Writer: Sean McKeever
Penciler: David Baldeon
Publisher: Marvel

The Heroic Age has launched another title for Marvel! (Yay!)
But it’s not an Avengers title. (Cautious Yay…)
Young Allies is a relaunch of an old concept. It gathers some of the young breakout superheroes of today (who aren’t Young Avengers, Runaways, or Young X-Men), and teams them up in Marvel’s ever-present New York City backdrop. But does the newest team of young heroes have what it takes to stop the newest team of young villains in town? Will this series last beyond its sixth issue? Should you even care?

The answer to that last question is “yes,” by the way.

The stars of Young Allies are Nomad, the female Bucky from the Heroes Reborn universe, now stuck in the 616 universe; Araña, former agent of the Spider Society and sidekick to Ms. Marvel, now depowered and striking it out on her own; Gravity, former solo star and initiative recruit who’s back in town and attending NYU; Firestar, former Hellion and New Warrior who’s back in action with the Registration Act repealed and her breast cancer in remission; Toro, an all new character with a troubled past.

At the beginning of the issue, most of our heroes don’t even know one another. Instead, they find themselves drawn together when a new band of supervillains calling themselves The Bastards of Evil (I’m not joking) decide to make their debut with a little murder and wanton destruction in the streets of New York.

Baldeon’s artwork is good, and he executes his action sequences perfectly. I’m also digging the new costume design for Araña, which rings more of Julia Carpenter’s Spider-Woman, and less of a girl who threw on her gym clothes and ski goggles. What I do find strange is that he drew Firestar in her older costume, but he isn’t exactly the first artist to do that in recent memory.

Gravity battles with the concept of lethal force. Also, a villain.

No, this isn’t an Avengers comic, but you should pick it up anyway if you like comics that are, you know, good. Like all new launches, this title has a $3.99 price for its first issue. However, they try to make it worth your extra dollar by including nine pages at the end that explain the biographies of the main characters. That’s going to be a definite help I’m sure, because I wouldn’t be surprised if most of you hadn’t heard of (or at least read anything including) these characters.