New Avengers #2
Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Grawbadger
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
This is the Avengers title that I enjoy reading the most. I’ve found that I like super heroics, but I still want that team to be a little grounded. While the main Avengers are off fighting Kang, I’m enjoying watching this New Avengers team just try to move into their new home. Even though Wolverine is on both teams, I think this team has the most dynamics.
Luke Cage is still possessed by the demon that is trying to get the Eye of Agamotto in it’s grasp. I’ve always liked these types of stories where the team has to fight one of its own just because it can answer my question of who would win in a fight between Cage and The Thing. (It’s a draw basically.) Doctor Strange, Daimon Hellstrom, and Brother Voodoo work together in ridding Cage of his demonic possession and the whole team tries to keep the Eye out of the demon’s hands.
And Wolverine stabs some guys….a little.
It’s scenes like that with some dialog between Wolverine and Spider-Man that works in this title, but not in the main Avengers. Maybe it’s because I went 50 plus issues with this team already and these types of scenes don’t work the same way with Spider-Man and Iron Man. I’ve never been a big fan of the whole magic aspect of the Marvel Universe, but Doctor Strange has always been cool to me. And he works really well on this team. He’s a nice fatherly figure. And I really like getting to see the name of the spell that is being casted. That’s a cool way to give it more meaning than just seeing a something drawn.
Immonen is really pulling out all the stops for this title. The fight between Cage and The Thing really looks like it really hurts. And the details he adds of the mansion being destroyed was nice. It made the rooms feel small and the stairways crowded. Grawbadger’s inks are perfect for Immonen too. I’ve always thought Immonen looked better when he wasn’t inking himself, and this only further proves that to me. The pencils pop of the page and gives the panels more depth.
A few weeks ago I was ready to join up with every Avengers title. And now, after reading the first few issues of all of them, I think there is only room for one title on my shelf right now, and this is the one. (Avengers: Prime will still get pulled for the simple fact that it’s only 5 issues…..with Alan Davis Art.) There can be too much of a good thing and this is the reason I got burnt out on X-Men. I was trying to read everything and ended up reading too many bad stories to make up for the good ones. So I’m going to just stick with what I really enjoy and if the other titles improve, I’ll be right there with money in hand.
For now, I’m going to enjoy seeing this team grow even more. I’d love to see a story with Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Thing. They could get into a whole lot of trouble and it’d be fun to see them work their way out of it.
Check this out if you like your Avengers with a little dysfunction. There may be some bickering while they work, but at the end of the day, the job will get done.
