Kevin Powers/David Wallace Comic Reviews

Despite these problems, this is a lot more enjoyable an Avengers comic than we've seen for the past few months, and suggests that the Avengers family of books hasn't necessarily been doomed to mediocrity by the effects of Secret Invasion and "Dark Reign." Having said that, the book still has some work to do if it's to convince me that it's going to be worth following in the wake of those two disappointments. We'll see where it goes from here.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the issue is the fact that this story hasn't been dragged out beyond its natural lifespan. You could argue that the resolution of the plot thread involving Luke and Jessica's baby is a little convenient, as it certainly happened far more quickly than I expected. However, it's one of the first times that I can remember New Avengers setting up a story and following it through to its conclusion without getting sidetracked by unnecessary distractions, or leaving plot points dangling that aren't resolved for months. As such, it can only be seen as an improvement on the pre-Secret Invasion issues -- and those fans who are eager to see tight continuity between this book and Bendis' Dark Avengers title will be pleased by the crossover elements that we see at the end of the issue. I'm still not particularly happy with the "Dark Reign" status quo, but I can't deny that this was a decent read.