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Uncanny Avengers #27 Review: The Avengers Battle Nihilism

Cover to Uncanny Avengers #27 by R.B. Silva and Tamra Bonvillain
Uncanny Avengers #27

The Uncanny Avengers are under attack by Graviton! In one swoop, he destroyed Avengers Mansion and launched Scarlet Witch into the sky while her teammates watch helplessly in the rubble.

Quicksilver is ready to kill him. The rest are just trying figure out a way out of this situation. Thankfully, Synapse, Rogue, and Doctor Voodoo may have some solutions.

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure is on his way to visit one of the Uncanny Avengers.

Writer Jim Zub and artist Sean Izaakse continue to rock Uncanny Avengers in this continuation and conclusion to the first post-Secret Empire story arc of the title. Bringing back a classic villain like Graviton and a long-time Avenger like Scarlet Witch is a good way to make one's mark on a title like this.

And it's just exciting. Graviton is a unique and powerful rogue, and this is a cool team. It all just comes together so well, and it reads like a classic Avengers story.

It does manage to pull off some interesting philosophizing with Graviton's motivations this time around. In light of recent events, Graviton has become a pseudo-nihilist who looks to the universe itself for his guidance. Admittedly, that is a little contradictory. However, nihilism is pretty much the antithesis to what superheroes and the Avengers specifically are all about. Nihilism and altruistic heroics don't really mix well.

Interior art from Uncanny Avengers #27 by Sean Izaakse
Art from Uncanny Avengers #27 by Sean Izaakse

And this is shown when (spoiler) Rogue steals Graviton's powers as a part of the Uncanny Avengers' ploy to bring him down. His mental hang-ups almost overwhelm her, and Synapse has to talk her down.

It's also nice to see some new depth added to Graviton. He may not have been around for very long in this story arc, but it's never a bad thing to give a little nuance to a classic villain.

Izaakse's art is great, and he is a very good fit for Uncanny Avengers. I dug the hell out of his work back when he was working on Bendis' New Avengers, and his skills as an artist have only increased. He's very skilled at depicting subtle motion, which is hard to do and ideal when dealing with a character who manipulates physics like Graviton.

Color artist Tamra Bonvillain puts in some amazing color work here. This book is filled with vibrancy and plays with lighting very well. She puts in some fine work here.

Uncanny Avengers is in good hands with Zub, Izaakse, and Bonvillain. It's a classic Avengers book with the sensibilities that made old Avengers stories so memorable. I highly recommend this one and can't wait for Beast and Wonder Man to come back next issue.


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Joshua DavisonAbout Joshua Davison

Josh is a longtime super hero comic fan and an aspiring comic book and fiction writer himself. He also trades in videogames, Star Wars, and Magic: The Gathering, and he is also a budding film buff. He's always been a huge nerd, and he hopes to contribute something of worth to the wider geek culture conversation. He is also happy to announce that he is the new Reviews Editor for Bleeding Cool. Follow on Twitter @joshdavisonbolt.
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