Avengers: Armageddon #5 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 5th issue of Avengers: Armageddon from Marvel Comics!
Marvel has promised that things are going to change forever once this story is over, and the end of the last issue is making it clear that is going to be VERY true. So just what is the fallout going to be? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics
Avengers: Armageddon #5 by Chip Zdarsky (Writer), Ario Anindito (Artist), Delio Diaz (Artist), Frank Alpizar (Artist), Jesus Aburtov (Colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Dike Ruan & Moreno DiNisio (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Chip Zdarsky is penning one of the greatest modern Avengers tales and each issue continues to deliver on everything you’d expect. The last issue of course ended with the stakes being as high as they’ve ever been since perhaps Avengers vs X-Men or even Civil War. So what does it all mean?
After seeing a nuclear explosion and the United States AND Russia launch missiles at each other, it’s hard to believe the stakes could get higher for this story (and the larger Marvel universe) but oh boy do they ever. I really like the tone that Chip took for this issue because it is DARK. Let’s face it, the world was on the brink of World War 3 and so as such it is not a good outlook for the world. You got folks picking up the damage at ground zero of the nuclear blast, Peter talking with folks who are connected to what happened. On top of that you have Carol Danvers dealing with the fallout and what it means for her, if you saw the news from NYCC then you know what that is.
However that isn’t even the craziest part and that would be the United Nations response to it all. Reading through what happened here I couldn’t help but get reminded of the early moments of Civil War. It’s crazy to see the world on the precipice of repeating history to a certain degree but you have to look to what Secretary of State Brooke says to the Fantastic Four at the airport and it starts to make some sense.
The thing this issue does really well is there aren’t any major battle moments that will leave you stunned, but it does a fantastic job setting up for the future. There’s a lot being done to set up for future stories and events down the road. Marvel promised this would be a changing series for the universe and it truly is getting this feeling. Between everything I mentioned, plus the stuff going on with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D it’s hard to see how things go back to the way they were before all this happened. Oh, and there’s also the final panel of the issue. I won’t spoil what it is but it is for sure going to have everyone talking, and it had me gasping in shock when I read it.
The Artwork
Ario Anindito, Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar & Jesus Aburtov are in charge of the artwork for the issue and as good as the story has been the artwork has been just as amazing. They do a fantastic job bringing to life the sense of darkness and unease to life with the artwork. The overall tone and color use isn’t exactly bright and shining, and really reflects how bad things seem. There’s also some use of color that gave me a sense of the sun setting at the end of the day. Could it be deliberate? I would say yes, but I’ll let you be the judge. Overall though, the artwork is fantastic is easily one of the best drawn comics on the shelves this week.
Overall Grade: 9/10
Avengers: Armageddon #5 is a deep breath before what is going to be an incredibly deep plunge. An absolute masterpiece of a story from Chip Zdarsky together with artwork that is at the top of it’s class, this is an issue that you CANNOT miss.
