By Dante' Maddox

It’s funny, sometimes when I look at a current issue of New Avengers and think about what that book was about when it started, and to see what it has turned into. The idea that there was a master plan behind it all is more than a little intriguing.

To lead our characters down such twisting roads, and to expose us as readers to whole new sides of our favorite heroes is just great comics if you know what I mean. The trouble is that this journey has been a bumpy and confusing one. I often wonder if Brian Michael Bendis was aware that Steve Rogers would lose his life in the middle of all this, and if so what did he do differently because of that turn of events.

I don’t think Bendis backtracked in early 2007, those guys are way more prepared than that, but I wonder if he suddenly found himself with the obligation of addressing an issue he may not have initially envisioned. That’s just a little food for thought as Secret Invasion proper gets closer and closer. At this point in the story, there is still considerable build up being established. The only Skrulls we know of for sure are either dead or obviously not the ring leader of the Invasion, so there is still a lot of room for Bendis to work with as far as messing with us for as long as possible.

The ‘who is and who isn’t’ action is only one part of the issues appeal, the other half has a lot to do with the great character interaction that takes place between Luke Cage and his wife Jessica Jones. Now that both the Mighty Avenger, and New Avenger books are in sync the stories can run together more smoothly, and I have a hunch we’ll start to see the overall pace of the story pick up as Secret Invasion approaches. Luke and Jessica are at odds because Cage feels betrayed when Jessica in a panic heads to Avengers Tower seeking asylum. They fight over what is the best decision for themselves and their infant child. My only complaint in this section of the story was that Luke seemed a little too pig headed, and his position wasn’t really given enough merit, he seemed too obviously wrong. Overall the drama between the two is great, and Bendis does use Jessica to point out that Luke hadn’t slept and was being irrational. The only problem with that is it downplays Jessica’s concern about the Skrull invasion.

The hysteria overall is kind of downplayed in this issue, but it works because now the reader see more difference between Tony’s legitimate team, and Luke’s group of outlaws. It made me jokingly ask, “So basically regular Marvel heroes are X-Men?” If Bendis created that sensation on purpose I really appreciate it. Having a team called the Avengers working as outlaws’ gives me all the cool stuff about books like X-Men and stories like Days of Future Past without the crappy future beat to death setting.

The hype surrounding Secret Invasion seems to be right on the money, with just about every Marvel character having the potential to play a pivotal role in the story, this seems about as big for Marvel as it gets. Do your self a favor and grab some trade paperbacks for the New Avengers, there’s a lot of good stuff there. Also try and grab Secret War in the collected format, because apparently those stories drop a lot of clues pertaining to what’s happening in the now. Until next time lady and gentlemen.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Michael  Gaydos
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99

CraveOnline  Rating: 7 out of 10