New Avengers: A.I.M., Vol. 2: Standoff

New Avengers: A.I.M. (Collected Editions)

by Al Ewing (Writer), J. Cassara (Illustrator), Marcus To (Illustrator)

Avengers Idea Mechanics continues to fight the good fight, no matter what! The Maker is back! But what does the strange head of W.H.I.S.P.E.R. want with the White Tiger? And wait, which White Tiger is he targeting? Then, the New Avengers will be drawn into a Standoff involving all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They're a global rescue force, but what happens when they have to rescue someone from the clutches of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself? War is coming - and so is the American Kaiju! Up from the depths! Thirty stories high! He salutes the flag and eats apple pie! But how can Avengers Island possibly survive the ultimate weapon against renegade super-science? Maybe with Avenger Five, the ultimate mighty vehicle! Plus: A traitor is revealed! And so are Sunspot's secrets, as everything comes tumbling down!

Collecting: New Avengers 7-11

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2016

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what annoys me about this run, is that the book feels like it thinks it is great and cutting edge itself, and it might me, but it's not the Avengers! I firmly believe if it was called 'AIM' it would have worked so much better. More interesting thing s happen, including having a traitor in their midst! 6 out of 12, Three Star read.

2017 read

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avengers Idea Mechanics have no shortage of trouble. The Maker is meddling with them again.

The Whisperer is desperate and is seeking out the New Avengers help against an increasingly corrupt SHIELD.

Doing so means war with SHIELD which Roberto da Costa has no problem with, but he's only taking volunteers. Anyone who isn't sure needs to get off the ship.


Standoff was a good volume. Sunspot's New Avengers AIM is an interesting group that is more concerned with doing good than the personal cost to them. Which was quite substantial in this volume. I'm growing to appreciate a more obscure cast because I don't know everything about them like I do about the classic Avengers roster. This volume is full of unexpected events and betrayal.

I have to mention that Al Ewing may have done the best tie in to an event issues I've ever read. He knew where his story was heading and seemed to make a small tweak or two while continuing his story. It makes for strong mostly seamless writing. Without having read the Standoff event I felt as though I hadn't missed anything of importance which is fairly shocking.

Standoff was a good volume and it was better than its predecessor.

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book are just a damn mess. There's seriously a kaiju fighting a giant robot. And not just any kaiju. It's the American kaiju, which means that it naturally screams "USA!" as it attacks. Which is every bit as fun and confusing as it sounds, I assure you. Probably doesn't help that this book is getting into Civil War II stuff, and I really didn't know what exactly was going on with that stuff. But it's genuinely fun to read, most of the time, and I want to see how Roberto's plan plays out.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]

Al Ewing knows how to do event tie-ins. He's one of those writers who can always make the event work in his favour rather than getting swept up in the event story and forgetting his own story instead. Standoff itself leads to his team battling the Agents of SHIELD, as well as the superbly named American Kaiju (who is basically patriotic Godzilla and it is awesome), all without actually going to Pleasant Hill at all, choosing instead to tie-in to the Whisperer/Rick Jones storyline instead. Nicely played.

There are also some one-and-done stories here, including one for the White Tiger and Power Man that flips their status quo and furthers the Ultimate Reed Richards/WHISPER story, and a Standoff epilogue issue for Wiccan, Hulkling, and Squirrel Girl as they try to work out what to do with themselves after the events of Pleasant Hill.

The art's probably more for everyone's taste in this issue, with Gerardo Sandoval only pencilling one issue, Marcus To handling most of the Standoff issues (I'm a big fan of To's work), and Joshua Cassara pencilling the White Tiger issue. It's less consistent, but we get one issue per storyline, so it's not too bad.

New Avengers (along with the Ultimates, suspiciously also by Ewing) continues to be the Avengers book you're probably not reading, but definitely should be.

[Alex Sarll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Kieron Gillen before him, Al Ewing knows exactly how to handle a crossover: nod, smile, and then incorporate it into whatever you were planning to do anyway. So the recap pages are more than enough to follow anything necessary to understand the story here, which continues the first volume's themes: the difficulties of changing a corrupt system from within, the dithering of Billy, the loveliness of Squirrel Girl. And above all, the awesomeness of mad science, even if it is a tool available to both sides. As witness - AMERICAN KAIJU!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fun, if not disjointed, read. The plot jumps around. SHIELD is going bad and AIM is not anymore? Well, we get back to a cool scene with Wiccan and Hulking in one of the only intimate scenes for any character in the whole run. I think that’s the drawback here. There were a few with Power Man and White Tiger but this comic is all action, and not the high risk kind. And 5 person powered mega robot versus Godzi-I mean a giant lizard was goofy.

It’s fun, just not great.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

who was the genius who thought it was a good idea to have a major storyline in the middle of other runs?

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ewing's Avengers really continues to excel. The writing is fresh, the characters are strong (particularly the supporting cast), and he pushes the story forward hard through twists and turns.

This is the Standoff crossover but fear not that it might be an incomprehensible mishmash like all the other recent single-book crossover collections from Marvel. Nope, Ewing did a great job of taking the core story of Standoff, but really going off in his own direction. I'm not really sure what's going on in Pleasant Hill or why Rick Jones is on the run, but other than that, this is a strong, enjoyable volume.

[Michael Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was absolutely DELIGHTFUL. Al Ewing has a wonderful sense of humor and seems to be quite capable of weaving an interesting story. He’s managed to give several characters a distinct voice through the first two arcs. I especially love Roberto (Sunspot). I don’t know how much it fits with his past, but it’s a lot of fun here.

The little bits are what really make this stand out. Things like team members and AIM employees voting on team decisions with a phone app. Giving a name to an AIM employee representative. The reveals for Avenger 2 and Avenger 5. American Kaiju as a villain. There are winks and nods and smiles all over the place while managing to keep the stakes high and plenty of action. Ewing manages to make the whole thing feel like an inside joke that the reader is very much a part of, and I love it.

Marcus To does an excellent job on the art for his issues. It’s a clean style and the colors by Dono Almara are excellent. I especially like the work around American Kaiju. The only reason I took off a star was for Gerardo Sandoval’s issue. I just can’t get on board with his style. It is so exaggerated and cartoonish. It also ruins some of my favorite characters, like Wiccan and Hulkling. Hawkeye looked like Captain America to me. Really it’s mostly the guys that he can’t draw.

Regardless, I’m loving this title. Unless things really fall off in Volume 3, I’m expecting to keep following this in USAvengers next.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hits keep coming...

Pleasant Hill happened. Villains were lied to, made into good citizens, and shards of Cosmic Cubes were weaponized. S.H.I.E.L.D. went even farther down the 'Trust us!' slope. All the while, Maker (Ultimate Reed Richards) is using his acronym organization (W.H.I.S.P.E.R.?) to mess with the Avengers even more. Roberto Dacosta has plans within plans for his version of A.I.M. who is one step ahead of who? BTW, Civil War II looms...
------
This series is just continual highs and lows. It's not so 'high concept' that you can let things slide, but it's also not buried in splash pages and battles. This anime art style that still comes and goes, does this series no favors.

Also, WHY is Squirrel Girl part of the team? There better be a payoff somewhere in this mess.

Bonus: Shout out to Paibok the Power Skrull. Deep cut to FF #358!
Bonus Bonus: American Kaiju?! Think Godzill crossed with the Super Soldier project.
Bonus ^3: Power Man? Using chi as a weapon wasn't good enough? Now he is powered by HISTORY?!

[Mr. Stick · Rating 2 out of 5]

"STORY GOES, THERE'S THIS ATHEIST COLLEGE PROFESSOR, AND DURING A LECTURE HE DARES GOD TO SMITE HIM DOWN. GIVES THE MAN UPSTAIRS FIFTEEN MINUTES. AND -- WHEN THE TIME IS ALMOST UP -- ONE MAN STANDS... AND PUNCHES THE CREEP OUT WITH ONE BLOW."
-General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross describing the man who volunteered to be American Kaiju.

"VOTE LOKI 2016! BE(LIE)VE!"
- Issue 8, bottom of page 17.

Having not read the first volume may be why I just didn't care enough about this book or its characters.
While I love me some Squirrell Girl and Tippy; and I like Hawkeye; I just don't know enough about Hulkling, Sunspot, Wiccan (or whatever he's calling himself this week), White Tiger, Songbird or any of these other recent character regurgitations, to give a damn.
I definitely missed some backstory stuff. A.I.M. and a branch of the Avengers are working together. Sunspot is now the (evil) leader of A.I.M. No idea how THAT happened. Plenty of witty narration and smart-ass comments. Most of the gags kind of fall flat.
This was just okay. Two stars.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

maker gives the 1610 white tiger amulet to a villainous white tiger. take revenge on ava ayala white tiger by their white tiger deities combining and living within evil medallion. ayala loses powers.

Rick Jones is captured by SHIELD (he's rhe whisperer abd the maker runs whisper) New avengers attack a shield bsttlecarrier to rescue him.
avengers Island becomes a target for US government and shield. Billy, hulking and squirrel girl are sent away as they voted against the rescue. sunspot has the scientists and team members teleporting to their real hq in the savage land.

gawleye is arrested abd released. joins Billy, hulking and squirrel girl in a new new avengers team. songbird is revealed as a double agent but then to just the reader she is revealed as a triple/lord about being double agent. still working for AIM. I hope the maker storyline is resolved here. maybe that was resolved in us avengers also by Ewing.

art is much preferable here for me. I think I just don't like Sandoval art.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up because I think it’s better than it’s overall rating would suggest and I liked it.

Ewing continues to embrace the ridiculous with this series, and it’s produced entertaining results. I liked the first volume, and I think this one is even better. The writing is cheeky, the B and C list characters are surprisingly engaging, and Marcus To’s art is a marked improvement to Sandoval’s, in my opinion.

There’s not much in the way of depth, though some layers going on for a YA type of book. The only bad issue was the very last one, which felt like it was written in 15 minutes. It’s fluid, fun and outlandish, and continues to feel like Saturday morning cartoons, which is why I enjoy it.

[AJ Easterday · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars

Ok, this series is starting to lose the plot. What is going on here? I thought the main villain of this series was supposed to be the Maker, but he's totally shoved off to the sidelines for most of this book so that AIM can battle SHIELD. Boy, do we have far too many organizations with silly acronyms in this story. And now the New Avengers has split up into the old New Avengers and the All-New New Avengers... This is really starting to get convoluted.

Once again, I'm really just reading this for Billy, no naturally my favorite parts of the story were those with him in it. I absolutely loved the scene between him and Wanda! Loved seeing her here! I also love that this ends with Billy being the new team leader. He deserves it.

[jedioffsidetrap · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American Kaiju was pretty awesome & hilarious, especially how he chants “Yuuuu, Essssss, Aayyyy” (in red, white & blue text, respectively!) while attacking. The Plunderer was funny too, a villain right out of the USQ comics. Overall a bit funnier than Vol. 1 but otherwise... AIM vs SHIELD, some punk named Rick Jones who’s supposed to be important, a civil war set-up with double & triple agents... whatever.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the Maker pits the original White Tiger against the current one. Then the Standoff crossover with the New Avengers aiding Rick Jones and running afoul of SHIELD and the US government. Superhero science turning a person into American Kaiju and then a gamma blast reverting him back is a bit more than my suspension of disbelief can take. And then it closes with a sort of what's next for the New Avengers story. The dialog is great. The stories are over the top.

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder, in the long run, will this book be remembered? This is such an out there team, Squirrel girl? Sunspot as the team leader? The team is supported by the Mad Scientist Terrorist Group, AIM. Such an ambitious title. Will it get the credit it deserves? This is what All New, All New Different Marvel should all be about. God, I love Al Ewing.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute. Nice to see Hawkeye with a new 'Kooky quartet." Songbird is a character I like. I even like this AIM scenario with Sunspot, but dang, the Standoff crossover is less than impressive, and Rick Jones seems to have regressed in age. In fact, all this pitches young, and that's fine.
Squirrel Girl vs. The Plunderer does work, however. She should meet his brother Ka-Zar.
Mildly recommended.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, that happened. Al Ewing's New Avengers team is just not interesting to me. Sunspot's role is low rent Tony Stark. Squirrel Girl shouldn't be near an Avengers roster (she was barely in this). The conflict here was lame yet the book somehow felt bloated. The art was better here but still not great. Overall, just another mess...seriously, American Kaiju?

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I didn't like this volume as much as I liked the first volume, but it's still a fun story! Still feel meh about the art, but there are some good panels in this volume. It appears that this might be a lead up to Civil War II, but I haven't actually read any comics set in that event at the current moment. The next volume definitely touches on that though, so I guess we'll see!

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to give Al Ewing credit...he used a crossover to the advantage of his book. These issues, which tie into the Pleasant Hill crossover, can be enjoyed without really knowing what was happening in the storyline, and advance the plots here very nicely.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues

[Leigh Koonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cannonball!

[Júlia · Rating 3 out of 5]

y'all already know how i feel about the art here. not a fan

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

um

[Dreximgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly some of this is very silly (Giant Robot vs American Godzilla being one example) but overall it was good. Although I can always do with more Billy (Wiccan) and Teddy (Hulkling) :)

[John Odell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

[Nathan Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs more Squirrel Girl

[The_J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not even a pleasure to end.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean there was a Pacific Rim thing and a cameo by Wanda, what's not to like?