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I started the Young Avengers when Kid Loki moved from Journey into Mystery to the new Marvel Now series. However, the characters lacked depth...until I went back to the original series from Allan Heinberg.

The Young Avengers came about after the Scarlet Witch "disassembled" the Avengers. These young heroes stepped in to fill the void, and then Civil War happened. Though there are some tie-in issues for the team set during Civil War the team just fades away. This book attempts to give reads a "where are they now" perspective as they adjust to a post-registration world. There is a short piece on each of the heroes.

It opens with Patriot, who is struggling with his name and his mission in the wake of the death of Captain America. It takes a visit with the Winter Soldier to open his eyes. Though Patriot is my least favorite of the team, mainly because he's so negative all the time, this story makes him more sympathetic and relatable. Next up are Wiccan and Speed, the twin sons of Scarlet Witch by different mothers (it's complicated ;-) They decide they need to find Wanda. This story seemed to lack focus and mainly acts as a bonding exercise between the brothers. Their "mission" fails, to be revisited in a full blown series arc which is chronicled in "Avengers: The Children's Crusade" after Siege. When Captain Marvel returns, albeit briefly via a time travel contrivance, Hulkling finally meets his father. A bittersweet reunion that reinforces why Billy and Teddy are the heart of this team. The next two stories are Vision and Stature. Stature is the only one of the YA that joined the Initiative after Tony Stark "won" Civil War. But is she happy there? Vision finally discovers/decides who he is, apart from being a creation of Iron Lad. The last story, Kate Bishop, was my favorite. She comes face to face with her namesake, who she thought dead, and they duel over who should have Hawkeye's bow. It was a fun story, despite the relationship angst with Patriot, that has a cameo from a couple of Avengers that made me laugh out loud.

Though these stories lack any urgency or consequence, they do provide emotional closure for each character that leaves them in a better place for future adventures. This book wasn't deep but it was an enjoyable, worthwhile read for fans of the team. Sadly, it is out of print but worth hunting up a copy. Recommended. ( )