NEW AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS VOL. 02 HC (MARVEL COMICS)

PUBLISHER Marvel Comics
WRITER Brian Michael Bendis
ARTIST STUART IMMONEN, DANIEL ACUNA, MIKE DEODATO JR. & HOWARD CHAYKIN
COVER ARTIST Stuart Immonen
PAGES 168
FORMAT Graphic Novel

NEW AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS VOL. 02 HC - Description: Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by STUART IMMONEN, DANIEL ACUNA, MIKE DEODATO JR. & HOWARD CHAYKIN Cover by STUART IMMONEN Of all the mysteries of the Marvel Universe, none are more shocking than the one that will be revealed here. Before S.H.I.E.L.D., before the birth of the super hero, what deep, dark secret has Nick Fury held for all these decades - and how has it come back to terrorize everyone? All will be revealed as writer Brian Michael Bendis teams up with artist Mike Deodato for the first time since their chart-busting run on DARK AVENGERS. And joining them is comics legend Howard Chaykin for Fury flashbacks that will delight and startle you! Collecting NEW AVENGERS (2010) #7-13. 168 pages.

1959: under presidential orders, Nick Fury assembles the first Avengers--Victor Creed. Namora. Kraven the Hunter. Dominick Fortune. Silver Sable. Ulysses Bloodstone. Their mission? Stop the rise of the Red Skull's Fourth Reich--or die trying. Present day: Luke Cage's New Avengrs are settling to life at Avengers Mansion. But as the team begins to gel, Norman Osborn's HAMMER is secretly rebuilding. Stopping these bad guys will test the New Avengers with death and Betrayal--and bring a startling revelation regarding Nick Fury and his 1959 Avengers Initiative.

This particular Avengers team is made up of Spider-Man, Thing, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, Dr. Strange, Jessica Jones, and Victoria Hand. It's a pretty diverse collection of characters, and that's one of its strengths. Some of the best Avengers stories have been those that shove together characters that really don't seem to belong together and force them to solve problems, together, despite their personal differences.

This team of Avengers is still debating on what their exact role is, how closely tied to the government they want to be, and if Jessica Jones will try to be an active member of the team, despite having an infant to care for. The story has a surprise guest star in the form of fan-favorite Squirrel Girl, who comes on board as a regular supporting character to serve as nanny to Luke and Jessica's baby! Fun stuff!

We have another stand-alone story revolving around Luke Cage and Jessica Jones finally going out on a date. So expect a lot of exposition, but if you like this couple (and I do!) then it's fun exposition. The best part of this issue? It's Jessica Jones yelling "Avengers assemble!" into her cell phone.

I like that Jessica Jones has begun to take an active role. I like Wolverine and Hawkeye's "bad cop, worse cop" routine, and even Luke Cage and Iron Fist mimicking Colossus and Logan's fastball special. I LOVE Deodato's half-paged layout in which the Fist gets to demonstrate his sheer badassery. By issue #13, Bendis has come clean with the explanations, as the 1959 and the present-day arcs converge onto the mortally-injured Avenger, leaving us with an intriguing cliffhanger. I have to believe that, somewhere in stir, Norman Osborne is flashing that goblin grin.

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