Comic Review: Avengers (2018-) #22

Avengers #22

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Stefano Casselli 

Things are heating up for the Avengers, in kind of a literal way. Robbie Reyes, Ghost Rider and current Avenger, want to get rid of the monster inside of him. Trying (and failing) to destroy his Hell Charger, he turns to the Avengers for help. At the same time, Iron Man, Thor, and She-Hulk are dealing with some problems in the aftermath of the War of the Realms. And to top it all off, there’s even a little post-credits scene for the upcoming Absolute Carnage event.

There’s a lot of things to like about this issue. I really enjoy the hell out of Stefano Caselli’s art. Characters are really expressive, and there’s a good amount of detail thrown in. I also think the colors by Jason Keith are great. They highlight some of the better details throughout the book and add some great dynamics to the panels. I don’t hold it against the comic, because it’s me being nitpicky, but there’s one panel I’m not too fond of. It’s just the one, but in it, Captain America has kind of a double chin. That’s it. But it’s really a highlight of the details in the art since it’s from wrinkles in his mask.

As far as the story goes, there’s a lot going on that I’m a fan of. I think Robbie Reyes is a bit underrated as far as characters go. Even in this series, he’s been second chair for the most part, so it’s nice to see him in the spotlight. On top of that, there have been hints at this storyline for a while now, and it’s cool to see it happening. I don’t think we’ve seen Daimon Helstrom or Johnny Blaze since last year’s Damnation event, either. I mean, besides some small teases here and there. There’s a two-page tease at the very end for Absolute Carnage, which comes out later this year. Like most of these, there’s not much to it, except this particular two-page teaser stars both Hawkeyes.

It’s been more than a year since this Avengers run began, and I’m still really digging it. There have been a couple of stale issues, but for the most part, it’s been good. This issue, in particular, is an interesting start to this next arc. Jason Aaron has a good handle on the dynamics between each Avenger, and with the group as a whole. I say this with pretty much every issue of Avengers, but if you’re not reading this, you should be. 

Click here for more comic reviews