Review: Avengers #1

After nearly a decade of turmoil The Avengers are back to normal, mostly.  The big three of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America are back except Bucky Barnes is now the man behind the shield. Add Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and Hawkeye and you’ve got a hell of a team. I’m pretty excited about this line-up. Wolverine and Spider-Man are pretty blatant popularity moves but bringing Hawkeye and Spider-Woman back into the mix lends a nice touch. The best part of all of this is that they are under the command of Steve Rogers, the new top cop in the Marvel Universe.  So with this cast of characters, were Bendis and Romita Jr. able to deliver? Avengers Assemble!

When I first heard that John Romita Jr would be penciling this series I was pretty nervous. I’ve always liked his style but I didn’t think it would be a good fit for The Avengers.  I couldn’t have been more wrong. Romita Jr.’s pencils bring with them a classic youthful feel that has been missing from the more recent marvel books. Combine this with Klaus Janson’s inks and Dean White's bright colors and you’ve got an art style that takes you right back to the early days of Marvel.

And speaking of the classic days of Marvel, Bendis reaches deep into the sack-o-villains to bring us our antagonist for this premier issue. Who would be worthy to oppose the Avengers in there grand return? Kang the Conqueror. It’s a genius move on Bendis’ part, really. Kang is as classic a villain as it comes and his entrance is nothing short of Monarch worthy. I loved every second he was on the page. Bendis also ties in the Next Avengers animated film from two years ago. I thought this was a great move on his part. The movie was actually pretty fun, and I always thought that universe needed to be expanded. The best part of Bendis’ script focuses on the lingering awkwardness between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. I’m really glad this didn’t get glossed over. The rift between those two old friends is deep and I can’t wait to see the journey to mend it.

Bendis and Romita Jr. have hit it out of the park with this premier Avengers issue. This is a great time to hop on board with the Marvel Universe so you owe it to yourself, whether a hardcore fan or a casual reader, to pick up this issue.