Avengers: No Road Home #10: “Sing, O Muses…”

Avengers: No Road Home has been an epic journey from start to finish. In many ways, it was a needless journey in that, while there are a number of moderately significant ramifications of the series, nothing happened here that couldn’t have happened elsewhere. On the other hand, though, from the perspective of a long-time Marvel Comics reader, this series was absolutely crucial. There are times when I find myself moving about recent Marvel Comics that it would appear the publisher has lost their way in some regards. That the echoes of the past are fading into the darkness while recency reigns supreme. Gone are many of the creators of old, along with many of their creations to make room for the “next big idea”. That is not always a negative, mind you. I want the next big thing as much as anybody but not at the expense of the history, but rather building upon that foundation.

With this past winter’s passing of Stan Lee and the loss of Steve Ditko in the fall, it is more apparent than ever that we are entering into a new era for Marvel Comics. Here, we see Vision listening to “an old voice”, however, that I can’t help but imagine sounding a bit like Stan’s voice reaching from the beyond and filtering through a grouping of new and old guard writers (Waid being of a distinctly different generation of creators than Zub and Ewing). This series was a reminder that despite the loss of so many greats, they are not forgotten. With a bevy of announced inbound one-shots from classic creative teams (a Roy Thomas/Jerry Odway Invaders issue, a Peter David/Dale Keown Hulk issue, etc.) Marvel seems to be amidst a project of refocusing on their own mythology while also preparing for what the future holds and that should put a smile on the face of every fan.

And I would be remiss if I were to not mention the absolutely stunning artwork from Sean Izaakse in this issue. He manages to evoke an almost Perezian mastery of space and detail here drawing inspiration from decades of comics work and costume changes, delivering an absolute fangasm of characters that culminates in this two-page spread.