All-new, All-different Avengers #5 Ryan’s Review

Ms. Marvel and Nova are kicked off the team and only Miles Morales seems to care. Also, the villain behind everything from the last few issues is revealed and the Vision ends up being the real traitor.

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Mahmud Asrar
COLOR ARTIST: Sonia Oback
LETTERER: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER ARTIST: Alex Ross
EDITOR: Axel Alonso

STORY: Life is great for Kamala Khan, she’s an Avenger, she is number 1 on her fanfic website. Her town is safe and her new BFF, Miles Morales, the ever Ultimate Spider-Man gets her. However, soon the Mad Thinker launches his newest band of robots and it looks like Ms. Marvel put innocents in danger, but it was the Vision who faked the evidence. Miles tries to come to Ms. Marvel’s rescue, but Iron Man and Sam Wilson/Captain America tell her she is too young and too starry eyed and kick her out. Leading to Sam Alexander to attack the Vision saying he has been blackmailing him and it’s his fault. Of course, the adult Avengers being adults tell Nova he is out too for throwing his tantrum. While Miles scratches his head, the Avengers fend off an attack by Kang the Conqueror who uses time displaced Equinoxes to attack our heroes. When they get ready to form their attack, the Vision picks the time to attack his teammates and sends Thor/Jane Foster and Sam through a time portal to the future where Jane is separated from her hammer and reverts to her cancer body ridden form. Shocking Sam and leaving Miles and Iron Man in a Scooby Doo moment.

THOUGHTS: Don’t let my break down fool you everyone, this was probably the strongest issue of All-new, All-Different Avengers yet. Why is it the strongest? Because Waid focuses on the characters first and then moves towards the main story.

Waid has both Miles and Kamala’s characters down pat. I love their new friendship and Waid even gets to play up on Kamala’s character points like her friendship with Bruno, her original BFF. Her love of Avengers fan faction (well done with the Juggernaut moment Mark Waid). Miles also has great moments with him kind of being the in-between experience hero on this team of Avengers. He is still 15, but he keeps his head level when Ms. Marvel and Nova are kicked off the team. Unlike Nova who throws the usual teenage fit and attacks the Vision (much to his happiness). Yet, Sam’s characterization is probably the strongest I’ve seen in the last 8 years. Waid makes Sam Alexander come across as an average 15 year old who can’t keep his cool. Verses the one we have been dealing with who should be knocked upside the head and wish he was never created. So, props to Waid on that too.

 What really brings the book down is how easily Tony accepts that the Vision is telling and showing the truth. I can take Captain America kicking Nova off the team. He doesn’t pull that kind of crap and if you are going to just destroy three ways and threaten to rip a teammate apart. Of course you aren’t going to listen to him and agree with Tony, that the kids need to go grow up first and then try for the team again. However, not like Sam Wilson hasn’t gone off the deep end before and it isn’t like the oh, I don’t know 12 times the Vision has betrayed the group despite the fact he was being controlled by others. Of course, now we see the Vision has been planning something, but when he knocks both Sam Wilson and Jane Foster into the time portal. Revealing the truth about Thor, that was a great cliffhanger and Miles reaction to the Vision betraying the team is priceless. Miles is also the best part of the book, he is on point in every panel he is in. Waid likes to use his personality and wide array of his powers instead of just his venom blast. Which of course Miles still uses, but I love it when he tells his teammates: “The problem is, I have to be in close, I can’t just rely on it all the time.” Being Miles Morales sister title, Waid writes Spidey great, and when Ms. Marvel is swinging with Miles you can’t help, but smile.  I am really invested in the book more, I wish it would have had this momentum since issue 1. Also, the art by Asrar is fantastic. Right up there when he did the FCD issue last year (that was a year ago?).

Book Grade: B+
Well done team, not let’s see how this all wraps up in a few weeks.