It’s time to celebrate folks! Why’s that? Because Captain America and the Mighty Avengers is no longer tied into Axis and is finally given a chance to spread its wings.
What happens now in the latest issue? Is it good?
Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #4 (Marvel Comics)
After the events of the inversion, the public has a bit of a mixed response to Sam Wilson in his Captain America role, as well as the role of plenty of other heroes. Of course, that’s to be expected considering everything Sam and his Avengers did, and it’s eating him up a lot on the inside. Meanwhile, some shady and rather unnerving things are going on with Cortex…
Yeah, Axis was a pretty evil place.
This issue acts as an epilogue to the Axis tie-in arc, focusing on the characters after all of the craziness has died down and what they are going to do next. It also follows up on some of the brewing plot points we’ve seen developing with Cortex as well, which seem to be heading in a rather dark and creepy direction. Heck, it’s far darker than any of the previous issues or the previous Mighty Avengers comic. However, the real important thing about this comic is the fact that honestly, it’s pretty good.
Yes, after such a mediocre and underwhelming line of issues, things feel much better now. The story is getting interesting, the way the comic handles the fallout from Axis is rather good (heck, one of my bigger issues with the first issue was cleared here), and the characterization is great. Sure, the fallout is dealt with rather quickly and it almost felt rushed, but I’m glad we’re moving past that and getting back to focusing on our characters and their storylines. The only thing I’m concerned about is the darker direction the comic seems to be heading in with what is happening with Cortex. Honestly, Captain America and the Mighty Avengers has proven to be at its best when the story is fun or bringing character-focused storylines and not being overly grim dark. Hopefully though I’m prove wrong and everything turns out to be good.
To be fair, that’s a good idea actually. You can never be sure whenever someone will get up and start walking again after being declared dead in these superhero worlds.
The writing by Al Ewing is pretty solid like you would expect. The characterization is very strong and fits everyone, especially with Sam and how he is dealing with everything that has happened. The dialogue and narration are pretty solid, with plenty of good and even chilling lines. The pacing is solid, the story flows well from scene to scene, and most of the storylines have a lot of potential to grow in interesting directions. Like I said, I’m a bit concerned with the dark tone building in the background, but otherwise, the writing here is excellent and is finally getting to shine once again.
The artwork, sadly, is more problematic. The artwork is split up between Luke Ross and Iban Coello and their styles together don’t go well. Ross has a more realistic and grittier style that does fit the book and the tone, in particular the scenes with Captain America and the final shots of the book. However, Iban’s style is very much cartoony and brighter looking, which doesn’t fit the issue as well. Luckily, Iban’s style isn’t used during the darker scenes, because it really wouldn’t fit them at all. Anyhow, neither style is bad, but they don’t end up working well together. Hopefully the next arc picks one artist and sticks with him or her. I would like the book to have some consistent artwork.
Is It Good?
Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #4 feels like a much needed step in the right direction for the title. Having finished with Axis, the comic now gets to focus more on its characters, its own stories, and what it wants to do. The comic feels less constricted now and it’s all for the better. While the comic needs one solo artist at this point, the writing and handling of the fallout of the previous arc were just plain well-done. Hopefully, things continue to get better for the comic as it continues to move forward.
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