New Avengers #1-20

When Brian Bendis took over Avengers, he started a truly new direction for this classic team. Here are my thoughts on his run so far.

New Avengers Vol. 1: Breakout

Brian Michael Bendis

The first arc of the New Avengers brings a number of Marvel superheroes together during a prison break out. It being in New York, it is not surprising to see these characters together during a massive crisis like this. But these characters were obviously chosen for Bendis' familiarity with them. He written them in the past, so it made sense to put them together. It was weird to see Spider-Man and Luke Cage accept the offer. This arc also sets up subplots which will be developed during the course of the series. The main plot involves Shield and the forces behind it, ever since Fury left in Secret Wars. Art is by David Finch, whose style recalls the early image years, in particular Silvestri. It is very dark, which at times does not suit Bendis' jokes.

New Avengers Vol. 2: Sentry

Brian Michael Bendis

The second arc involves the Sentry, a character created by Paul Jenkins. In fact, Jenkins is actually drawn in the comic, in a comic inside the comic story. I read the original Sentry mini drawn by Jae Lee, but I don't remember the details, so I am not sure how much of this story is a summery of that mini and how much is new material. It was fun to see the X-Men cameo, and I am waiting to see how such a powerful character will be used. I loved Steve McNiven's art, a very clean and clear style. This is almost as good as his Civil War art.

New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets and Lies

Brian Michael Bendis

Next we have an arc involving Ronin, Silver Samurai and the organized crime in Japan. I didn't feel this story arc had meat at all, it just served the purpose to set up the situation in Japan, and introduce Ronin to the Avengers. Sure there's lots of ninja action, but at times I felt the action was confusing, again due to Finch's art. We also find out who Jessica Drew is working for.

Secrets and Lies is all about Jessica Drew's past and current affiliation with Hydra and Fury. Fury also makes an appearance since Secret Wars. Everything seems to work out ok, until we see the last pages of the storyline. I got an Alias (TV) vibe here. And the art by Frank Cho is gorgeous. I wasn't too familiar with his style, and it blew me away. It is so crisp and beautiful.

New Avengers Vol. 4: The Collective

Brian Michael Bendis

Next is The Collective, a follow up of sorts to House of M. I don't want to spoil it, but there is an appearance by Magneto at the end. I was actually a little bit confused by the final reveal as to the Collective identity. Also I wonder if Hill was just acting for Iron Man's ears, when dealing with the president. Art is by Deodato, which is not bad, but I am not a big fan of his.

Overall I like this series so far, it has big events, mysterious subplots, espionage, some kick ass action sequences, and some funny lines by Spider-Man, which spread to the rest of the group, even Cap ("I can make jokes!"). The art team seems to change often, but I like that each arc has its own artist for the whole duration. Looking forward to a regular artist though.