Avengers Inc #1 review

Six supervillains are shot through the head at maximum security prison The Raft. Janet Van Dyne, the Wonderful Wasp, is called to the crime scene by the governor as one of the victims was sent there recently by herself – longtime super-speed stalker Whirlwind, real name David Cannon.

Being able to shrink makes examining entry wounds a doddle.

Hmm, looks like one of the villains – Quicksand – isn’t quite as dead as she seemed. One by one, all the B and C listers rise, including Whirlwind.

What’s more, he has some new tricks.

He can also make himself super-dense. So, ethereal, super hard, glowing red eyes and spot on forehead and wants to be called by a name familiar to Jan

‘Victor Shade’ was an identity used by Jan’s Avengers colleague the Vision,

What the heck is going on with Whirlwind? Who killed-but-didn’t-kill the villains? The answers aren’t forthcoming in this first issue, but I wouldn’t bet against getting them before long. Jan persuades the warden to let her take Victor with her when she leaves the jail, to give her a chance to unravel the enigma. Meanwhile, having realised how much she enjoys playing detective, Jan agrees to Mayor Luke Cage’s request to tackle any super-people murder cases. The only rule – no costumes, due to a city bylaw laid down by recent mayor Wilson Fisk that outlaws vigilantism. Cage’s personal super-team, the new Thunderbolts – available only for big threats – are exempt as they’re on the city payroll. Avengers butler Jarvis doesn’t know if fashion-mad Jan will cope.

What a wonderful moment, and there are several more – writer Al Ewing really likes Jan, he gets her, telling the story through her keen intelligence. I’m hoping that as Victor emerges fully from his death funk he’ll prove a suitable witty partner for Jan, despite the undoubted weirdness for her of working with someone who appears to be her stalker and has similarities to the Vision, who scared the bejeezus out of her in their first encounter. That moment saw Jan inadvertently name the future hero.

Funnily enough, she’d also named the Avengers, a fact which gives Ewing a chance to show how far Jan has come from the kid she was in her early years.

Ewing’s sharp mystery is illustrated by Leonard Kirk, a terrific storyteller who made a good impression in his long run on Peter David’s Supergirl. There, though, he had inkers Cam Smith and Robin Riggs to sharpen things just a tad; it’d be nice if Marvel gave him the same courtesy. Here Kirk does a good job of characterising Jan and the staging of the autopsy scene is excellent.

What I really dislike about the visuals are the colour choices of Alex Sinclair, a talented artist whose work I’ve enjoyed elsewhere. Here he’s giving us scene after scene with a limited palette and it’s incredibly drab (compare it to the vibrancy of the Vision’s Sixties debut above). It’s a choice – not necessarily his – but I hope it’s not one the comic sticks with.

I’ve no problems with the lettering of Cory Petit, which is straightforward and sharp.

I love the cover art of Daniel Acuña – Victor’s dramatic pose, Jan’s cheeky look towards the reader, the glow around them, the stippled treatment of the outfits, the chalk outlines… it’s very stylish and sets a mood. I’d be amazed if this whole project wasn’t born of Brit Ewing imagining an Avengers comic with the vibe of the classic UK Avengers TV series. A shout-out to designer Carlos Lao, who no doubt had a hand in the happy outcome.

If you like the Wasp, if you like mysteries, if you like fun comics, give Avengers Inc a shot.