Endless Disappointment
I've been indifferent to most of the avenger related titles from "Marvel NOW!" for quite some time now, so having Warren Ellis as the writer of a singular novel relating to the avengers was a real treat for me, especially since it had an interesting plot right of the bat, but after reading this, i have to say that this was a major disappointment for me. I expected so much more and it just blew up in my face, in fact, I'm usually skeptical when reading something like this, unless of course i'm sure that the writer will do a decent enough job, which again, brings me to my point that Warren Ellis can do so much more than this novel, because at the very best it was extremely mediocre. (just to Put it out there, I like Ellis's work in general)
I have a lot to talk about, so I'll leave the discussion of art for the last paragraph. Now, the only positive thing i have to say about this Graphic novel, is that it works really well on a symbolic level. Captain america and Thor are facing "monsters" from their past, so in many ways this not only a physical battle, but also a inner conflict among the heroes. But having said that, this is where one of the main problems arise. The main characters, or the leading characters, are thor and steve, and it feels as if everyone else is sucked into this situation because they have a problem, or a personal agenda. The threat of the book is established way to early too, there is no suspense or build up to it, it's as if thor just shows up and realizes that these things have to be stopped. In writing it's always good to keep the reader captivated and interested in the story, but when the whole thing is plastered all over the place it feels rushed and it falls flat on it's face. I never felt like these monsters were a major threat because Warren doesn't illustrate them to be intimidating, sure it's stated that they are tough, but saying something right away can't recreate the feeling of excitement. Which mind you, was lost from the very begging. It would have been much better if all of the avengers members were somehow tied to this monster, then it would have worked out since each and every one of them would have a personal agenda, along with the wish to help their friends out. One of the things that really got me angry that Steve gave a team Speech right at the begging of the issue, as if the avengers hadn't been teammates for years. Again, were was the build up? Why did the team need a speech in the first place? they are most certainly not inexperienced. Nevertheless, They were all acting like children, whereas in really they would have gladly helped each other out. I Understand what Ellis was trying to do, i get that he wants to involve the character somehow, but it didn't work out because only Captain america and Thor had a personal vendetta, not the entire team.
And all of this is just scratching the surface. These characters, whoever they may be, are not the avengers. None of the acted like they should have, some were relatively close, but even then they still deviated in some particular ways. The biggest complain i had is with captain america, because he acted nothing like his kind self, he was an absolute douche here. Steve is someone you'd look up to, someone you can respect and mimic, but here, he was an impulsive child. He scolds logan for killing and basically tells him "i'm Better than you", which is so stupid that it actually gets me riled up. Captain america is known for his compassion and understanding of his fellow teammates, so having him act in this particular manned really irked me. Even during his speech, he makes fun of hawkeye for no particular reason, in fact, everyone makes fun of hawkeye for absolutely no reason, just because they can. It was funny once, but after repeating it for the 10th time it kinda got boring and stupid. moving on, You'd think that thor, cap, stark would treat each other with some respect after knowing each other for such a long time, but their relationship is basically founded on making fun of each other, or at least, that's the impression i'd get when reading Avengers Endless Wartime. This brings me to my next point, something I noticed right of the bat was the abysmal dialogue. Honestly, it felt so unnatural that i was actually expecting one of the characters to stop talking and ask "what's my next line?" at one point.Yes, it was actually that damn bad. When constructing a conversation between two characters it's important, especially the type of characters who have a lot of Khemistry, it's important to MAKE SURE that their talk feels natural. Unfortunately, it was corny and out of character. Warren Ellis seems to have completely missed how the hulk transformation works too, it seems that he doesn't simply get it. Bruce Banner doesn't change into the hulk once he's stayed human for a long time, he Hulks-out when he's angry, how hard is to know that? This concept could have worked with the ultimate version, but since he's writing the original he should stick with the basics. Also, Banner just realized that the hulk is a part of him? or that essentially he is the hulk? really? this has been done way to many times and has been established already, not to mention that banners characterization clashed with Mark Waids current series.
Also the whole issue builds up to a battle and we never really get a satisfying conclusion to the story. sure, it again works on a symbolic level that THE WAR never ends and there should always be the people around to fight the good fight, but this was seriously boring and uninteresting. If the issue builds towards something, then the writer should present us with something at the end of the ride, but the whole experience felt rushed and dull.
Moreover,The art was mostly solid. Characters like Natasha, Hulk and thor were mostly consistently well drawn and the action was really well done, but there were some panels where the artistic structure seemed mediocre at best. Though i don't have much to complain about since i did like the art overall.
was this a good Story? no. was it somewhat fun? depends on the person really, for me it was really dull and if not for the main metaphor, which is really easy to understand, there were very few redeeming qualities about this novel. Warren Ellis should have done a better job.
