Avengers Prime #1
Written by Brian Bendis
Art by Alan Davis
Avengers Prime is supposed to be a mini series that details the reuniting of Marvel’s big three; Steve, Tony, and Thor. Personally, when I say Avengers Prime, I just sort of think of the core title (all Stormwatch Prime like), but that isn’t important. What’s important is that we’ve got an issue written by Avengers franchise scribe Brian Michael Bendis, and with art by one of the best artists of the last thirty years in Alan Davis, and it’s good!
We’ve got Steve and Tony bickering like it’s going out of style, and Thor is all just…..well, his home just got wrecked, and they’re there to help, and they’re fighting over whether or not Osborn is Tony’s fault. Thor breaks it up by taking them to the plot device that the story is launched on, a part of the Rainbow bridge, and then things get colorful and our story gets going.
Our three characters are separated, giving Bendis the ability to showcase what makes each one of them unique. From Tony’s quick thinking and ingenuity, to Steve’s ability to go from diplomat to ass kicker in an instant, to Thor’s regal Godlyness, he gives each a chance to show what makes them tick for a few pages before introducing us to our big bad and giving us the To Be Continued.
The story is rather paint by numbers, but it does the trick well. While some are critical when writers follow established formulas….well, they’re established for a reason. Bendis gave us a setup that does the trick and builds intrigue for the next issue in an admirable manner. To be honest though, this book is also going to help me gauge just how well the man can write Thor, because I’ve never seen him handle him in, well, anything before. Save for a few pages of Secret Invasion, I guess, but come on, if you’ve read me, you know that I can rant on that all day.
So the art is awesome, but then again, it’s Alan Davis. The characters look right, the action is crisp, the layouts are clean, and everything has a very….well, the book just feels right with its tone. There’s a lot of attention to detail, and just like every other time I see him pencil an issue, I immediately just want more. Such an awesome artist.
Overall?
8/10
