New Avengers #6
Jamison Nilsson
Recap
The Jackal (of Spider-Man cloning fame) has cloned the Illuminati and, due to his failure to control them, has unleashed the “Killuminati” on the world. Only the New Avengers assembled by Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) and Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) can stop them. But who helped the Jackal create the clones? And could a traitor really exist in the team’s own ranks?
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Review
New Avengers #6 reads like the opening to the second season of a television series in a very satisfying way. This month’s issue uses the relationships that were established in previous issues to set up new plot threads and character arcs in a satisfying way that feels new to the story.
Sam Humphries’ (Star-Lord) ability to make that story about more than just a team of heroes versus a team of villains has been the driving force behind all six issues of New Avengers so far. With the introduction of the possibility of a traitor on the team last issue, key characters are driven forward, and the continuation of their own external plot beats grounds the New Avengers’ cooperation in believable reasons despite all of them being very contrasting personalities who don’t all particularly like one another.
Bucky is a standout in this issue and is exceptionally well characterized by Humphries’ writing. Where the other team members have been given colorful personalities that allow them to bounce off each other’s dialogue, Bucky is given a lot of subtext and emotional motivation that tends to come out more when he is alone than when he is with the other members of the team.
Issue #6 is told in a non-linear fashion that showcases Humphries’ skill, primarily as a storyteller. However, it’s a little jarring at the start, where the non-linear structure is at its peak, but as the issue goes on, the pacing smooths back into the even flow of the previous issues and ends up better for it.
Ton Lima’s (West Coast Avengers) art is a real heavy hitter in this issue, even more so than previous issues, with large amounts of detail crammed into each page, making the world of New Avengers feel larger than the confines of the book itself. Rain Beredo (X-Vengers), as the color artist, had quite a noticeable impact on the artwork here as well, bringing vibrant hues to magical spells and grounded textures to surfaces like running water and glass windows reflecting shadows. Lima and Beredo’s combined artwork also manages to shift with the tone of the story when necessary. In scenes where Bucky is dealing with worries about a traitor on the team, the art is dark and dramatic, while in other scenes, such as confronting Guru Strange (the far-out clone of Doctor Strange), the art is over-the-top and flashy like Guru Strange himself.
Final Thoughts
New Avengers #6 continues to build on the plot threads established in the previous 5 issues, beginning a new stage of the same overarching story. The sixth issue of New Avengers brings out more of the characters’ personalities and pushes the story forward with an interesting cast of villains that are sure to entertain in future issues. My recommendation: if you have been following the current New Avengers run by Sam Humphries so far, I recommend adding New Avengers #6 to your collection.
New Avengers #6: Traitor Hunt
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
