Dark Avengers #190 Review

Dark Avengers #190

Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Neil Edwards
 

It seems that all the oddball Marvel series like X-Factor and Dark Avengers  managed to maintain high numbering post-Marvel NOW. While Dark Avengers isn’t near X-Factor level perfection, its quirks and consistent entertainment will be missed. While Dark Avengers #190 could have benefitted from a greater focus on the core cast, it is a fun sendoff that is in line with other issues of the series.

As soon as I know an alternate reality will be wiped away by the end of an arc, it takes a lot for me to be invested in the characters. There’s something about looking forward to a character’s future in comics, that makes them presently more exciting. This issue’s focus on other-world Ben Grimm and Tony Stark felt frustrating, when characters like Moonstone and Ragnarok had such great character moments in earlier issues that I would have loved to have been further explored in this instalment. It took about halfway through the issue to feel a sense of sentimentality and admiration for the series’ core cast.

However, when that second half came, it was well worth sticking around. Parker manages to make me care about the rejects of the Marvel U. Anytime a writer does that, I suddenly love those characters more than any of the heavy-hitters. This arc shows that as outcasts, the Dark Avengers can feel just as much at home in a strange reality, as they do on Earth-616. Their place is now unclear, but the characters are determined to find their identity as a group.

I look forward to where these characters end up next now that Jeff Parker has given them a purpose, which is to search for a purpose. While more of this arc could have been dedicated to the main Dark Avengers, Dark Avengers #190 showcased what would be considered a strange team for mainstream comic books, and proved them justifiable amidst Marvel’s vast line up.

Score: 7.9/10