Jim Cheung

Oh, I get it! The Marvel big summer event now is just a movie treatment! For a movie treatment, this was pretty fucking entertaining, but for a comicbook epic it's no Dark Phoenix or Kree–Skrull War despite having a lot of the same dudes. Oh, and three different characters use the word "very" as an intensifier, as in "You have saved so very many lives," "Enjoy your last breaths. You have so very few of them left," within like three pages. I just used it today in another review and the show more first time it is satisfying, but thrice is like Jonathan Hickman-->Jonathan Hackman, obvs. show less

4.5
Shoutout to TJ for being my Marvel/Cassie Clare book guru and guiding me through my reading order for those universes! I'd honestly probably be reading random issues without a little help😂
Anyway, I really love teen superhero stories, and this is definitely a standout. I hadn't read the Avengers Disassembled run that comes before this, but I still followed everything smoothly and enjoyed it, save for a couple comments about Vision's past (but I don't care about him so it didn't bother show more me much?) The teens actually sound like teens (even if they're drawn like twenty year olds lol), and the team that is building up here totally has my interest. I'm SUPER glad Cassie and Kate (💕)joined because the team was a little too "boys club" for my liking at the beginning. I already have the next few issues in hand and am diving into them ASAP! show less

I've read bits and pieces of the Illuminati in various crossover tie-ins. The group has intrigued me since I first came across them: a secret council of genius superheroes including Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Charles Xavier, Namor and Black Bolt. Black Panther declined to join. After coming across so many pieces, when I reached Secret Invasion I decided to see if there was a collection of the Illuminati- and found this.

The book opens with the Illuminati making the unilateral show more decision, in light of the Kree-Skrull War, to go to the Skrull homeworld and threaten them to never attack Earth again. Unfortunately, they are captured and researched until they manage to escape. This one event will have far reaching repercussions. Next up, Reed Richards decides that the Illuminati should assemble the Infinity Gauntlet by finding all the gems, in order to keep it out of the wrong hands. Only, are their hands the right ones? Next, the group confronts the danger presented by the Beyonder, a supremely powerful being that Xavier believes is a mutant altered into an Inhuman. Who will of course just leave the universe because his King, Black Bolt, orders him to. Right? The penultimate story was my favorite simply because it includes the group grousing over their problems with women before they get down to the business of deciding what needs to be done about Noh-Var, a recently arrived Kree who wants to conquer the Earth. Only, he's already in prison. Still, the Illuminati must intervene. The last story is the one directly related to the Secret Invasion crossover as Stark brings the body of Skrull Elektra before the group (who had disbanded during Civil War because they couldn't agree) and they become suspicious of one another - with very good reason.

Though I enjoyed all the stories collected here, the book also had the unexpected result of making me see these heroes in a very negative light. This is especially true for Xavier and Strange, who I would have thought above this level of arrogance (as T'Challa was). The hubris displayed by them - that they alone know what is best for humanity and are its greatest protectors - is unparalleled. All of their actions also result in unforeseen, dangerous consequences that could have been avoided if they hadn't meddled. Overall, this was an excellent collection that showed a very different side to some famous heroes. Highly recommended. show less

I have had some difficulty getting into the new Marvel Now "Young Avengers" series mainly because I just don't care about the characters (aside from Kid Loki), because there is so little character development. Even though I have stuck mostly to reading the Marvel crossover events, I decided to pick up this original YA collection, which debuted after Avengers Disassembled, because three of them appear in both series. I can now see why it is so highly rated and I have a new appreciation for show more the Marvel Now series.

It's not easy to get readers interested in brand new heroes, especially when they are "modeled" after some iconic ones. But, Heinberg does a brilliant job not only of building a plausible origin story for these young heroes, but one that seamlessly fits into the larger Marvel universe. The story opens with four young heroes fumbling through crime-fighting: Iron Lad, Patriot, Hulkling and Asgardian. Kate Bishop comes onto the scene when she saves Patriot during the team's "rescue" of a wedding party she is in. Cassie Lang finds Kate at the hospital after the event and they decide to join this new team (Speed joins close to the end). The identity of Iron Lad is at the core of the plot for the first half of the book. His team doesn't know who he really is, but when he tells Captain America and Iron Man, the stakes become much higher. The plot of the second half is built around the truth of Hulkling's origin. Both stories have big players involved and give this new team a valid reason to exist.

I was afraid the story would get bogged down in teen angst, but the writer cleverly kept the teens realistic (as superheroes can be) with fears of parental disapproval and bickering among themselves as the main source of tension outside of the action-laden encounters. And the action scenes are truly exciting and well done. Captain America and Iron man are justifiably concerned that these young heroes are a danger to themselves and others, and want to force them to disband. It was downright funny when Cap decides to tell on the kids to their parents! In fact, there is a lot of humor in the story. But what I liked most about the book is that the characters grow and develop throughout. Even the hints at romance among the team members were subtly handled and enjoyable. There are some dark moments as well. Kate Bishop's revelation at the end to Jessica Jones is startling, and makes me appreciate her character even more. And, the team has to deal with serious consequences, like death. I really liked this group, and even the arrogant brat Patriot grew on me by the end when his attitude was given a basis.

The two main plots are fully resolved by the end of the collection, but a few threads are left that lead directly into Avengers: The Children's Crusade wherein Wiccan and Speed's origin will be expanded on. Overall, this was a thrilling, fast-paced, but solidly built series. The new Marvel Now series is not nearly as good, but Heinberg set a high bar. I have hope that the new series eventually fulfills its potential. show less