by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)
The Story: Luke Cage (re)assembles his Avengers team and something very, very nasty possesses the former Sorcerer Supreme and it wants the Eye of Agamotto.
What’s Good: Last month, I griped a little bit about Avengers #1. Overall, I was just underwhelmed and not as impressed as I thought I would be. As a result, heading into New Avengers #1, I didn’t have a great amount of confidence.
I’m happy to report that my trepidation was unwarranted. New Avengers #1 is, in many ways, of the caliber that I had expected out of Avengers #1. It spins out of Dark Reign in an organic, touching way and its team-building portions are quite a bit of fun. More importantly, despite being a title at the forefront of the Heroic Age, it doesn’t at all feel forced or artificial.
The team’s formation, with Cage’s objection to being a government man and Stark’s solution to this dilemma, is enjoyable and speaks well to the core essence of the team. I’m glad that Bendis has also opted to make this team a more intimate affair; it basically feels like a group of buddies, lending the issue a more genuine feel.
Perhaps the strongest part of this issue, and certainly the portion that really hooked me, is unfortunately something that I can’t reveal. Suffice it to say, a certain character integral to the bad guy side of Dark Reign joins the team, and he/she remains as compelling as ever and works wonderfully with the team. His/her motivations and his/her dynamic with the team are very strong and adds a spice to this issue that makes it feel all the more lovable and substantial.
Team building aside, one of the toughest parts of making a successful issue like this is setting the roster and status quo while simultaneously introducing the conflict for the next story-arc. All told, Bendis manages this admirably. When the team finally runs into its new enemy, it’s not at all jarring like Kang’s appearance in Avengers #1.
Immonen meanwhile hits this out of the park. I love Mike Deodato’s work, but right now, I think this is the best looking Avengers book. It’s bright, happy, and accessible. The characters all look adorable, while the mystic pyrotechnics are impressive. Also, don’t be fooled by the Saturday morning aesthetics: urban backgrounds reveal a lot of detail.
What’s Not So Good: While Bendis balances things well, I actually enjoyed the team-building, status quo stuff more than the mystical conflict Bendis is setting up. That’s not to say that that plot is weak, it’s just that I was having such a good time hanging out with the New Avengers that whenever the focus left them, I was a little bummed out. I think a lot of that had to do with the presence of that Dark Reign character I mentioned, whose scenes just kept leaving me wanting more, as well the big shift in context (Avengers team building vs. mystical battling).
I’m also still a bit miffed over characters being in both Avengers teams. It just feels weird and I feel that this team would be more significant if guys like Wolverine were exclusive, or if Hawkeye stayed on the main team. As a book whose identity is already somewhat in question, non-exclusive characters don’t help.
Conclusion: This book totally exceeded my expectations and delivered the fun.
Grade: B+
-Alex Evans
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