Avengers: Endless Wartime

Ellis's surprisingly lightweight return to superhero work matches elements of the Avengers comics to the Avengers movie and comes up with an entertaining but plot-thin story aimed primarily at new readers. Taking the team from the movie and adding in Captain Marvel, the story pits the characters against two long-dormant threats, which mix Captain America's past with Thor's. Succeeding mainly due to Ellis's acerbic dialogue and characterizations, the plot features a tried-and-true method: a monster is sighted, the Avengers go fight it, Hulk appears, they fight and beat the monster. McKone's art never feels like a strong fit for Ellis's dyspeptic take on the Avengers brand, however; the former has a clean-cut and innocuous style that, at times, looks flat on the page and doesn't have a wow factor. The characters are all given something to do (and, for the most part, something to say)%E2%80%94Captain America's depressed mood throughout being notable%E2%80%94but this is a generally tension-free story with by-the-numbers fight sequences and predictable characters; new readers flocking from the movies may find it passes the time despite the lack of true bite. (Oct.)