Avengers Tech-on #1
- WRITER
- Jim Zub
- Artist
- Jeffrey Chamba Cruz
- Letterer
- VC's Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist
- Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2021-08-11
- Colorist
- Jeffrey Chamba Cruz
Japanese Tokusatsu shows are popular worldwide and have garnered cult status from fans, inspiring live-action superhero properties around the globe for decades. The Super Sentai and its American counterpart Power Rangers are massively popular franchises that have spawned numerous merchandise, Blu-ray sets, and comic books. Inspired by the likes of such action-adventure series, Marvel Comics in association with Bandai Namco brings a new Avengers comic book series to entice the hearts of Super Sentai fans. Writer Jim Zub and artist Jeffrey Chamba Cruz creates an alternate universe story of Marvel’s Avengers who thwart their enemies and save the day while wearing high-tech power suits bristling with energy.
Avengers: Tech-on #1 opens with a flashback of Earth's mightiest heroes going toe-to-toe with the Infinity Gauntlet clad Mad Titan, Thanos. The story then fasts forwards a year to the present day when the heroes have successfully routed the threat of Thanos and are at the base of the Avengers Tower in New York where Captain America is giving a speech to the public. Suddenly, all hell breaks loose when Captain America's archenemy Red Skulls appears and attacks the Avengers. As Red Skull and his minions begin to destroy everything in their wake, turning people into monsters, the heroes assemble to take on the scarlet villain.
Zub is known for writing outlandish tales of adventure peppered with humor and with action that moves at a breakneck pace. Avengers: Tech-on #1 is no different with a linear narrative that's bound to keep the reader tethered to their seat until its last panel. As the story jumps from sequence to sequence, the plot doesn't delve into the relationship of the characters or their emotional states -- forgoing any notion of a character development arc altogether. However, Zub does an excellent job of raising the stakes and creating an atmosphere of mystery and dread as the Red Skull gloats with each move he makes.
Cruz's art looks absolutely stunning and exceptionally upbeat, which marries well with the book's high-intensity narrative. The artwork takes heavy inspiration from the Super Sentai series as seen from the monstrous designs of Red Skull and his minions who are rendered with clean and dynamic lines. The vibrant and eye-catching colors create an animated aesthetic that adds another layer of depth to the layouts. Cruz's detailed art of frightened bystanders and random explosions is a great callback to the golden era of Japanese Tokusatsu shows.
Despite Avengers: Tech-on #1's stylized art, the issue is an underwhelming start to the new Marvel series. Its debut issue focuses more on the action set pieces than on world-building or character development. That being said, the plot rarely takes its foot off the pedal and is an exhilarating ride from start to finish. Avengers: Tech-on #1 carries the spirit of Japanese Tokusatsu shows and is bound to be a fun read for new and veteran readers alike.