All-New Invaders #3

By James Robinson, Guru e-Fex and Steve Pugh

All New Invaders is a difficult title to review, mainly because it will probably end up being better suited to trade format rather than single issues, due to Robinson’s habit of using lots of text on the page making the series a slow read. However, it’s certainly an interesting concept – regardless of its execution, and introduces a team of several characters such as Namor, the Original Human Torch, Captain America with the Winter Soldier among them. One thing is for sure that the team (along with the talent) is the main driving force behind readers wanting to get their hands on each issue, and given an amount of time Robinson has the potential to shift this title into something grand, and much like his Earth 2 series – make it one of the best books at the respective publishers. At the moment this title stands in the shadow of his greater Fantastic Four, but it’ll be interesting to see how both books develop over time.

The team themselves are really coming together now and James Robinson is really writing them pretty well. His characterization of Namor is good, and Robinson helps make him standout rather than simply just Marvel’s Aquaman, giving him more layers than just as a fighter and the end result is awesome. However, Namor is not just the only character that Robinson gets. His portrayal of Bucky is pretty much top notch, and the end result means that the book itself is starting to feel a little bit more fun and maybe – whilst this is a slow burning series, it – much like All New X-Factor, will be worth the wait because when it will come into its own, it’s something that will really shine.

Steve Pugh’s artwork is pretty good as well, and he gets some interesting panels done over the course of this issue. Multiple characters are drawn throughout the book with great consistency, and the vast amount of locations in this book are pulled off well indeed. Guru e-Fex does a pretty good job with the colours as well, enhancing Pugh’s already brilliant artwork – there’s plenty of good touches here and these two creative talents really work to Robinson’s strengths as a writer.

On the whole, All New Invaders #3 is a solid issue. It’s not quite reached the standards of Robinson’s Earth 2 or his Fantastic Four, but you can find far worse comics on your shelves for that price. Whilst it’s still uncertain as to whether you should definitely jump on board this title, tradewaiting is probably your best bet as this series will no doubt become something great.