Blog

New Avengers #9
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist(s): Mike Deodato & Howard Chaykin
Cover: Mike Deodato

Bendis starts the issue off with a flash back scene as Nick Fury, Gabriel Jones, and Dum Dum Dugan are chasing down a pair of Nazis in Cuba during the late 1950s. After a pretty grisly ending, we are brought back to the present where the New Avengers are on a stakeout. It seems as if a group of former H.A.M.M.E.R. agents have been gathered together by a sexy new villain and are setting up shop. Knowing who they are automatically gives some members of the Avengers enough reason to go in, but a couple of others don’t see it that way. It’s a good thing Ben Grimm is available and decides to take the fight to the bad guys, forcing his team members to jump into the madness. As the chaos ensues, we end up with a most unexpected splash page that even made me say “Wow!”

When a book has a flash back scene that takes place decades before the main story, it’s pretty cool to have another artist do those pages. The difference in styles usually helps to enhance the story and pushes the point home that you’re in a different time period. Well, with Chaykin handling the artwork for this part of the story you definitely get that feeling here. Seeing his Nick Fury instantly brought me back to The Scorpio Connection, which is honestly my favorite work by the artist. Since then I’ve not been too fond of his work, however these pages carried the story well and kept it fast paced and exciting. Deodato keeps the book looking nice as well after we’re brought back to the present. If you loved this guy’s work on Thunderbolts then you definitely won’t be disappointed here. He pretty much handles the heavy action in the story as the New Avengers put the hurt on the agents. That panel where Ben Grimm asks “Who’s first?” was just sick, and he even makes Dr. Strange look scary. Also the reveal shot to the full-page reveal of the new villain Superia was done very well. He made her intimidating just in presence alone throughout the issue, since we don’t get to see what her abilities are.

When it comes to the actual story, Bendis brings his New Avengers flavor and reinforces why this is my favorite Avengers book. These guys are a team, but Bendis writes a lot of their banter like they’re also just a group of friends who get together to save the world and kick some ass from time to time. Everything seems to just flow and it’s natural and never cheesy to the point you’re taken out of the story. That’s probably why I like this team dynamic a lot better than the others, plus having Cage give Superia that compliment and then his wife’s reaction made me laugh pretty hard.

Since I’m not sure exactly when this story takes place in relevance to that Fantastic Four member’s death, I won’t complain that Ben wasn’t off grieving like one would expect. Maybe Bendis will deal with that later, if at all. Now the issue did read a bit fast as it was seriously action packed. Depending on what your tastes are that’s either a good or a bad thing. However, I will say that the story we did get was effective at setting up this new arc for the New Avengers and the action was worth every penny!

Till next time!

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net