The plotting here is rather convoluted, typical of a super-hero story immersed in time travel elements. Nevertheless, the book is fantastically entertaining, and it's thanks to the energy and personality that these young characters exude. Heinberg makes it clear he has much more in mind than an adventure featuring the four core characters depicted on the cover. He's already got his eye on a larger cast, and I'm even more interested in this series than before. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Jim Cheung is providing the art. His textured yet soft art is absolutely lovely, and his sleek style suits the sci-fi tone of the plot and characters incredibly well.
Kate Bishop, the teenage bridesmaid who helped the Young Avengers during a hostage crisis at her older sister's wedding, remains curious about her rescuers, and she meets another girl who's just as curious: Cassie Lang, daughter of the late Ant-Man. Together, they set out to find the heroes in order to join their ranks. Meanwhile, Iron Lad continues to enlighten Captain America and Iron Man as to how and why he travelled from the future -- to recruit the aid of the Avengers in fighting his future self, Kang the Conqueror.
Cheung handles the action sequences incredibly well, but more importantly, he captures the youth and inexperience of several of the main characters. The young Kang/Iron Lad's optimism shines through, for example. The colorful designs for the characters continues to impress, and I can't wait to see how Cheung "dresses up" the new female characters. The one aspect in which Cheung's art didn't sit well with me is in his depiction of the teen girls. Kate and Cassie both look as though they're on the cusp of adulthood, not in the middle of their teen years. Mind you, Cassie's drive and Kate's need to break free of her family shine through on their faces.
Though I don't really get why Kang who try to influence his teenage self (why risk altering anything about yourself that makes you what you are?), Iron Lad's idealism is a powerful thing here, and it makes for an interesting contrast with Kang's dark ambition. I was also surprised to find that the damsel-in-not-so-much-distress from the first issue has an ongoing and growing role here. She's a completely unknown variable here, with no apparent connection to any Avenger or other Marvel figure. I can't wait to see where Heinberg's headed with her.
The strongest element in the book is the introduction of Cassie Lang. First of all, she finally brings a natural connection to the events of "Avengers Disassembled" to this storyline. Furthermore, it's nice to see some strong, character-driven writing arise out of that previous Avengers event. I didn't care for it, but Heinberg redeems it somewhat by finally telling a good story (or beginning one) by using a critical scene -- the death of Ant-Man -- that was glossed over far too quickly. 8/10
