Written by Petar
Wanted to be an astronaut, ended up exploring comics instead.
In the last ten to fifteen years, only a few names on a comic book have made me instantly buy an issue – Gillen, Hickman, and Tynion IV are the ones I usually gravitate toward and have written about. But when I'm looking for high concepts and cosmic-scale machinations, I always turn to Al Ewing.
To me, Ewing is that elusive figure who lingers on the fringes of big stories, adding details that elevate them. When given free rein, he dives deep into history, pulling obscure references and constructing abstract concepts that make your head hurt.
In reality, he’s just a regular bloke from the United Kingdom who started his career writing for Judge Dredd and 2000 AD (where he would stay for quite some time), before delving deep into sci-fi.
His name is on many other books, too. Many British small press comics bear his fingerprints: Solar Wind, FutureQuake, The End Is Nigh are just a few. He also wrote prose – whether as a comedy blog, The Diary of Ralph Dibney (DC’s Elongated Man blogging his thoughts on DC’s event 52), or novels like the steampunk Pax Britannia: El Sombra.
The Reinvention of Marvel’s Cosmic Universe
When I think of Ewing, though, I always think space. More precisely, Marvel space and cosmology. Before 2006, this was a hot mess. Jim Starlin’s Infinity Gauntlet in 1991 was great, but after that, people just weren’t that into anything off-Earth. Then, in 2006, the Annihilation event hit, basically rebooting cosmic Marvel for the new century. It is, to this day, regarded as one of the best Marvel events overall.
And then, years later, Ewing would approach Marvel cosmology in a new way. And again. And again. The man took so many swings, and every single one of them hit. Whether it’s through Avengers, Guardians, or X-Men – every time he sits down to write Marvel cosmic stories, you can bet I’ll be there, anticipating each issue
The reasons are simple – Al Ewing can weave a complex, multi-layered story on a level not many can. He plays with big ideas, yet the stakes he writes about are deeply personal – on Earth or off it. His narratives often go meta, but he doesn’t abuse it like some writers. Instead, he builds on them (as I’ll discuss shortly) and infuses his stories with even more meaning and gravitas.
He’s also a great comics historian. If you had to pick one person to reference a Marvel comic from 50 years ago, it would be Al Ewing. But he doesn’t just throw in a reference to check a box – he plays with it, building something new and challenging old ideas. He loves his underused or “B-list” characters, especially when he can improve diversity and representation within the comics. All of this makes him an author I adore, and one who’s always exciting to read.
So, what are some of my all-time favorite Ewing stories? Well, funny you should ask…
The Evolution of the Avengers: From Mighty to Ultimate Challenges
Before he would go on to write some of the best Guardians and X-Men stories in recent years, Ewing’s first Marvel assignment was writing for Avengers – more precisely, the second volume of The Mighty Avengers in 2013. While Hickman was busy building up to his multiversal Avengers saga climax, Ewing’s team consisted of street-level heroes.
Led by Luke Cage and including characters like Superior Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Spectrum, Blue Marvel, and Falcon, the book saw the team involved in basically every event happening in the 2010s: Infinity, Inhumanity, Original Sin – you name it, it was there. And as for the art… well, the pencils were mostly done by Greg Land. That’s it.
After this, Ewing worked on a whole bunch of Avengers series. Another Mighty Avengers, then New Avengers (which I really enjoyed since it had my loves – Billy and Teddy in it), which then led into U.S.Avengers. In these latter runs, Ewing writes Roberto Da Costa as the leader of his own Avengers teams, with plans within plans, corporate espionage, and stories jam-packed with twists and action.
Gerardo Sandoval illustrated New Avengers with dramatic, stylized poses and shading. The suits, the capes, the muscles – everything is larger than life and as impactful as the story, only made better by Dono Sánchez Almara’s colors.
U.S.Avengers takes the story further (and is sadly one of the rare books collected), with Bobby buying the villainous A.I.M. organization and turning it into Avengers Idea Mechanics. This time joined by artist Paco Medina, inker Juan Vlasco, and colorist Jesús Aburtov, the book has a more polished, smoother look while still packing quite a punch!
And then there were The Ultimates. I don’t even know where to begin gushing about this story. Ultimates (and its follow-up) features a separate team of supes created for ultimate challenges – the first one: dealing with Galactus. The team is full of absolute powerhouses: Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ms. America, Spectrum, and Blue Marvel. The story is bonkers! From Galactus, it moves on to dealing with Thanos, and then sets the stage for greater Marvel cosmology – redefining not just the universe or the multiverse, but the history of many multiverses that came before.
The art is done by Kenneth Rocafort with Dan Brown on colors, and it is a marvel to behold! It has a painterly quality while playing with paneling to reflect just how grand, meta, and universe-shaking this story is about to become. Travel Foreman emulates Rocafort’s paneling in Ultimates 2, while infusing the art with his own rougher, more sketchy style.
Sadly (as I mentioned), almost nothing from this era is currently available in collected editions. That’s why every year I vote for Ewing’s Avengers to be printed as an omnibus – and I’m sneaking this into my article to encourage you to do the same! (Just don’t tell Walt I did it 😉) Jokes aside, anything Ewing wrote for Avengers during this time (and I haven’t even mentioned it all) is truly epic. Grab it when you can!
Agent of Asgard: The Modern Loki Trilogy’s Bold Finale
The early 2010s were a time of rebirth not just for the Avengers, but for their villains too. In the pages of Siege, Loki – the God of Mischief and Lies – began his own rebirth and redemption, in a story many fans consider a “modern Loki trilogy.” The first two acts came under Kieron Gillen in Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers (or the hardcover edition, if you’re so inclined) – two stories I adore and have already gushed about in my Gillen text. But the evolution of Loki wouldn’t be complete until he reached the pages of Ewing’s Loki: Agent of Asgard.
In this story, Loki becomes the eponymous Agent of Asgard – a one-man secret service on a mission from the All-Mother. On this journey, he must use all his bad habits – sorcery and lies – for good goals, while also finding time to make new friends and enemies. Ewing brings Loki to his lowest point yet, with all the sins committed during the previous two stories coming back in full force, before finally attempting to redeem him and reforge a new identity – that of the God of Stories.
Will Ewing succeed? That’s really up to you to find out. The story gets meta and psychological, and I love it to bits. The art is also a pleasure to look at. Lee Garbett handles most of the issues, with Nolan Woodard and Antonio Fabela on colors. Their Loki is beaten and bruised, while the art remains clean and sharp. They know exactly when to use a simpler structure – with clear lines and flat colors – and when to crank it up to 11, throwing in some Kirby Krackle for good measure. This is my favorite part of the Loki: God of Stories omnibus, and I will always scream its praises at people.
Immortal Hulk and Thor: Horror, Myth, and the Reinvention of Marvel Icons
Ewing doesn’t only do weird – he does wild too – and nowhere is this more apparent than in his Immortal Hulk. The book reinvented the character and shook him to his core. Under Ewing, Hulk is truly immortal – every time he dies, he’s brought back to life by a green door. Who is behind this door? What dark secrets will Bruce Banner uncover, and which demons will he have to face?
Joe Bennett’s art is jaw-dropping throughout the book. His Hulk is truly intimidating from issue one – he grips you by the throat and never lets go. However, be warned: this book is not for the faint of heart! Some of the horror moments still haunt me to this day (e.g. the scene with the jars? shivers).
The book collected awards wherever it showed up, so it’s no wonder that Ewing was tasked with giving Marvel’s God of Thunder the same treatment. In 2023, Ewing and artist Martín Cóccolo launched Immortal Thor. Much like Hulk’s tale, this book blends mythology with cosmic storytelling, exploring Thor on a deeply personal level. Philosophy, battles, and gorgeous visuals are ever-present in both books!
Defenders: Psychedelic Adventures and Marvel’s Multiversal Mysteries
Another universe- and mind-bending story that everyone needs to have on their shelves is Ewing’s Defenders. These short books (Defenders: There Are No Rules and Defenders: Beyond) take you on a psychedelic trip through Marvel’s secret history. The first story sees Doctor Strange assemble a strange team to pursue a mysterious threat called “Enigma” (for those who read the Krakoan era of X-Men: this is where the idea for that villain came from). The follow-up sees a new team go even further, trying to solve a crisis that could unravel all of Marvel’s creation.
This book is a spiritual successor to Ultimates in the sense that it bends and breaks your brain. Javier Rodríguez’s art takes it even further, with wild colors, stylized figures, and a frequent abandonment of coherent paneling. With this team, you don’t know where Ewing ends and Rodríguez begins – both are simply credited as “storytellers.” Trust me, words can’t even describe these stories – they’re experiences unto themselves.
New Frontiers for the X-Men: Krakoa, Mars, and the Limits of Power
And speaking of the X-Men, I can’t not mention the fantastic work Ewing has done for the team during their Krakoan era. First, he hit us with S.W.O.R.D. – Krakoa’s first step into the new frontier: space! Ewing, with Valerio Schiti (art) and Marte Gracia (colors), delivers breathtaking vistas of space while pushing the concept of Mutant circuits even further, taking the team to the very limits of existence. They never lose their footing in zero gravity, though (after all, it’s the same team that brought us the Empyre event) – instead, they play with the concepts, packing in a few punches and plot twists for good measure.
After that, Ewing went on to write X-Men Red – one of the main series in the second half of the Krakoan era. The book sees Mutants claim Mars, and often reads like Game of Thrones in space, with X-Men. There’s intrigue, power plays, and political maneuvering, with Storm, Magneto, and Roberto Da Costa shining under Ewing’s pen. Art by Stefano Caselli and colors by Federico Blee help bring this vision to life – capturing both intimate character moments and grand battles with precise aptitude. These figures are larger than life, and the art makes sure you feel it.
Finally, Ewing stuck with these characters for the mini Resurrection of Magneto, in which Storm bends the laws of reality to bring Erik back from death. Luciano Vecchio (art) and David Curiel (colors) bring Ewing’s vision to life, putting to page concepts I wouldn’t even know where to begin working on.
Ewing made the final days of Krakoa truly grand, mixing the cosmic and the magical, and bending all the rules of reality. His work was consistently excellent, and he collaborated with top-tier artists throughout his tenure. That’s why the X-Men by Al Ewing Omnibus is probably my most anticipated upcoming release from this era of comics.
Green Lantern Goes Horror: DC’s Absolute Line Gets Spooky
While all of this might make you think Ewing is a Marvel guy through and through, that’s not entirely the case! He’s one of the brilliant writers selected to pen stories for DC’s new hot imprint – with Ewing tackling Absolute Green Lantern.
Under Ewing, Green Lantern becomes a horror book, following recent addition Jo Mullein alongside classic Lanterns Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner. A giant lantern has crash-landed in a town in Nevada. With Hal Jordan on the run and paranoia rising, this gory, spooky book has so far been asking more questions than answering them. We’re only a few issues in (with Absolute Green Lantern #1 still hot on the stands!), so it’s exciting to see what the team is cooking up!
Why Al Ewing Is Important to Comics
I will always follow whatever Al Ewing puts out because, if there’s one word to describe the man, it’s: innovator. He can mix decades of history with new, mind-bending concepts, and always delivers a powerful punch.
Whether he’s elevating “B-list” characters, championing representation in the medium, or taking bold, creative risks, every Ewing book leaves me amazed – and hungry for more!
