Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick & Warren Ellis
Art by Matteo Buffagni; Paco Diaz; Nolan Woodard; & VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Jorge Molina
SUMMARY:
Marvel Comics released this untitled Inhumanity tie-in for February 2014. Spider-Woman, Black Widow, & Anya Corazon’s Spider-Girl must escape imminent execution as A.I.M.’s captives. As her presumed dead teacher was a latent Inhuman mutating inside a cocoon, a frustrated Anya needs the Avengers’ help to recover his remains from warped geneticist Dr. June “Toxic Doxie” Carrington.
While the nefarious Carrington draws closer to implementing her latest self-experiment, Wolverine & Bruce Banner/Hulk help obtain another lead from A.I.M.-affiliated arms dealer Kashmir Vennema, who sold the comatose teacher’s cocoon to Carrington.
Captain America makes a cameo appearance.
REVIEW:
While the storyline itself isn’t remarkable, the co-writers’ scripting style (including interwoven bits of humor) is amusingly well-played. In particular, a youthful Spider-Girl’s chemistry mixing it up with seasoned pros Spider-Woman & Black Widow is quite enjoyable to read — especially a good-natured Jessica Drew playing the role like a surrogate aunt. Bruce Banner’s nonchalant contribution adds to the fun re: his unique method of committing extortion, Hulk-style.
Equal to the task (and probably even better) would be the art team’s excellent visuals, including the cover image. Hence, Avengers Assemble # 22 makes a terrific addition to any comics collection.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The credits page includes a cast list and a current story arc synopsis. “The Assembly!” column provides a thumbnail preview of Issue #23’s cover. Also hyped is Avengers # 24.NOW. A bonus is a family’s Halloween photo where its six kids are dressed as Marvel heroes.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
