Not only is Hank Pym being set up, but I think we, as old school readers, are being set up. The powers that be are giving us what they claim, and maybe to some extent, we claim, we wanted – good old-fashioned Avengers superhero action. What we have been presented with in Mighty Avengers #31 and previous issues would have been amazing in 1969, in 1979, and maybe even 1989… but compared to today’s tastes and expectations, it pales badly.

The storytelling, a combination of Dan Slott on plot and Slott and Christos Gage on script, unfortunately represents much of what used to be bad about comics. We have the dense wordiness of Chris Claremont’s early days, an issue that is little more than straight slugfest (making that terrible “Superman Batman Public Enemies” animation look good) and worst of all, writer no-no number one – telling instead of showing.

It’s almost as if the powers that be have set this title up to fail, and to fail after giving the old school readers what they say they wanted – old school Avengers.

The truth is however, some things have actually been done right. That opening three-issue story by Slott where this team was gathered – yeah, that felt like it. And there were elements in this issue that shined like that as well. Seeing Hawkeye and Hank Pym together again rocked. I could feel Steve Englehart’s West Coast Avengers being channeled through the pages. These men are friends, fellow Avengers and the backbone of the ramshackle crew of Avengers assembled to fight The Unspoken. If only I could vanquish that evil Austenverse specter of Jan sleeping with Clint, this would be a perfect moment.

Clint and Hank weren’t the only characters who were dead on this issue either. Quicksilver was actually acting like Quicksilver for the first time since possibly the Roy Thomas days. No bitching, just Avenging. That was a nice change of pace. Just as Slott and Gage channeled Steve Englehart, I saw Alan Heinberg’s Young Avengers quite clearly with Cassie and Jonas here just as well. And I loved the quick interaction between Cassie and Clint before they recreated the cover of Avengers #223.

Now that I’m thinking about it, is there any way to snatch Hawkeye and his bow and arrows from the clutches of Brian Michael Bendis? Because there’s your line-up. That’s who should be the Mighty Avengers – Hawkeye, the Wasp, Quicksilver, Stature, the Vision, along with Hercules and Amadeus Cho. Throw in Jocasta and Jarvis too. I’d buy that book in a second, especially as written lately.

And yes, that team isn’t exactly gender balanced but then again, based on this issue, it doesn’t seem like Slott and Gage are all that interested in the women. On this quickly assembled team are Ms. Marvel, Tigra and Spider-Woman, three of the most exciting and powerful females of late – and they do nothing. Where were they?

There were nice bits with Amadeus Cho (more Amadeus Cho!) and surprisingly, the Radioactive Man. Quicksilver’s ploy to use USAgent was fun, and I’d love to see more of Ban-Luck, maybe even as a member. Hey there you go, we’re balancing the genders in the team already. On the other hand, I disliked Captain America’s old-timey talk. He seems more adjusted speaking-wise when written by Ed Brubaker, and even Bendis.

Also on the disappointment side was Clint’s suggestion that Hank use the machine to reverse his life’s mistakes. I didn’t buy that Clint would even do that or that the notion even occurred to our new Henry Pym – but I did like that he destroyed it. And even though I was sad with the way this issue was written as if it were a thing of the past, I am even sadder that next issue we return to the world of Dark Reign.

The art is good, no, make that great. If I were to have only two complaints about artist Sean Chen’s work, it would be A) Hank Pym’s mouth is always open, and B) He’s not Khoi Pham. One of those things I’m guessing he can’t help. There were problems, like Quicksilver’s morphing costume, but then again even Khoi can’t keep that right either. From a storytelling point of view and telling the characters apart, the art is perfect. I shouldn’t complain, as Sean Chen is one of the best in the business, but my personal preference is Pham on these characters. That said, Chen is nothing short of dynamic, and in a big battle issue, that’s what’s needed.

I give Mighty Avengers #31 a solid two and a quarter stars out of a possible five. Its old school thinking, poor writing and transparent set-up drag it down considerably. Don’t just give us what we think we want. Give us what we think we want well.

	Glenn Walker
	Glenn has been a fan of Marvel Comics' Avengers since the early 1970s, when their current adventures were chronicled by Steve Englehart and their early exploits by Stan Lee in classic reprints featured in Marvel Triple Action. He has persevered through many incarnations of the team and he still loves the Avengers to this day.