Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciller: Javier Garron
Colors: David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 10, 2022

Review by: Carl Bryan

Synopsis:
The Legend of Reno Phoenix and The StarBrand Kid
The Avengers’ journey through time brings them to the Old West, where they cross paths with a couple of History’s Mightiest Heroes, whose six guns are loaded with the greatest powers of the heavens. But is that enough to force a showdown with the forces of Mephisto? Or with the Avengers be lost in time forever?

Positives:
Jason Aaron takes this issue to the Old West, where we see many comics headed. If you subscribe to any Image titles, check out Gunslinger Spawn or Above Snakes which capitalizes on the recent excitement over the Western genre. Mix in a bit of Time Before Time written by Rory McConville and Declan Shalvey for Image Comics, and you have quite a recipe that Aaron is providing elements of in this Avengers tale.
Aaron starts his story with a deal with the Devil. It is always about being the best gunslinger, gaining
revenge or the temptation to bring back a lover from the dead. Aaron touches on all three as we see a
deal made that ultimately puts Reno Phoenix and The StarBrand Kid in harm’s way.
I love the premise, which is so Back to the Future and arguably a bit of Stephen King when you look at Mephisto’s involvement…go back in time and eliminate the Mightiest Heroes in their respective eras. By doing so, you shift the influence of inspiration and thus eliminating The Avengers.
The cool thing that Jason Aaron does is depositing Iron Man and Thor into the fray, so there is a counterbalance. Who was that masked man? In this case, it is no Lone Ranger but Tony Stark in all his weaponized glory.

More Positives:
The art!!! Marvel-inspired Javier Garron leads an art team on the second page that always hooks me in. In one glimpse, I know the roster of the Avengers now, who I will possibly see in this issue, and
subsequently a synopsis of what has transpired before and what I can expect in this issue. This is no small feat, but it whets the appetite for the issue. That “Deal with the Devil” on the first story page is
perfect…a shadowed face on a bloody body hanging from a noose with flies around it. Yet it speaks and hands out deals for your soul…just sign here!

The colors explode from the page, and the art is sharp. I love the different angles…low point of view, high point of view, straight on…we don’t sometimes realize just what good storytelling is!

Negatives:
As I mentioned earlier, the time travel mixed with other comics. To a well-read comic reader, and a movie viewer, we get that the Avengers are on a time travel theme for quite some time. This trick
allows you to mix and match some heroes and sets up both the Multiverse aspect we are now expecting with the movies as well as appeal to the comic reader. Is it original? It was in the 1980s. Is it still satisfying? To a point. It depends on how much you have read and what you recognize in other comics.

Final Thoughts:

I am a sucker for a new Avengers story, and I must say that I do like seeing homages to older concepts such as Phoenix or Starbrand. Mephisto is a consummate villain in the Marvel universe, and any time
you can outwit the Devil is alright with me! Perhaps it is my eye for all things comics in knowing the Old West is a hot thing now, but if everyone is on board, then check out what Jason Aaron is doing in Avengers! It’ll be interesting to see if there are any time casualties along the way!

7/10