New Avengers #8 What was once one of the better Marvel books on the shelves has lately become one that is easily brushed aside: and for good reason. The New Avengers team just isn’t all that exciting or dynamic together. One of the more interesting characters is Victoria Hand, and she is used in about one page per issue. I love Spider-man and Wolverine as much as the next person, but they shouldn’t be on every team and everywhere at once, they just get saturated. So you end up with characters like Mockingbird and Jessica Jones, who (mostly) no one cares about, taking far too much page-time.
The first arc of the rebooted New Avengers was pretty low-key, except for (spoilers directly ahead) the death of Doctor Voodoo, so I had hoped that Bendis would take this odd team in a good direction with this issue. That doesn’t happen to be the case at all, but there is a slight silver lining.
Issue 8 is pretty much a yawner until the end pages. It consists almost entirely of a conversation between Luke Cage and Jessica Jones about their relationship and her superhero status. Again: who cares? And as an aside: what’s the deal with their baby anyway? Is it a Skrull still?... Their less-than-engaging dinner conversation is interrupted with a by-the-books action scene involving a Doombot. Thankfully we’ve made it past the boredom and into the silver lining: Doom is up to something. Back at base Victoria Hand (who, may I say once again, we see far too little of) explains that Doom’s Latveria is falling apart and he may be becoming unhinged mentally.
While the issue itself is an easily overlooked yawn-fest, this one tidbit of info gives me hope that Bendis is going to take the next arc in the right direction: who doesn’t love a throwdown with Dr. Doom?
I didn't read this newest issue, but the first arc of New Avengers was my favorite of the four Avengers re-launches! Sad you're not enjoying it....
ReplyDeleteI didn't much care for any of them, to be frank. But the Secret Avengers deal with "Max" Fury seems to be going pretty good.
ReplyDeleteSecret is what I had the highest expectations for, and while I wasn't disappointed, I just thought New ended up being the funnest.
ReplyDeleteJRJR art on Avengers seemed especially sloppy at first, but seems to be getting tighter, and the story is getting better too, but I really didn't care for the first arc at all.
Yea I agree with you on the Avengers. First arc was just way out left field for me, but this Infinity arc has real good promise.
ReplyDeleteBut I succinctly hate JRJ's art, haha.