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REVIEW: New Avengers #3
NEW AVENGERS # 3
NEW AVENGERS #3 PREVIEW
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Stuart Immonen
INKS: Wade Von Grawbadger
COLORED BY: Laura Martin
LETTERED BY: Chris Eliopoulos
A lot of big pictures, witty repartee and ghostly demons cohabitate NEW AVENGERS #3, but Ghost Busters this ain’t as Brian Michael Bendis’ meaty story of magic and mysticism slows down a little for … well, nothing.
Oh sure, there is some good character exchanges with Spidey and Ben Grimm (what, no “It’s clobberin’ time”?), Jessica Jones and Victoria Hand (that Nick Fury’s gun?) and Iron Fist and our vociferous mystery entity. But the glue that held it all together from issues #1-2 just seems to be absent this time around.
I know I always say that Bendis cannot write battle scenes and he has proven me wrong, but that old ghost (along with many others from an unidentified dimension) rears its ugly head here. There is a lot of swinging and crashing, but none is key to anything taking place.
We have better luck with Iron Fist in wherever he is with the Eye of Agamottto, and it looks like the Eye is in good hands as Iron First survived the journey to this nether-realm because he is, according to our villain, a highly protected mystic warrior. As Pig Pen said in A Charlie Brown Christmas, “Sorta makes you wanna treat me with more respect, doesn’t it?”
Meanwhile the guys who know about this type of combat – Stephen Strange, Daimon Hellstrom and Jericho Drumm – leave our heroes in a lurch (poof!) while they hightail it to New Orleans to munch mystic wafers and wine while trying to ID the New Avengers’ assailant. Hellstorm and the Doc are not longer possessed (neither is Luke Cage), but that does not keep Daimon from constantly being snarky to our new Sorcerer Supreme. Hmm …
Of course, as usual, the wondrous pencils and inks of Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger keep the script fresh and pleasing to the eye. Although disconnected at times, the splashes are unbelievable in power and detail; Bendis certainly knows when to leave the mood to Immonen and Von Grawbadger in his storytelling. The color art by Laura Martin adds a considerable dimension to all this hubbub.
The real payoff to this tale comes on its final page with the identity of our assailant, apparently the entity Daimon was warning the New Avengers about back during their battle with the Hood and Dormammu. It’s a shocker! Strange thing is, this could’ve been a shocker final page last issue!
All in all, New Avengers may not be at the head of its franchise anymore – love me some Secret Avengers! – but it still earns its place at the LCSs each month!
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