Comic Review: West Coast Avengers (2018-) #8

West Coast Avengers (2018-) #8

Marvel Comics

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Gang Hyuk Lim

The new West Coast Avengers has arrived! Kelly Thompson once more presents us with a fun and yet involving read about the most precarious Avengers formation yet.

Starting a new story arc, this issue kicks off with Marvel Boy trying to explain to the team why he got infiltrated in Madame Masque’s Masters of Evil. Turns out Noh-Varr is actually investigating a suspicious cult called The Temple of the Shifting Sun, which he firmly believes to be connected to the Skrulls… for some reason. The team infiltrates the temple and finds out that Noh-Varr’s guess couldn’t be further from the truth.

Kelly Thompson’s take on this team keeps getting better and better. Her title cards, that could’ve easily become repetitive by now, continue to be innovative and amusing, presenting the main characters in various ways. Thompson’s choice to stick to the mockumentary format for a comic book contributes greatly to expose developments in the story and especially in the team’s relationship as a whole, exploring how each character feels and thinks of one another evolving these relationships in a comic and yet believable approach. Of course, she also inserts such developments in the among the dialogues naturally, exhibiting just how talented of writer she is by not relying on the format for pure quirky exposition.

Gang Hyuk Lim makes the art for this chapter making it the most charmingly illustrated comic book I’ve ever seen. Lim clearly applies some aspects from the eastern style to the characters’ facial expressions and body reactions which are slightly exaggerated and perfectly drawn for the tone that Thompson has set for the series. Lim does keep most of his traces tending to curves instead of straight lines which contribute to making the characters looking a bit more cartoonish when appropriate. The few action scenes for this chapter are amazingly drawn, making the characters’ motions clear to the reader and exciting to look at.

Lim is also the colorist for this chapter and his work complements the charming tone I’ve mentioned above. Opting for bright pastel colors, Lim keeps the book light-hearted until the very end when the real threat is revealed, turning the colors to darker and more menacing shades.

This series makes for a delightful read in every single issue and it deserves tons of appraisal. I’ve loved every chapter’s artwork until now, Lim’s is easily my favorite since it fits so well with Thompson’s storytelling. I’m looking forward to the next issue and hope this title carries on for a while longer.