Writer: Jason Aaron and Javier Garron
Color Artist: David Curiel, Morry Hollowell, Erick Arcineiga, and Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover Artists: David Curiel
Penciller: Javier Garron and David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Reviewer: Dr. Carl Bryan

“Avengers Assemble” – Quoted by Every Avenger Ever!

Synopsis

Avengers Assemble: Part 8 – The Final Battle Begins! The battle to save the entire Multiverse is raging in the dark heart of all that is! Every Avenger has assembled across multiple time lines to battle the only one that could warrant such an action…Mephisto!

Positives

This issue is drawn to perfection as “less” is finally “more”. With a battle that needed to crescendo, writers Jason Aaron and Javier Garron start us out with some pretty graphic scenes featuring a pretty stark conversation between a young Thanos and Mephisto.
I am pretty captivated by the young Thanos character within these pages as he borrows some characteristics from another disturbing character from DC..The Batman Who Laughs created by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo.

In a few pages, the art team on this book has planted a pretty intense seed with this character, and what draws me to this depiction is his dialogue bubbles. Lettering is an art in itself, and you get some really great depictions of it in this book. You hear the evil in this conversation…that is a credit to the art team and the authors!

Positives #2

The Council of Red…Sure we have had a lot of incarnations recently of Captain Americas, Captain Marvels and Iron Mans. But all these versions of Mephistos in battle with each other. That is reminiscent of a council of Kangs…only working against each other in the bloody pits of Hell!

Switch to a battle field covered in blood and Mjolnirs. Throw into this war stew an Avenger Prime and Doom Supreme…some of these characters are keepers after this war ends.
Right when you think all time lines have been broached, here comes a Kazar with new powers and an honorary Avenger in Galactus. It’s an ultimate Avengers Assemble!

Negatives

Again, this is a LOT of stimuli in a comic book. You have probably forgotten about some of these new heroes and villains and the old names that pop up in the ranks of who has assembled. Jason Aaron and Javier Garron are pulling what Tom Taylor did for his Dceased comic series…taking older characters and revamping them with new powers or dusting off their age with some great writing.
I still think that this storyline has arguably gone on too long! Here’s hoping that it ends in Avengers Forever #15.

Final Thoughts:

Mephisto and a Young Thanos? That’s what hooked me on this issue. A frame or two of a Doom Supreme also makes it pretty cool. But something about Young Thanos makes me wonder what the writers intend to do with such a character. The cover art alone is frameable! While the story needs to wrap up, the art keeps it marching along!

8/10