Geoff Johns's run on Avengers starts in earnest this issue, with the addition of new regular penciller Olivier Coipel and the second story arc, pitting the Avengers against bio-terrorism. This is an unusual choice for the Avengers, a somewhat darker and less colorful villain than they usually face, and with that and the sort of military/modernized uniforms that Coipel gives the team in this issue, I'm reminded more than anything of Hama's Avengers from the 90s. While I'm not quite sure about this somewhat harsher take on the team, however, the book looks gorgeous, the cast is interesting and the promise for a really big epic super-hero story is definitely there.
Johns and Coipel open this issue with a chilling scene of terrorism in America's heartland, and it's effective in setting up a dangerous threat and making us care about the people affected by it. A little shameless tugging of the heartstrings with a selfless father, scared mother and confused child makes for a strong Captain America moment and a great way of putting a face on the deaths related to the virus. The look of a town decimated by the virus and some of the most elaborately-drawn helicopters I've ever seen helps to give a sense of the scale of things. And the deadly, amorphous red cloud that starts everything off looks simply malevolent in the hands of Coipel, Lanning and Sotomayor.
While the threat is interesting enough, and the mystery behind where it came from and what it's meant to accomplish will certainly bring me back, the heart of this book remains the strong characterization. Johns has a handle on Captain America that seems to blend the tough-guy jerk of Jim Shooter and the iconic patriot that is the current interpretation, and while I don't think that's the ideal characterization for the character, it certainly works in this sort of context. I loved the way he gave orders as if it was second nature and simply ignored a blow-hard general to continue doing what he felt was right, knowing that his experience was the best guide for the situation.
Captain America gets the spotlight, but there are definite moments for the rest of the cast as well. Vision, complete with spooky new translucent look, has a nifty scene with a couple soldiers, and Scarlet Witch, looking considerably more brooding and mysterious in her new hooded costume, gets to show off her impressive powers as well. I'm not yet sold on some of these new costumes (Ms. Marvel and Jack of Hearts both lose their fairly classic looks to a more generic military thing, and though I'll get used to the new looks, I'm not wild about Ant-Man's new helmet either), but underneath the new looks are the same characters that Johns has shown such a handle on previously.
"Red Zone" opens with a bang, showing off the strengths of this creative team, whether it's solid characterization or stunningly realistic and evocative backgrounds and characters. I wasn't sure when the announcement was first made that Coipel was the right choice for this book, but his work on this issue blew me away, and I think that the year-long run that he and Johns are about to embark on could be a really good one for Avengers fans.
