AVENGERS: CELESTIAL QUEST #1
"I Die Unknown!"
Neutral (3/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Steve Englehart
Pencils: Jorge Santamaria
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: Color Hifi
Letters: Sharpefont
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.50 US/$3.75 CAN |
If anything serves as an indication of the popularity of Avengers since the Kurt Busiek run began, it's been the number of spin-off projects that have arisen recently. Last month, we saw Avengers: The Ultron Imperative, and now, Celestial Quest. Unfortunately, former Avengers v.1 scribe Steve Englehart doesn't come close to capturing the same degree of fun and intriguing characterization that I've come to expect from Avengers stories these days.
Thanos is on Earth, hunting down the mysterious woman known as Mantis. And he finds her, and kills her... again and again and again. Mantis's spirit and memories are jumping from one host body to another, and one of those incarnations manages to summon help, in the form of the Avengers.
The main problem with this book is Mantis. Though I've always enjoyed Thanos, I'm quite disinterested in Mantis. However, one of the reasons I haven't cared for her in the past is her distant, alien demeanor, and here, at least she behaves like a normal woman... at times. Since the story revolves around Mantis -- a rarely used character -- the book is heavy on exposition, and since her past is so convoluted, it makes for something of a trying read at times.
Santamaria is a name that's new to me, but I'll be keeping an eye out for him. He takes a rather odd, occasionally inaccessible story and tells it clearly. His style reminds me of Carlos (Fantastic Four, Avengers Forever) Pacheco's work, with a hint of John (Conan) Buscema and Joe (E-Man) Staton thrown in. I was particularly taken with
his interpretation of the Vision.
Silverclaw, as the newbie Avenger, serves nicely as a reason to include exposition in the context of the story, but she seems to be involved in the story for more than that simple reason. Englehart seems to indicate that she will play a significant role in this tale, or that this quest will prove to be a turning point for the character. In that respect, he has piqued my curiosity.
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