West Coast Avengers #5: Humor Takes a Backseat

Light hearted stories. Appropriate humor. A couple of truly bizarre Ultrons. Avengers West Coast delivers that in spades every month. When necessary, though, it can be much more–as seen in the strong Firestar character arc progressing through Avengers West Coast #5.

The flagship Avengers have some…concerns about Ultron in West Coast Avengers #5. Tony, though, is less interested in that then he is the lead his team has on Flag Smasher. They catch up with him easily, attacking with the element of surprise. But the fight has unexpected consequences when Firestar comes to accept that she can’t be a good hero or a complete person without seeking help in the wake of her recent traumas.

The fight with Flag Smasher is the least interesting part of West Coast Avengers #5. Duggan certainly implies that it is part of a larger plot still to come. But compared to the ongoing Ultron storyline, the surprisingly effective character oriented threads, and the successful humor, Flag Smasher comes across almost as filler. Granted, for Firestar and Blue Bolt’s arc to continue, there probably has to be some kind of hero/villain fight. And certainly most issues of any given superhero comic deliver that. It’s just not particularly interesting.

Humor is unquestionably this series’ greatest strength. West Coast Avengers #5 backs off of it slightly, though. Duggan makes more strategic choices with witty dialogue as opposed to more free flowing exchanges that have characterized previous issues. Much of the comedy is given over to Blue Bolt which works fine. Of the various team members, he is most suited to it.

West Coast Avengers #5’s high point, though, is Firestar’s deeper character story. Moving from the suggestion that she is at rock bottom to her realizing she needs help over just a three issue span robs her character arc of a lot of potential drama. Duggan does sometimes rush through weightier topics, whether in plot, theme, or character presentation. In fairness to him, though, it is possible that the speed with which Firestar’s arc is progressing is a practical function of the series potentially having a short run. But in any case, the scenes where Firestar declares that she is going to seek help are well done, and they are easily the strongest material not just in this issue but the series to date.

The art shines in Avengers West Coast #5. Unsurprisingly, the best art comes during the Firestar centric scenes. As noted above, Duggan tells this part of the story with limited dialogue. The most touching page in the entire issue is the three panel progression during which Firestar reveals her intentions.

Kim draws her with her head held high and eyes straight ahead in the first panel as her one line of dialogue beats around the bush. There’s no evident vulnerability here. When Firestar makes her announcement in the second panel, her line of sight has shifted off to the side. She appears uncertain. By the third panel her head has dropped completely, her eyes no longer visible. There is no dialogue of consequence in this panel. But Kim communicates clearly that Firestar is feeling some combination of fear, sadness, and/or shame. And all of this is followed by a wide panel of her teammates supporting silence, especially Tony who can most relate, without dialogue.

This is not to say that Kim’s work elsewhere in the issue isn’t high quality. The fight with Flag Smasher is visually exciting even though it isn’t the most thrilling from a narrative point of view. But this one page steals the show.

Hesli’s color choices for the issue’s daytime sequence contribute to that same visual excitement for the Flag Smasher fight sequence. The color palette is bright and higher in contrast than most of what follows the fight. Flag Smasher’s white costume in particular stands out against the vivid surroundings and heroes.

Day progresses toward night as the issue goes on, though, and with that transition comes a less varied and vivid look. Especially successful is Hesli’s choice for a sunset color palette. It corresponds with Firestar’s announcement to the team and pushes the scene into even more heartfelt territory.

Unsurprisingly, Caramagna’s work also stands out in this Firestar sequence. In a general sense, Caramagna keeps dialogue bubbles well organized and out of the way throughout West Coast Avengers #5. But during the Firestar scenes, Caramagna places dialogue bubbles as far removed from the art as reasonably possible, using longer than typical tails when necessary.