Comic Review: Avengers Halloween Special #1

Avengers Halloween Special

Marvel Comics

Writers: Rob Fee, Gerry Duggan, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Jay Baruchel, Robbie Thompson

Artists: Eoin Marron, Laura Braga, Jonas Scharf, Luca Pizzari, Bob Quinn

It’s that time of the year before things become flavors of turkey, pumpkin, and peppermint. It’s Halloween! What’s a better treat to give us than candy? An Avengers Halloween special! And in keeping with the spooky theme of the holiday, the stories in this comic get… dark.

In this issue, there are five separate stories from five different creative teams. I won’t go into detail, as they’re all just a few pages long, and all worth a read. In “The Eyes Have It” (Rob Fee and Eoin Marron, we see Matt Murdock regain his vision. But with a dark twist. “Whatever Happened to the Richards family?” (Gerry Duggan and Laura Braga) put a twist on the Fantastic Four returning with powers. Except the twist is dark. With “The Thing From Another Time” (Jen & Sylvia Soska and Jonas Scharf) we get Tony Stark discovering Steve Rogers emerging from his ice nap. It’s got a dark twist to it also.

I’m not sure where I got the idea from, but I was expecting this whole issue to be more lighthearted and kid-friendly. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great comic, it just has a way different tone than I was thinking it would. The last two stories are a little more straightforward. “Punisher Of The Opera” (Jay Baruchel and Luca Pizzari) sees the Punisher in old-timey France. In Punisher fashion, he goes on a mission of revenge for his family. The last story has a bit more hope than the rest. “Haunted Mansion” (Robbie Thompson and Bob Quinn) sees two children exploring an abandoned mansion. Once filled with special people, the two run into the last resident, who saves them from a dangerous room.

Any of these stories could very easily be a standalone “What If?” stories or even a mini-series. With the few pages they have, each story gets to the point pretty quickly, without dragging their feet. If anything, my main complaint is that these stories are short. But that’s mainly because I want to see more of each! I have no complaints about the art, either. There are five artists, one for each story, all with their own style. Some more dynamic than the others, but all of it is good quality. I think they all capture the tone of their respective stories well.

Halloween is a scary holiday. But it’s also a fun one where everybody dresses up and eats too much candy. I think the stories in this issue have that same feeling. They’re darker than I was expecting, but ultimately each one is a fun concept. The stories are all solid, especially considering each one is just a few pages long. Each story has different art that differentiates itself from the rest. Overall, I think this is a great issue to enjoy with your candy.