured in wonderfully by Rain Beredo.
Why should you read this book?
It is a well drawn and written plot with twists and turns and a great sense of humour. The love triangle works really well amongst a Black Widow origin story.
If you want to read more about Black Widow’s past then check out recent issues of Winter Soldier. Spider-woman and Hawkeye have only just got together and Avengers #30 is a great starting issue!
After watching the nineties X-Men & Batman cartoons I became obsessed with Detective Comics and Uncanny X-Men books. It was all I read but when I went to university, my Mum forgot to pick them up. My comics were gone and I was devastated. Fast forward five years and a medical degree, I walk past a comic shop in my Liverpool home and I pop in. I pick up the same comics I did back then and paid for them with my own money! I currently work as a surgeon and have my own blog which I obsessively write for. This has meant I read pretty much everything and love all types of comics. Most importantly I feel comics are not appreciated highly enough in the literature and art world. My aims are to spread the love far and wide and this is the reason I started writing for this blog. I want new people to read comic books and I want them to spread the word. I am very supportive of the aims of this site and am happy to contribute as best I can. So go out there and read some comics!
