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New Avengers (2013) (Collected Editions)
New Avengers, Vol. 2: Infinity
Infinity Tie-In!
Who is the secret member of the Illuminati that many of the members don’t know about? And how does Black Bolt, mute monarch of the Inhumans, lie to his teammates? As the cold war between Wakanda and Atlantis heats up into a full-scale conflict, casualties begin to pile up — and an Illuminati member is forced to make a hard choice. But when an Inhuman learns of the Illuminati’s plans, everything falls apart. And as Thanos’ forces invade Earth, the Illuminati take to the front lines — and the House of Black Bolt cracks! How is Maximus the Mad involved, and what secret desires does Thanos harbor? As the battle for Earth continues, the Builders arrive — what an awful time for the Illuminati to face another incursion!
COLLECTING: NEW AVENGERS 7-12
Who is the secret member of the Illuminati that many of the members don’t know about? And how does Black Bolt, mute monarch of the Inhumans, lie to his teammates? As the cold war between Wakanda and Atlantis heats up into a full-scale conflict, casualties begin to pile up — and an Illuminati member is forced to make a hard choice. But when an Inhuman learns of the Illuminati’s plans, everything falls apart. And as Thanos’ forces invade Earth, the Illuminati take to the front lines — and the House of Black Bolt cracks! How is Maximus the Mad involved, and what secret desires does Thanos harbor? As the battle for Earth continues, the Builders arrive — what an awful time for the Illuminati to face another incursion!
COLLECTING: NEW AVENGERS 7-12
144 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2013
32 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Hickman
1,221 books2,027 followersJonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
August 8, 2015
So.
I thought I had read volume one of this title.
Sadly, no.
I read this
. And what I actually needed to have read was this
.
Fuck you, Marvel. And fuck all your confusing titles!
Avengers, Mighty Avengers, The Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers...
*spits on ground*
Because evidently when I'm angry, I turn into a llama...
It's possible that I'm the only one who has this problem.
Except I'm not!
Anyhoo. Since I'm not one to let a little something like total confusion stop me, I pasted a smile on my face and just kept reading.
And you know what?
This was still a really cool book!
I didn't really understand any of the backstory, but it was so good that I flew through it anyway.
It's all about the Illuminati, and some big cataclysm that's going to rock the universe if they don't figure out a way to stop it.
There's this cool side-story involving Namor and Black Panther, too. Their kingdoms are at war (for some reason), and there's lots of shifty things going on... And I still have no idea what's going down, but it seems very interesting.
Black Bolt and his crazy brother are building some machine-thingy, and it... Well, I'm not sure what it does, but it doesn't look very nice. Is Black Bolt evil? Good? Under some sort of mind control? Again. No idea.
So my original plan was to go back to the library and find New Avengers, Vol. 1: Everything Dies.
But it turns out my library doesn't have the right volume 1.
*shakes fist*
Damn you, Marvel!
I thought I had read volume one of this title.
Sadly, no.
I read this
. And what I actually needed to have read was this
.Fuck you, Marvel. And fuck all your confusing titles!
Avengers, Mighty Avengers, The Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers...
*spits on ground*
Because evidently when I'm angry, I turn into a llama...
It's possible that I'm the only one who has this problem.
Except I'm not!
Anyhoo. Since I'm not one to let a little something like total confusion stop me, I pasted a smile on my face and just kept reading.
And you know what?
This was still a really cool book!
I didn't really understand any of the backstory, but it was so good that I flew through it anyway.
It's all about the Illuminati, and some big cataclysm that's going to rock the universe if they don't figure out a way to stop it.
There's this cool side-story involving Namor and Black Panther, too. Their kingdoms are at war (for some reason), and there's lots of shifty things going on... And I still have no idea what's going down, but it seems very interesting.
Black Bolt and his crazy brother are building some machine-thingy, and it... Well, I'm not sure what it does, but it doesn't look very nice. Is Black Bolt evil? Good? Under some sort of mind control? Again. No idea.
So my original plan was to go back to the library and find New Avengers, Vol. 1: Everything Dies.
But it turns out my library doesn't have the right volume 1.
*shakes fist*
Damn you, Marvel!
November 10, 2015
This is what happens when a cross-over event (Infinity) gets smooshed together with Jonathan Hickman’s Time’s-Running-Out-Because-Universes-are-Blowing-Up-and-it’s-Only-a-Matter-of-Time-Until-It’s-Our-Turn-and-Screw-You-Mr. Hypen-You’re-the-Bastard-of-Punctuation super-long term comic book event.
Yum!!
Marvel’s nerds, the Illuminati, are still playing at the Sky is Falling/Chicken Little game. Plus, there’s some petty squabbling among its members as Namor and T’Challa decide to have a pissing contest, leading to war between each other’s nations, when intergalactic butt head, Mr. Thanos, decides to make a social call (i.e. invade the Earth), ostensibly to hunt down the Infinity Gems, but he has a hidden agenda (cuz he’s evil and crafty).
From here the reader is bounced around and given short glimpses of Thanos Vs. the Earth at different locales. Nothing substantial, just enough to whet your appetite if you wish to keep reading to Infinity and beyond.
Spoiler: Thanos gets his ass kicked (elsewhere) and the Earth wins!
Bottom line: I hate these plot Jumbles that comic companies publish and expect the reader to fork over money and sit there scratching their heads as they read. This isn’t a new complaint from me, and this one is one of less egregious examples, but still, just STOP!!
Caveat Emptor!!!
Yum!!
Marvel’s nerds, the Illuminati, are still playing at the Sky is Falling/Chicken Little game. Plus, there’s some petty squabbling among its members as Namor and T’Challa decide to have a pissing contest, leading to war between each other’s nations, when intergalactic butt head, Mr. Thanos, decides to make a social call (i.e. invade the Earth), ostensibly to hunt down the Infinity Gems, but he has a hidden agenda (cuz he’s evil and crafty).
From here the reader is bounced around and given short glimpses of Thanos Vs. the Earth at different locales. Nothing substantial, just enough to whet your appetite if you wish to keep reading to Infinity and beyond.
Spoiler: Thanos gets his ass kicked (elsewhere) and the Earth wins!
Bottom line: I hate these plot Jumbles that comic companies publish and expect the reader to fork over money and sit there scratching their heads as they read. This isn’t a new complaint from me, and this one is one of less egregious examples, but still, just STOP!!
Caveat Emptor!!!
March 24, 2015
Oh, Jonathan Hickman, New Avengers was supposed to be your good Avengers comic! So what happened? One word: Infinity. Boooooo!
A long time coming, Black Panther and Namor finallyhave sex fight each other, Wakanda leading the hostilities against Atlantis for what Namor did during AVX under the influence of the Phoenix Force. Then Thanos invades, looking for the Infinity Gems and… something else… and that takes up the rest of the book. Hickman touches on the world’s colliding storyline from the first book briefly at the end to give it the semblance of connection to the series but this still feels like a jumbled assortment of odds and sods.
It’s weird how Hickman’s written Black Panther: a loner who hangs out in The Necropolis all day with giant bombs, plotting nation building, like a superhero Unabomber! I don’t know much about the character but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t this nuts before. That’s partly the problem though: I don’t know or care much about Black Panther or Namor so seeing the two fight isn’t satisfying or very interesting. I just thought, these guys are supposed to be super-smart - they’re part of the elite Illuminati, which is what this book really is, not an Avengers comic - but instead they’re having a pissing contest like a pair of Hulks. Hmm...
Then we get to the Infinity stuff which are the side issues in between the main event so if you haven’t read that you might find this collection a bit puzzling. One minute Thanos invades, then Atlantis is surrendering, then Black Bolt’s set off a bomb, there’s talk of someone important who Thanos is here to see, then it’s over and Thanos is defeated. Wha… huh?! I didn’t like Infinity and I liked the side-issues even less.
Here’s a good example of why this book story is so unengaging: a fleet of Thanos’ ships invades Wakanda led by one his lieutenants, Black Dwarf (who is neither black nor a dwarf). We see Black Panther and Wakandan forces firing guns at Thanos’ troops, we see Thanos’ troops firing back at the Wakandan forces - but what are we seeing and why is it important? Are the Wakandans outnumbered? Where are Black Dwarf’s forces attacking and why? Who’s winning - can we bring the view to look over the battle for some perspective?
But no, characters fire guns while spouting exposition, Black Panther wrestles Black Dwarf who eventually slinks off defeated. Oh, uh, yay? Hickman is a big picture kinda writer - HUGE battles, alien army invades Wakanda, HUGE guns, tons of destruction!! Ok, moving onto the next big thing... - but the details matter in making what we’re seeing seem significant to the reader. Of course I’m not going to care about this sequence - no care is taken by the writer in crafting a convincing or meaningful battle scene in the first place, it’s just a generic battle!
Nonsense prevails and Infinity plays itself out (and if you don’t know Infinity’s story, lucky you!) as Black Swan (does every other character have “black” as a prefix in their name!?) reminds us that the Illuminati were supposed to figure out how to save Earth from multiple planets crashing together but by then I’d lost all interest. Eh, they probably figure something out in the next book, I don’t need to read that to find out.
Mike Deodato’s art isn’t bad except for a few pixelated-looking panels and repeated drawings - such is the price of drawing monthly comics. I preferred Steve Epting’s art from the first book but then that’s the story of this volume 2, isn’t it? The first one was so much better!
Like all cursed events, Infinity disrupted a good series by throwing it wildly off course. Infinity tie-ins litter this volume, giving it this a very uneven reading experience. Bah, yet more disappointing comics from Hickman!
A long time coming, Black Panther and Namor finally
It’s weird how Hickman’s written Black Panther: a loner who hangs out in The Necropolis all day with giant bombs, plotting nation building, like a superhero Unabomber! I don’t know much about the character but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t this nuts before. That’s partly the problem though: I don’t know or care much about Black Panther or Namor so seeing the two fight isn’t satisfying or very interesting. I just thought, these guys are supposed to be super-smart - they’re part of the elite Illuminati, which is what this book really is, not an Avengers comic - but instead they’re having a pissing contest like a pair of Hulks. Hmm...
Then we get to the Infinity stuff which are the side issues in between the main event so if you haven’t read that you might find this collection a bit puzzling. One minute Thanos invades, then Atlantis is surrendering, then Black Bolt’s set off a bomb, there’s talk of someone important who Thanos is here to see, then it’s over and Thanos is defeated. Wha… huh?! I didn’t like Infinity and I liked the side-issues even less.
Here’s a good example of why this book story is so unengaging: a fleet of Thanos’ ships invades Wakanda led by one his lieutenants, Black Dwarf (who is neither black nor a dwarf). We see Black Panther and Wakandan forces firing guns at Thanos’ troops, we see Thanos’ troops firing back at the Wakandan forces - but what are we seeing and why is it important? Are the Wakandans outnumbered? Where are Black Dwarf’s forces attacking and why? Who’s winning - can we bring the view to look over the battle for some perspective?
But no, characters fire guns while spouting exposition, Black Panther wrestles Black Dwarf who eventually slinks off defeated. Oh, uh, yay? Hickman is a big picture kinda writer - HUGE battles, alien army invades Wakanda, HUGE guns, tons of destruction!! Ok, moving onto the next big thing... - but the details matter in making what we’re seeing seem significant to the reader. Of course I’m not going to care about this sequence - no care is taken by the writer in crafting a convincing or meaningful battle scene in the first place, it’s just a generic battle!
Nonsense prevails and Infinity plays itself out (and if you don’t know Infinity’s story, lucky you!) as Black Swan (does every other character have “black” as a prefix in their name!?) reminds us that the Illuminati were supposed to figure out how to save Earth from multiple planets crashing together but by then I’d lost all interest. Eh, they probably figure something out in the next book, I don’t need to read that to find out.
Mike Deodato’s art isn’t bad except for a few pixelated-looking panels and repeated drawings - such is the price of drawing monthly comics. I preferred Steve Epting’s art from the first book but then that’s the story of this volume 2, isn’t it? The first one was so much better!
Like all cursed events, Infinity disrupted a good series by throwing it wildly off course. Infinity tie-ins litter this volume, giving it this a very uneven reading experience. Bah, yet more disappointing comics from Hickman!
January 17, 2015
Welcome to Marvel Event #403: Infinity. Space, multiverses, inter-world wars, and not one crisis but multiple end-times threats to keep us busy. Lorded over by the king of Big Politics, Jonathan Hickman, the three main books were written contiguously by him so I just wrote my effusive review of all three as one.
This event in big strokes is cold, masculine, destructive, but also intriguing, political and big-thinking. High concept doesn't begin to describe it - why have one concept and ultimate struggle when you can have three or four at once?
Big. Politics. War. Not much on the personal relationships. Posturing? Down cold. T'challa and Namor standing off is good for the Game of Thrones set. It's all male bravado, honour and quiet sacrifice.
While I don't notice myself *smiling* much in Hickman's Infinity books, I'm riveted by the way he creates and weaves the politicking, the big war maneuvers and the moments between while warriors catch their breath.
I don't know that this is a particularly male approach to writing, or a form of masculinity when it congeals, but there's something big and not-quite-personal in most every issue he's writing in the three books (Infinity, Avengers and New Avengers), and he doesn't linger on any scene long enough for it to go stale.
Instead we're being whisked from one galactic war theatre to another torture prison to a council chamber, and seeing suspense and dread build at a slow, torturous crawl. Big battles and betrayals happen along the way, sure, but the bigger meanings and purposes are painfully withheld. Damn you Hickman, if there's one thing you do well it's keep us from knowing what you already know.
The most fascinating part of my experience of reading this Event is how plain spoken and easy to follow the storyline is. Even when introducing new terminology and concepts, the overall high concept of "universes colliding, earths in danger" is incredibly simple, and Hickman's obsession with using visual motifs, illustrative graphics and chapter headings keeps the low-level details from overwhelming the flow of this story.
That said, to get full enjoyment out of reading this event I highly recommend following the reading order I slavishly obeyed:
http://www.comicbookherald.com/the-co...
That reading order is essential to making it through Infinity in one piece - and I really enjoyed the story and its derivatives when read in proper (story, not necessarily publication) order. I was blown away that this event not only had a clear main story but even kept the derivatives from feeling bolted on or shoehorned into the Corporate Profit Projection.
The Avengers team are cool in such broad and unusual ways - dudes like Hyperion and Smasher are oddballs I haven't seen much of outside of Hickman, and while Hyperion is just beyond, Smasher is nearly charming under Hickman's hand.
The New Avengers/Illuminati aren't exactly Avengers as a public team-up but they're a blast nonetheless. Gotta thank Bendis for coining the concept. A secretive, stains-on-their-souls bunch of heroes trying to keep the planet together (and doing all sorts of near-evil in its name) just has so many depths to plumb and we're not nearly at rock bottom yet.
Overall, I liked what this story brought to Marvel: new creation myths, an ongoing universe threat that keeps throbbing, a sense of cohesion between Avengers and Marvel cosmic that I didn't feel before, parallel running stories that didn't end up feeling overwhelming or competitive, and a new perspective on who's worthy just by showing up and making good. (Captain Marvel is just there with no question, Smasher indeed, Guardians yes, and even weaker powers like Hawkeye and Spider-Woman just kept trying even when they're clearly outclassed.)
What's awesome about the "end" of this event is the momentum keeps rolling into future stories/mini-events - like this is in an ongoing universe, rather than a reset-and-happily-ever-after tale outside and apart from continuity. God help me, I'm looking at you AvX - it's like Hope Summers died, she's been so absent since.
This event in big strokes is cold, masculine, destructive, but also intriguing, political and big-thinking. High concept doesn't begin to describe it - why have one concept and ultimate struggle when you can have three or four at once?
Big. Politics. War. Not much on the personal relationships. Posturing? Down cold. T'challa and Namor standing off is good for the Game of Thrones set. It's all male bravado, honour and quiet sacrifice.
While I don't notice myself *smiling* much in Hickman's Infinity books, I'm riveted by the way he creates and weaves the politicking, the big war maneuvers and the moments between while warriors catch their breath.
I don't know that this is a particularly male approach to writing, or a form of masculinity when it congeals, but there's something big and not-quite-personal in most every issue he's writing in the three books (Infinity, Avengers and New Avengers), and he doesn't linger on any scene long enough for it to go stale.
Instead we're being whisked from one galactic war theatre to another torture prison to a council chamber, and seeing suspense and dread build at a slow, torturous crawl. Big battles and betrayals happen along the way, sure, but the bigger meanings and purposes are painfully withheld. Damn you Hickman, if there's one thing you do well it's keep us from knowing what you already know.
The most fascinating part of my experience of reading this Event is how plain spoken and easy to follow the storyline is. Even when introducing new terminology and concepts, the overall high concept of "universes colliding, earths in danger" is incredibly simple, and Hickman's obsession with using visual motifs, illustrative graphics and chapter headings keeps the low-level details from overwhelming the flow of this story.
That said, to get full enjoyment out of reading this event I highly recommend following the reading order I slavishly obeyed:
http://www.comicbookherald.com/the-co...
That reading order is essential to making it through Infinity in one piece - and I really enjoyed the story and its derivatives when read in proper (story, not necessarily publication) order. I was blown away that this event not only had a clear main story but even kept the derivatives from feeling bolted on or shoehorned into the Corporate Profit Projection.
The Avengers team are cool in such broad and unusual ways - dudes like Hyperion and Smasher are oddballs I haven't seen much of outside of Hickman, and while Hyperion is just beyond, Smasher is nearly charming under Hickman's hand.
The New Avengers/Illuminati aren't exactly Avengers as a public team-up but they're a blast nonetheless. Gotta thank Bendis for coining the concept. A secretive, stains-on-their-souls bunch of heroes trying to keep the planet together (and doing all sorts of near-evil in its name) just has so many depths to plumb and we're not nearly at rock bottom yet.
Overall, I liked what this story brought to Marvel: new creation myths, an ongoing universe threat that keeps throbbing, a sense of cohesion between Avengers and Marvel cosmic that I didn't feel before, parallel running stories that didn't end up feeling overwhelming or competitive, and a new perspective on who's worthy just by showing up and making good. (Captain Marvel is just there with no question, Smasher indeed, Guardians yes, and even weaker powers like Hawkeye and Spider-Woman just kept trying even when they're clearly outclassed.)
What's awesome about the "end" of this event is the momentum keeps rolling into future stories/mini-events - like this is in an ongoing universe, rather than a reset-and-happily-ever-after tale outside and apart from continuity. God help me, I'm looking at you AvX - it's like Hope Summers died, she's been so absent since.
June 17, 2022
Epic, exciting, but it doesn't really tell a coherent story. Mike Deodato's art is lush, vibrant, and dynamic, as always. He's one of my favorite Marvel illos. While Hickman is indeed a gifted storyteller, the narrative text of this comic, rendered entirely in dialogue, is full of awkward and ungrammatical sentences and phrases. I admit, I expected somewhat more.
October 1, 2018
*Sighs*
"You could've been great, you know?"
I hate tie-in books. In the time I've been reading Marvel comics, I can count on one hand the number of tie in books I actually liked. Not sure if Civil War: Frontline counts but Iron Man's Civil War tie ins and Cap's were pretty good. I enjoyed Ms. Marvel's Secret Invasion tie ins and the Power Man and Iron Fist CWII tie ins were pretty great. Aside from those, tie in books are a huge disappointment for me. And an even bigger bummer because Marvel likes to do events every two weeks it seems.
EDIT: Having read Infinity now... this still isn't great. All it did was give me more context for the stupid event ruining this book.
Hickman is doing something really interesting with Namor and T'Challa. I am not entirely sure why Atlantis attacked Wakanda before the start of this series but it's causing some conflict. T'Challa has to meet with Namor to discuss how to stop the incursions and for some reason that means meeting in Necropolis. Which leads to some situations that inadvertently (or intentionally?) give the impression that T'Challa's sort of having an affair with Wakanda's Most Wanted. T'Challa would like nothing more than to kill Namor but the rule of the Illuminati prevents this and he also knows he needs Namor.
So here we have this intriguing conflict within T'Challa as he has to reconcile the needs and protection of his people with his alliance with Namor. It's wonderful! I love the way Hickman writes Namor's dialogue; he's so smug but clearly vengeful because he ends up losing something great during this conflict.
So, this is a wonderfully complex plot and Infinity is running straight through it because Marvel. It's a bummer.
So, the arc with Namor and T'Challa is 5 stars. The arc with Thanos is 1 star. Together, it evens out to 3 stars.
"You could've been great, you know?"
I hate tie-in books. In the time I've been reading Marvel comics, I can count on one hand the number of tie in books I actually liked. Not sure if Civil War: Frontline counts but Iron Man's Civil War tie ins and Cap's were pretty good. I enjoyed Ms. Marvel's Secret Invasion tie ins and the Power Man and Iron Fist CWII tie ins were pretty great. Aside from those, tie in books are a huge disappointment for me. And an even bigger bummer because Marvel likes to do events every two weeks it seems.
EDIT: Having read Infinity now... this still isn't great. All it did was give me more context for the stupid event ruining this book.
Hickman is doing something really interesting with Namor and T'Challa. I am not entirely sure why Atlantis attacked Wakanda before the start of this series but it's causing some conflict. T'Challa has to meet with Namor to discuss how to stop the incursions and for some reason that means meeting in Necropolis. Which leads to some situations that inadvertently (or intentionally?) give the impression that T'Challa's sort of having an affair with Wakanda's Most Wanted. T'Challa would like nothing more than to kill Namor but the rule of the Illuminati prevents this and he also knows he needs Namor.
So here we have this intriguing conflict within T'Challa as he has to reconcile the needs and protection of his people with his alliance with Namor. It's wonderful! I love the way Hickman writes Namor's dialogue; he's so smug but clearly vengeful because he ends up losing something great during this conflict.
So, this is a wonderfully complex plot and Infinity is running straight through it because Marvel. It's a bummer.
So, the arc with Namor and T'Challa is 5 stars. The arc with Thanos is 1 star. Together, it evens out to 3 stars.
June 10, 2021
This is the dark underbelly of Hickmans Infinity as here he focuses on the end of the world or rather the multiverse but before that he chooses to show the war between Black Panther and Namor's kingdoms and then the Black order invade and all that follow, Black Bolt vs Thanos and all that entails and who wins and who looses and the real motive of Thanos and a good meeting between Illuminati and Builders showing them what they actually need to do and then ends with stuff saved for the future which will have a big pay off.
I really like how this book is too dark and the art helps it and just showcases the extreme paths that intelligent men with resources will take when faced with unending abyss and how will the choices take them to paths which they would never have taken being heroes. The philosophical arguments are just waiting to be had and also the way things end for Black Panther and Black Bolt especially changes their characters fundamentally for all time and were they extreme choices? Yes. Were they good for their kingdoms? Absolutely yet some consider them as not heroes.
Also I am loving the focus on Iron Man as he ties all of this together and is one of the focal points of this whole run.
I really like how this book is too dark and the art helps it and just showcases the extreme paths that intelligent men with resources will take when faced with unending abyss and how will the choices take them to paths which they would never have taken being heroes. The philosophical arguments are just waiting to be had and also the way things end for Black Panther and Black Bolt especially changes their characters fundamentally for all time and were they extreme choices? Yes. Were they good for their kingdoms? Absolutely yet some consider them as not heroes.
Also I am loving the focus on Iron Man as he ties all of this together and is one of the focal points of this whole run.
August 10, 2015
I am not sure why this was in a separate book since over half of it is from volume one. I can only fathom they made more than expected on volume 1 so they tried to make more by doing a partial Platinum Extended Edition.
Otherwise a very good story with kudos to two superheroes going to war against one another.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
Otherwise a very good story with kudos to two superheroes going to war against one another.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
February 17, 2014
The title of this New Avengers collection is Infinity because it ties in seamlessly with Jonathan Hickman's Infinity event for Marvel. That fits into Infinity is no surprise because he is also the regular writer of the New Avengers.
This collection works better integrated with the Infinty miniseries ifs arranged in the correct sequence as intended by Hickman with its sister book Avengers. But it could also work as a standalone if one only follwed this title. Reading this collection alone, one would be treated to vignettes of what the cast was doing during Thanos' invasion of Earth.
The overarching theme of this story-line appears to be kings and the hard decisions they have to make. The Illuminati have three kings in their brotherhood and they figure prominently here. Since this is mostly a Black Panther book, a lot of pages are dedicated to his rivalry with fellow monarch, Namor. He promised to kill the Atlantean king early on in the series once their business with the incursions are done. One could not avoid looking at how similar these two characters are. Both are rulers of a proud culture, both have countries with superior technology and both are as stubborn like no else in the world.
Black Bolt is the third king in the brotherhood and his entire kingdom is truly in peril, being in the sights of Thanos. I really like his interaction with Maximus here, himself a former king who usurped his brother and was subsequently deposed by him. He made the most of the panels he was in. He definitely is a character to watch.
This collection works better integrated with the Infinty miniseries ifs arranged in the correct sequence as intended by Hickman with its sister book Avengers. But it could also work as a standalone if one only follwed this title. Reading this collection alone, one would be treated to vignettes of what the cast was doing during Thanos' invasion of Earth.
The overarching theme of this story-line appears to be kings and the hard decisions they have to make. The Illuminati have three kings in their brotherhood and they figure prominently here. Since this is mostly a Black Panther book, a lot of pages are dedicated to his rivalry with fellow monarch, Namor. He promised to kill the Atlantean king early on in the series once their business with the incursions are done. One could not avoid looking at how similar these two characters are. Both are rulers of a proud culture, both have countries with superior technology and both are as stubborn like no else in the world.
Black Bolt is the third king in the brotherhood and his entire kingdom is truly in peril, being in the sights of Thanos. I really like his interaction with Maximus here, himself a former king who usurped his brother and was subsequently deposed by him. He made the most of the panels he was in. He definitely is a character to watch.
March 6, 2016
For a story about the END OF THE WORLD this was surprisingly not compelling. Was it how little everything made sense, despite how much people tried to explain it in clumsy info-dumps? Was it how much the heroes acted like jerks? Was it how uninteresting I found the "moral dilemma"? A little of everything really. I won't be pursuing this series.
August 2, 2015
Pushed through this to get past the Infinity nonsense. Glad it's over. Let's move on shall we?
July 6, 2014
So I looked, and I read Vol. 1 in September! That means I've waited 10 MONTHS for this to appear at my library...It was worth the wait.
Jonathan Hickman has a phenomenal imagination, and nothing is small scale for him, it's always big. That can be dangerous (see: Bay, Michael) but it can also work very well if you manage to ground it by having the 'human' connection (or mutant, Inhuman, etc. but you get my point). Hickman's able to continue on very well in this second volume because he can write these characters as actual people, and their relationships feel authentic, which gives their actions and deeds far more import.
The artwork by Mike Deodato is superb, and matches up very well with the story that Hickman is telling. Sometimes you have great art, but not so great writing, and sometimes the story is great but the art lets it down; however, here, the partnership is bang-on.
I also greatly appreciated the little "Previously in New Avengers" sections, as they help summarize what's just gone on, so as not to require me to go back and re-read pages and pages (though I did anyhow, just because I wanted to, and enjoyed this so much).
When this starts, we pick up with the Illuminati...I mean the New Avengers, and their knowledge of Universes and alternate places destroying each other, and having prepared to save Earth and this dimension/universe from destruction by perpetrating death on a larger scale than most of their worst enemies ever did. That in and of itself is enough for a whole series, but Hickman puts the pressure up even more. T'Challa and Namor are at odds over war between Wakanda and Atlantis, and it will only get worse, Reed and Tony are building doomsday machines to destroy more parallel dying worlds, and Black Bolt and his brother are up to all kinds of seemingly evil things. (However, considering they've all had a hand in destroying another universe, maybe the scale of what Black Bolt is doing isn't all THAT bad...).
Usually I don't care for in-fighting and secret agenda stuff, because it isn't done well most of the time. However, Hickman never forgets that these are actual beings with emotions and has them act as such. Namor and T'Challa are very strained and at each other, but over the course of things, you see that they are far more similar than they would ever admit. Tony has been in deep space and seen all kinds of things (including adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy - and he still wears his deep space Iron Man suit) so isn't going to judge either. Reed isn't even in the same dimension or time, and the rest of the FF is there, so no one is squeaky clean; everyone is involved, and everyone discusses it too, no one just pretends that everything is alright.
Then the whole Infinity 'Event' happens. I thought as far as events go, it wasn't too bad, but then again, I only have read it through the New Avengers tales. I thought the baddies on the Black Order were pretty decent and good matches for most of the gang.
Pretty much everything gets pushed to the edge and nearly boils over, in some cases it does. Tony and Reed are left alone defending NYC when the Avengers are tricked into Space, Namor and T'Challa must defend their kingdoms, Hank McCoy is at the Jean Grey School alongside Wolverine and co., all kinds of shit goes down, and it just feels cosmically big. It feels like Hickman just manages to keep things from going off in all directions, like riding the storm. If he can keep it up, and not lose control of the book, then it's going to continue to be must-read.
Should I maybe read some more of the Infinity saga? Anyone?
Anyhow, this is a very very good book. I enjoyed it tremendously, even if it really is the Illuminati. Even if the cover is nearly identical to Vol. 1 (both Red/Black shadows).
This is just a cool cosmic book of ideas and grand scale done right with a nice mix of character development and relationships being tested. I cannot wait to see where it goes from here...
Jonathan Hickman has a phenomenal imagination, and nothing is small scale for him, it's always big. That can be dangerous (see: Bay, Michael) but it can also work very well if you manage to ground it by having the 'human' connection (or mutant, Inhuman, etc. but you get my point). Hickman's able to continue on very well in this second volume because he can write these characters as actual people, and their relationships feel authentic, which gives their actions and deeds far more import.
The artwork by Mike Deodato is superb, and matches up very well with the story that Hickman is telling. Sometimes you have great art, but not so great writing, and sometimes the story is great but the art lets it down; however, here, the partnership is bang-on.
I also greatly appreciated the little "Previously in New Avengers" sections, as they help summarize what's just gone on, so as not to require me to go back and re-read pages and pages (though I did anyhow, just because I wanted to, and enjoyed this so much).
When this starts, we pick up with the Illuminati...I mean the New Avengers, and their knowledge of Universes and alternate places destroying each other, and having prepared to save Earth and this dimension/universe from destruction by perpetrating death on a larger scale than most of their worst enemies ever did. That in and of itself is enough for a whole series, but Hickman puts the pressure up even more. T'Challa and Namor are at odds over war between Wakanda and Atlantis, and it will only get worse, Reed and Tony are building doomsday machines to destroy more parallel dying worlds, and Black Bolt and his brother are up to all kinds of seemingly evil things. (However, considering they've all had a hand in destroying another universe, maybe the scale of what Black Bolt is doing isn't all THAT bad...).
Usually I don't care for in-fighting and secret agenda stuff, because it isn't done well most of the time. However, Hickman never forgets that these are actual beings with emotions and has them act as such. Namor and T'Challa are very strained and at each other, but over the course of things, you see that they are far more similar than they would ever admit. Tony has been in deep space and seen all kinds of things (including adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy - and he still wears his deep space Iron Man suit) so isn't going to judge either. Reed isn't even in the same dimension or time, and the rest of the FF is there, so no one is squeaky clean; everyone is involved, and everyone discusses it too, no one just pretends that everything is alright.
Then the whole Infinity 'Event' happens. I thought as far as events go, it wasn't too bad, but then again, I only have read it through the New Avengers tales. I thought the baddies on the Black Order were pretty decent and good matches for most of the gang.
Pretty much everything gets pushed to the edge and nearly boils over, in some cases it does. Tony and Reed are left alone defending NYC when the Avengers are tricked into Space, Namor and T'Challa must defend their kingdoms, Hank McCoy is at the Jean Grey School alongside Wolverine and co., all kinds of shit goes down, and it just feels cosmically big. It feels like Hickman just manages to keep things from going off in all directions, like riding the storm. If he can keep it up, and not lose control of the book, then it's going to continue to be must-read.
Should I maybe read some more of the Infinity saga? Anyone?
Anyhow, this is a very very good book. I enjoyed it tremendously, even if it really is the Illuminati. Even if the cover is nearly identical to Vol. 1 (both Red/Black shadows).
This is just a cool cosmic book of ideas and grand scale done right with a nice mix of character development and relationships being tested. I cannot wait to see where it goes from here...
Read
February 21, 2018I can't rate this book since it's simply illegible if you're not reading the Infinity mini-series at the same time. Stay away from this book if you don't intend to read the main event.
Deodato does the job on the drawing board without much inspiration and that's about all I can say.
Deodato does the job on the drawing board without much inspiration and that's about all I can say.
March 24, 2025
4,4/5 ⭐️
🇵🇱
Recenzja zbiorcza dla całego wydarzenia nieskończoności ( avengers + new avengers )
Kosmiczne walki niczym gwiezdne wojny 😂 budowniczowie i Thanos.. niby koniec Ziemii, a jednak początek końca i preludium przed jeszcze silniejszymi wrogami..
🇺🇸
Summary review for the entire Infinity event (avengers + new avengers)
Space battles like Star Wars 😂 builders and Thanos.. like the end of the Earth, yet the beginning of the end and the prelude to even stronger enemies..
🇵🇱
Recenzja zbiorcza dla całego wydarzenia nieskończoności ( avengers + new avengers )
Kosmiczne walki niczym gwiezdne wojny 😂 budowniczowie i Thanos.. niby koniec Ziemii, a jednak początek końca i preludium przed jeszcze silniejszymi wrogami..
🇺🇸
Summary review for the entire Infinity event (avengers + new avengers)
Space battles like Star Wars 😂 builders and Thanos.. like the end of the Earth, yet the beginning of the end and the prelude to even stronger enemies..
October 6, 2016
Lots of hard decisions were made and two kingdoms fell already which is impressive. Wish I could have seen it , its kinda hard to follow in comics as one panel they're building something or preparing to battle and the next volume they used it off screen (probably in other comic I haven't read). It can get very convoluted.
Also Namor made a good point, the Illuminati keep compromising their moral compass more and more. Still I'm not sure what other options they have (Cap's idealism is great but risking the entire world for their morality is worse), if only they could be more forthright with what they tell their allies.
Also Namor made a good point, the Illuminati keep compromising their moral compass more and more. Still I'm not sure what other options they have (Cap's idealism is great but risking the entire world for their morality is worse), if only they could be more forthright with what they tell their allies.
January 30, 2023
Infinity hikayesini sevsem de bu kitap tek başına bir bütünlük sağlamıyor. Sadece New Avengers serisini okuyacak olan biri bu kitabı okuduğunda bölümler arası ne oluyor ne bitiyor anlamasına imkan yok. Büyük olaylarla bağlantılı seri kitaplarda genelde yine büyük olaya dair bir şeyler anlatılsa da kendi içinde bir hikaye anlatılır. "O olurken bir yandan da bu oluyormuş" deriz okurken. Burada komple başka bir kitaptan kırpılmış şeyler görüyoruz.
Infinity hikayesinde Illuminati tarafını görüyoruz bu kitapta. Wakanda ile Atlantis arasındaki gerginlik iyice tırmanıyor. Birbirlerine saldırıp duran bu iki krallık en sonunda Black Order tarafından istila ediliyor. Wakanda düşmanlarını püskürtse de Atlantis için durumlar farklı. Wakanda saldırısından yeni çıkmışken, henüz toparlanamamış Atlantis Black Order'a diz çöküyor. Dr. Strange Ebony Maw'a yenilmiş ama mücadele ettiğini görebilseydik. Halbuki biri yenilmeyecekse o olur diye düşünmüştüm.
Son bölümde kahramanlarımız biraz olsun rahatlayacak gibi olurken aslında zor zamanların başlamayı geçmiş, gelmekte olduğunu öğreniyorlar. Secret Wars'a giden yolda bu tip konuşmalara sıkça maruz kalacağız gibi.
Infinity hikayesinde Illuminati tarafını görüyoruz bu kitapta. Wakanda ile Atlantis arasındaki gerginlik iyice tırmanıyor. Birbirlerine saldırıp duran bu iki krallık en sonunda Black Order tarafından istila ediliyor. Wakanda düşmanlarını püskürtse de Atlantis için durumlar farklı. Wakanda saldırısından yeni çıkmışken, henüz toparlanamamış Atlantis Black Order'a diz çöküyor. Dr. Strange Ebony Maw'a yenilmiş ama mücadele ettiğini görebilseydik. Halbuki biri yenilmeyecekse o olur diye düşünmüştüm.
Son bölümde kahramanlarımız biraz olsun rahatlayacak gibi olurken aslında zor zamanların başlamayı geçmiş, gelmekte olduğunu öğreniyorlar. Secret Wars'a giden yolda bu tip konuşmalara sıkça maruz kalacağız gibi.
July 30, 2025
Revisiting this series 2 years later has been an absolute delight. It's so much better to read new avengers straight through, the whole plot thoroughline makes 200% more sense to me than it did before to where I'm wondering if I even was literate back then. Hickman has endless sauce, and I love how the incursions are weaved into the background of the ongoing Thanos invasion. You feel pulled in both directions, knowing how insanely dangerous Thanos is but also are frustrated that there isn't more time to deal with the incursions, a gradual threat that does indeed make purple Josh Brolin into a fly in comparison. Great, maybe even masterful, push and pull of tensions here. And it's so crazy Hickman manages to put an omnibus-defining event (inhumanity, wakanda v. atlantis) in every single issue... jesus. I think wakanda v. atlantis was unbelievably exciting and I loved the peeks we got of it. I also was stunned at how dedicated the party is to the incursion cost, that they're willing to lose their loved ones. Black Bolt and T'Challa are titans for that. What a great few issues
September 15, 2021
New Avengers volume 2: Infinity. If you have the Infinity hardcover book, you do not need to read this. All of the issues are collected in that, in the correct order within the overall event.
Apart from that, it is hard to recommend reading this volume on its own without the larger context of the Infinity event. It’s actually frustrating to read this! Which explains why I bounced of this series when I first read it years ago.
You get build up to something epic… and then no pay off. Or the aftermath of something epic without actually seeing the event itself.
Do not read this, read the full Infinity hardcover crossover.
At least this has a really cool cover showing the Illuminati in all their sinister glory!
Apart from that, it is hard to recommend reading this volume on its own without the larger context of the Infinity event. It’s actually frustrating to read this! Which explains why I bounced of this series when I first read it years ago.
You get build up to something epic… and then no pay off. Or the aftermath of something epic without actually seeing the event itself.
Do not read this, read the full Infinity hardcover crossover.
At least this has a really cool cover showing the Illuminati in all their sinister glory!
May 11, 2020
Don't buy this collection or Hickman's Avengers, Volume 4: Infinity. They're super unsatisfying ways to read this event. It's like buying a book and only getting either the odd or even chapters. Sure, you sort of kind of a little bit get the overall story, but it will appear that everybody dies at the end of chapter three, and there's no chapter four, and in chapter five, it's like that dramatic cliffhanger ending never happened.
It's a terrible way to collect this event.
Instead just get Infinity and read the entire story. I'm going to hold off on my read through until I get this volume, so I can actually, hopefully, enjoy this story.
I don't recommend this version of the story. Make the investment, get the complete book.
It's a terrible way to collect this event.
Instead just get Infinity and read the entire story. I'm going to hold off on my read through until I get this volume, so I can actually, hopefully, enjoy this story.
I don't recommend this version of the story. Make the investment, get the complete book.
June 23, 2014
Jonathan Hickman continues his run with the Avengers. I really like this Avengers series from Hickman the most. The Illuminati are a great concept from Marvel. I like how all the dirt and deceit this group does comes back to bite them at times even though they are trying to save the world. I am not fan of the Infinity crossover event but this was a good volume nonetheless. I feel like Jonathan Hickman has a lot of characters to juggle here and times you do get lost in the plot. I honestly enjoyed the WAkanda vs. Atlantis conflict the most. All in all this volume was pretty decent I just think Uncanny Avengers is the better book.
July 18, 2016
The world is still be threatened, but now it is Thanos who would take them.
re-read: T'Challa's sister, the Queen, has declared war on Namor and his kingdom. the world breakers arrive just as Namor's people have died and in order to keep alive what is left of Atlantis; Namor must tell them where the remaining Infinity Gem(the only one not to break) is. He tells them of the Queen harboring it(hers were the only people to win over one of Thanos's lackeys). T'Challa is stripped of his power when his warriors leave him and reveal that he is visited by Namor( who was, in fact, hiding out there at the time).
re-read: T'Challa's sister, the Queen, has declared war on Namor and his kingdom. the world breakers arrive just as Namor's people have died and in order to keep alive what is left of Atlantis; Namor must tell them where the remaining Infinity Gem(the only one not to break) is. He tells them of the Queen harboring it(hers were the only people to win over one of Thanos's lackeys). T'Challa is stripped of his power when his warriors leave him and reveal that he is visited by Namor( who was, in fact, hiding out there at the time).
June 9, 2017
Don't read unless you've read volume 1, probably a couple times. In reality if you want to fully understand what's going on, you need to read both Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers. Separate stories but both barreling toward the same conclusion. I don't know. I hate comicbook "events", but for me, the "event" that Hickman's Avenger stories were leading to was a sort of self-contained superhero epic separate from the rest of the Marvel universe. He was having fun in his own little sandbox, which thankfully wasn't like AvX or Secret Wars or any of that nonsense. If you dig a darker, clandestine take on superheroics, than you should give it a read.
March 27, 2020
Well, this was disappointing.
Volume 1 was my favorite superhero read in a long time. The consequences felt real. The threat was cosmic and overwhelming. The heroes face impossible moral decisions the story didn't shrink from.
Then Thanos had to waltz in and ruin things. Anyone who's read comics for years knows the adverse effect crossover issues can have on a story and this is no exception. I'm eager to get into Volume 3 where, hopefully, some narrative momentum can be gained back.
Volume 1 was my favorite superhero read in a long time. The consequences felt real. The threat was cosmic and overwhelming. The heroes face impossible moral decisions the story didn't shrink from.
Then Thanos had to waltz in and ruin things. Anyone who's read comics for years knows the adverse effect crossover issues can have on a story and this is no exception. I'm eager to get into Volume 3 where, hopefully, some narrative momentum can be gained back.
February 8, 2016
Incomplete storytelling, but dizzying in scope, and interrupted by plot points of the Infinity event storyline. Oy vey.
May 15, 2014
Collects New Avengers issues #7-12
This volume ties in to Marvel's major event of 2013, Infinity. I would not recommend reading this volume alone. You need the full story found in the Infinity collection. All of these issues are in that collection.
Spoiler-free review: This books opens one month after the events of Latveria seen in the previous volume. In the last month, the people of Wakanda and the people of Atlantis have gotten caught up in a war. This leaves T’Challa and Namor unable to work together for the Illuminati.
Also, the Avengers logo has the Greek letter Omega around it instead of a simple circle…pretty cool.
Again, this volume cannot stand on its own. The issues found in this volume are best read in the Infinity collection. Otherwise, you are not getting the full experience
Spoiler-free review of the Infinity storyline: There is a cosmic threat so big, that all of the Avengers are forced to leave Earth to address it. While in space, a Galactic Council made up of humans, Kree, Skrull, the Brood, the Shi'ar, Annihilus, and other aliens team up to address this seemingly unstoppable enemy. Meanwhile, with the Earth’s mightiest heroes away, Thanos launches a full-scale attack on Earth. He is acting with a purpose, however his goal is a mystery for the first half of the book.
Spoiler-filled review:
Issue Seven: This issue is setting the stage for future stories. Doom asked Richards and Strange about the battle with the people from the other world, but they denied knowledge of this. Wakanda decided to go to war with Atlantis even though Namor offered a truce. Meanwhile, Reed has built a lot of Antimatter Bombs for future Incursions, although none have happened for 28 days.
Issue Eight: Black Bolt is working on something with Maximus, and it is confusing. I’m not sure what is happening, but Medusa doesn’t seem to like it because she slaps Black Bolt. Meanwhile, T’Challa tricks Namor into thinking that peace is an option, while elsewhere Atlantis is attacked. The issue ends with a worldwide invasion by creatures I don’t recognize. Not sure what is happening here. This volume is harder to follow than the last. I wonder if reading Avengers Volume 2 will help some of this to make sense, because I may be experiencing an Infinity tie-in story since that is the name of this volume. I was hoping that it could stand on its own two legs, but it appears that New Avengers is being sucked into the crossover.
Issue Nine I turned the page, and there was an in-depth explanation as to what has been happening in the Infinity storyline. I think I should set this book aside for now, and come back to this volume after I read Infinity. That way, I can enjoy that story as a whole, rather than as a small part of this volume. I read the first two issues of this volume directly after finishing my reading of Volume 1 for the second time. As I type this, today is Saturday, March 22, 2014. I’ll be back after reading the Infinity collection.
Issue Nine…continued: It is May 4, 2014, and I was finally able to pick up the collection of Infinity. Thanos reviews a stolen memory from Black Bolt’s brain. It is the Illuminati, losing the Infinity Gems. Thanos noticed that all were destroyed except one, which disappeared. He wants that one, and when asked why, he replies that even one Infinity Gem can make you a god. Thanos’ army attacks all the places where the different members of the Illumniati are, and Namor pretends to surrender in order to “admit” where the final Gem is. He then tricks Proxima to send all the armies of Thanos to Wakanda (you know, because he is at war with them). When it seems like things can’t get any worse, the Illuminati’s early warning system in their hands go off. An Incursion is about to take place! Meanwhile, Black Bolt’s mean bother, Maximus, is talking about things like he knows more than he should. Does he know why the Incursions are happening?
- Thanos’ team of generals is called the Cull Obsidian (which means Midnight Slaughter). They also go by the Black Order. The members are Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, Supergiant, and the Ebony Maw.
-Issue Ten: The Illuminati was scattered, but they come together in Black Bolt’s secret hiding place (a pocket dimension, maybe?). It turns out that Black Bolt has discovered Thanos’ true goal for attacking Earth. He is looking for his son, and he plans to kill him. Apparently, the son he wants dead is living amongst the Inhumans, and is between the ages of 16 and 22. All of the members of the Illuminati, except Black Bolt, spread out to find the kid, but Doctor Strange is under the influence of the Ebony Maw. By the end of the book, the Maw has released Strange, but not before finding Thanos’ offspring.
Issue Eleven: The issue opens in the wake of the fall of Attilan after the explosion of the Terrigen bomb. Meanwhile, the Illuminati members are preparing to act in light of the latest Incursion, when an Aleph robot from the other universe approaches them. The robot brings them to two beings from the other side, a Builder and an Engineer. These two are joined by beings that look like Ex Nihilo, however they are the color red instead of yellow. Also, instead of an omega sign on their torsos, they have two circles. One of the Ex Nihili notice that something is wrong with Dr. Strange’s mind, and literally shoves his arm into Strange’s head to pull out the outside presence. While attacking Wakanda, and taking over Necropolis, Thanos’ army finds the Illuminati’s antimatter weapons cache. They also find the prison with the alternate Terrax and the Black Swan.
The alternate Builder explains that their kind used to be able to travel all through the multiverse until the destruction of their Superflow machine. They then explain that not just one Earth, but all the Earths of the multiverse must be destroyed because Earth is the axis point for the Incursions. The hope is that once all of the Earths are destroyed, the rest of the multiverse will be safe. Reed seems to agree with the idea, so they Illuminati are tasked with destroying their own Earth.
-Side Note: The cover of New Avengers Issue #11 is my favorite in the series so far!
Issue Twelve: This issue appears in the collection for Infinity, but it comes after the Epilogue. The story starts with T’Challa getting shunned by his Wakandan family and friends because he has been secretly working with their great enemy, Namor. Meanwhile, something mysterious is going on with Black Bolt and Maximus. It sounds like Black Bolt intends to lie about some things. Elsewhere, Dr. Strange plans to use the Blood Bible to stop the Incursions, but it is very dangerous. Back at Necropolis, Beast, Reed, and Tony are meeting with Black Swan about how they should proceed with trying to save the multiverse. She starts naming off all these people and, although we have never heard of them before, it is implied that they are extremely powerful. Comparing Thanos’ might to theirs would be like comparing a dog to a demon.
This volume ties in to Marvel's major event of 2013, Infinity. I would not recommend reading this volume alone. You need the full story found in the Infinity collection. All of these issues are in that collection.
Spoiler-free review: This books opens one month after the events of Latveria seen in the previous volume. In the last month, the people of Wakanda and the people of Atlantis have gotten caught up in a war. This leaves T’Challa and Namor unable to work together for the Illuminati.
Also, the Avengers logo has the Greek letter Omega around it instead of a simple circle…pretty cool.
Again, this volume cannot stand on its own. The issues found in this volume are best read in the Infinity collection. Otherwise, you are not getting the full experience
Spoiler-free review of the Infinity storyline: There is a cosmic threat so big, that all of the Avengers are forced to leave Earth to address it. While in space, a Galactic Council made up of humans, Kree, Skrull, the Brood, the Shi'ar, Annihilus, and other aliens team up to address this seemingly unstoppable enemy. Meanwhile, with the Earth’s mightiest heroes away, Thanos launches a full-scale attack on Earth. He is acting with a purpose, however his goal is a mystery for the first half of the book.
Spoiler-filled review:
Issue Seven: This issue is setting the stage for future stories. Doom asked Richards and Strange about the battle with the people from the other world, but they denied knowledge of this. Wakanda decided to go to war with Atlantis even though Namor offered a truce. Meanwhile, Reed has built a lot of Antimatter Bombs for future Incursions, although none have happened for 28 days.
Issue Eight: Black Bolt is working on something with Maximus, and it is confusing. I’m not sure what is happening, but Medusa doesn’t seem to like it because she slaps Black Bolt. Meanwhile, T’Challa tricks Namor into thinking that peace is an option, while elsewhere Atlantis is attacked. The issue ends with a worldwide invasion by creatures I don’t recognize. Not sure what is happening here. This volume is harder to follow than the last. I wonder if reading Avengers Volume 2 will help some of this to make sense, because I may be experiencing an Infinity tie-in story since that is the name of this volume. I was hoping that it could stand on its own two legs, but it appears that New Avengers is being sucked into the crossover.
Issue Nine I turned the page, and there was an in-depth explanation as to what has been happening in the Infinity storyline. I think I should set this book aside for now, and come back to this volume after I read Infinity. That way, I can enjoy that story as a whole, rather than as a small part of this volume. I read the first two issues of this volume directly after finishing my reading of Volume 1 for the second time. As I type this, today is Saturday, March 22, 2014. I’ll be back after reading the Infinity collection.
Issue Nine…continued: It is May 4, 2014, and I was finally able to pick up the collection of Infinity. Thanos reviews a stolen memory from Black Bolt’s brain. It is the Illuminati, losing the Infinity Gems. Thanos noticed that all were destroyed except one, which disappeared. He wants that one, and when asked why, he replies that even one Infinity Gem can make you a god. Thanos’ army attacks all the places where the different members of the Illumniati are, and Namor pretends to surrender in order to “admit” where the final Gem is. He then tricks Proxima to send all the armies of Thanos to Wakanda (you know, because he is at war with them). When it seems like things can’t get any worse, the Illuminati’s early warning system in their hands go off. An Incursion is about to take place! Meanwhile, Black Bolt’s mean bother, Maximus, is talking about things like he knows more than he should. Does he know why the Incursions are happening?
- Thanos’ team of generals is called the Cull Obsidian (which means Midnight Slaughter). They also go by the Black Order. The members are Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, Supergiant, and the Ebony Maw.
-Issue Ten: The Illuminati was scattered, but they come together in Black Bolt’s secret hiding place (a pocket dimension, maybe?). It turns out that Black Bolt has discovered Thanos’ true goal for attacking Earth. He is looking for his son, and he plans to kill him. Apparently, the son he wants dead is living amongst the Inhumans, and is between the ages of 16 and 22. All of the members of the Illuminati, except Black Bolt, spread out to find the kid, but Doctor Strange is under the influence of the Ebony Maw. By the end of the book, the Maw has released Strange, but not before finding Thanos’ offspring.
Issue Eleven: The issue opens in the wake of the fall of Attilan after the explosion of the Terrigen bomb. Meanwhile, the Illuminati members are preparing to act in light of the latest Incursion, when an Aleph robot from the other universe approaches them. The robot brings them to two beings from the other side, a Builder and an Engineer. These two are joined by beings that look like Ex Nihilo, however they are the color red instead of yellow. Also, instead of an omega sign on their torsos, they have two circles. One of the Ex Nihili notice that something is wrong with Dr. Strange’s mind, and literally shoves his arm into Strange’s head to pull out the outside presence. While attacking Wakanda, and taking over Necropolis, Thanos’ army finds the Illuminati’s antimatter weapons cache. They also find the prison with the alternate Terrax and the Black Swan.
The alternate Builder explains that their kind used to be able to travel all through the multiverse until the destruction of their Superflow machine. They then explain that not just one Earth, but all the Earths of the multiverse must be destroyed because Earth is the axis point for the Incursions. The hope is that once all of the Earths are destroyed, the rest of the multiverse will be safe. Reed seems to agree with the idea, so they Illuminati are tasked with destroying their own Earth.
-Side Note: The cover of New Avengers Issue #11 is my favorite in the series so far!
Issue Twelve: This issue appears in the collection for Infinity, but it comes after the Epilogue. The story starts with T’Challa getting shunned by his Wakandan family and friends because he has been secretly working with their great enemy, Namor. Meanwhile, something mysterious is going on with Black Bolt and Maximus. It sounds like Black Bolt intends to lie about some things. Elsewhere, Dr. Strange plans to use the Blood Bible to stop the Incursions, but it is very dangerous. Back at Necropolis, Beast, Reed, and Tony are meeting with Black Swan about how they should proceed with trying to save the multiverse. She starts naming off all these people and, although we have never heard of them before, it is implied that they are extremely powerful. Comparing Thanos’ might to theirs would be like comparing a dog to a demon.
January 7, 2020
Niewątpliwą zaletą drugiego tomu jest ten cały bałagan jaki po sobie pozostawia i pokazuje jak złym pomysłem było powołanie Iluminatów do życia... Mam wrażenie, że ta cała idea zaczyna przerastać członków tej grupy, zwłaszcza, że ich ego jest większe niż zdolności, bowiem prawie każdy w starciu z Cull Obsidian przegrywa swoje walki.
Napięcie z zespole rośnie, zwłaszcza między Namorem i Czarną Panterą, który za wyjątkiem nienawiści, potrafią zachować między sobą "cierpką" relacje, która obu przyniesie nieco cierpienia. Tym bardziej, że wykorzystując chwilę nieuwagi Wakanda wreszcie bierze odwet na Atlantydzie. Nie ma co czekać na reakcję, bowiem na niebie pojawia się flota Thanosa i zaczyna się podbój Ziemi. Cały ten sekret New Avengers zaczyna stanowić niebezpieczeństwo dla Ziemi i gdyby nie plan Black Bolta i Maximusa... Mogłoby być naprawdę źle.
Z trzech książek wchodzących w skład Infinity event, ta omawiana wydaje mi się najsłabsza i tak która, jakby ją oddzielić od reszty, nie obroniła by się sama. Tym bardziej, że mimo iż podczas lektury zapewniano nas jakie to donośne i ważne wydarzenie się odbywa to na koniec i tak ta albinoska ("Czarny Łabędź") wyśmiała resztę mówiąc coś w typie: "To? To to pikuś była. Trzymaj piwo, zaraz zobaczysz jaka rozwałka idzie...". Tak.
Deodato robi swoją robotę dobrze, ale w moim odczuciu bohaterom tak narysowanym czegoś brak. Ikry? Niekiedy twarze nie wyglądają jak twarze, aczkolwiek rysownik dobrze oddaje emocje za co plus. Drugi tom New Avengers ode mnie dostaje tylko 3. Był potencjał. Mam nadzieję, że opinię w których Hickman dalej zacznie rozwlekać swoją historię okażą się nieprawdą.
Napięcie z zespole rośnie, zwłaszcza między Namorem i Czarną Panterą, który za wyjątkiem nienawiści, potrafią zachować między sobą "cierpką" relacje, która obu przyniesie nieco cierpienia. Tym bardziej, że wykorzystując chwilę nieuwagi Wakanda wreszcie bierze odwet na Atlantydzie. Nie ma co czekać na reakcję, bowiem na niebie pojawia się flota Thanosa i zaczyna się podbój Ziemi. Cały ten sekret New Avengers zaczyna stanowić niebezpieczeństwo dla Ziemi i gdyby nie plan Black Bolta i Maximusa... Mogłoby być naprawdę źle.
Z trzech książek wchodzących w skład Infinity event, ta omawiana wydaje mi się najsłabsza i tak która, jakby ją oddzielić od reszty, nie obroniła by się sama. Tym bardziej, że mimo iż podczas lektury zapewniano nas jakie to donośne i ważne wydarzenie się odbywa to na koniec i tak ta albinoska ("Czarny Łabędź") wyśmiała resztę mówiąc coś w typie: "To? To to pikuś była. Trzymaj piwo, zaraz zobaczysz jaka rozwałka idzie...". Tak.
Deodato robi swoją robotę dobrze, ale w moim odczuciu bohaterom tak narysowanym czegoś brak. Ikry? Niekiedy twarze nie wyglądają jak twarze, aczkolwiek rysownik dobrze oddaje emocje za co plus. Drugi tom New Avengers ode mnie dostaje tylko 3. Był potencjał. Mam nadzieję, że opinię w których Hickman dalej zacznie rozwlekać swoją historię okażą się nieprawdą.
August 21, 2021
It's not one event, it's several.
Honestly, I am tired of the constant confusing cosmic calamities callously careening comics to...badness. The whole series starts off great with a brilliant premise and strong writing. But, and it's a big but, two events happen in the middle of this event. You've got Infinity followed by Inhumanity. Now, while I don't think a writer should shy away from large epic stories, I really have to insist that each book should stand on it's own.
In vol. 2 you turn the page and without any warning or explanation the story has moved forward without you. So now, not only do I have to buy another book to see what happened in between the page turn, the author gave me a spoiler for the book I haven't even bought yet.
Remember when heroes fought to save a country, or a city, or even just a single life? What happened to that? This constant raising of the stakes has burned me out. The Mahabharata and the poetic eddas had giant earth shaking battles that all their stories led to. But the big two have earth shaking events every few months that change nothing, have no resolution, and just lead to the next earth shaking event.
Hickman is a fantastic writer who can create giant epics (check out East of West), but in this story he's hampered by commercial interests and bad editorial decisions.
If you're going to read the entire Marvel line for the time period that New Avengers came out, then you'll get the whole big story. If not, you're going to be frustrated and annoyed at what could have been a great read.
Honestly, I am tired of the constant confusing cosmic calamities callously careening comics to...badness. The whole series starts off great with a brilliant premise and strong writing. But, and it's a big but, two events happen in the middle of this event. You've got Infinity followed by Inhumanity. Now, while I don't think a writer should shy away from large epic stories, I really have to insist that each book should stand on it's own.
In vol. 2 you turn the page and without any warning or explanation the story has moved forward without you. So now, not only do I have to buy another book to see what happened in between the page turn, the author gave me a spoiler for the book I haven't even bought yet.
Remember when heroes fought to save a country, or a city, or even just a single life? What happened to that? This constant raising of the stakes has burned me out. The Mahabharata and the poetic eddas had giant earth shaking battles that all their stories led to. But the big two have earth shaking events every few months that change nothing, have no resolution, and just lead to the next earth shaking event.
Hickman is a fantastic writer who can create giant epics (check out East of West), but in this story he's hampered by commercial interests and bad editorial decisions.
If you're going to read the entire Marvel line for the time period that New Avengers came out, then you'll get the whole big story. If not, you're going to be frustrated and annoyed at what could have been a great read.
August 9, 2018
Marvel's Illuminati is back, the secret brotherhood comprised of earth's smartest leaders and kings. Iron Man of the Avengers, Beast of the X-men, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Black Panther of Wakanda, Namor of Atlantis, Doctor Strange of the Mystic Arts, and Mr. Fantastic of the F4 are faced with the end of the multiverse called the Incursion, which happens when two colliding earths, well, collide. It's a good prequel to Secret Wars, which is the reason I read it. While it's a smart read and the stakes are really high, I never really felt the team struggle and each victory against an Incursion felt more like luck. They should be the smartest men on earth, but beyond the fancy sci-fi mambo jambo, I never really felt they were. There weren't even good at hiding secrets from their family and teams. The good points are the drama, mostly the rivalry between T'Challa and Namor and their kingdoms. It also ties in well enough with the other Avengers series and the Infinity miniseries, but the ending felt nothing more than a setup to Secret Wars, which it is.
Read
August 30, 2021Felt like this got dragged down too much by the Infinity story line, which was surprisingly worse than the movie (usually the source material is better than the adaption for superhero movies). Thanos is way less dangerous as a character and interesting as a villain, so even though Hickman wrote both this and the Infinity event it just feels like a lackluster tie-in. After the Infinity stuff though, it gets a lot better again.
Also, someone needs to make better summary recap pages for the issues, There was one that happened after Thanos was defeated, and they straight up just don't mention that in the summary, another one where Dr. Strange was revealed to have a mind spy in his brain and there was basically no reaction to that in the next issue. I can't tell if that's bad writing or because it was covered in another tie-in book, but I won't know thanks to these poor summary pages.
Also, someone needs to make better summary recap pages for the issues, There was one that happened after Thanos was defeated, and they straight up just don't mention that in the summary, another one where Dr. Strange was revealed to have a mind spy in his brain and there was basically no reaction to that in the next issue. I can't tell if that's bad writing or because it was covered in another tie-in book, but I won't know thanks to these poor summary pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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