Avengers #44
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Javi Garron (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
Rated T+
In Shops: Apr 07, 2021
SRP: $3.99
ENTER THE PHOENIX: THE FIERY FINALE!
It all comes down to this. The final battle to decide who will wield the awesome cosmic power of the Phoenix Force. You don’t want to miss… the debut of the all-new Phoenix!
Avengers #43
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Javi Garron (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 03, 2021
SRP: $3.99
THE FIGHT TO BECOME THE ALL-NEW PHOENIX HEATS UP!
As the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are trapped within the battle to decide the all-new Phoenix – a bloody battle that has narrowed to a handful of desperate combatants. Thor leads the rest of the Avengers in the fight to contain the Phoenix Force on Earth, in a quest complicated by the Thunder God’s own mysterious connection to the cosmic firebird.
Avengers #42
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Luca Maresca (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
Rated T+
In Shops: Feb 03, 2021
SRP: $3.99
THE BATTLE TO DECIDE THE ALL-NEW PHOENIX RAGES ON!
Who will wield the destructive cosmic power of the Phoenix Force? Namor will stop at nothing to be the fiery victor. The Black Panther worries as much about victory as he does defeat. Jane Foster knows what it means to carry on a powerful legacy. The She-Hulk cannot be stopped. And the Orb has a giant, creepy eyeball for a head!
The Avengers #41
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Javi Garron (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
Rated T+
In Shops: Jan 20, 2021
SRP: $3.99
THE BATTLE TO DECIDE THE ALL-NEW PHOENIX CONTINUES!
Who will wield the power of the PHOENIX FORCE? A globe-spanning tournament is underway, under the direction of the firebird itself, pitting some of Marvel’s greatest heroes against their fiercest enemies and also against each other, giving each of them a taste of the awesome cosmic might that’s at stake. All will be transformed. Not all will survive.
The Avengers are on to their next big storyline as the Phoenix has returned to Earth searching for a new host. Writer Jason Aaron has been building out a long-running epic that’s building to something with this latest chapter exploring another aspect of the original Avengers from thousands of years ago. Avengers #40 kicks off the “Enter the Phoenix” storyline and for all the build-up and hype, the issue is a whole lot of been there/done that.
After briefly aiding Moon Knight’s battle in the previous story arc, the Phoenix has taken up residence on Earth once again, this time searching for a new host to hold the power. The Avengers are on alert as are numerous groups and individuals looking to take the power for their own. But, the Phoenix has its own plan to find a champion in a battle between individuals with apparently the last one standing gaining the power.
Writer Jason Aaron delivers a pseudo-follow up to Avengers vs. X-Men as the Phoenix looks for a new host, this time focusing mostly on non-mutants. The battle between characters to prove who’s mightiest is something we’ve seen over and over again and this issue provides nothing new as far as that. In fact, it riffs on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a groan-inducing moment involving Captain America. Uninspired. Not exciting. Downright boring. These are the words I’d describe a moment that has global implications.
The most interesting aspect of Avengers #40 is its ending where we see those who have been whisked away by the Phoenix to compete.
Javier Garrón provides the art along with David Curiel on color and Cory Petit on lettering. The art is a somewhat interesting aspect of the comic making best of Aaron’s disjointed script. While some panels lack details the focus and highlight is the battle between Captain America and Doctor Doom. It’s an anime/manga inspired fight full of energy blasts dripping of Phoenix Force. While Phoenix powered Doom isn’t all too exciting Captain America’s look is interesting though a bit “just happens”. The colors pop on the page emphasizing the energy oozing off of the combatants.
After a lot of build-up and hype, Avengers #40 and “Enter the Phoenix” is an uninspired start. Like the title suggests, it’s a riff on the tournament battle story we’ve seen so many times before. It delivers nothing new or interesting to the genre. Maybe down the line it will but as a beginning it’s a hell of a stumble.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Javier Garrón
Color: David Curiel Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 5.0 Art: 8.35 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics
Avengers #40
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Javi Garron (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
Rated T+
In Shops: Dec 30, 2020
SRP: $3.99
ENTER THE PHOENIX!
The infamous firebird of cosmic destruction and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force has returned to Earth to find a new avatar. So now the Avengers and some of the most powerful heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe are being called into a competition unlike anything they’ve ever seen. A globe-spanning battle that will transform them all and ultimately decide…who will be the all-new Phoenix.
In Avengers #39, a million years ago, a baby is saved from death by a wolf pack. Years later, she comes upon someone who speaks in her mind, leading her to the first mutants on Earth. Bigoted humans come and attack them and the young child unleashes her power, which is the Phoenix, engulfing everything in flames. From there, she heads to Asgard to recruit Odin.
If I was looking to read about the Avengers, I’d probably avoid this issue. Honestly, this revisionist history that Marvel allows drives me a bit crazy. The past is never good enough and we need mutants and the Phoenix used one million years ago. I feel like Jason Aaron is better than this. Overall, this is just a cheap appetizer for the main course, which is “Enter The Phoenix,” the next story arc which starts in the next issue.
My favorite thing about Avengers #39 was page after page of Dale Keown art. He’s definitely one of those artists that should be working on a big-time book. Maybe Avengers is that and I just don’t know. There’s a level of beauty in his human characters that’s really pleasing to the eye. His action sequences look fairly epic. Jason Keith’s colors fill it all in and honestly, the colors are great on the Phoenix reveal page.
This felt like a whole lot of build-up for a better story, which I guess will be the upcoming Phoenix rehash that Marvel is serving up. Avengers #39 is fairly lackluster in the storytelling but it’s a really nice issue on the eyes.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Dale Keown
Color: Jason Keith Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Story: 4.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle
The Phoenix has returned but who will wield its unpredictable power? And will they wreak chaos and destruction or life and rebirth? ‘Enter the Phoenix,’ the latest story arc in Jason Aaron’s critically acclaimed Avengers run, will answer these questions and more as the cosmic force stages an earth-shattering competition to find a worthy new host. Some of Marvel’s mightiest heroes and villains will enter the fray but in the end, only one will rise!
The legendary Phoenix Force has been a major player in the pages of Aaron’s Avengers saga. Revealing the key role it played in building the very foundation of the Marvel Universe, Aaron now brings this time and space-spanning story to a startling climax that will forever redefine this omnipotent force of nature!
Get your first look at the battle that will erupt to decide who will be the all-new Phoenix in the Avengers ‘Enter the Phoenix’ trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork from the highly-anticipated story!
Don’t miss the fiery return of the Phoenix Force when the ‘Enter the Phoenix’ saga kicks off in Avengers #40 on December 30th! It features art from Javier Garrón and a cover by Leinil Francis Yu.
ONLY ONE WILL RISE! The infamous firebird of cosmic destruction and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force returns to Earth in the pages of Jason Aaron’s Avengers this December. On the hunt for its next host, the Avengers and some of the most powerful heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe will engage in a globe-spanning competition that will ultimately decide…who will be the all-new Phoenix.
As is tradition, the Phoenix Force graces its hosts with iconic new costumes. This time around, the cosmic designs come courtesy of superstar artist, Javier Garrón.
Check out Leinil Yu’s cover of Avengers #40 below and don’t miss Enter the Phoenix when it kicks off in December!
“I AM PHOENIX!” Those immortal words will take on new life this December when Jason Aaron and Javier Garron’s next great Avengers epic, “Enter the Phoenix,” begins. To anticipate the return of the cosmic chaos-bringer, your favorite Marvel characters will be reborn as Phoenix hosts this November in astonishing variant covers by some of the industry’s top artists including Salvador Larroca, Kris Anka, and Aaron Kuder. Captain America, Black Panther, and She-Hulk are no longer the heroes you knew as they bond with the Phoenix Force to spread rebirth—or destruction—throughout the Marvel Universe. In the end, only one will be chosen to wield this terrifying and great power when the Phoenix Force chooses a new host.
Find out more when “Enter the Phoenix” begins this December but in the meantime, check out the Phoenix Variant covers listed below and keep your eyes peeled for more coming your way in November!
