Avengers #1 A new era may be upon Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but in Avengers #1, an old foe might be the key to preventing a disastrous future…

You know the deal. Jason Aaron’s long tenure on Avengers has concluded, which can only mean one thing: time for somebody new to take over. Incoming writer Jed MacKay previously set up this new gig back in December’s Timeless #1, and now it’s time for the seeds he sowed there to bloom. (Blossom? I’m not a botanist.)

I don’t mean this as a criticism, but I don’t really know what to say about Avengers #1 based on this first issue. It’s not clear what story MacKay is developing just yet! The plotting of this issue is slightly vague; we watch the Avengers (now consisting of leader Carol Danvers, Tony Stark, T’Challa, Sam Wilson, Vision, and Wanda Maximoff) fighting a new threat in medias res, with vignettes of Carol re-assembling the team are interspersed during the fight. That’s actually a good way to introduce the new status quo while also making it feel like something is “happening” beyond that, which is a common pitfall of team-based number ones. All that’s really clear in this issue by the end is that —spoiler, but not really— Kang the Conqueror is involved somehow, but the specifics of this are unclear. And that’s fine! If any book can take its time and not rush through plot, it’s Avengers, but whether or not people will be willing to stick around to find out what’s happening is a different question.

At the very least, Avengers #1 is a fun read, with plenty of character interactions and zippy pacing that lets it go down smooth and easily. Focusing the action through a singular character (Carol, in this instance) always helps an ensemble book feel less frantic and aimless, and with her solo title on the way out without an immediate replacement lined up, Avengers is as good a place as any to give her the spotlight. There are also some interesting dynamics on this particular team that could bear fruit later, e.g. Carol and Tony (remember Civil War II?), Vision and Wanda (exes, uh oh!), Sam and T’Challa (they beefin’!). MacKay tends to have a light touch in his comics, so I expect a similar tone for a lot of it. But this issue is also a good showcase for artist C.F. Villa (recently of X-Men and MacKay’s Black Cat), who delivers rather solid superhero art that always looks good on the page with Federico Blee’s colors.