3 out of 5

Man, I know we’re all in love with Mark Waid due to Daredevil, but he really can write some shit sometimes.  Case in point: this Avengers FCBD, which really misuses a “ten minutes ago” / “now” structure to show us some new youngster Avengers’ first day on the job.  I’m trying to put myself into the mindset of someone who’s just started reading comics, but even then this is really basic stuff, designed to appease the most massful of the masses.  Mahmud Asrar’s colorful (via Frank Martin) and energetic art keeps the energy up, but it almost feels too perky for the Avengers.  The story is a misfire in my eyes as I have trouble seeing this as a representation of an ongoing Marvel book, or intriguing a new reader.

The young-reader tone is especially at odds with Charles Soule’s less-dumbly-plotted-but-makes-up-for-it-with-dumb-dialogue The Uncanny Inhumans.  The art here is very impressive and grabbing, and I do think this blip of some Inhumans tracking down Terragen sufferers and trying to help can invite the glance of the SHIELD TV viewer, which I’m sure is what Marvel is counting on.  It’s nothing too consequential, but closer to the goals of a FCBD entry.

Also included is a brief preview of another series “Max Ride,” which includes well chosen preview pages to garner interest.

An average FCBD.  Points for telling complete stories, though the stories chosen are a mixed bag.