Dark Avengers #5

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mike Deodato (Artist), and Rain Beredo (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Avengers is easily my favorite Avengers title at the moment. That said, it’s the art and character work I look forward to, not the storyline. Maybe that will change now that the first arc seems to be out of the way…

The Story: Norman Osborn does a “tell all” television interview and makes an effort to respond to Clint Barton’s (Hawkeye’s) accusations. Meanwhile, tensions rise at the Avengers tower as the teammates spend some down time together.

What’s Good: Say what you will about Brian Michael Bendis’ style of dialogue, but there’s almost no denying how effective it is in Dark Avengers #5. It’s a good thing that it works so well too, because the latest issue of Dark Avengers is very light on action and absolutely loaded with dialogue. I know that fact will instantly turn some people off, but it really shouldn’t for two major reasons…

1) Bendis has a very good handle on both sides of Norman Osborn’s current life; and Dark Avengers #5 is practically a showcase that proves it in a way that makes great use of Bendis’ “realistic” writing style. The politician is fully on display during the engaging interview that has just the write “feel” to it, thanks to the writer’s knack for conversation. Though that’s not the highlight. No, that would be Osborn’s compelling talk with the Sentry. It’s brilliantly executed and shows a side of the character that isn’t given much time in the other Dark Reign books. The small segment alone is almost worth buying the book. It’s that good. Also, and I almost forgot to mention this…Osborn’s line in the final panel is just excellent.

2) Mike Deodato’s artwork is unusually expressive and brings the entire interview segment to life. While the interview is still a bit dry (I mean how much can you really do with an interview?) Norman’s expressions are very well done. In addition, Deodato gets to shine near the end of the book with a double splash spread that really shows off his talent.

What’s Not So Good: Dark Avengers #5 doesn’t move the overall plot forward a whole lot, and in some ways, the book suffers for it. While big stuff happens at the end, very little happens before that. The character study stuff is great, don’t get me wrong, but I wish the series had more forward momentum.

Conclusion: A fine looking book with a little bit of story and a whole lot of character…That’s Dark Avengers #5 in a nutshell.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny