New Avengers #5

By Colin Andersen
October 14, 2010 - 18:38

I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but a lot comics seems to have lost sight of their main objective lately: to be fun. New Avengers has not forgotten that and that is probably why it is one of my favorite books right now and my personal favorite of all of Brian Michael Bendis’ comics on stands now. While the last few issue have been essentially one long, crazy fight through New York, the action comes to a near complete stop this month as the Avengers regroup. Some might take this to mean that the issue is boring, but I assure you that’s not the case.

For you Dr. Voodoo fans out there that have been less-than-pleased with his treatment in the story thus far, this issue for you. He finally gets some chance to show just why he might be fit for the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. The potential solution to the demon attack problem of the past four issues, while very Saturday Morning Cartoon-like in idea, is an entertaining one and I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out. My only worry is that Bendis might not use it to its full potential, but that remains to be seen. I would have preferred to see a different character take on the responsibility of the plan, but I suppose the logic is sound. The execution next month will ultimately decide how good of an idea it is. I was also a little disappointed with the resolution to the dispute between Iron Fist and Dr. Strange, but it at least showed that these heroes trust each other. On the downside, it brings into question why Iron Fist was so easily convinced of Dr. Strange’s guilt in the first place. I did really enjoy the identity of the evil mastermind was ultimately figured out. It was a little bit goofy, but it seemed strangely realistic at the same time. At the very least, it brought a smile to my face.
   Ultimately, this issue is a whole lot of talking, but it is interesting talking. If there’s one thing Bendis knows how to do, it is nail the individual voice of each of these characters. I’ve been especially enjoying having Daimon Hellstrom around for this arc as he is a rather surprising comedic foil. Most other characters handled this way would come off as grating, but it’s quite the opposite here. The Thing also gets some great lines in that are perfectly in line with how he would act. “I’m the good guy. And if there’s someone hittin’ me…they’re the bad guy.” So simple and yet so accurate. Strangely enough, Bendis stumbles only with Hawkeye, who makes his exit from the team this issue. While I’m actually supportive of Hawkeye not being on two different Avengers teams, the reason he gives here seems all wrong. I don’t care what the reason is, Hawkeye would never leave his friends in the middle of a full-on demon attack, even if he got an emergency beacon from the main Avengers team. It just seemed strange to me.
   One area I could never fault this current run of New Avengers is in the art. Stuart Immonen is easily one of the best artists working in the industry today. Period. He’s an amazingly dynamic penciller that can’t seem to draw any character wrong. I especially enjoy his perfect depiction of the thing and how he draws his women. All the females in the book look attractive without Immonen having to try and making them look “hot” or emphasize certain “assets” of their body. His work here is far superior to John Romita Jr.’s work in the main Avengers books and the destruction around the characters actually looks real and lasting. He can also draw some really intimidating villains to compliment his heroic looking, err, heroes. Once again, credit must being given to Wade von Grawbadger and Laura Martin on inks and colors as well. Grawbadger helps to give Immonen some excellent crispness to his linework while Martin makes all of the colors pop, making every scene look just the way it should.
   New Avengers #5 is not the greatest comic book ever. It stumbles in places just as so many others do, but it is very entertaining. Bendis is trying to work narrative wonder, just tell a gun story and it shows. He writes most of his characters in a surprisingly realistic way while making the absurd goings-on perfectly understandable as well. This issue could have easily convoluted the story to the point of no return, but still remains very accessible. You don’t need any knowledge about Dr. Strange or Voodoo to enjoy this issue, but you’ll have that much more fun if you do.

Rating: 7 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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