Avengers #6

After the strangely abbreviated three-issue arc against Ex Nihilo, Jonathan Hickman has gone back to introduce us to his new Avengers. After seeing three, I have to rank them Smasher, Hyperion, Captain Universe. Captain Universe has an absolutely tragic origin that goes a long way towards making the character relatable, but in the end, she’s too powerful. I can’t really connect to a character that is talking about the start of the universe and refers to herself as the “mother” of creation. How is any villain ever going to challenge the team while she’s on it?

And it stinks, because the tragedy facing the current Captain is awful and a great seed for future stories. I even like the way the Captain Universe presence is sort of protecting Tamara from her own past. It just makes for a slow-paced issue.

I am warming up to Hickman’s portrayal of Cannonball and Sunspot. They haven’t done much, but seeing them bristle after dealing with the Superior Spider-Man is a great moment. I also love Ock’s amazement at the lack of respect Spider-Man gets with the Avengers. When Peter gets back, he better get mending fences.

Adam Kubert delivers another beautiful issue. The Universe-based stuff is hard to pull off, but he does it. He also imbues Tamara with a great sense of brokenness, a clear necessity for the character. He does fail to make Cannonball and Sunspot’s new costumes work, though. Someone needs to fix those fast!

The big cliffhanger is the lead in to the New Universe stuff that’s been rumored for a few months. I never really followed much of the New Universe. I’ve read DP7, but at the time, the only book I actually collected was Spitfire and the Troubleshooters! Something tells me those folks won’t be showing up!

Fair