Geoff Johns takes the Avengers in an interesting new direction: as a world power. The political storytelling possibilities are promising, and Johns's continued focus on friction among the members of the heroic team still makes for good reading. Gary Frank's highly detailed artwork is a significant shift from that of Kieron Dwyer, but his expressive and realistic figures suit the character-driven tone of the issue.
Following recent events, the United Nations and most world governments have come to place deep trust in the abilities of the Avengers, and as a result, the organization is recognized as an individual world power in its own right. The Avengers have never been a position to more good, but friction among the ranks may never have proven to be such a problem either. And if that weren't enough, not every world power is quite so enthused about the Avengers new international influence.
Though this is a turning point for the title team and a reason for celebration (as the cover would indicate), a tense mood is cast over this issue, and artist Gary Frank really brings out the more sombre tone. The tension shows on the characters' faces, and that establishes a sense of foreboding even better than any shady, backroom discussions among those involved in a conspiracy against the team. Sibal's inks also seems to bring an even greater degree of detail to Frank's work. There's even more linework here than one would find in Frank's already textured efforts on other titles.
The Iron Man/Black Panther conflict continues to simmer. Johns is making excellent use of Priest's work in Black Panther, though I would imagine it could be made a bit more accessible for those who don't follow the Wakandan king's title. The awkward moments between the Vision and the Scarlet Witch make for an interesting new examination of their relationship. Given the years and many Avengers stories dedicated to this pair, one might expect the concept to have run out of steam by now, but Johns proves otherwise here.
If I had to sum this new direction in only two words, they'd be Authority Light. Johns touches upon the super-hero as a political power here, just as Warren Ellis and Mark Millar did in The Authority. This is a more centered approach to the concept, though, as opposed to the extreme nature of Wildstorm's Authority. The same intellectual and entertaining potential remains, though, and I look forward to elements of international intrigue and diplomacy being injected into the book.
