Review: Avengers Assemble- Science Bros

Quick Summary

Pros: The short, low-stakes adventures collected here work as a wonderful complement to the adventures in the main Avengers series. Humor and emotion are well-written throughout the volume.

Cons: The artwork is generally lackluster.

Overall: This collection has a solid level of appeal but this appeal is rather specific. The stories here feature some of Marvel’s top heroes participating in adventures that are more focused on lighthearted moments and character development than they are on high-stakes action. This works well as a break from other, more dramatic Avengers stories. Readers looking for adventures like this will likely enjoy this book but those who find this concept uninteresting should look elsewhere.

Story

Avengers Assemble: Science Bros, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, is a unique collection of Avengers stories. These stories aren’t the high-stakes adventures most readers are used to, ones dealing with the potential destruction of all reality or cataclysmic events in the cosmos. Instead, they focus on smaller battles, ones charged with humor and heart. These adventures feel like stories that typically slip through the cracks but are still important to the team. They also have specific appeal for fans of Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Vision, who all have their moments in the spotlight. As long as readers know that this collection deals with short, humorous, lower-stakes adventures and are not expecting a world-ending saga, they will likely find a lot to enjoy within this book.

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Science Bros starts by collecting two short story arcs that are essentially independent adventures undertaken by a small group of Avengers. These adventures are not nearly as serious, action-packed, or exciting as the adventures playing out in the main Avengers series, which starts with Avengers World (Review). However, they don’t need to be. The adventures feel like fun little interludes taking place between the life-or-death struggles the team is typically facing. I really enjoyed these stories and thought that they worked especially well as a moment of decompression between volumes of the main Avengers series.

These particular stories also do well with capturing some humor. Each of the stories have the heroes bantering back and forth at various points. It shows that these characters are friends and that they find time for comedy between saving the world. The stories also have moments that are so ridiculous that it is hard not to laugh. The first ends with Iron Man and Hulk losing a bet and streaking through the streets of NYC and the second has a marriage proposal take place in the sewers, among lizard people.

The two opening stories aren’t just about jokes and laughter though, they also have some heart to go along with it. The first adventure has Tony Stark and Bruce Banner understand more about their distinct approaches to science. Meanwhile, the second emphasizes Black Widow’s remorse for her past actions.

Science Bros then closes with an annual issue, written by Christos N. Gage. This issue digs into several of Vision’s recent losses and explains that he wants to develop a life outside of the Avengers. It is well-written and emotional, giving great justification for all of his actions. For fans currently following Vision’s story, this chapter will be great, however, those unfamiliar with his story will likely get little out of this chapter. 

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Science Bros isn’t bad but is generally unimpressive. Stefano Caselli’s work on the first few chapters is structured well and looks nice on a few pages. However, the villain designs are not that creative and the inks and colors come across too heavily. The next few chapters, from Pete Woods, have some nice creativity to them. However, these chapters are weighed down by weird facial expressions from the heroes, which dampen the impact of a few emotional moments. Finally, the volume closes with an annual chapter that contains a few impressive pages but also has heavy inks that pair poorly with the pencils. Overall, the artwork in this collection is passable but fails to do anything significantly positive.

Continuity

Avengers Assemble: Science Bros technically continues the Avengers Assemble series, which began with Avengers Assemble (Review). However, the stories collected here are mostly independent and do not directly continue any specific stories. 

The Avengers Assemble series continues in Avengers Assemble #14AU-15AU, collected in Age of Ultron Companion.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• A quick reference is made to work done by the Fantastic Four on Lake Vostok. This is a reference to Fantastic Four #576, collected in Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
• Iron Man mentions the time when Hulk was forcibly shot into space. This happened at the end of Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #91, collected in Incredible Hulk: Prelude to Planet Hulk. 
• Avengers Assemble Annual #1 brings up a few aspects from Visions’ past. These include:
  • His death in Chaos War: Dead Avengers, collected in Chaos War: Avengers.
  • The death of his children from Avengers West Coast #52, collected in Avengers West Coast Visionaries – John Byrne, Vol. 2: Darker than Scarlet.
  • The creation of a Young Vision. This happened in Young Avengers #5, collected in Young Avengers Vol. 1: Sidekicks. 
• References are made to someone previously attacking Roxxon facilities. This happened in Iron Man Annual #9, collected in Iron Man Epic Collection: Stark Wars.