Avengers A.I #8
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Andre Lima Araujo
Colorist: Frank D'Armata
Avengers A.I #8 sees the title receive the All-New Marvel NOW! treatment. This is a series which at first I didn't believe would be any good and was just Marvel trying to cash in after the success of the Avengers movie. However, Sam Humphries has created a great series, with a great team and characterisation of Hank Pym. #8 is a jumping on point, but as with many of the .NOW titles they really aren't that easy to hop onto. The good thing for me is that I have been reading the series from issue #1.
This issue sees the start of the new big arc originally teased during the original All-New Marvel NOW! teasers at the end of last year. This sees the Uncanny Avengers join Pym and his A.I Avengers to take on Dimitrios. After what took place in the previous issues with the destruction on the oil rig, Dimitrios taking control of a super advanced Sentinel and the believed "death" of Victor, the team, who work closely with S.H.I.E.L.D., have now gained the attention of Captain America and his Unity Squad. You continue to see Victor's retreat from Dimitrios with a fellow A.I. in the Diamond, who helps Victor lie low with a group of Anti-Dimitrios A.I's. Pym knows that Victor is alive and has hatched an elaborate plan to retrieve him much to Captain America's apprehension. Humphries portrayal of how A.I's only get stronger and cleverer, thanks to our dependence on technology is clearly represented during the revelation that Dimitrios was behind the creation of an app to find cheap fuel which everyone starts using, before he destroys all the oil rigs and limiting the fuel supply forcing people to use the app to find cheap fuel as prices have risen sky high with possible rationing. Thanks to this dependence on the app Dimitrios manages to use this to somehow manipulate humans and cause uprisings across the country. This leads to another great moment where Cannonball from the main Avengers team alerts Captain America of the current trouble. These appearances of the other Avengers teams showing up is fun to see and confirming they do communicate with one another is great. Dimitrios has forced their hand and Pym, Vison, Cap, Rogue and the Doombot are forced to use Pym's tested, technically un-tested, equipment to transport themselves to the Diamond and confront Dimitrios. It comes as no surprise that when they finally arrive there they are not exactly welcome, enter cliffhanger.
This issue is the introduction to the upcoming arc and does a great job of setting up what is inevitably going to be the team taking the battle to Dimitrios. From the solicitations to the next issues and what has been set up here this looks like it should be a great arc and is quite clearly what Humphries and Araujo have been working up to since the beginning of the series. There continues to be a great balance between action and comedy while allowing the plot of the storyline to continue. One of the stand out characters of the series for me has been the repurposed Doombot bringing some brilliant dry humour to the series expertly written by Humphries. Araujo's art continues to be a joy of the series, his style suiting the title, there is an almost Artificial Intelligence look to his art, with the line work being so "pin" point and creating 3D looking characters. He also does a great job of creating interesting panels and layouts. Some of the highlights being Doombot being plugged in and trying to attack and nullify Dimitrios' virus alongside the great panels for Pym's entrance into the Diamond. Humphries ability to continue to make the characters work together, considering there rag tag look, makes for some great moments between the original squad and also some brilliant moments between Rogue and the Doombot along with some touching moments between Pym and Cap remembering when they first teamed up together.
Avengers A.I. is currently my favourite Avengers title on the shelves and continues to be the the best thing to come out of Age of Ultron and I am looking forward to grabbing the next issue. Humphries and Araujo are clearly putting there heart and soul into this series and from the beginning of the series to the start of this big arc it is clear to see the title is benefitting from this and only goes from strength to strength.
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