All New, All Different Avengers Vol. 1: The Magnificent Seven

by Mark Waid

[Quirky Cat]

3 1/2 Stars.

If you’re a fan of the newer Marvel crew that’s been popping up all over (Mighty Thor, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Spider-Man/Miles Morales, Nova/Sam) then you’ll probably enjoy this series. If you’re a stickler for the classics, you may want to pass this one up. It’s a fun and light read, with lots of character interactions and quips.



Because I have a feeling this may change volume to volume, here’s the current All-New, All-Different Avengers line-up: Iron Man, Vision, Captain America (Sam Wilson), Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Nova (Sam Alexander). There are implications that other teams could be considered adjunct to the Avengers, such as Captain Marvel’s Alpha Flight or the A-Force, but nothing has come of that just yet.
You’ll notice that Iron Man and the Vision are the only originals left (and that’s if you’re willing to count the Vision as a founding member). Most of the other Avengers are either off doing other things or are currently otherwise indisposed (cough, Thor being unable to lift his hammer, cough). Along with Tony’ significantly smaller budget, things look a little smaller and sadder than they have previously. They’re almost like the poor-man’s version of the Avengers. At least it makes them more approachable and willing to deal with smaller problems.
As mentioned above, this series is a bit of a light read, especially in comparison to the other Avengers series. So if you’re looking for something heavy or intense, this may miss the mark for you (at least volume one, maybe it’ll grow with time). Being volume one it’s mostly explaining how the team got together and building up the villains for the series.
I know I’ve said this in other reviews, but I’ll state this again real quick: one of my favorite things about hero team-ups is the interactions between the characters. Some of my favorite moments include Ms. Marvel and Nova – their misunderstandings borderline on the hilarious, while also being realistic for two teenagers that don’t communicate well on a good day. Also, Ms. Marvel’s reaction to being scooped up by Captain America? Priceless.
I think they’re spending more time building up villains that have yet to be seen by the heroes of our story – there were several times they switched to another perspective – a group of people talking about how to take down the Avengers. Neither group has actually interacted yet, so clearly we’re still in the build-up phase (that or something else is going on).
I think I’ll continue reading this series, even though I don’t think it’s my favorite of the Avengers. I do believe it has a lot of potential, so I’m willing to give it a chance. With any luck my hopes aren’t unfounded!


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