As the final battle for Earth begins, one Avenger will sacrifice everything to give his teammates a fighting chance.

Doing the impossible. That’s at the heart of Avengers #688 as our heroes rally to defeat the Challenger. It’s that inspirational moment where they come together and yell “Avengers Assemble” one last time before going on the offensive. It nails that in every sense and had me muttering “fuck yeah” as every moment is hit.

Writers Mark Waid, Al Ewing, and Jim Zub have knocked the issue out of the park giving us some humor, some heart, and that pep talk that makes you want to go into battle. The trio of writers deliver and while it’s pretty standard in what you’d expect, how they deliver it all, the pacing, the details, adds together for an emotional ride.

There’s Quicksilver attempting to stop the beacon which we know will free the heroes. It’s obvious. What will he sacrifice to do that? And how? There’s the Challenger and the Hulk who has a grudge about him. There’s the frozen heroes. There’s the heroes attempting the stop the Challenger and keep the Earth from crumbling. Everyone feels like they have a moment and that’s impressive considering the cast. The other thing is, there’s real sacrifice. You feel the emotion as decisions are made, both good and bad. There’s a connection somehow… it’s just impressive.

Some of that is the writing and a lot has to do with the art by Kim Jacinto and Stefano Caselli, color by David Curiel, and lettering by Cory Petit. The art just looks great but it’s the small details that really add up and create the emotional depth. A tear flowing down a cheek. The pain on a face as a character makes a decision they know is a bad one. It all comes together and adds to the emotional ride that the writers have set up. Then there’s the lettering which is important. It too adds that emotional punch. How big or small that lettering is, is key. And you can read into (no pun intended) a lot of that based on what’s decided as far as the lettering.

This might be my favorite issue so far and that’s from an even that has delivered with almost every issue. Yes, we knew this was coming but the details and how it’s all put together makes it shine. Events are dragging down comics? Here’s your exception and an example of what every one should strive to be.

Story: Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub Art: Aaron Kim Jacinto, Stefano Casselli Cover Art: Mark Brooks
Color: David Curiel Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review