Dr. Doom is one of my favorite villains, he's tough, smart and just plain evil. This issue of Dark Avengers features their daring attempt to rescue Doom from Morgana Le Fay. In issue #2 Le Fay felled Doom for his recent transgressions. Doom had been incarcerated on the Raft.  Thanks to Dark Reign he was released from his imprisonment and sent back to Latveria his home.

Morgana Le Fay was waiting for him and his magic’s were no match for hers. That’s basically a recap of the action, and while all that is cool it’s not what really makes this issue so good. Some might laud this story as a Thunderbolts part duex but I say bring it, the idea makes sense and there is certainly a place for it under the banner of Dark Reign. The idea of villains duping the world at large just hasn’t gotten old yet as far as I’m concerned, plus like I said earlier it works.

Hopefully the book will continue to explore the growing relationship between the characters because, remember their not all villains. Ares isn’t a hero or a villain, and the Sentry is trying his best to be the hero he always thought he could be. In fact the scene between Norman and Robert Reynolds is a master stroke of storytelling. Here’s hoping they build on that and don’t let that plot thread go by the wayside.

Sentry could easily be seen as a Superman knock off but Marvel goes through great lengths to give Bob some serious depth of character which I greatly appreciate. Ares is really coming into his own as a character and more importantly as a dominant personality, you get the sense that Bendis really likes the character and he should, he’s a breath of fresh air for fans that miss Hercules and Thor.

Then there is the new Captain Marvel or Marvel Boy or whatever it is he’s calling himself now. I like how he’s come along slowly over the course of the last few years and he’s a good fit for a team of this type. We still don’t know where his true allegiances lie but he did have a short meeting with the real Ms. Marvel which could affect his choices down the line.

Avengers fans who are leery about this book will be pleasantly surprised by how good it is, people who are following along with Dark Reign are also in for a treat as well.

Crave Online Rating: 8 of 10