By David Walker, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaire
We live in the age of excess in comics. If a character is popular, like Deadpool or Wolverine, it’s not uncommon to see them appear in several books throughout the month as well as their own series. The Avengers are getting to a point where there are too many titles to keep up with. Luckily for us, there is Occupy Avengers. This is an Avengers series pretty much in name only. Hawkeye has taken a leave from the team and is traveling around the country with Red Wolf and Tilda Johnson righting wrongs as they see them. It’s not your typical Avengers book, but that’s why it works.
David Walker has tried his best to make this book a different Avengers tale, and he has succeeded. This issue we get a narration from a local resident of Dungston, Iowa named Lowell Lovett. It’s great to see an outsider’s point of view on how odd Hawkeye and company act. Walker does a great job of leading the reader on in this issue. There are many comments from townsfolk about what Hawkeye’s intentions were and how he was most likely in town to ruin their secret. The more we read the story, the more we want to know what they’re hiding. Walker had made it known that Tilda was into Red wolf in the last story arc, this issue he plays that up a little as Tilda amps up her approach. One of the little things that Walker does that makes this issue a little more enjoyable is showing how despised Clint is since killing Bruce Banner. As he tries to call in a favor from a former friend, the amount of attitude his gets from his ex-colleague is very realistic. Clint is an outcast now and we have to remember that he’s doing this road trip more out of necessity than desire.
The pencils this issue are handled by Gabriel Hernandez Walta with colors by Jordie Bellaire. This is a very different style in art this issue than with Carlos Pancheco . Walta’s art is a little grittier than the smooth pencils laid down by Pancheco. Fans of the Vision title, which was cult favorite among readers, will recognize Walta’s art and love it. The other side of the coin is some readers who are not familiar with this style may not exactly approve. What works for the pencils in this issue is that Walta’s art is actually very good. The facial expressions on the characters are great and there is a good level of detail on the faces. There are a few panels where a characters face seems too long or extended a little too much. That aside, Walta turns in a good issue that allows this series to have a different feel to it. Along with Jordie Bellaire on colors, the art has some texture and feel to it. Bellaire’s colors almost feel like you’re reading a coloring book, or she did it with sidewalk chalk. The art for this issue is definitely different, but it still looks good and makes the series feel unique.
Occupy Avengers is a title that flies under the radar, but it’s an excellent small scale series. David Walker is making the most of this hero road trip by fleshing out lesser known characters and allowing them to shine. The art fits the story and will be appreciated by readers who have a fine eye for different styles and creative expression. This is probably one of the least talked about Avengers books, but it shouldn’t be.
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