Review: AVENGERS #35

Writer:  Jonathan Hickman
Pencilers:  Jim Cheung, Paco Medina, Nick Bradshaw and Dustin Weaver
Inkers:  Mark Morales, Guillermo Ortego, Juan Vlasco, Nick Bradshaw and Dustin Weaver
Colorists:  Frank Martin and David Curiel
Letterer:  VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher:  Marvel Comics

TIME RUNS OUT!!  That is the banner for this upcoming story tying Avengers and New Avengers together.  With the added bonus that we start eight months in the future of the Marvel universe and count down until we reach Spring 2015.  We already know some of the changes in store (Fal-Cap, a woman Thor, Superior Iron Man), but this issue dedicates time to look at the broader changes to come in the Marvel universe.  And boy are there some changes a-foot.

Avengers #35 interior art

What I Liked

I’ve made plenty of jokes about “Hickman Mumbo-Jumbo”.  You can tell Jonathan Hickman is writing long-form stories that will pay off down the road.  It’s the trip down that long road which can be a struggle.  But I will gladly admit that I am excited to see how this will all end.

Readers have a lot to digest in this issue.  As I mentioned earlier, we take a break from the Big 3 and catch up with where some of the supporting characters of the Avengers are these days.  To avoid complete spoilers, I will say we catch up with certain pairings of Avengers.  Some revelations are discovered, while leaving enough to have readers still seeking answers.  You can tell that Hickman has been plotting seeds from the very beginning of this series.  I am reminded just how much an “Avengers World” we live in, especially with majority of the story takes place off-planet.  Similar to the Infinity event.

The art team consists of Jim Cheung, Paco Medina, Nick Bradshaw and Dustin Weaver.  This might have been the best work I’ve seen from Bradshaw.  He may have inked his own work, or it could be because of the coloring from Frank Martin or David Curiel.  The body outlines looked more smooth and natural looking.  The big moments were left to Cheung and he delivered.  His scenes are action-packed and deliver the biggest surprises involving the status of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers and even the New Avengers Illuminati team.

What I Didn’t Like

What would have given the issue more weight is if all the heroes on the cover actually appeared inside the pages.  What we got was one out of five, if you don’t count short cameos.

Avengers #35 cover art

Summary

Avengers #35 sets up the future of Marvel comics.  The question is, is the clock ticking down to its final days?  Will time really run out on the Marvel universe?

The shocking revelation at the end of the issue leaves me hyped for what is in store the upcoming months, leading into 2015.

Rating:  4 out of 5

This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network.  They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/ 

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE