The Hood struggles with greater power and less control, the Avengers struggle with Doctor Strange’s mess, and my brain struggles with Chris Bachalo’s art. Plus: more sitting and talking at tables!
Pretty please leave a comment.
THE NEW AVENGERS #52
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Billy Tan, Matt Banning and Justin Ponsor & Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend and Antonio Fabela
LETTERING: Albert Deschense
PLOT:
Doctor Strange recounts his clash with the Hood, in which the ex-Sorcerer Supreme got his buttcrack thoroughly sandblasted until Wiccan intervened. Now the New Avengers have to tag along with Strange, following the Eye of Agamotto from potential to potential in a stolen H.A.M.M.E.R. jet in order to crown the new “Captain Magic” and defeat the increasingly unstable Hood. The Eye leads them to New Orleans, presumably to meet Son of Satan, but the Hood reaches him first.
THOUGHTS:
For a team that should be facing their greatest gauntlet yet, the New Avengers haven’t done much but watch TV and chat in the kitchen since the bad guys claimed America. Issue #52 once again weighs heavily on the dialogue. Doctor Strange basically gives our heroes the same spiel Wiccan received last issue and, while not identical, the two conversations overlap on enough points to feel redundant. Now that they have taken on Strange’s mission, I hope to see the Avengers actually avenge something, but overcoming my apathy for Marvel magic will take something pretty epic.
Admittedly, this installment delivers slightly more action than the last, but the art blights it. Chris Bachalo draws a sweet-looking Hood, but his storytelling reeks. I can’t decipher what I’m looking at half the time, let alone discern coherent action.
Nevertheless, this issues improves over the last. The Hood’s internal conflict and budding romance with Madame Masque deepen and humanize the often-lame villain, and Son of Satan’s phone call with Patsy Walker amuses me. I also like Spider-Man’s dissent over using a stolen jet. Making him the team’s moral center may clash with recent portrayals, even portrayals by Bendis, but it’s never too late to start writing a character right. It even creates a unique team dynamic. Usually, moral clarity comes from alpha dogs like Superman or Steve Rogers, who have the force of personality to inspire their comrades to righteousness. Spidey, on the other hand, often comes across as a passive, fish-out-of-water-type character when around other superheroes. Forcing him to overcome that meekness or sacrifice his values has the potential to progress this character, even in the face of Marvel’s reactionary mindset concerning him.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“It holds up his cape, right?”
RATING:
2.5 webheads out of 5. This is classic Bendis writing for the trade.
REVIEWED BY: CrazyChris
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I like The Hood and Madame Masque together
Great review. I’ll wait for the trade. =)
I think it was just when he got angry.
I’m not familiar with this character so I don’t know how “bastardized” he was in this issue. I just thought it was funny seeing a guy with flaming hair and huge pentagram on his chest get all emotional about his ex-wife.
George, I know what you mean about Bendis’ trade writing. When I actually read his stuff in trades, I love it. But reading 22 pages of a trade once a month is frustrating.
“Wait, wait, wait. Not only is Hellstorm in it, but they actually acknowledge his past with Hellcat? Damn it, Bendis, I dropped this book. Let me go!”
If you’re a Hellstorm fan, you won’t want to read this issue. First Bendis punked out Strange, now he’s completely bastardized Daimon and turned him into a manic-depressive stalker.
Marvel, give Daimon back to Ellis. He’s wasted on Astonishing X-Men, he’s got a high enough profile now where the book will sell, and no one wrote Hellstorm better than him.
Dude, he is a pretty sweet artist (for covers anyway). And he is EIC, so if he wants to do a cover, he can do a cover.
I don’t think Spidey needs any more fans like HIM.
I stick with this book and his questionable writing of Spider-Man because I REFUSE to buy any other Spider-Man book at the moment…
and I saw some promo art for ASM #600 by Quesada himself… all right, what’s he trying to pimp out THIS time?!??!
Didn’t he learn with One More Day that his art can’t save jack s*** nowadays?
Yeah, Bendis is a writer who, I think, prefers to write that way. If it’s a way he can write better, that’s cool.
I thought this issue was very mediocre and just a filler issue.
“This is classic Bendis writing for the trade.”
God it’s refreshing to see someone noting that. He’s been doing it since USM #1.