Pleasant Hill looks like the perfect small-town community -- but underneath the surface, a deadly secret lurks. One so explosive it will draw estranged allies Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson back together to save a friend in danger and put things right. But when the combined might of the Captain Americas isn't enough, whom do they call? In the face of unspeakable evil, it's time for the Avengers to Assemble like never before! The blockbuster spring AVENGERS event starts right here!
Rated T+
Event books are typically characterized for wanting to seem smart, but ultimately wind up being low-calorie slugfests. Nick Spencer, however, has other ideas in mind. Marvel has always been thought of as "the world outside your window," but with the more fantastical elements of books like Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and Secret Wars, it's easy to lose track of the human element alongside this alleged big picture. But not so with Avengers: Standoff on Pleasant Hill - if Spencer stays true to his style and puts his characters' voices and opinions front and center, this could be a very compelling read. Read Full Review
Two chapters into Avengers Standoff, it's already clear that Marvel needs to turn to Nick Spencer for event comics more often. Spencer shows a knack for blending humor and darkness in this issue as he escalates the situation in Pleasant Hill and draws the Avengers into the fray. It helps that he has a very strong partner in Jesus Saiz. This crossover is off to a great start, but can it maintain that momentum in the hands of other creative teams? Read Full Review
Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha #1 spills the beans on the Kobik project, as writer Nick Spencer and artist Jess Saiz bring together the multiple Captains America to prepare against a once-sleeping threat that has now awakened. Read Full Review
As expected, the start of another Marvel event is" the start of another Marvel event. They are the box office blockbusters and stadium-filling Springsteen shows of the comics world. You expect big names and faces, you kind of know the formula, you hope for a couple surprises (in this case,a kick-starting explosion from Nitro), and you know that there will be a part of you that will not be able to deny the enjoyment of this all-too familiar experience. Read Full Review
Avengers Standoff is great fun. Pick up this issue and continue reading the Marvel books you've already been reading that are involved in the crossover. Read Full Review
While lacking in action, the issue does offer clear ethical debates within the story that makes it more than a star-studded melee. Read Full Review
So all in all, I'd say this event is on the right track to (actually) be good. Sure, my expectations may have been low going in, but my self-righteous sense of EVENT FATIGUE was on full alert and ready to complain. Instead, I ended up with a story that has me excited to read the next installment. Read Full Review
All told, "Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill" #1 is a testament to overcoming editorial limits. Spencer and Saiz cram in all the necessary information while still providing an entertaining issue. Freed from the need to provide backstory, issue #2 should be a really excellent read. Read Full Review
Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha #1 does a fine job of furthering the plot of the crossover, but the need for clumsy dialogue to catch readers up lets it down. What should have been a fun book is instead a little uneven and slow. With the rest of the story playing out over several other titles before the finale, it is hard to see how Spencer can avoid the Omega issue suffering the same problems. Read Full Review
This issue sets up a great new creative story from Marvel that will have people buying each crossover issue to come. Pleasant Hill is a new concept that is involving a lot of characters across various titles. With that in mind, it does make sense for an earlier issue to fill in a lot of voids with heavy narration and dialogue. This word-heavy issue may dissuade some readers, but it is totally worth it for the great old man Steve Rogers dialogue and art throughout and the build-up that beautifully sets up the next issues to come. Read Full Review
As a set up for what's to come, this comic isn't bad, it's also not great either. It gets the job done, but doesn't exactly excite me for what's to come. Read Full Review
Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill: Alpha #1 was a let down of a story, as it features no assault and very little progression from the surprise ending of Welcome To Pleasant Hill. The concept has yet to be developed into something that captures my attention and the take on characters like Maria Hill left me annoyed by this comic as much as anything. The visuals were not a let down, but the story as a whole had me questioning my future reading Standoff. Read Full Review
This might just be a matter of luck with the two best Avengers books both being written by Al Ewing. Excluding Avengers Standoff #1 though, the entire set hits a much more consistent set of highs. Even with the generally lackluster and safe comic All-New, All-Different Avengers, there's something to be said for reliable entertainment. There appears to be greater attention and effort being paid to the Avengers right now. Well, it's that or Ewing just makes this group look good. Read Full Review
I actually liked this issue better than the Welcome To Pleasant Hill prelude issue. We don’t get to see a lot of characters in this issue and that’s good because it doesn’t feel crowded. This issue has me excited for the rest of the event and I can’t wait for Uncanny Avengers 7
Since when has Maria Hill been funny? It was weird seeing her like that. I don't know the characterization just seemed off to me. I know Spencer was trying to make Hill charming to try to convince Rogers of the Kovic issue but it was spread really thick and really badly. Plus I don't know Saiz's art just didn't pop for me. I'm not really forward to this event.
I know Nick Spencer is known for his humor, eg:Superior Foes, Ant-Man, but Maria Hill making puns all the time comes off as extremely jarring...
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