After Secret Wars, Avengers #0 is an anthology book that ties together the stories of the Avengers, the New Avengers, A-Force, the Uncanny Avengers, the Ultimates and the Squadron Supreme. Each team has a small vignette that ties their story into that of the Squadron Supreme. Stories like this can be tricky, since the reader is maneuvered between stories, but I found that though the story with the Squadron Supreme was meant to act like a segway into the other stories, it felt more like a distraction.
It provided a lot of exposition, but I felt like it was at the cost of the story itself. Also, the information needed to jump into the comic, without prior knowledge of the characters and Secret Wars, was not provided. I feel like the purpose of a zero issue, is to lay the foundation for someone who wants to check out new titles. It does the job of introduction the Squadron Supreme, but beyond that it does not provide an easy entrance for the reader to the comic or to the subsequent tie-ins that come after it.
I did enjoy the stand alone stories and each one felt like it could stand on its own. The first was between Scarlet Witch and Vision. Vision is being haunted by images of the past, what most of us would think of as ghosts. He has come to Wanda to tell her that he has made a decision of how to deal with the ghosts. I liked the story telling here, I’m a fan of both Wanda and Vision, and though the story was sad, it was also compelling. The art style was very pleasing for me, but there were some panels where memories could easily be confused with what was the present.
Next up was A-Force, and G. Willow Wilson continues to show her strengths as a writer. Her themes are clear, but well
woven into the story. I knew it was the A-Force story from the moment I turned the page, because almost all the people in the panels were women. That may sound strange, but when most media has more men than women in any given scene, it was sort of nice to see a captain of a starship and a scientist who were both female. Carol Danvers is leading the Alpha Flight station, and we see her sans her Kree helmet. I know we found out this week that she will no longer be donning the helmet, but it was still sad to see it go.
My other favorite story from this comic was about Ms. America Chavez. The art is open and stunning, and it makes it easy to follow the story, even if the text boxes were a little confusing on the page. America is fighting monsters between worlds and closing tears in the universe. To close the holes, she must focus on a happy thought, and basically we see the softer side of America, as she uses her dancing skills rather than her punching skills to problem solve.
There are also stories about Deadpool and the New Avengers in this comic, both of which set the stage well for the coming stories.
All in all, if you are an Avengers fan like me, this is a great comic to pick up so you know where things are starting out after Secret War.
The Taming of the Muse 