Avengers #61: The Day of the Mayfly

A new peak of self-awareness has been reached in Avengers #61, in which, for the first time since this drawn-out story arc kicked off, the comic seems to be in full acknowledgement of its own shortcomings. Character-building had been in the slow process of evolving into less of a rarity over the preceding three-or-so issues, but only now does it feel as if Jason Aaron has realized how much of a void its absence has left in this time-travel adventure.

The character focus is actually so plentiful that it is enough to give a reader tonal whiplash and leave them wondering if they’ve picked an entirely different series off the shelf. Suddenly shifting to the perspective of Starbrand, the Avengers’ latest teenage rookie, issue 61 attempts mend a painfully monotonous narrative with a philosophical exploration of life and death. For the most part, it succeeds in this goal, but I am still unsure whether the writing of this comic would appear half as impressive as it currently does if not for the low bar set by what came before.

What I am also unsure of is the exact level at which the comic intends to poke fun at itself. Right off the bat, the meta commentary is present through Starbrand’s no-nonsense attitude towards the repetitive nature of our heroes’ adventure. She is the character around who the emotional foundation of the comic is built, so what better way to ensure that readers connect with her than making her as fed up with these time travel antics as the rest of us? Starbrand mercilessly blasts Mephisto through different eras, finally forcing the narrative forward by landing the team in their target destination. The historical variants of Avengers introduced are intentionally more ridiculous than usual, as they are merely jokes meant to be overlooked. If all of this was mean to be viewed as a comedic self-critique on this arc’s tediousness, it makes you wonder why that tongue-in-cheek sense of self-awareness wasn’t used to fix the problem in the first place.

On numerous occasions, I have compared the current run of Avengers to a Saturday morning cartoon, mostly in reference to the simplicity of its mustache-twirling villain and the formulaic writing of each installment. This week is the first time that I bring up the comparison as a form of compliment, for at least this time there is an optimistic message tagged on.

As had been established earlier in the run, Starbrand’s body ages with each use of her abilities, and her life literally racing by has led her to develop a nihilistic view of the human experience. After a heart-to-heart with Jane Foster, and a surprisingly insightful exchange with a tyrannosaurus rex, Starbrand learns to slow down and enjoy the simple beauties that make life significant. It’s a moral you’ve undoubtedly heard before, but it is a decent lesson for the kiddos, nonetheless. While it never achieves the full emotional impact it wants, Avengers #61 is good enough to make you wish that the entire arc had been used to explore Starbrand’s relationships with her found family of superhero mentors, rather than cramming it all into a singular issue.