Comic of the week: Avengers A.I. #1

Every week there is a comic that stands out above the rest -- and that's only counting the ones I buy.  Some weeks, when Young Avengers and Hawkeye both come out, it can be close to a tie, though Hawkeye usually wins.

This week - admittedly a week of fewer comics in my subscription box than usual - the outstanding one was a surprise. One I almost didn't buy.  Avengers A.I. is new this week, and it was the author's name that moved me to buy it: Sam Humphries, whom I know from his current work on Uncanny X-Force vol. 2 - which I have enjoyed very much, and in subtle ways.

So: Sam Humphries, the Vision on the cover, and a new female character I didn't recognize. Given how Marvel has been featuring female heroes of late, highlighting them in interesting ways, the advent of a new one was not to be missed.

First good thing about this comic: Monica Chang.  She's a crossover from the Ultimate Universe, and not one I'm familiar with.  She's Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Black Site - great name - and hits just the right balance between a character one can identify with as a thoughtful, intelligent protagonist - and a tough, authoritative S.H.I.E.L.D. badass.

Monica Chang is in the fine tradition of Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, and Daisy Johnson; both protagonist and antagonist, and in this case, a fine and witty straight man for irreverent Hank Pym.

Second good thing about this comic: The return of Victor Mancha, who was the Vision of the Young Avengers - and who has been sorely missed from that series. At least by me.

Third good thing about this comic: the art by Portuguese artist André Lima Araujo.  Its clean lines remind me of some of the better French and Belgian artists, and the colours by Frank d'Armata enhance it beautifully.

I had expected more of the Terminator-like "man fights robot" theme of Age of Ulton, but no.  Our A.I.'s are the heroes, and though clearly not human, they are a nice mix of personalities: logical Vision, playful Vic,  and the misanthropic Doombot, whose Doomlike intonations make me think of Marvin the Paranoid Android - not that the Doombot is gloomy, but that he talks in a consistent tone: "By the dark gods -- cease your prattling! Saving innocent likes is beneath me!"

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I am delighted with the Vision's return to square yellow balloons and formal talk, a good balance of the human and the artificial.  I love the way he stands casually in the middle of furniture, and walks - or flies - through walls.  It's a return to basics for the Vision, and I am happy to see it - I thought the character took a wrong turn when he fell in love with Wanda and became humanized.  He's much more fun when his android character is emphasized.

That being said, what is an android?  When I first encountered the character, I imagined him as made of plastic - a notion supported when the some of the Avengers took a trip inside his body, in the style of Fantastic Voyage.  Here, we see the Vision with clawlike, possibly metallic appendages, making use of his "Ultron imperative" programming.  It's a safe bet we haven't heard the end of this.

And Hank Pym?  A goofball.  A clever goofball, cited by Captain America as being "one of the top ten minds on the planet". "Top five," corrects Pym. Who, I wonder, are the other nine Cap is thinking of?  At a guess: Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Hank McCoy, Amadeus Cho, Victor Von Doom, Doctor Nemesis, Valeria Richards, Dr. Kavita Rao, and... who else?  I'd like to be able to put another woman on the list, but I don't know who.  Some, like Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde, are extremely intelligent, but not groundbreakers.  

Hank Pym's flippancy gives him an off-the-wall quality; he's enjoying himself to much.  Unstable?  Unpredictable?

I hope so.

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