Avengers #6

I just finished reading Avengers #6 last night. It's been a busy week with all the Halloween festivities going on and what not. But I sat down to read this book and now, writing about it, I'm not sure hoe I feel about it.

I'll say this, it is most definitely the 6th and final book in a story arc. This story really felt as if it was written for the trade, wrapping up the story with Kang the Conqueror breaking the timestream and the Avengers winning the day and saving all life as we know it. I just don't think I like the way they did it.

They did it by begging.

Hardly a great conclusion to the first story in "The Heroic Age", is it?

Iron Man and the Avengers begged Ultron to lose a fight and save the universe.

Yup.

I feel bad, because the thing Bendis does best, dialogue and banter, is great in this title. JRjr is always amazing on the pencils. The books reads very well and looks very nice, but still, 6 issues in, and 24$ in the hole, I feel like it might not have been a bad idea to have the Avengers kick off the heroic age of heroes with a better victory than begging Ultron for understanding and trust.

I don't know what to do with this book. the new 3.99$ price point is a lot higher than I really feel comfortable with, and the book just took me for 6 issues to a place where I just feel *bleh*. I mean, it's not like I finished the epic tale of time and war saying "They begged the murder robot to take a dive? That is sooooo cool!" I think this one is going to get dropped from my pull list when next I get to the comic shop.

New Avengers#5

COVER BY: Stuart Immonen
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Stuart Immonen
INKS: Wade Von Grawbadger
COLORED BY: Laura Jean Martin
LETTERED BY: Neurotic Cartoonist, INC

I just read this issue last night. After taking my girl out for dinner and some shopping, we stopped by the comic shop on the way home so I could pick up my pull list.

My list is a lot smaller these days than it used to be. Two Avengers titles, 3 GI Joes, and a few trades that I have pulled as they are released.

While I did trim the fat a little bit lately, I have kept the books that I really do like, so when it's time to pick up my books, it's usually with a little excitement.

I really like this team of Avengers. I thing the group dynamic is great, and I like the way Brian Bendis has them banter. Specifically in this issue, the dialogue between Damion and Doc Strange is classic.

It's also nice to see Doctor Voodoo step up to bat, finally, after many issues of his insecurity. Wolverine also gets the chance to be the hero for once. I mean, sure, he's always getting the chance to be the "main man" (sorry Lobo), but very rarely in the Avngers pages is he more useful than a blender in the fights they get into.

I'm liking where this title has taken me so far, and I'm looking forward to the next issue.

New Avengers #54

I read New Avengers #54 this past weekend, which is the culmination of a few plot lines, all in one issue. It was fun to see things start to get wrapped up as other stories are being spun out. Leaving things dangling is a real pet peeve of mine, so it's fun to see the writer (Brian Michael Bendis) actually wrap up a few things here.

The search for the next Sorcerer Supreme is concluded, and Jericho Drumm, aka Brother Voodoo (and his ghostly brother) has been chosen and accepted.

The deal between The Hood and the Dread Dormammu has also been played out, as the New Avengers alongside Brother Voodoo and Damien Hellstrom fought off The Hood, then Dormammu in the middle of New Orleans.

The fight was pretty cool, but I really am missing both Lenil Yu and Jimmy Chung on this book, as the art has gotten darker and more static since their departure.

So now the story of Brother Voodoo, sorcerer supreme begins. The war of words in the media between Ronin and Norman Osborn continues, and the fight between the New and Dark Avengers builds up a little more.

The team continues to lack a certain chemistry for me, though. It's not about the moments of levity or down time, but rather in the way they fight. I think they need to get a little more organized, and start using tactics a little more interesting than "dog pile the bad guy!" They need their own "Fastball Special", as it were. I mean, guys like Spider-Man and Luke Cage might not have tons of team work behind them, but Wolverine and Ms. Marvel should. Same for Ronin and Mockingbird.

Despite that small gripe, this series continues to be a must read for me, and is what I consider the flagship title for the Marvel Universe.

Who should be a New Avenger

This post is spoiler-rific if you're not up to date on the New Avengers.



I came back to the Avengers just as the new Captain Britain joined, only to have the team disassembled.

I understood the team's dynamic until after Civil War.

As a writer, this is not the team that I'd like to write. From the outside looking in, there are reasons I can see for wanting certain members on the team, and then there are members there that I'm not sure I'd want.

That's what I'm talking about. The writer is their god in this case, so why have this particular group here?

Doc Strange: He adds credibility to the team, gives them a big gun. Also, he ties very nicely to the Illuminati, which let the team get involved in WWH. As a plot device, he works by giving the team anonymity and transportation.

Spider-Man: He's a fan favorite, and he adds a certain skepticism to the team by questioning their path. He is also a corner of the MU in and to himself. His skills are unique.

Luke Cage: I never read much Power Man before this run, so my experience with him was basically that Punisher story where Frank was turned black and they teamed up. As a story device though, he's the driver. He pushes the team in a certain direction, and keeps the story going.

These three, I get. They're the New Avengers that make the book what it is. They're tools in the hands of the writers.

Wolverine, I've decided should be on the team because he gives the writer one unique aspect to use. He knows that they are on the wrong side of the law and all that it implies. Luke Cage acts as if he's still a super hero, and that's fine, but Logan gives him contrast. Sure he's got claws and a healing factor, But that's not why he should be on the team. He's there because someone needs to be asking "How many laws should we break to fight the good fight?" That makes for good storytelling.

Honestly, I've been disappointed with Clint thus far as Ronin. As an old school Avenger, I'd really like to see some righteous indignation on his part towards the Mighty Avengers. He's the one who would lip off at Captain America when he thought Cap was wrong, and really, I'd expect more of that for Tony Stark and the Mighty team. I'd like to see him go past that too, and get irrationally angry now and again. I think that there's something there worth exploring, and if Bobbi turns out to be a skrull, maybe that's the kick in the pants he'll need to get pissed off again.

That leaves Echo and Danny. I like Iron Fist. He's got his own book, and I don't think he's got enough to do around here except be Luke's confidant. Echo, I think, is a Bendis vanity project, and I've never been able to get what she's doing here, other than because the writer thinks she's cool.

So yeah, I think that Strange, Luke, Spidey, Wolverine and an angry Clint have a place on the team, because they contribute to the book being readable. I don't think Eco and Iron Fist are adding anything to the book right now other than as bodies. I said on the CBR message boards that I think that the real Hank Pym would be an interesting addition to the team, and let us find out what happened to him while he was being replaced by a skrull. I would also like to know more about what happened to Tigra, after the Hood and Jigsaw beat the fur off her. Maybe even Firestar or *gasp* The Scarlet Witch.

In any case, I'm interested to see where this is going.

New Avengers: Illuminati #5, New look site

So I spent some time tweaking the look of the site last week. It's not as if it was a big change, but I like it, and I think now it looks a little more unique around here. If you read this over an rss feed, though, I doubt it'll matter much to you.


Moving right along, I just wanted to give a quick review of New Avengers: Illuminati #5, which came out last week, and continues to be a book I quite enjoy. Even if it does tend to be one of the more continuity-involved books in print, I know that this isn't really the title for new readers, and as I have been reading a lot of Bendis' Marvel stuff, this is right up my alley.

IGN has a preview of this issue up on their site, so if you're so inclined, you can go take a look at the first few pages and get a good grasp of the plot, to say nothing of the great art from CrossGen vet, Jimmy Cheung.

This issue is sort of a follow up on another of Bendis' books, New Avengers, answering the question "Did Spider-Woman give Iron Man the Skrull body?" and moves from there to see how Tony Stark is going to deal with it. It was a good read, with good art, and the plot twist was unexpected, but not unbelievable, which showed a good amount of planning by the writer. I also quite enjoy Namor, the Sub-Mariner in this book, as I think he is treated with respect by his peers, and in this setting we get to see more of both his honourable-warrior and his personal sides. This book also should signal the start of the next big event at Marvel, following up on "Civil War" and "World War Hulk" with "Secret Invasion: The Infiltration".

The New Avengers: Bendis and Yu

I don't really have much time to post today, but I was talking to my friend Anthony yesterday, and I was telling him how much I was enjoying Marvel's "New Avengers", so I figured I'd break it down for you a little bit.

Post-Civil War, this book has been getting steadily more interesting, and with Leinil Francis Yu on the pencils, it is also looking fantastic. The new line-up of Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Dr. Strange, Ronin, Spider-Woman and Echo may seem a little odd at first, but there's a great mix of personalities there and for me, at least, it's fun to see them interact.

Brian Michael Bendis has been on the Avengers books for a few years, and though he's had a few slow points, as a whole I've enjoyed his run. He's swinging the title around to pick up some of the plots that he had introduced at the start of New Avengers, and in the latest issue, he brought back a fan favorite character in Clint Barton (better known as Hawkeye) and sprinkled in some conspiracy theories. I'm nicely hooked, and that's without mentioning the fact that Bendis writes a better Spidey than most.

Leinil Yu has long been a favorite of mine, back from his work on Wolverine and the X-Men, but on the New Avengers, he has really loosened up his style and it looks wonderful. He's still keeping it gritty and dark, but his poses and expressions are just a little bit more exaggerated, and it work really well for the tone of this title.

All in all, his book is giving Astonishing X-Men a run for my favorite Marvel book.