FF #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Greg Tocchini (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: The birth of Black Bolt is revealed.

What’s Good:  There are some really bold literary themes in this one and some of its certainly really, really cool.  As we delve into the birth of Black Bolt, Hickman makes allusions to Jesus Christ, comparing the births between the two.  One simply can’t help but make the messianic connections when a Zordon-looking supreme intelligence called Supremo orders mass murder to eliminate a soon-to-be-awakened threat in Black Bolt.  Pile that up with all the epic talk of destiny and such, and it’s quite striking.

As Supremo compiles data, he also confers with a religious figure about the prophesied troublemaker, and it’s a nice intersection of faith/religion and science.  The result is a discussion that leads to an end that feels like a hybrid of the two that could only really occur in a science fiction comic book.  Certainly, between this and the religious allegory, Hickman delivers a rather high-brow, literary feel to the issue.

What’s Not So Good:  That said, this comic almost completely alienated me.  It is in every way a Marvels cosmic issue and does not feel at all like a Future Foundation or Fantastic Four-related book.  Certainly, no member of the Future Foundation is even referred to, but the real problem is that the events of this issue are so far distanced to those of the story that we’ve been reading so far, that it ends up being almost incomprehensible.

New Avengers Finale #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Bryan Hitch & Stuart Immonen (pencils), Butch Guice, Andrew Currie, & Karl Story (inks), Paul Mounts, Justin Ponsor, & Rain Beredo (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: With Siege ended, the New Avengers turn the tables, as they become the hunters and the Hood becomes the hunted.

What’s Good: Consider this book the pay-off for years of seeing the New Avengers in hiding, down and out, or generally getting their asses kicked.  This issue is cathartic both for long-time readers of New Avengers and the characters themselves.

It’s really refreshing to see the New Avengers in a position of power and to see their former pursuers running from them for a change.  It’s great to see this team so empowered and certainly, they deserve it.  As a result, this book is a very lively, feel-good affair.  The New Avengers are hell-bent on ensuring that payback is indeed a bitch for the Hood and Madame Masque.

What ensues is a book full of gleeful camaraderie where the New Avengers are the hunters.  It’s an extended book where everything, finally, feels like it’s working the way it’s meant to.  The New Avengers are once again a big force, and one to be afraid of if you’re a bad guy.  If there’s one issue this week that encapsulates the Heroic Age and is the direct opposite of everything Dark Reign was, this is it.

The action is solid and the book ends with a fabulous montage that is both reflective and highly nostalgic.  Despite the series’ relaunch next month, this ending montage was just poignant enough to make me believe this to be a true finale, and one that’s merited.  Truly, a new page is turned.

New Avengers #64 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike McKone (art), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The Hood regroups and Loki makes a shocking move to help combat the unleashed Sentry.

What’s Good: It’s been a long time since I actually, genuinely cared about the Hood and what the future holds for him.  That Bendis makes me want to see more of the character is no small feat.

In focusing most of this issue on the Hood, Madame Masque, and their crew, Bendis ends up putting the Hood in a very, very interesting place post-Siege.  It’s the sort of thing that could spawn a new ongoing series, or at least a limited series.  Suddenly unsure of himself and afraid, this Parker Robbins presents an intriguing character whose future adventures are sure to be something to enjoy.

Bendis also bolsters the Masque/Hood relationship further, which only aids this new direction for the character.  She becomes Parker’s crutch and motivating force, while also being a total badass.  It’s strange; by issue’s end, it’s clear that these two are still villains, but I find myself oddly rooting for them.  To further highlight this, Bendis has a rather cool scene that parallels Madame Masque and the Hood’s relationship with that of Hawkeye and Mockingbird.  While on opposite sides of the hero/villain dichotomy, the love shared by both couples is equally genuine.

The other big news, of course, is the big twist involving Loki.  Loki performs a, well, fairly heroic action, as he actually helps the Avengers.  No, not Osborn’s Avengers.  After the role Loki’s been in for the last few years, this was a really cool, out of nowhere moment that made my eyes go wide.  I only wish it was given more space but even as such, this ruled.

Then there’s Norman Osborn’s role in the issue, as Bendis continues to try to paint him as at least a little sympathetic as Siege falls on his head.  Norman’s good qualities are dwelt on, as he is shown to be capable of loyalty and integrity in his relationship with the Hood.  It’s an issue where he doesn’t quite come off as the simple, cackling, totally rotten villain.

The art on this issue is also gorgeous, as Mike McKone does his best Stuart Immonen impersonation.  Indeed, I struggled to tell the two apart here, were it not for McKone’s Mockingbird, a character that Immonen draws to absolute perfection.  This is great stuff all around that is just plain fun to look at, with McKone’s Hood and Masque looking especially strong.

New Avengers #63 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike McKone (art), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The motivations of Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Ronin, and Mockingbird are explored in the days leading up to Siege.

What’s Good: This is probably the best issue of New Avengers to come around in some time, and it’s largely because it avoids many of the pitfalls that other comics in its position often fall prey to.  Simply put, everything in this comic that happens feels like it means something.

Take the dialogue for instance.  This issue is surprisingly heavy on character moments and conversation.  Before you run for the hills, it’s definitely pleasant to see that none of this dialogue is the sort of circular, pointless chatter that Bendis is often accused of.  All of it feels emotionally significant and necessary, giving life to the characters while also having them discuss subjects that need addressing.  It’s all pitch-perfect, with every character both feeling very human and true to their voices and personalities.

After this book, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve gotten to know Clint, Bobbi, Luke, and Jessica a little better and even if this isn’t the case, you’ll probably like them all as people just a bit more.  Heading into a cataclysmic series of events like Siege, that’s exactly the sort of thing Bendis should accomplish, as it makes the fight more than just a bunch of random faces scrapping on the page.  It’s also pretty cool that both conversation scenes also give little glimpses of what’s to come for the characters post-Siege.

And sure enough, it works.  After these dialogue portions, the action suddenly becomes meaningful despite the plethora of characters involved.  Luke’s grumbling and Mockingbird’s loving, mischievous glance at Ronin make the fight mean so much more.  In big events like these, it’s often easy to lose track of the participants as individuals, but thanks to the time he invests this month, Bendis bucks the trend.  The battle isn’t just about plot progression in the Marvel Universe, it’s about the people involved and the individual struggles of each of them within the massive, swirling melee.

I also have to mention that McKone draws a wonderful Mockingbird.  I’ve always liked the characters current design, but Bobbi really looks dynamic and lovable under McKone’s hand.

New Avengers #60 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The Avengers try to remove the device attached to Luke Cage’s heart as Norman Osborn closes in.

What’s Good: The impending arrival of Osborn and the time limit that implies puts a heavy strain of tension on the entirety of this month’s issue, and Bendis does well in capturing the sense of desperation.  Everything feels properly “edge of your seat.”  More importantly, the pay-off of this cat and mouse game comes to a satisfying and humorous conclusion that will definitely make you smile, as the Avengers get one over the Iron Patriot.  The fact that they manage to seemingly pull off the impossible also continues the new trend of making the team look good after so many months underfoot.

The Hood’s presence was also solid this month.  With his new power boost, Parker reasserts himself in a big way, killing a character in a manner so simple and matter of fact that it’s hard not to be stunned.  But really, the best part of Bendis’ use of the character this month is that he actually makes Osborn sweat.  It was rather enjoyable seeing Osborn so genuinely frightened, even cowed, by the Hood.  With stones in hand, Parker of all people is becoming yet another factor that Osborn may have bitten off more than he can chew with.

Captain America: Reborn #5 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: It’s Cap vs. Buckycap as Steve finds himself trapped in the Red Skull’s mind.

What’s Good: It feels as though Brubaker has gone old school this month with his dialogue, with plenty of cheesecake to go around.  While some may find this unbearable, I found that it added good, clean fun to a comic that has been pretty dark thus far.  Red Skull in particular is nothing short of an old fashioned, cackling villain, letting loose twice with trademark villainous laughter.  At one point, he even goes through the classic bad guy routine of telling one of the heroes his entire plan, in detail.  It’s wonderful stuff, and it’s clear that it’s intentional on Brubaker’s part, as he writes the book very much in the spirit of the Captain America comics of yesteryear with his signature dash of pulp-awareness.  There are some lines that are just so kooky, it’s hard not to smile.

New Avengers #59 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The Avengers, with some friends, attempt a daring ploy to rescue Luke Cage.

What’s Good: While it’s nothing groundbreaking, this issue is absolutely solid and as such, it’s the best single issue of New Avengers to come along in some time.  It entertains without committing any real crimes.

First off, on the art front, while it’s taken a few months (as you’ll see from my past reviews of NA), I’ve finally gotten used to Immonen’s presence on the series enough to actually thoroughly enjoy his artwork.  His pencils brim with vitality and are distinct and light-hearted enough to make New Avengers stand apart from the Dark Reign pack.  That alone is an achievement.  Immonen’s style is just pure fun, really and his takes on the characters always carry the interest and freshness of seeing your favourite indie artist do a sketch or variant cover for a beloved mainstream comic.

The real achievement this month though is Bendis’ management of such a large number of guest stars.  The presence of Strange, Voodoo, Daredevil, and Iron Fist maintains its cool factor, but they never really take over the comic or feel like they’re taking away screen time from the Avengers.  The Avengers are still the front and centre stars of the show and the guest stars are merely the backdrops, and that’s just the way it should be.  The guest stars don’t take over the comic so much as they enhance it.

Other than that, there are several little things Bendis does well.  The collision, and conflict, between technology and the mystic arts was an interesting little aside, one that clashed without jarring the reader, at times even giving off a paranormal feel.  Also, having the heroes use a ploy that the bad guys used to use on them in order to get the drop on Osborn was a nice touch.  Basically, to beat a villain, the Avengers have to adopt the sort of cunning usually reserved for villains.  It’s a nice bit of role reversal that doesn’t compromise their heroic status.

What’s Not So Good: While Bendis tried his best to convince me, I’m still not sure I wholly buy Osborn’s being dumb enough to fully and completely buy into the attack at Camp HAMMER.  Perhaps other readers will feel differently, but it felt just a little too easy to me.

Also, I understand she’s a grieving wife and I should feel sympathy, but I found Jessica Jones to be really, really agitating this month.  Her spontaneous outbursts, sobbing, and half the panels having her in tears just got under my skin somehow.  Perhaps I’m just a soulless bastard, but I just found her really annoying.  Perhaps it’s the complete helplessness, relative uselessness, and her kneejerk quips that got to me.  Perhaps it’s how quickly the confidence and resolve she opens the issue with inexplicably dissolves to mush.  Certainly, Immonen’s illustrations of her don’t help her case any.

Conclusion: One annoying character in such a large cast is thankfully not enough to ruin a good comic.  It’s a fun superhero yarn that is everything your standard, monthly Avengers comic should be.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Mighty Avengers #31 – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers), Sean Chen (artist), Yeung & Morales (inkers), John Rauch (colors)

Well, it’s now five months later and the best I can say for this story is that it’s finally over.  Thank. Freaking. God.  With “The Unspoken”, I feel that Mighty Avengers has hit something of a sophomore slump.  I finally gave up on this issue, and the overall storyline, about halfway through when, during a giant-sized fight with the Unspoken, Pym says “You’ve chosen to spend your time wallowing in past mistakes…not learning from them and moving on.”  I thought this was terribly apropos as it’s exactly what Slott and Gage have done.  These are both smart guys and good writers, and yet their sprawling story was exactly the kind of uninspired, MacGuffin-driven nonsense that was in style back in the 70s.  I’d like the think the bar in storytelling has risen considerably higher since those halcyon days, and yet this story utterly failed to become anything more than a less-than-average potboiler.

This story more or less seems to have been hatched for no other reason than to bring the various Avengers teams together for the upcoming ‘Siege’ storyline.  There is some value to this decision, as it was truly entertaining to see characters from the Initiative, New, and Mighty Avengers interacting with each other.  However, considering what a non-threat the Unspoken turned out to be, (which was a shame considering how much time the writers spent building him up to be a Serious Villain) and the disappointing way the Xerogen gas was finally resolved (really, Pym?  That was your great solution?  Kind of a buzzkill for the guy Eternity named Earth’s Scientist Supreme), I almost wish Pym would have called up the other teams and invited them over for beers and Xbox since it would have achieved the same goal, been just as entertaining, and taken up a fraction of the issues.

Despite an incredibly uninteresting, disappointing storyline, culminating in this issue that proved to be too little too late, I nonetheless feel like this book is headed in a direction that’s going to pay off in a big way down the road. Of the crop of Avengers books being published right now, this is the one that keeps me coming back month after month because I believe in its potential, even when the comic doesn’t live up to it.

Grade: D

-Tony Rakittke

 



New Avengers #58 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Dave McCaig (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: It’s New Avengers vs. Dark Avengers as Luke Cage goes under the knife.

What’s Good: Well, there’s a bunch of action in the comic, and that’s never a bad thing.  However, what’s best about that action is that for once, it’s not the New Avengers desperately trying to survive.   It’s great to see the team actually get the upper hand and kick some ass for once.  As a New Avengers reader, it’s almost a cathartic experience seeing them fight the Dark Avengers on equal terms.

Best of all though is that the comic has more or less moved past groaning and stumbling Avengers and the awfully ambiguous “power drainer” plot device.  As a result, the comic feels like it’s back in working order.  Everything feels fairly sensible and logical again, and the comic has gone back to clicking along at a brisk pace.

While the comic is mostly about the action, we do get some solid character moments.  The chase sequence between Ms. Marvel and Iron Patriot is a lot of fun and very beautifully illustrated by Immonen.  Danvers comes across great, but through her, Bendis also legitimizes the New Avengers in Dark Reign: they’re an actual team, whereas the Dark Avengers lack that cooperative, organized dynamic.  Indeed, the good guys still have something over the bad guys.  Meanwhile, Night Nurse and Jessica also receive solid treatment, with Jessica’s scenes in particular carrying the necessary emotional weight, while also addressing a logical difficulty regarding her current status.

On art, Immonen’s art certainly is a lot of fun in a “comfort food” sort of way.  It’s accessible and very “Saturday-morning,” but his heavier inks also get across the Dark Reign vibe.

What’s Not So Good: Despite my enjoyment of Immonen’s art, I still am not sold on his being the artist on New Avengers.  His work just doesn’t have that blockbuster, modern Marvel feel, and thus in some ways, it almost reduces the book’s importance.  The fact that the Night Nurse looks a bit more like a “Lady of the Night” doesn’t help either.

Probably the biggest problem with this comic is how little characterization there is of the actual team.  Other than those admittedly cool moments with Ms. Marvel and Jessica, it almost feels like the New Avengers are still too large a team, even with Cage unconscious and Wolverine gone.  Outside of being present in group shots, every character is reduced to getting one punch in during the battle and perhaps one line of action-banter.  Spider-Woman doesn’t even get the latter.  In other words, other than Ms. Marvel, has a significant presence or any room to shine.

If it were an issue of page count, it’d be forgivable, but keep in mind that the Night Nurse gets two pages of characterization and dialogue.  Why such a tertiary character that we may never see again should get such preferential treatment to the actual team members who share the comic’s name-sake, I have no idea.  Pile in a bunch of Hood and Osborn, and most of the characters we should be hearing from lose their voices.

Conclusion: A fun action comic that turns the tables on what we normally get from New Avengers.

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans

 

New Avengers #57 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (artist), Wade von Grawbadger (inker), Dave McCaig (colorist)

The Story: Norman Osborn and Doctor Harrow finalize the terms of their deal while both the New and Dark Avengers are still reeling from the effects of the power drainer. The New Avengers successfully escape a no-win situation, but Osborn’s not going to let them get off so easily, which could be especially bad for one Avenger.

The Good: Say what you will about Bendis and his writing, but the guy has been steadily working on this book for some five years now without interruption and it’s hard not to admire that kind of dedication. This is a fun team, and the addition of Ronin and Mockingbird brings a bit of that old school expertise to the group. I honestly did not expect to enjoy having Mockingbird back, but she’s a wonderfully strong character, as evidenced by her double splash page in this issue. I’m also happy to see Immonen’s art again, having been a huge fan of his work on Nextwave. His work is expressive, dynamic, and as equally good at conveying action sequences as it is the quieter moments, like towards the end in the hospital.  I would love to see him stick around on this title for as long as possible because I really believe he does right by it.

The Not So Good: This power drainer has been a weak and ill-defined Macguffin that has utterly pissed on the plot. Since Bendis never really explained what it can and can’t do, it seems capable of doing whatever it needs to when Bendis calls for it. For example, if this thing is supposed to drain powers, then why was Ronin affected? As far as I know Barton doesn’t have any powers and is just a highly trained fighter. And why could Captain America be affected by this when he only has a cybernetic arm, is the power drainer capable of screwing up electronics as well? Finally, why has the power drainer messed with Cage’s heart of all things? I get that it has left the heroes feeling nauseated and shitty, but that’s still a far cry from the stroke-like symptoms Cage is experiencing. Are we to now believe that the power drainer causes severe health problems too? Hell, is there anything this device can’t do? Bendis doesn’t explain it either way and that’s unfortunate because it makes this issue fairly ridiculous on examination. Also, and I never thought I’d be saying this, but McCaig’s colors here are without doubt the biggest eyesore I’ve ever seen in a comic.  Seriously, his contributions to this issue are disgusting and bring down every background and environment he renders. If there was one reason not to buy this comic, it would be for what he’s done to it.

Conclusion: Some reliably solid character moments are unfortunately lost in the mire of a ridiculous plot that Bendis could have easily fixed if he’d wanted to. This issue was good, but not great, and certainly nothing you need to spend $4 on.

Grade:  C-

-Tony Rakittke

Dark Reign: The List – Avengers One Shot #1- Review

Avengers feature by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) & Marko Djurdjevic (artist); Daredevil preview by Andy Diggle (writer) & Billy Tan (artist)

It seems to be a prerequisite of all mega-maniacal geniuses in the Marvel Universe to carry a list.  Reed Richards has one.  I’m pretty sure Tony Stark’s got one too, although he may no longer be able to remember where he left it.  And now Norman Osborn has compiled his very own list of things to do now that he is the man in charge.  Compiled in part to finally assassinate people he’s had longstanding grudges with, it also contains some strangely logical goals, like dealing once and for all with Hulk’s mindless rampages, arresting Nick Fury for training “youth terrorists,” and apprehending the unregistered New Avengers.  In short, it’s a list that will change the very status quo the Marvel Universe has operated under until now because, as Osborn observes, if the old status quo had actually worked, he wouldn’t be in charge now.

The first eight months of “Dark Reign” have been largely uninspired and unfocused, full of talk and petty spats blown out of proportion by writers. The stories out of “Dark Reign” were made to seem more impressive than they really are. As the year winds down though, Marvel’s latest storyline moves into its second phase with “The List,” in which Osborn seems to be finally ready to take his abuse of power to new heights and let villainy reign supreme. I have to admit, from what I’ve read in this issue, my interest in this storyline is fully renewed, and I’m excited to see if “Dark Reign” can be salvaged.

The feature of this issue involves an incredibly intense, well-executed infiltration of Avengers Tower by Clint Barton, who is dead set on killing Osborn before he can cause any more problems for the superhero community. In a world populated by people who can fly and shoot lasers from their eyes, it’s easy to underestimate a hero like Ronin who has no powers, that is, until you watch him stalk the night and take on the Dark Avengers by himself. To his credit, Bendis has defied my expectations here and set the stage for what seems to be a story full of betrayal, ulterior motives, and lethal action, all qualities I wanted to see more of in “Dark Reign”.

Rounding out this issue is a preview of Daredevil’s role in “The List,” and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the Avengers story, which is mind boggling since I haven’t touched a Daredevil story since Miller left the title. Andy Diggle and Billy Tan seem to have a good handle on the character, and I was so impressed with the title’s new direction, first revealed in Daredevil #500, that I’m now planning on following the comic!  This one shot was a surprisingly entertaining issue and a great jumping on point for anyone that has managed to avoid the baggage of “Dark Reign” until now. I’m convinced that there’s real potential to be found in “The List.” I’m alsomore than willing to stick around and see what happens.

Grade:  B

-Tony Rakittke

Mighty Avengers #28 – Review

By Dan Slott and Christos Gage (writers), Khoi Pham (artist), Allen Martinez (inker)

The Story: Cut off from the rest of their team by the machinations of Loki, US Agent and Quicksilver have no other choice but to battle The Unspoken alongside China’s premiere superhuman army.  Statue discovers ‘Scarlet Loki’s’ treachery but is prevented from revealing it to the other Mighty Avengers so she turns to her friends on the Young Avengers for help.

The Good: Ever since Slott came on board, I feel like this title has found new life and a sense of fun that is well worth my money.  There is a vibe to this book that reminds me of the kinds of Avengers stories I grew up reading, when dynamic and dramatic team rosters united against epic foes. Uber Republican US Agent was by far my favorite character in this issue, and I laughed out loud when he reverently referred to Norman Osborn as being a patriot.  What made that scene even cooler was his fight with the Collective Man, a Communist who can summon the strength of every person in China.  Delightfully mad ideas like this keep me coming back to this book every month.

The Not So Good: This was a fairly average issue that didn’t amount to nearly as much as it would have you believe it did.  I was so into the battle against The Unspoken that when Slott changed scenes to Pym injecting team members with keys to the Infinite Avengers Mansion or Stature deciding how to overcome the spell Loki placed on her, I felt like they dragged on longer than necessary .  The funny thing about that though was that when I went back to look at these scenes again, they really weren’t that long after all.

Conclusion: The Mighty Avengers is one hell of an entertaining book that harkens back to an older, more enjoyable tradition of Avengers stories.  If you’re fed up paying $8 a month for Bendis’ Avengers books, I strongly encourage you to give this a try instead!

Grade:  B

-Tony Rakittke

New Avengers #54 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Billy Tan (pencils & inks), Batt Tan (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The battle with Dormammu comes to its conclusion as Brother Voodoo makes use of his newfound power.

What’s Good: Brother Voodoo really is a very fun character and Bendis does a great job of playing up the dynamic Voodoo has with the spirit of his dead brother.  It’s good old-fashioned, schizophrenic fun with solid comedic legs. Speaking of comedy, Spider-Man was also on a roll this issue.  Pretty much everything that came out of his mouth made me laugh.  Son of Satan also continues to be a refreshing character as he continues his nonchalant attitude towards Dormammu

Most of this issue is spent on the actual action scenes between Dormammu and the Avengers.  Ultimately, though, the best moments of the book come at its end.  Loki’s appeal to the Hood is interesting to say the least and promises big things to come.  This is also definitely the case with respect to Clint’s last words in the book concerning what must be done with Norman.  Both scenes show great promise and left me itching to know what’s going to happen next.

Art-wise, there’s a whole lot of fire.  It’s all solid enough and the characters look good; basically, if you’re familiar with Tan’s work, you know what to expect.  The man most deserving of props is colorist Justin Ponsor who does a fantastic job with the all the flames and shadows.  Ponsor truly enhances Tan’s work and makes for an impressive Dormammu and a fairly pretty book overall.

What’s Not-So-Good: Unfortunately, while I do like Brother Voodoo as a character, towards the end of this issue, I really started to feel that the book was beginning to feel like too much of a shill for the upcoming “Dr.Voodoo” on-going.  From Son of Satan’s foreboding words of the upcoming challenges for Voodoo to Clint’s dubbing him “Dr. Voodoo” on video, it’s a little trying.

The biggest problem for this book though is definitely in Tan’s artwork.  When the majority of a book is spent on a giant action scene, it’s not good when there are several frames that are utterly confusing.  There were a few times where I just couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on during the fight.  There’s a particularly heinous pair of frames of Ms. Marvel on top of the demon that have me at a total loss.  Whether it’s due to Dormammu’s size/design or the flames, things just get a bit hard to discern.

Lastly, maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but Cap’s shield smacking Dormammu or, worse still, Mockingbird drop-kicking Dormammu just looks stupid, all the more so when I’m supposed to believe that Dormammu actually felt it.

Conclusion: A decent book with an interesting set of characters, but unfortunately the Avengers themselves play second fiddle.  An interesting ending can’t change the fact that this arc’s purpose was to sell a new series.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

Dark Avengers #4 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mike Deodato (Art), and Rain Beredo (Colors)

The Story: With Norman Osborn (Iron Patriot) and Dr. Doom busy confronting Morgan Le Fey in the past, the leaderless Dark Avengers must face La Fey and her demons in the present. During the battle, Clint Barton goes public with information regarding the Dark Avengers…

What’s Good: I know that Brian Michael Bendis’ writing is pretty divisive, but I found Dark Avengers #4 to be one hell of a fun read. And that’s almost entirely because the Dark Avengers have a team dynamic that makes good (and appropriate) use of Bendis’ style of dry, sarcastic humor and personality driven dialogue. It goes a long way towards masking the fact that, as far as plot is concerned, very little actually happens in the latest issue of Dark Avengers.

As for the artwork, Mike Deodato and Rain Beredo continue to do great things as a team. Dark, moody, detailed, and even, at times, sexy, the art helps to ease the pain of the $3.99 price tag a little bit. In short, Dark Avengers #4 is one good-looking book.

What’s Not So Good: For as much as I like the writing and the artwork on a technical level, Dark Avengers #4 feels somewhat lacking as a whole, especially considering that it costs $3.99. One reason is that it’s an extremely fast read that has a number of (visually impressive) panels and pages with little, if any dialogue. Sure it looks nice, but it makes the everything fly by. Another reason is that the issue is pretty light on plot. Things with Doom and Le Fey wrap up well enough, but it left me wanting more. In addition, it feels almost incomplete in some ways due to the rather abrupt ending. The ending works; don’t get me wrong, I just wish the stop wasn’t so damn jarring.

Also, on a side note, Dark Avengers is starting to feel a bit too much like Warren Ellis’ Thunderbolts.  While that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering how awesome the Ellis, Deodato, and Beredo run on Thunderbolts was, it wouldn’t hurt if the creative team put some more space between the two series in some way.  That said, I understand it might be difficult considering that Dark Avengers has the same art team and many of the same characters that Thunderbolts had.

Conclusion: There’s a lot to like about Dark Avengers #4, but considering how fast it moves, it’ll be up to you to decide whether or not it’s worth the asking price.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

New Avengers #52 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Billy Tan, Matt Banning, and Justin Ponsor & Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Antonio Fabela (Art Teams)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: New Avengers #51 actually managed to get me interested in the situation surrounding the title of Sorcerer Supreme. I never thought that to be possible. Now it’s time to find out whether Brian Michael Bendis and his art teams can manage to hold that interest.

The Story: Dr. Strange goes to the New Avengers team in order to find some relief following his face off with The Hood. The team offers to help Strange with his search for the Sorcerer Supreme and soon the group is off to New Orleans. Meanwhile, The Hood tries to maintain his grip on reality as he fights to keep control of his power…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The highlight of the latest issue of New Avengers is Chris Bachalo’s handling of the scenes featuring The Hood. Action-packed at the start and downright creepy later on, they are almost worth the cover price alone. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they end up carrying nearly all of the weight in an issue that turns out to be fairly lackluster half of the time.

While Brian Michael Bendis does a good job handling the witty, story-related dialogue and Billy Tan puts forth some decent visuals, everything feels rather dull when The Hood isn’t around. Superheroes sitting around exchanging banter and nailing out plot points just isn’t all that compelling when compared to the explosive opening scene or the disturbing breakdown that comes later in the issue. Things do pick up toward the end though, so consider me still hooked on the whole Sorcerer Supreme thing.

Conclusion: I wish I could say more, but not a whole lot really happens in New Avengers #52. It definitely has some great moments, but as a whole it feels like a series of starts and stops. As a result, it is frustratingly inconsistent.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

New Avengers #51 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Billy Tan, Matt Banning, Justin Ponsor, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Antonio Fabela (Artists)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Under normal circumstances, I would use up this spot to give my thoughts on where my opinion stands regarding whatever series/work/event I am about to dive back into or, in some cases, dive into for the first time. However, these are not exactly normal circumstances considering that this is the first review I have posted since taking a break from the site in order to deal with a number of medial issues. As such, I feel that this space is best used to say that it feels great to be back and I look forward to picking up where I left off by informing, entertaining, and interacting with the great Weekly Comic Book Review community as much as I possibly can. So, with that said, it is now time to get down to business. And remember! Questions, comments, concerns, and debate topics are always welcome.

The Story: Since Dr. Strange is no longer the Sorcerer Supreme (after a spell dealing in the dark arts), that means someone else is. Or someone will be soon enough… Strange knows this, as does The Hood (among others). Who will find, or do what’s necessary to become the new Sorcerer Supreme? That is the question that dominates most of The New Avengers #51. As for the rest, since a new team means a new leader, the Avengers gather up for an old-fashioned meeting to try to straighten out the new hierarchy.

What’s Good: I’ve got to say that the latest New Avengers surprised the hell out of me. And it’s not because of some shocking twist, or an earth-shattering revelation, or a stunning image.  Nope. It’s simply because the creative team behind New Avengers #51 actually managed to make me give a damn about the situation surrounding the question of who is/ will be the new Sorcerer Supreme. Chris Bachalo’s stylish visuals coupled with Brian Michael Bendis’ compelling dialogue made me glad I picked up the first New Avengers I had considered skipping in quite some time.

As for the non-Sorcerer Supreme related stuff in the issue, your enjoyment will depend a lot on what you think of Bendis’ flair for team banter and Billy Tan’s handling of the more casual moments of superhero life. It worked well enough for me and did little to detract from my overall impression of the issue. In fact, I found the dialogue to be rather humorous and I wouldn’t be surprised if you did too.

What’s Not So Good: (Slight spoiler warning!) I wish I knew more about the Young Avengers prior to reading the issue because I had absolutely no idea who Dr. Strange was talking to until pausing to hit up the interweb to look for some answers. As it turns out, Billy is a Young Avenger named Wiccan (cue the “the more you know” jingle). Anyways, besides Bendis’ assumption that I would know the Young Avengers on a first name basis, my only complaint about the issue mostly has to do with my general distaste for comic books that feature more than one art team. While both teams did a nice job, the shift back and forth between visual styles was a bit jarring.

Conclusion: There is a lot I liked about the latest issue of The New Avengers. Chris Bachalo’s art was impressive, Billy Tan continued to show improvement, and Brian Michael Bendis made the beginning of the search for a new Sorcerer Supreme quite compelling. While I’m sure some will be a bit irked by the team meeting (or the art team changes), the good stuff ultimately outweighed the bad by a large margin.

Grade:  B

-Kyle Posluszny

New Avengers #48 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Billy Tan (Pencils), Matt Banning (Inks), and Justin Ponsor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: It’s about time! While I enjoyed the Secret Invasion stuff for the most part, I am definitely glad that New Avengers is back on track. I look forward to see what the series will be offering in light of Dark Reign.

The Story: In the aftermath of the massive Invasion battle, Captain America discreetly calls for a meeting of the “underground” Avengers. The group meets the next day, but the gathering is cut short when Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Carol Danvers show up in a panic looking for people to help find Danielle, the daughter of Cage and Jones that was last seen in the care of Jarvis, the butler now known to be a Skrull. With little hesitation, the New Avengers (with a slightly different lineup) are off in search of the baby and any Skrulls that may know the whereabouts of the one that was posing as Jarvis.

What’s Good: As the first issue of New Avengers to truly feel like an issue of New Avengers in quite some time, #48 definitely does not disappoint. In fact, I’d even say it manages to bring back a lot of fond memories about my experience with the very first New Avengers arc. That’s a very good thing considering how visually impressive and entertaining that turned out to be.

While it deals with some of the ramifications of Secret Invasion as it ties directly into Dark Reign, the book feels surprisingly fresh for a number of reasons. For starters, the dynamic between the characters (new or returning) is handled extremely well thanks to how Brian Michael Bendis uses the fallout from the Invasion as a means to force everyone to become reacquainted and reestablished. It makes the book quite friendly to new readers while at the same time reminding hardcore fans that the dangling plot threads will not only be accounted for, but also addressed. Couple that with the fact that the team lineup is still somewhat up in the air at the book’s fairly shocking conclusion, and you have more than enough reason to put New Avengers back on the pull list.

Also worth noting about New Avengers #48 is how impressive it looks. Billy Tan’s pencils look better than they ever and show that he obviously wants to make the most out of his work on one of Marvel’s biggest titles. There is some room for improvement, however, but I like what I see so far and look forward to what he has in store for the series.

What’s Not So Good: There are really only two things that nagged at me while reading. The first is that the relationship between Ronin (Hawkeye) and Mockingbird doesn’t really seem to jive at all with last week’s Dark Reign: New Nation one-shot. I understand that New Avengers: The Reunion is not coming out until a bit farther down the road, but I hope Bendis takes some time to address why Mockingbird’s stance towards Hawkeye is so icy in The Reunion as opposed what is shown in New Avengers #48. The other thing that bothered me a bit is the way Matt Banning’s inks seem to almost overpower some of the artwork. While only a minor annoyance, it is noticeable enough to warrant mentioning.

Conclusion: To all of those that decided to take a break from New Avengers while it worked through Secret Invasion, it’s time to get back on board. As for those that have never checked the series out, now would be a great time to give it a look.

Grade: A-

-Kyle Posluszny