Young Avengers Volume 1: Style > Substance (marvel Now)

by Kieron Gillen

[inlibrisveritas]

When it comes to Marvel story-lines they tend to be a take it or leave it kind of quality, and after finding some that have left me feeling some way entertained I was so happy to when Young Avengers turned out to be worth reading right from issue one.

The Marvel Now! Young Avengers story line brings together Kid Loki, Marvel Boy, Ms. America, Wiccan, Hulking, and Kate Bishop in a very unlikely way. Wiccan makes a wish come true for Hulking and sort of messes up reality (just like his mother…*SIGH*) causing rather big mess that isn’t easily fixed. The story itself could probably be a bit stronger in some areas, but I really liked seeing some of the old crew back together. Plus I’m not even going to lie…Kid Loki was a huge draw for me. I know Old Loki pretty well, and other than the movies with Tom Hiddelston’s Loki I haven’t really had much of a chance to see modern Loki. So this was sort of an excuse to learn more about him. These first five issues really set up the quick back-stories for each character just in case you haven’t had experience with them and waste little to no time getting you into the thick of the problem. The humor is great, the characters are really cool, and it’s actually pretty relevant to real teens. It’s rare to see teen superheroes who are actually worth reading about or who don’t wallow in ALL THE angst.

I’ll be the first one to say I really hate Scarlet Witch and her reality bending powers, I feel like they cause a good 30% of the problems that go into major story arcs. (They probably don’t but UGH) So I was hesitant to like Wiccan, because he has the same powers to some extent….and of course the first thing he does in the series messes up everything. However I really liked him and it really sucks to see how much he struggles with balances that and his normal life. His relationship with Hulking is really sweet but of course Loki has sown seeds of discord so I’m curious to see if what he’s said will have any effect on them. Kid Loki has a lot going on as well and I’m definitely going to grab some Thor issues and see some of the detail the quick recap left out. He’s funny and loves pointing out ridiculous things they we’ve come to accept.

So overall I think the Young Avengers is a hit! I’m definitely going to read the rest of the series.