Reviewer: Ben Morse
Story Title: “Red Zone pt. 1: Panic Attackâ€
Written by: Geoff Johns
Penciled by: Olivier Coipel
Inked by: Andy Lanning (whoa…hey…didn’t know one half of the current Legion writing team is inking the former penciller…neat-o)
Colored by: Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I was not terribly blown away by Geoff John’s first Avengers arc, “World Trust.†Initially I found this a bit off-putting, as I love Johns’ work elsewhere and I love Avengers. One of comics’ best writers writing Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch and the gang? How could it miss? But “World Trust†felt extremely wooden; some decent action, but the characters felt very stiff.
Subsequent solo issues featuring Ant-Man, Jack of Hearts, Falcon and Henry Peter Gyrich rocked the house with some killer characterization. Now we’ve got pt. 1 of “Red Zone,†the second big entire team story arc…and again, I wasn’t blown away. And I think I’ve figured out why.
When Johns is focusing on a single character, he is really able to get inside that character’s head and to the heart of what they’re all about. He has both Wally West and Carter Hall (the stars of The Flash and Hawkman respectively) down to a T; he has their voices and their personalities nailed. He’s also written dynamite spotlight issues on everybody from Captain Cold to Power Girl. Even relationships between a few characters (The Flash and his supporting cast, Hawkman & Hawkgirl) are Johns’ bread and butter.
The problem is that when it comes to writing team books, Johns is very much a writer in the DC mold, not the Marvel. What’s the difference you may ask?
The Silver Age Justice League of America is the prototypical DC style team book. The only person who really had an individual personality was Green Arrow (and maybe Hawkman); Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, et al would fight whatever the big menace du jour was, with the only thing differentiating them being powers and fighting styles (The Atom would shrink down and get in their brain while Black Canary would whack ‘em with judo; otherwise, same dialogue). No real interaction between anybody on the team, mostly because writers did not yet have a sense of a shared universe beyond guest-starring appearances, and the Superman writers did not want to have to reference an argument he had with Green Lantern next time GL made a guest appearance (again, the only real exception to the rule was the romance between Green Arrow & Black Canary, because neither had their own books to worry about).
Marvel team books like Fantastic Four, X-Men and Avengers were redefining the way characters interacted within superteams as far back as the sixties. Members of teams would fall in love, form rivalries, and share secrets, and since most of the characters only appeared in their team book, it all became part of the mythology. A grudge that Angel had with Cyclops over his taking Marvel Girl out for a milkshake could very well spill over into a battle situation and affect team dynamics.
Johns writes his other team book, JSA, in a sort of hybrid between the two styles. There is character interaction, but not on the level of the Vision-Scarlet Witch romance (notice that there are no real couples in JSA). Team members will get into arguments and have their own sub-plots, but for the most part, they’re pros when it comes to fighting the good fight. This works in JSA because the Justice Society is the definition of a DC team.
But what works in JSA does not work as well in Avengers. When Johns boils it down to one or two characters, he can do some neat stuff with interaction (see the brilliant Ant-Man/Jack of Hearts story from #62). But when he’s got a full cast to deal with, the battle and resolving the situation seems to take precedence over the characters themselves. Johns has said he sees the Avengers in the context of the Marvel Universe as being the “big guns†that everybody respects, but in promoting that image, I think he’s taken out a lot of the human elements that Kurt Busiek and others brought to the table.
Nonetheless, Geoff Johns is still a phenomenal writer, and I’m still confident he can have a solid run on Avengers (albeit one that will be cut short by his exclusive-to-DC contract come December). This “Red Zone†story arc will go a long way in determining Johns’ momentum for the rest of the year. The human element of this story (the one not involving super soldiers and androids, but civilians) was very well done. The threat is a real one, the drama between civilians is powerful, and the interaction between the “normal†humans and the Avengers is well done. By the time Captain America steps in, even though it was a scene already previewed a couple months back in the pages of most Marvel comics, you are relieved to see the Sentinel of Liberty (of course were it Ultimates he’d probably snap the kid’s neck and then make a witty remark…sorry, couldn’t resist).
Cap and Vision are both suitably heroic and She-Hulk and Ant-Man each have nice moments of vulnerability, plus Scarlet Witch gets a chance to shine. The only character that seems kind of off is Warbird, with her “Yes sir!†to Cap; yes she’s got a military background and does respect Cap, but Carol has never been the type to “Yes sir!†anybody. Not much character interaction, but that’s been set up (in a heavy handed and nonsensical manner in the case of Jack and Ant-Man) for next issue; this issue is a lot of set up.
The only thing really hurting the story is a lack of a distinct direction; the heroes arrive on the scene and don’t really have much idea what they’re facing, but charge on in. That cliché can be a charming one, but only if executed well, and it’s only pulled off with moderate success here.
But of course the other big hook for this issue is the debut of Legion wunderkind Olivier Coipel as regular penciller. The facts: Coipel is a brilliant artist, and nothing will change that, but I think he was far better suited for Legion. He’s fallen into a common trap for artists that have departed the LSH: he’s drawing even the adults like teenagers. Cap doesn’t quite look old enough to shave and Jack of Hearts is pretty much Ultra Boy with a heart over one eye. He does draw a very nice She-Hulk though, and his bystanders and backdrops are gorgeous. Can’t say I’m crazy about the revamped costumes though; Ant-Man’s helmet looks unnecessarily clunky, Jack of Hearts’ unique look has been dulled down, and Warbird just looks…off. Still, I’ll soak up Coipel art wherever I can get it, even if I’d rather see him in the 30th century.
