So, was this really the greatest comic to come down the pike in the last 5 years or so? Not really, but don’t let that fool you. What Young Avengers is is a genuinely fun and entertaining little book that just so happens to have one of the best, most underrated artists in the business today working on it. Seriously, Jim Cheung was my favorite CrossGen talent, and with this title, his name should shoot right up there alongside Hitch, Lee, McGuinness, Quitely, etc. Screw that whole “Young Guns” nonsense - Cheung is way, way ahead of the rest of that pack already.

But what’s a comic with pretty art and a crappy story worth? Not much, to be honest, but luckily, Allen Heinberg’s script is solid and, more importantly, a lot of fun. Again, it’s not groundbreaking, innovative entertainment, but he manages to weave a fairly compelling tale with a pretty decent, if Thunderbolts-esque twist in the final pages. Best of all, there’s a lot of stuff happening in those 20 pages or so leading to the end. In an age of decompressed storytelling, it’s really nice to see Marvel allowing it’s creators the latitude to produce work that’s more immediately rewarding for the reader.

So, overall and a week late, I can easily recommend Young Avengers to anyone who was on the fence about the title since it was announced. In it’s way, it has the same sort of all-ages, yet still moderately hip appeal that Teen Titans has managed to capture over at DC. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll call my 16 year old nephew to let him know about it right now…

Comic Reviews