Mutant Hysteria is at an all-time high after the fall out of Krakoa at the hands of Orchis. Amongst the chaos and false flag attacks, a rogue Captain Krakoa has run rampant, causing a murderous rampage that raises more problems for mutants and humans alike. The Avengers aim to remedy the anti-mutant rhetoric by reforming the new Unity Squad to tackle the mysterious identity of Captain Krakoa and restore mutant and human relations. Who is the new Captain Krakoa? And who does he answer to? And what are Dr Stasis and M.O.D.O.K up to?
Duggan dives deeper into the fallout of Krakoa and how it has impacted humans and mutants alike, especially members of the X-Men, the Avengers, and Ben Urich included. Much like X-Men issue 25, this issue has some solid moments of kinetic, brutal, yet stylish action, with a solid roster of characters such as Steve Rogers, Deadpool, Quicksilver, Psylocke, Penance, and Rogue, which is a contrastive yet interesting group of characters. Witnessing the team assemble together with a mission focused on taking down Captain Krakoa is entertaining given the various personalities, but even more interesting is Captain Krakoa and the mystery behind his identity in addition to his contribution to the chaos of mutant/human relations. What I enjoy is Duggan’s ability to balance a well-selected cast of characters that don’t often get the spotlight, but are just as compelling as the more brand-name characters, and pacing the book that’s filled with espionage and intrigue.
Javier Garron handles art duties and is fantastic at illustrating bombastic action set pieces, rendering characters, and crafting dynamic layouts. Coupled with Morry Hallowell’s embellished colors, and Travis Lanham’s lettering, the book looks, reads, and feels cinematic and epic as a book such as this should be. This new iteration of the unity squad is off to a solid start with a great premise, a solid mystery, and tons of crossover appeal as a book that feels cohesive to the current status quo of the X-men and the marvel universe while simultaneously feeling standalone (thus far). If you’re looking for an Avengers book that’s worth picking up, this is the book to add for new comic book day.
Newsdesk