Young Avengers
Publish Date/Year
2005
Creative Team
Alan Heinberg, Jim Cheung
Issue (s)
1-6
Publisher
Marvel
Story
Arising from the wake of Avengers Disassembled where Scarlet Witch lost her mind, reduced the mutant population to a mere 198 and the Avengers were basically decimated - Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and The Vision - were all killed, with the famed Avengers Mansion also destroyed, 4 young heroes who appeared to be teenage versions of Capt America (Patriot), Iron Man (Iron Lad), Thor (Asgardian) and the Hulk (Hulkling) were spotted Before the New Avengers were formed. The shocker is that Iron Lad, their “leader”, is actually a time-dislodged young Kang who doesn't want to become the villain when he grows up!
We learn that Iron Lad formed the team based on a contingency plan by The Vision (in case the Avengers ever disbanded) to develop a brand new generation of Avengers and also to prepare themselves for Kang’s eventual arrival back in the 20th Century. They are eventually joined by 2 other girls – Cassie Lang (Scott Lang’s daughter who discovers her size changing powers and will become Stature) & Kate Bishop (who will eventually become the new Hawkeye).
Daily Bugle (JJ Jameson) sends reporters Kat Farrell and Jessica Jones (pregnant with the child of Luke Cage from New Avengers) to find out more about this group. Meanwhile Capt America & Iron Man, who deemed them as irresponsible kids, were also looking for the group, so that they could stop them. They all end up at the destroyed Avengers Mansion where Kang does finally show up (because he needed to ensure that his younger self does become the villain that he is when grown up so that space-time continuum does not collapse into itself – the time travel mumbo jumbo conundrum!), and the Young Avengers are forced to fight Kang when the adult Avengers & Jessica Jones get taken down. However, Kang warned them that the only way for this to end amicably was to have young Kang return to the future and fulfill his destiny or the world the heroes know would cease to exist!
Readers are given a quick background of how the older Villain Kang met the teenage Kang (who is actually of Reed Richards’ lineage in the far future), how he despised his older villainous self and vowed to never become a villain.
So when the heroes finally defeat Kang, the Young Avengers and the city around them start to change and even disappear as the older Kang predicted. Young Kang then had to make a decision whether to follow the older Kang back to the future or remain here with his friends and his new love – Cassie.
Art
Jim Cheung delivers the goods in spades! Even from his days at CrossGen doing Scion (but of course his earlier work at Marvel were nothing to shout about, but then, everybody has to start somewhere – look at George Perez’s work now and when he first started!), his artwork was growing in leaps & bounds until he’s become the master that he is today. One of the best today!
Additional Comments
When the title first came out, many wrote it off as a Teen Titans rip-off. However, the detractors soon changed their tune in just the first story arc (issues 1-6 only) itself even though not all of the characters have been fully fleshed out yet. It was well written but more importantly for Avengers fans like me – we needed our fix of Avengers and this fits the bill. Tho’ we missed the adult members but these youngsters provided the needed distraction and it cleverly weaves & incorporates multiple elements of the original team into the new team (eg: the use of Kang & the Vision and his plan). A good read and if you have not tried it, do yourself a favour and try it already!
Arising from the wake of Avengers Disassembled where Scarlet Witch lost her mind, reduced the mutant population to a mere 198 and the Avengers were basically decimated - Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and The Vision - were all killed, with the famed Avengers Mansion also destroyed, 4 young heroes who appeared to be teenage versions of Capt America (Patriot), Iron Man (Iron Lad), Thor (Asgardian) and the Hulk (Hulkling) were spotted Before the New Avengers were formed. The shocker is that Iron Lad, their “leader”, is actually a time-dislodged young Kang who doesn't want to become the villain when he grows up!
We learn that Iron Lad formed the team based on a contingency plan by The Vision (in case the Avengers ever disbanded) to develop a brand new generation of Avengers and also to prepare themselves for Kang’s eventual arrival back in the 20th Century. They are eventually joined by 2 other girls – Cassie Lang (Scott Lang’s daughter who discovers her size changing powers and will become Stature) & Kate Bishop (who will eventually become the new Hawkeye).
Daily Bugle (JJ Jameson) sends reporters Kat Farrell and Jessica Jones (pregnant with the child of Luke Cage from New Avengers) to find out more about this group. Meanwhile Capt America & Iron Man, who deemed them as irresponsible kids, were also looking for the group, so that they could stop them. They all end up at the destroyed Avengers Mansion where Kang does finally show up (because he needed to ensure that his younger self does become the villain that he is when grown up so that space-time continuum does not collapse into itself – the time travel mumbo jumbo conundrum!), and the Young Avengers are forced to fight Kang when the adult Avengers & Jessica Jones get taken down. However, Kang warned them that the only way for this to end amicably was to have young Kang return to the future and fulfill his destiny or the world the heroes know would cease to exist!
Readers are given a quick background of how the older Villain Kang met the teenage Kang (who is actually of Reed Richards’ lineage in the far future), how he despised his older villainous self and vowed to never become a villain.
So when the heroes finally defeat Kang, the Young Avengers and the city around them start to change and even disappear as the older Kang predicted. Young Kang then had to make a decision whether to follow the older Kang back to the future or remain here with his friends and his new love – Cassie.
Art
Jim Cheung delivers the goods in spades! Even from his days at CrossGen doing Scion (but of course his earlier work at Marvel were nothing to shout about, but then, everybody has to start somewhere – look at George Perez’s work now and when he first started!), his artwork was growing in leaps & bounds until he’s become the master that he is today. One of the best today!
Additional Comments
When the title first came out, many wrote it off as a Teen Titans rip-off. However, the detractors soon changed their tune in just the first story arc (issues 1-6 only) itself even though not all of the characters have been fully fleshed out yet. It was well written but more importantly for Avengers fans like me – we needed our fix of Avengers and this fits the bill. Tho’ we missed the adult members but these youngsters provided the needed distraction and it cleverly weaves & incorporates multiple elements of the original team into the new team (eg: the use of Kang & the Vision and his plan). A good read and if you have not tried it, do yourself a favour and try it already!
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