Never miss a post! 
Review: New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets & Lies
New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets & Lies HC
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by David Finch, Rick Mays and Frank Cho
Inks by Danny Miki, Jason Martin and Frank Cho
Published by Marvel Comics. $19.99 USD
Brian Michael Bendis has hit upon a pretty successful formula for his New Avengers: let Iron Man and Captain America provide the stability and old Avengers feel while focusing storylines on Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe also-rans for whom he has a better feel, and more latitude. This latest collection features two story arcs, the first finally unveiling the martial artist Ronin, who inadvertently draws the Avengers into an encounter in Japan with The Silver Samurai, who is perhaps trying to go straight, and ninja outfit The Hand, who don't want him to. The spooky Hand and Silver Samurai--an always corny supervillain with a costume that belies the quiet dignity a samurai should have--don't really mix well, despite Bendis' and Finch's best efforts at bringing the Samurai down to a grittier world. Bendis does a good job telegraphing Ronin's identity as possibly Elektra, before the eventual reveal. Finch, on the other hand, is starting to bother me with the way he draws faces, which are hardly less pinched and pouty than Rob Liefeld's. It's an odd and not all that masculine a look. And for the character who's supposed to be the regular guy on the team, Spider-Man, Bendis writes him way too shticky. I can understand him not taking a leadership role with Cap and Iron Man around, but let him be serious, or at least quiet, now and then.
There's a short "story" from Giant-Size Spider-Woman by Bendis and Mays that sets up the next storyline, and it's really a throwaway effort that is only here for completeness' sake, as the scene it depicts is redone by Cho in the next arc, anyway. This arc is about Spider-Woman and her status as a double agent for Hydra, spying on her own team of Avengers. Cap figures it out when Madame Hydra escapes their custody, and Spider-Woman, Jessica, tells him everything...or does she? While I'm sure that when it comes down to it, she will side with the heroes against Hydra, and this is hardly up there in quality with the late, lamented playing-both-sides superhero series Sleeper, it's got some mileage to it.
Which is good, because this story arc doesn't have that much going on otherwise. Carol Danvers shows up, reacting to the announcement that The Avengers are back in business, and there's some good character stuff for her there; Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson agrees to go easy on Spider-Man in exchange for exclusives from The Avengers, then screws them; and in a really awkward, shoehorned-in-whenever-there-was-a-spare-panel-or-two way, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis and Peter Parker's Aunt May become a couple. Oh, and there's a goofy subplot where Mary-Jane Watson-Parker is accused in a tabloid of cheating on Peter with Tony Stark, and Peter goes nuts about it and Tony takes care of it with some superheroic blackmail. On the plus side, Bendis seems to realize The Sentry is pretty boring, so he's hardly in the book, and on the minus side, he doesn't realize he doesn't have to make Wolverine a total asshole to set him apart from the other characters. I actually like his writing of both Captain America and Iron Man fine and though I realize the writers of their solo books have plans for them, I'd like to see Bendis do more with these characters here. Cho's art is a little too airbrushed and horny for me to call it good, exactly, but he's fine for three issues. A quick but entertaining read.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by David Finch, Rick Mays and Frank Cho
Inks by Danny Miki, Jason Martin and Frank Cho
Published by Marvel Comics. $19.99 USD
Brian Michael Bendis has hit upon a pretty successful formula for his New Avengers: let Iron Man and Captain America provide the stability and old Avengers feel while focusing storylines on Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe also-rans for whom he has a better feel, and more latitude. This latest collection features two story arcs, the first finally unveiling the martial artist Ronin, who inadvertently draws the Avengers into an encounter in Japan with The Silver Samurai, who is perhaps trying to go straight, and ninja outfit The Hand, who don't want him to. The spooky Hand and Silver Samurai--an always corny supervillain with a costume that belies the quiet dignity a samurai should have--don't really mix well, despite Bendis' and Finch's best efforts at bringing the Samurai down to a grittier world. Bendis does a good job telegraphing Ronin's identity as possibly Elektra, before the eventual reveal. Finch, on the other hand, is starting to bother me with the way he draws faces, which are hardly less pinched and pouty than Rob Liefeld's. It's an odd and not all that masculine a look. And for the character who's supposed to be the regular guy on the team, Spider-Man, Bendis writes him way too shticky. I can understand him not taking a leadership role with Cap and Iron Man around, but let him be serious, or at least quiet, now and then.
There's a short "story" from Giant-Size Spider-Woman by Bendis and Mays that sets up the next storyline, and it's really a throwaway effort that is only here for completeness' sake, as the scene it depicts is redone by Cho in the next arc, anyway. This arc is about Spider-Woman and her status as a double agent for Hydra, spying on her own team of Avengers. Cap figures it out when Madame Hydra escapes their custody, and Spider-Woman, Jessica, tells him everything...or does she? While I'm sure that when it comes down to it, she will side with the heroes against Hydra, and this is hardly up there in quality with the late, lamented playing-both-sides superhero series Sleeper, it's got some mileage to it.
Which is good, because this story arc doesn't have that much going on otherwise. Carol Danvers shows up, reacting to the announcement that The Avengers are back in business, and there's some good character stuff for her there; Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson agrees to go easy on Spider-Man in exchange for exclusives from The Avengers, then screws them; and in a really awkward, shoehorned-in-whenever-there-was-a-spare-panel-or-two way, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis and Peter Parker's Aunt May become a couple. Oh, and there's a goofy subplot where Mary-Jane Watson-Parker is accused in a tabloid of cheating on Peter with Tony Stark, and Peter goes nuts about it and Tony takes care of it with some superheroic blackmail. On the plus side, Bendis seems to realize The Sentry is pretty boring, so he's hardly in the book, and on the minus side, he doesn't realize he doesn't have to make Wolverine a total asshole to set him apart from the other characters. I actually like his writing of both Captain America and Iron Man fine and though I realize the writers of their solo books have plans for them, I'd like to see Bendis do more with these characters here. Cho's art is a little too airbrushed and horny for me to call it good, exactly, but he's fine for three issues. A quick but entertaining read.
Posted by ChristopherAllen at 7:21 PM [Link to this post]
2 Comments:
For one of his favorite characters, Bendis likes to drag Spider-Woman over broken glass a little too much. I thought the last two issues of the arc were horrible; the Ronin stuff wasn't bad, but every story in this book seems to be setup for cliffhangers to nowhere for something that still doesn't have a visible payoff or even a point- this HYDRA/SHIELD war that Bendis has been building to since Secret War. I gave up on NA after this arc. The book is better than the detractors are saying but is approaching Loeb like levels of audience contempt.
I like the phrase "Loeb-like levels."
Post a Comment
<< Home