After last issue’s startling full page, how you say, teenage reveal, our hormonal team is back together to save the day, or at least stay alive. For 8 issues, Young Avengers has been stellar, a mix of coming of age, teenage friendships, and the doubts that come with growing up. Unfortunately, it feels like this issue was a stumble, a small hitch in this flamboyant story that is being weaved.

However, it is important to note that this was still a good comic, and part of an even better series. Mckelvie continues to do incredible panel work while boasting the same gorgeous colors he has always created. However, this issue there wasn’t a single new trick that he pulled, which like I said, doesn’t necessarily make this a bad comic. This, along with the fact that some expressions on character’s did not match up perfectly to the emotion that they were expressing, lead me to my score. But don’t get me wrong, the use of whitespace, as apparent by the cover continues from last issue into this one.

As for story, the dialogue finally hurt itself during it’s crazy antics and brilliant humor. When the group became bitter in this issue, the flaring tempers tried to mix with the teenage splendor Gillen has been using, resulting in some mixed up characterization. Furthermore, this issue felt hollow, as the story failed to move and the character that was reintroduced lacks any sort of threat or menace with the one sentence background he/she was given. Finally, the villain that is still around from the first arc, was temporarily defeated by using a simple cop out while simultaneously being deemed more powerful than anything else.

This is a low point for the series by definition, only in the sense that it has dipped below the outstanding mark, and into the good mark. The charm is still there, it’s just a little muddied up.

Furthermore, as I said in my review of Young Avengers #7, this book deserves another best title page medal. It’s worth picking up just for that alone. That’s all I’ll say.