Thursday, June 17, 2010

The New Avengers #1

You know, it's getting to the point where you can't swing a cat by the tail in the Marvel Universe without hitting a bunch of Avengers.

(Of course, the management at Chuck's Comic of the Day doesn't recommend actually swinging a cat by the tail. They scratch.)

Our latest Avengers spinoff is The New Avengers, which continues the team of "outcast" Avengers from the days of the Dark Reign - Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

But wait, you say - didn't Steve Rogers already reassemble the classic team and throw in Spider-Man and Wolverine? Well, yes - but apparently those heroes can serve on more than one team (and Logan gives a very funny explanation here for how that could be possible).

In this issue written by Brian Bendis we see Luke given the keys to the mansion and a (mostly) free hand to assemble a team that will operate independently from the original Avengers team.

The cover is a big giveaway to one of the team's new members, but the strongest member of the Fantastic Four should be a great addition to the book, especially since it raises the number of wisenheimers on the team to three (including Spidey and Hawkeye).

The story features a big mystic menace (and a big finish to this issue), and it helps get the whole series off to a rollicking start.

The art is fantastic - penciler Stuart Immonen and inker Wade von Grawbadger do a terrific job on everything from the big action splashes to the small, personal moments.

So, another Avengers comic, another strong start. So far the Heroic Age is looking very good indeed.

Grade: A-

No comments: