Avengers #28: Oh Crap, Thor’s a Brood Now

There’s a lot of things happening in Avengers #28, and a lot of fan service to go along with them. With Thor in full-on Brood mode, Captain America gets a chance to wield Mjolnir. Ghost Rider snags a ride on Silver Surfer’s board (at least temporarily). Three of Galactus’ most famous heralds form a glee club. Lots of fun little story beats meant to get readers excited, but ultimately fall flat due to one thing and one thing only:

The art in this issue is arguably the worst of Ed McGuinness’ career.

Everything is so rushed, so detail-free, so devoid of anything resembling the artist’s usual care for his craft, it almost looks like Marvel brought in a look-alike artist instead of hiring the real deal. I’m not sure what in tarnation happened here – maybe McGuinness was up against a tight deadline? – but the end result saps the story of any sense of urgency or danger. Interestingly, though… it does go very well with the story. So there’s that.

Jason Aaron’s story, though, does have a lot of strong elements going for it. Thor’s battle for control against his Brood infection is fun, if over-simplified (fans of Chris Claremont’s original Brood Saga in Uncanny X-Men will almost certainly feel slighted). Cap slugging Brood-Thor with Mjolnir is a fun moment. Ghost Rider stealing Silver Surfer’s board… you get the idea. But where, among all these moments, is the plot? There isn’t much of one, really – it’s just a load of scenes strung together to help move the overall story forward. And in that, Aaron succeeds – but this isn’t going to be anyone’s idea of a good jumping-on point. The issue as a whole is bogged down with middle chapter syndrome. Neither a beginning nor and ending – just a means of getting from Point A to Point B. Almost the definition of filler… but, like a good filling dessert, you enjoy it even though you know it’s not good for you.