Al Ewing’s ability to create entertaining crossover tie-ins is astounding. He’s had to write tie-ins for severely disappointing events like Age Of Ultron, Original Sin, AXIS, Avengers: Standoff!, and the current Civil War II, and he always uses these weak foundations to build interesting, exciting stories. Both of his Avengers books, New Avengers and The Ultimates, are caught up in Civil War II nonsense at the moment, but those titles remain compelling reads. In the case of New Avengers, the series has considerably improved in quality during these crossovers, and Ewing has used major events in the larger Marvel universe to exacerbate the conflicts already brewing in his narrative.
With the New Avengers divided in the midst of Civil War II, the villainous Maker has seized the opportunity to launch his grand assault on Avengers Base Two, unleashing his New Revengers to take out what remains of the A.I.M. faction of the team. This arc has been a spotlight for Roberto Da Costa, the former New Mutant who now serves as the Supreme Leader of Avengers Idea Mechanics, and next week’s New Avengers #15 offers a big treat for New Mutants fans as Roberto teams up with his old teammate Warlock to stop Maker and his cohorts.
Ewing has a great handle on Warlock’s stylized dialogue—his interpretation of “Do you feel lucky, punk?” in these pages doesn’t quite roll of the tongue like the original—and seeing Roberto wear his pal as a techno-organic suit of armor is the kind of badass, brilliant superhero idea that Ewing regularly brings to his stories. This action-packed preview is all about energy and intensity, and the art team of penciler Paco Medina, inker Juan Vlasco, and colorist Jesus Aburtov brings those elements to the forefront with dynamic linework and a vibrant palette. These creators know how to do big, explosive superhero action, and Ewing’s story flexes all their action muscles as it builds to New Avengers’ upcoming finale.