Uncanny Avengers #21

By Rick Remender, Daniel Acuña & Dean White

The entire Avengers roster (including some unwanted guests like Dr. Doom!) unites to stop the mighty Celestial once and for all. The story arc leading up to this issue has been very intense and has included a wide range of guests spanning the Avengers vast history, making this story very inclusive and entertaining. This issue continues the trend of high intensity as the stakes have never been higher as some unlikely heroes rise to the occasion to save the world. This issue is a great example of what every Avengers story should be, because of its epic proportions and exciting scenes. However, this individual story is not without a few negative aspects, but they are so minimal and insignificant that this issue still excels in almost every aspect.

Rick Remender unites characters from multiple series including the varying Avengers-related titles and even the X-Men to create a larger-than-life story that certainly requires as many heroes as possible to tell. While the more the merrier was certainly the theme of this book, it did impact the story negatively as the story felt very rushed, reducing a lot of significant scenes to a page or two, or even a few panels. That being said, the pace was high and every moment was as engaging and gripping as it could have been.

Multiple plans of action are put into effect to stop the Celestial, pitting the team in multiple situations and settings, maintaining the high pace and requiring the constant switching of scenes to tell the story. Even within the madness of multiple main characters and settings, certain heroes steal the show. Thor excels in the brief appearances he makes, as well as Rogue, who takes on more than she can handle, which makes for a dramatic few scenes that have the reader on the edge of their seat. A lot of the credit to the quality character work falls to Remender and his amazing art team. The art style is simple with most of the detail coming from the inks and the colors, but the overall mixture creates a nice look. Acuña’s art excels in the full page images and close-ups of faces, where he can focus on every detail. Dean White’s colors are what make the book visually spectacular with every action scene being brought to life with the excellent color work in every explosion or blast of energy. Overall, the art was very appealing and fits the story quite nicely.

The way this issue was structured, it would appear that this was the conclusion, but based on the surprise ending, the story is just getting started with more action, excitement and epic storytelling to come. Uncanny Avengers #21 creates an inclusive story with multiple simultaneous stories that sometimes create madness, but deliver in the end.