Same for Monica Rambeau, the former (second) Captain Marvel who now goes by the much more boring name Spectrum (though to be fair, it's more accurate).
They're joined by Power Man (a relatively new character using Cage's old superhero name) and White Tiger. Cage has formed a new team - the Heroes for Hire.
Which makes no sense. Has Cage retired from the hero business to focus on his wife and baby? Isn't that why he left the Avengers? Does he just need the money?
The supporting characters are just annoying. White Tiger seems to have no interest in the team, and Power Man is just another angry man who yells a lot.
The villains in this issue are (mostly) deadly dull - The Plunderer and the Blue Streak? Was Paste-Pot Pete busy? Throw in the odious Superior Spider-Man, and I find myself turning against the series before it really starts.
The real threat shows up late, tying into the Infinity series (not a bad idea), but it's too late in the game to save the issue.
I continue to be confounded by Greg Land's art. He's a gifted artist, his character designs are strong, and I love the realistic renderings of the faces. But... each panel looks like it was drawn individually and then pasted onto the page - there's no flow, even on pages with unique layouts, and there's no weight behind the fight sequences - each panel has the hero posed at the end of the punch, and the villain flying. They seem to be dancing.
So, a disappointing start - a great cast, lots of potential, but still lots of elements to be sorted out.
Grade: C+
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