The New Avengers, Vol. 1

The New Avengers (2010)

by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen (Illustrator)

Find out who the New Avengers are, where they call home (gotta see it to believe it!), which Dark Avenger has joined their ranks, and just who the interdimensional demonic threat to our existence is! These heroes have gathered to take on the threats too dark, too dangerous, and too bizarre for any other team of heroes. The New Avengers are back!

Collecting: The New Avengers 1-6

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2011

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Tony Stark a/k/a Iron Man was acting like a total dick and appointed himself king of the super heroes, Luke Cage and others that had been part of the New Avengers went underground and fought back. Now that Marvel’s Civil War and the aftermath has finally ended and the so-called Heroic Age has begun, Steve Rogers wants Luke to continue leading a team of Avengers.

Setting up shop in a rebuilt Avengers mansions that Stark sells to them for a dollar, Luke’s new team doesn’t even get through their first meeting when trouble breaks out. Dr. Strange and new Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Voodoo show up possessed by demons, and some kind of powerful entity from another dimension wants the magical Eye of Agomotto and is willing to tear our universe apart to get it.

I had fun with this on one level because these Avengers are a lot of superheroes I like. Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Thing, Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel and Mockingbird make for an interesting team dynamic, and these characters play into Brian Michael Bendis’s main strength of witty dialogue. There’s some great interactions like Spider-Man freaking out after Wolverine claws someone or Ben Grimm giving Ms. Marvel grief in the middle of a mass demon invasion because she’s never seen Ghostbusters.

It’s a solid line-up of cool characters with a good writer and artist, and it's got an interesting niche to fill in the Marvel Universe.

Unfortunately, what I don’t like is that Marvel has spread some of it’s most popular heroes like Wolverine and Spider-Man far too thin. Wolvie is on so many teams, I can’t keep track of them all. Spider-Man is on two Avenger squads as well as multiple books. The Thing is on the Fantastic Four. This trend has been getting worse, and it’s really starting to bug me because it shows a lack of faith in the fans and the creators working on the books. I would read a book about Avengers led by Luke Cage and written by Bendis with almost any line-up.

Instead of cramming the most popular guys into books over and over, how about developing some of the lesser known heroes? Wolverine wasn’t always Wolverine. He used to just be that surly asshole on the X-Men until Chris Claremont made him into something more. No other minor characters are getting that chance anymore.

It undercuts the whole reason why Cage is running a separate team in the story, too. After the Civil War, he doesn’t want to toe a government line or work closely with Stark so Steve arranges it so that he’s operating on his own with only a loose affiliation with the other Avengers, but that doesn’t really work if some of your guys are also on those other teams.

Plus, there’s no consistent internal logic. Steve Rogers tells Luke that he can’t have Iron Man or Thor because they‘re on another team, but doesn’t care that Wolverine or Spider-Man have dual membership. Mockingbird’s husband is Hawkeye who is a member of the Iron Man/Thor/Wolverine/Spider-Man Avengers, but won’t join this group and leaves in the middle of this book because the other team issues a priority call, yet Wolverine and Spider-Man don’t get summoned? Ben Grimm has got enough time outside the Fantastic Four to do this gig? But whenever it’s brought up in any book, everyone just cracks jokes about busy schedules or having a multi-tasking superpower. Weak.

And yes, I’m well aware that I’m complaining about logistical issues in a comic book universe that contains superheroes, magic, aliens, mutants, time travel, alternate dimensions and a tropical zone in Antarctica where dinosaurs still exist. That’s the nature of a fan boy. We’ll buy the wildest stuff imaginable, if you can put a thin veneer of reality over it. Skimp on that, and we’ll start pointing out every crack.

So the whole thing about a group of superheroes fighting a bunch of inter-dimensional magic demons with the future of the world at stake was great, but I really wish Marvel would trust it’s readers and creators enough to put out some more team books without feeling the need to shoehorn their most popular and established characters into them.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so at first I thought several people were reviewing the wrong book, but it turns out that Goodreads has two different volumes listed under the same edition. and .
The first is pre-Civil War (which is the one I read), the second is post Civil War (which is the one I wanted to read). So, this explains why the reviews don't match up.
Naturally, I'll be reviewing the edition I read.

I'm pretty sure I've already read all of the stories in this rather large volume, the exception being the crossover story with the Fantastic Four. It was nice to go back and see how everything started, and it reminded me how much I really love Bendis and his take on the Avengers. The stories really are 5 star material.
However, I rated it 4 stars instead of 5, because this particular volume was HUGE and quite expensive (about $30), but the back half of the book is nothing but and extensive list of " Most Wanted Files ". In my opinion, that kind of thing is nothing but filler. If I wanted to read two pages about Armadillo Man, I'd look him up online. For free.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good volume and like is epic.

It starts with the New Avengers getting together again until luke is possessed and Danny taken to some place and getting a new costume and we find its something to do with the eye of Agamotto and Dr Strange, Brother Voodoo and Daimon Hellstrom in the middle of it. Its an epic story with so many twists and turns and is a pure magical crisis like no other that will test these New Avengers. Also that moment with Wolverine fighting Agamotto has to be one of the best panels ever.

Its a great story with so many twists and turns and epic art at it of Immonen and like focusing on Luke and this team and finding the humanity in them and how they handle a world level threat is awesome. Plus I like the team camaraderie, simple writing style but the word exposition can become too much.

Regardless a very good read and I enjoyed it to say the least! A definite recommend!

[Oneirosophos · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE FINEST AND MOST BELOVED CHARACTERS OF MARVEL IN SOME GOOD OLDSCHOOL MAGIC KICKASSERY!!!!!!!!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the fun, fantastically unusual storyline and unexpected twists that come from the superteam of Bendis and Immomen. Interesting team dynamic, but really it's still just: Spider-man (Bendis' favourite character, and the one he knows an writes the best), Luke and Jessica (the married parents dynamic continues to feel fresh and hilarious), the fall and remorse of Stephen Strange (Bendis is doing meisterwork with this one) and the fascination I continue to have with Victoria Hand (another of Bendis' gifts to the readers).

As much as I'm skeptical of Bendis' ability to sustain his maniacal pace in the world of Marvel, and though one of the Heroic Age books he wrote was pretty tepid by his standards, I must say I really enjoyed this one and I will definitely read more. I think Immomen has a big influence on how much fun this book is - after his work on Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., I may always be a fan.

I know this probably isn't truly five-star material compared to the *really* memorable stuff they've done, but it really is a fun read (I blazed through it in one sitting) and that counts for a ton for me.

Plot notes for myself because I can never remember this stuff later:
Minions of Agamotto break into this dimension - try to steal the Eye of Agamotto from Doctor Voodoo, then steal his brother's spirit. They possess Doctor Strange & Daemon Helllstorm, then possess Luke Cage, attack his New Avengers and NYC. They take Iron Fist who holds the eye, then tell him it was stolen from Agamotto by Strange, who wants it back.

Voodoo challenges Agamotto to deathmatch and sends in Wolverine all juiced up with everyone's powers and spells. Battle gets interrupted by Jericho (Voodoo's dead brother)'s spirit. Voodoo finally invades fight, uses Eye to defeat Agamotto. Voodoo dies and the Eye disappears - no more Sorcerer Supreme. Jericho vows to avenge brother.

Oh, and Victoria Hand works for New Avengers now.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I wish we had half stars! This is rated 4 stars and I've rated other graphic novels that high that are much more to my taste than this one. The thing abut graphic novels/comic books is that those of us who read them will have our favorite characters and story lines. So here we have a fine book but one not really as appealing to me as some others.

Here we pick up a story line about an array of Avengers taking up that title and the mantel of protectors of the Earth and surrounding universe. We open with Dr. Strange (a character I read about back in the '60s and '70s...these people really age well) a mystic character. The threat here is an attack from "OUTSIDE".

The story in this book is I'd say, well written even if it's not my preferred type and so on. The art is excellent throughout and the layouts are very well set up. There are no..."which panel is next?" moments.

Overall, enjoyable, well produced, well drawn and inked. I'd give it 3.5 simply based on taste if I could, but since I can't it gets rated up there with some books I've liked a bit better.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read the "New Avengers" after Siege so was kind of cool to read this and it be all new. I did a re-read of the New Avengers line and read the majority in my teens so was nice to go back and read the rest I never did.

This has the "new" avengers team which is basically Luke Cage, wolverine, Spider-man and more. Maybe more street level type of heroes basically. But right into being more street level we have Voodoo, who is the new sorcerer supreme, attacked by strange, who isn't really doctor strange, and right away thrown into a huge threat that can DESTROY the entire world. So much for more street level villains, huh?

The art is pretty solid and there's some really good banter. Mostly with Spider-man and any other team member. I also liked the end result and was cool to see Iron Fist actually get a somewhat interesting storyline. The story itself is decent, but a little dragged on and the whole end of the world thing happened in volume 1...I'd like more street level fun first.

But overall not bad. If like the banter in the movies for avengers, and them working as a team, this works. Also a good jumping on point. 3 out of 5.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Michael Bendis wrote Avengers comics for almost a decade. In fact, his work is directly responsible for the Avengers movies everyone's been enjoying. And there's a reason why Joss Whedon ended up directing the centerpiece, because Bendis is the Whedon of comics.

Okay, so technically, every now and again, Whedon is himself the Whedon of comics, but as far as career dedication goes, you know what I mean.

This particular volume, even though it has that "Volume 1" in the title, is not the actual first volume of Bendis New Avengers material. The whole reason it's got "new" in the title goes back to the early days of Bendis Avengers, and also the fact that for a good number of years, Bendis in fact wrote several different Avengers books simultaneously, and "New Avengers" became just another variant.

Anyway, this volume takes place after a storyline where all those competing Avengers started getting along again, after uniting over the fact that they didn't like Norman Osborn (otherwise known as the Spider-Man villain Green Goblin) running around as a mainstream good guy figure. It kicks off with Steve Rogers (the once and future Captain America) telling the traditional New Avengers group, represented by Luke Cage, that it has an official sanction and doesn't have to hide anymore. (Although with the adventures these Avengers, in any incarnation, undertake on a regular basis, their battles will always be very much public.)

So Avengers assemble. The Thing from Fantastic Four joins. (Bendis is the guy who solidified the Avengers as having the sanction to be Marvel's Justice League, taking the company's most famous characters and combining them into a single team. This is why Spider-Man and Wolverine are also members.)

And they quip. Seriously, Bendis has everyone quip. That's every single script he's ever written. Every character quips. They banter. They banter like Spider-Man straight through even dire battles.

And that's what happens. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Obviously moviegoers love it when Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers do that. It's half the whole reason the Avengers movie made a gajillion dollars. (The other half was just to see the good guys fight each other.)

That's what makes Bendis the Whedon of comics. Because most of the people who really love Joss Whedon really enjoy how his characters constantly quip. And banter. He's the geek's personified romantic heart. I have no idea why he hasn't done Lois Lane and Clark Kent yet.

The rest of the story, when everyone isn't quipping and bantering, is taken up with Dr. Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, and his would-be successor, Dr. Voodoo, and the talisman known as the Eye of Agamotto. Here's where Bendis gets to display a little of his more coherent storytelling that he normally reserves for his Ultimate Spider-Man, where he bothers with stories because all the characters would ordinarily talk like Bendis writes anyway. There's a little storytelling going on, but a lot of it's lost by the famous decompressed way Bendis writes (because everyone talks all the time), waiting for one dramatic reveal after another.

The funny thing is, at least in this story Bendis writes a lot like his main comics rival, Geoff Johns, who would have told the same story very differently. You would have come away with the sense of how important the whole struggle over the Eye of Agamotto really was, rather than watch as a couple characters go into histrionics about it. You would have seen Agamotto himself (because of course the Eye of Agamotto once actually belonged to someone). In fact, Johns probably would have written a whole multi-volume series about it, and Dr. Strange would now be known by people other than comic book geeks.

But as it is, it's mostly window dressing. But really, it's okay. Bendis knows he has a style, and clearly people like it. (Except when they don't. Because on the Internet, you always know when someone hates something. Because the Internet is mostly all about everything everyone hates.) And it resulted in a lot of very popular movies. So I'm saying you would probably enjoy this for that reason.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s The New Avengers volume 1. I feel like I was just here.

It’s a relaunch of the team that inhabited the New Avengers title that began in 2004 after the Avengers disassembled. And I have to say I really like the character line up going on here, I like the line up more then the main Avengers title though the volume I read of that feels like there was more effort put into it. Though that can come from it being a time travel story.

That whole new sorcerer supreme storyline where a new guy takes over for Doc Strange? Yeah the volume is about that and it’s world ending threat.

Anyway this is like all the other New Avengers volumes is really a good time. And for a team up book that’s all I need. And this is that but it doesn’t take risks, has art that gets the job done. It feels like it’s another volume vs the Avengers show stopping blockbuster story. And yes I’m going to compare them cause they’re written by the same guy.

I like the line up better but because we’ve been with this lineup for so long it feels tired. Still enjoyed it but not as much as I’d have liked to.

3 stars

The Thing was a welcome addition and Spider-Man is always fantastic under Bendis.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait, what... OK, I'll bite. Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, the Thing, Mz... oh excuse me, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Hellstromm, and Wolverine (obviously) are the Avengers now? Sounds more like a Defenders roster to me.

Not the Avengers I remembered, but this one gets a pass as the story was fun and the art was pretty nice and I actually 'know' all the characters. Pretty much what a team comic-book is supposed to look like with practically non-stop action from start to finish, and hey, a pretty-much self-contained story.

How does Wolverine manage to be in so many books, he gets asked at one point in this story, his answer... 'Mutli-Tasking'... big groan moment on my part.

This was another book given to me by fellow Goodreads reader, Martin - Thanks Martin, I may actually end up keeping this one

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never really read Avengers before the movie, so now I have to fix that. So these aren't exactly THE Avengers, they're the other Avengers, with some overlap. (Seriously, does Wolverine even sleep?) The team strikes me as being an odd combination, but I'm at least passingly familiar with the characters. Except Mockingbird, but she didn't leave much of an impression on me anyways. This particular storyline is heavily mystical. The writing was solid, and I loved how the characters interacted. And being a brand-new team, little backstory knowledge is required, for which I am incredibly grateful.

[Brian Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-Siege, the New Avengers were freed of the “outlaw heroes” concept they’d labored under for the better part of three years. The re-launched New Avengers was more of a club of heroes based in the rebuilt Avengers Mansion, with several full- and part-time members. Led by Luke Cage, other regulars included Wolverine, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, Jessica Jones and new recruit The Thing (when he wasn’t busy with the Fantastic Four). Steve Rogers riled the team by assigning Victoria Hand, who’d been Norman Osborn’s chief lieutenant, as the team’s S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison, believing her sincerity in wanting to serve.

Doctor Strange and Daimon Hellstrom were possessed by an unknown mystical entity, determined to wrest the Eye of Agamotto from Brother Voodoo, who has succeeded Strange as Sorcerer Supreme. The Eye materialized in Avengers Mansion and possessed Luke, sending him on a rampage that caused a lot of damage and a mystic tear in reality opened up in the sky above Central Park. The New Avengers fought a fleet of energy creatures, while Iron Fist encountered what appeared to be the spirit of the Ancient One (Strange’s mentor) in an odd white dimension. The mystics tried to close the rift, while the Avengers continued fighting the energy creatures. The rift closed and Iron Fist fell from the sky with some accusations against Strange. The heroes poured their collective abilities into Wolverine, to fight the entity attempting to capture the Eye. At a climactic moment, Brother Voodoo entered the fight himself, sacrificing his life to save the Earth dimension.

This was an appealing change of direction for New Avengers. Brian Michael Bendis crafted an intriguing plot that made good use of his cast. He’d established some strong bonds among many of these characters in the prior series, which served the book well. The ever-popular Thing was an outstanding addition to the cast who meshed well with the other heroes. The re-launched New Avengers was a canny refinement of the book’s concept, with a cast that allowed Bendis to tackle different kinds of stories and also serve as a vehicle for his trademark witty banter. Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger and Laura Martin were a “can’t-miss” art team. They produced beautiful, bold images that popped off the page and infused the storytelling with a lot of dynamism and energy. The colors, especially, were fairly astonishing, demonstrating why Martin is the rare colorist who’s become a superstar in her own right. With a simpatico creative team and a vital new direction, this volume showed New Avengers at its best and is recommended for any Avengers fans.

A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Sighs* perhaps if you love Marvel's sorcerors, you'd like this book.

This is called the New Avengers, but it's not really about the Avengers. And I don't say that because it's a new (and still extremely white) team of Avengers. I say that because the majority of this book is about sorcerors and the Eye of Agamotto and I just... really don't care.

I enjoyed seeing Jericho Drumm and Daimon for a few moments and then I just wished this was more focused on the Avengers saving the day. It was mostly magic mumbo jumbo, which, if you like those kinds of stories, means you'd probably like this book.

Again, I try not to hold it against Bendis that the only writer I ever felt did justice to Luke Cage was David F. Walker. Bendis just tends to show Luke as an angry black guy and he never really gets any big character moments. Don't get me started on the beginning making such a big deal about Luke agreeing to form the new team and then it's revealed Victoria Hand is here to keep an eye on him and we later see Carol giving the orders in battle. Luke spends pretty much the entirety of this book possessed in a situation orchestrated to allow for friends and family to beat him up. I've seen worse representation for Luke (by Bendis, mind you) but I feel I must mention it because why make such a big deal about Luke agreeing at the start of the book and then spend the rest of it making him appear completely useless?

I don't love that Jessica just spends the whole book worried about her baby. If anything, just let her give the baby to someone and then focus on the fight. Instead, she felt strangely like a single parent because I felt like Luke never thought once about his daughter.

As I mentioned above, when given the chance to create a new team of Avengers, there's one black guy. sure, it's one more black person compared to the last team with no black people at all, but this all comes after the 1998 Avengers run where we had Sam Wilson, Monica Rambeau, the (slightly problematic) characters who's names I forget but the latina superhero and the black guy that was in the cult, Wanda Maximoff and I think Black Panther was there for a bit. Marvel went way, way backwards in terms of representation and considering who was chosen for this team, I'm just confused.

Anyway, it's not a recommend from me because I came into this because I like Luke Cage, Danny Rand and Carol Danvers. I barely got any of them (and they were on the cover). But again, if you like magic, you might like this.

[Joe Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Michael Bendis - author
Stuart Immonen - illustrator

4/5 stars

The Avengers are reformed by Steve Rogers after the events of Siege, but there is such a need for super-heroing that two teams of Avengers are needed to protect the United States. Hence, Steve forms a secondary team called the New Avengers (kind of like the Avengers West Coast for the 21st century). The New Avengers are comprised of Luke Cage (AKA Power Man), The Thing, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, and Iron Fist. As the New Avengers are moving into the newly renovated Avengers Mansion (which Luke Cage bought from Tony Stark for $1) an artifact known as the "Eye of Agamotto" mysteriously appears in Luke's hand. Dr. Strange and Daimon Hellstrom appear out of nowhere and demand the eye; just as Luke is about to hand it over Wolverine stops him because he senses that Dr. Strange and Daimon are not in control of their bodies. A huge fight breaks out as the two possessed men desperately try and seize the eye. They are defeated but just as things are settling down and the New Avengers are figuring out what happened, Iron Fist disappears with the eye and the sky tears open, unleashing a flood of Demons on New York City. Cool.

I'm not quite sure why there are two new Avengers books, and I'm even less sure how good of an idea it is to have both Spider-Man and Wolverine on both teams (Logan is on about 4 x-teams too, apparently his mutant power is multi-tasking). That said, I loved this collection. I had not seen much art by Mr. Immonen before, but his work is quite good. The writing is typical Bendis -- fast paced, funny and with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Time will tell if Bendis can sustain such high quality on two titles that are essentially the same -- for the time being the Avengers and New Avengers books are a smashing success, as is "The Heroic Age." Recommended.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome fun! Bendis and Immonen make Magic! Heh heh heh.

I'll be honest at first I found Immonen's "perfect" illustration a little cold and sterile, and I was concerned that he was the wrong choice for such a Magical storyline as this one,
well, as the story went on, the excellence of it all just shut my inner critic right up.



Well, almost, ... I do wonder about having Spider-man (a professed loner) on TWO Avengers teams almost as much as I question Wolverine (professed and obsessed loner) ALSO on TWO Avengers teams not to mention the X-Men (which at least makes sense since they are Mutants.)
Bendis who usually treats his characters as if they were real people SHOULD see the error of this contrivance and at least give us readers a decent explanation for this obviously uncharacteristic move by one of Marvel's favorite characters.

Ok. I'm done bitchin'.

I DID enjoy this book!

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bendis knows how to write an ensemble cast better than any other current comic writer, and he is perfectly complemented by Stuart Immonen's clean, precise and still dynamic artwork. Superheroics and magic have always been entwined, but outside of Dr. Strange's solo books and the occasional crossover, it often felt forced and made little sense. Bendis manages to take the interdimensional threats of the long mentioned Vishanti, and turns them into a credible villain. What I didn't like was that Bendis took his newly minted Sorcerer Supreme, Brother Voodoo, and quickly had him sacrificed. There was a lot of potential in that character and it is unfortunate that he suffered the traditional role of the black man sacrificial lamb. Bendis is better than that. Would have been a five star book without that.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither the best, nor the worst Bendis' story ever.
At last now I finally know were Iron Fist white suit come from. :D

[James Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great. You get to know more about Luke Cage and surprisingly Doctor Stephen Strange. I love the people they chose to be in it.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues después de estar mucho tiempo al margen de la ley y haciendo frente primero a Stark y luego a Norman Osborn, después de Asedio llegaba el momento de que el equipo de Vengadores liderado por Luke Cage entrase en la Edad Heróica, y lo hizo de la mano del ya habitual Bendis y de los lápices de Stuart Immonem, y con una historia... pues la verdad es que bastante entretenida.

La idea es que, con Steve Rogers al frente de la Seguridad Nacional, Luke Cage decide mantener a su equipo independiente, y lo hace con el visto bueno de Steve Rogers y Stark, que les vende por un dólar la Mansión de los Vengadores para que la conviertan en su cuartel, y además, le dará la opción de elegir compañeros. Así que tenemos una nueva alineación para el equipo, que mantiene a la mayoría de los miembros de su alineación anterior (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Puño de Hierro, Lobezno, Spiderman, Miss Marvel, Pájaro Burlón) y una nueva incorporación, La Cosa, que se integra así en el grupo de los héroes ubicuos de Marvel. Ah, y además incorpora un enlace con el equipo, que será ni más ni menos que Victoria Hand, la antigua asistente de Osborn.

Bendis ya había mostrado en algunas ocasiones interés por el mundo mágico de Marvel, y de hecho, después de que el Doctor Extraño dejara de ser el Hechicero Supremo, veríamos la búsqueda de un nuevo Hechicero Supremo en estas mismas páginas, con el Hermano Vudú reemplazando a Extraño. Y en su primer arco de los Nuevos Nuevos Vengadores, retomaría estas tramas, con una misteriosa entidad capaz de dominar tanto a Extraño como a Daimon Hellstorm para intentar conseguir el Ojo de Agamotto. Y la verdad es que pone a los Nuevos Vengadores en auténticos problemas. Ocurre lo de siempre con estas cosas y Bendis, las cosas como son, que él quiere contar una historia y se la pela todo lo que haya ocurrido antes, y reformula personajes, situaciones e incluso poderes según le viene bien (la escena de Luke preguntándole a Lobezno si Victoria Hand miente... bueno, en fin, sentidos aumentados no es telepatía...), y a veces le funciona, y a veces no. En esta en concreto, le funciona porque consigue una historia muy entretenida.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

For everything I heard about this being a "street-level" team, this volume is really cosmic. I really liked Damian Hellstrom in this characterization.

I am a little confused by some Jessica Jones/ Bendis continuity. I just read Jessica Jones, Vol. 1: Uncaged! and a major plot point is that Luke would never think that JJ would leave their daughter with her mother. Now in this book, in an earlier place in the timeline, Luke himself suggests JJ takes the kid to her mom and it happens without any discussion.

[Sananab · Rating 2 out of 5]

IN THIS ISSUE ONE OF THESE AVENGERS WILL DIE!!!! Which one will it be? One of the famous ones, or maybe........ the black guy no one has heard of????

A few funny Bendis moments, but overall a paper-thin story that goes nowhere.

[Daniel Sepúlveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente comienzo para la serie. Me encanta el toque místico que le dan los personajes como Dr. Strange y Dr. Voodoo, estoy muy antojado del siguiente volúmen!

[Ramón S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa!!!!!! I enjoyed it very much. Pure entertainment

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Michael Bendis gets superhero humor. Wolverine and Spider-Man have some great moments in this book, and I respect the fact that Bendis can write superhero jokes without having them sound stupid.

I also love anything to do with Doctor Strange and his weird shit. This was a decent piece of comic book storytelling, and it's nice to take a deep swig of the Marvel universe every now and again.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused too much on Dr. Strange and was a bit predictable, but Hulk made an appearance so it made up for the bad parts.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a pure action comic's all you need.
After reading some longer form comics with a lot of setup to create a buildup, this was a fun little romp that I enjoyed reading. Plenty of action, good character moments, and great artwork by Immonen.
Bendis has never been an all-time favorite writer of mine. His characters are always just a little too jokey for me, some of the dialogue is written in a way that doesn't always translate well in a comic, and in more recent memory he ruined the Superman comics briefly as well as has just created new characters for the sake of creating new characters instead of actually putting them in good stories.
I'm not calling this story groundbreaking. Its just kind of a fun little book that reads pretty decent. Bendis is great at writing the more grounded/street level superheroes, which makes this book pretty compelling. Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spidey, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel (before Carol took the role of Captain Marvel), Mockingbird, Jessica Jones, and my all time fav the ever lovin' Thing. Its a solid lineup, and the crossover with Dr. Strange leads to some cool mystic fun.
The Avengers to me are supposed to be the most fun team book in the Marvel Universe. Unlike the Fantastic Four or the X-Men, which are supposed to be more of the sci fi elements or dramatic elements of Marvel, the Avengers is mostly just something I read from time to time for the action and good pacing. Not to say you can't make an excellent story with the Avengers, just for me personally I don't care too much about the team outside of the occasional read.
This lives up to the very little expectations I have for an Avengers comic. Again, Immonen's art is ASTOUNDING. He's one of my all time favs, and his art is always super fluid and dynamic. I love the way he's able to create a consistent look while also giving his characters different facial features and body types to give them just that extra level of personality.
The inking and coloring is also fantastic, the colors just fit the vibe of the book. Lots of oranges and interesting colors that ere on realism and exaggerated superhero fare. I miss the 2000s-2011 colors of comic books and just those types of stories. Not to say we don't have great books coming out each year, just nostalgic for the types of books I saw as a kid I guess.
Lots of fun, I recommend to anyone that's looking for something just very chill to read instead of the grandiose plots of Hickman or other Marvel comics.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know what you're thinking...wait, I already have New Avengers Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover by Brian Michael Bendis. No you don't. See, this is the NEW New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover. Confused yet? See, this series has undergone such a huge upheaval that it demanded a reboot...or not. This is another pointless reboot that reads much like the old New Avengers title. Bendis' 'witty' dialogue is nauseatingly bad here, with people interrupting each other and being smartasses. Because everyone is a smartass, right? And they all speak in 4-5 word sentences, right? Bendis is the hipster of comic book writers, in that he writes everything in a "haha, see Rock/ superhero comics are stupid, but we/I am in on the joke. Aren't they stupid? People who like them are stupid, too, because we are so much smarter than you." Much like hipsters, Bendis doesn't really get it. You can inject humor into things without the fake irony.
The plot itself is not bad, but the dialogue kills it for me. Brother Voodoo as the Sorcerer Supreme is stupid, by the way. They call him Doctor Voodoo, as if becoming the Sorcerer Supreme would automatically make him a doctor. You see Bendis, Doctor Strange was a doctor before he became the Sorcerer Supreme. Hence, Doctor Strange. Brother Voodoo would still be called Brother Voodoo, not Doctor Voodoo. Then again, what do I know? I'm just not as smart as Bendis.

Spider-Man and Wolverine being on one Avengers team was bad enough, but now they are on two. So Wolverine is in every X-Men title, every solo title, and two Avengers titles? Cripes. The Thing being an Avenger makes little sense and doesn't add much of anything to this title. I am glad that I followed this disappointing book with Secret Avengers Vol. 1. Just one issue of Brubaker goodness washed away 6 issues of Bendis mediocrity. I am done pre-ordering anything written by Brian Michael Bendis. I will wait for 1/2 off boxes at conventions or simply not read them at all. Worst comes to worst, my not ordering these will cause sales to plunge, maybe even to the point where Marvel will eject Bendis from the franchise. Maybe Marvel will cancel 2 or 3 of these Avengers titles. At the very least, I won't be paying top dollar to be underwhelmed time and again. It's a win-win situation as far as I can see.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the aftermath of the siege of Asgard and the defeat of Norman Osborn, Steve Rogers tasks Luke Cage with establishing a new team of New Avengers. The team's first challenge comes in the form of a mystical being which sends demonic entities to possess the Avengers in an attempt to steal the Eye of Agamotto.

I've been quite a fan of the New Avengers since their inception, but truth be told this book feels a bit stale to me. Intended as a big relaunch of the title, it instead feels more like a tired late-in-a-dying-series entry to me.

The roster of the New Avengers is more interesting than their mainline counterparts but even in that there are a few missteps, not least the inclusion of Victoria Hand.
Oh, she was trying to do the right thing siding with Norman Osborn? Okay then, let's just welcome her into the fold then shall we?
I always hate it when clear antagonists are given roles like this for no better reason than forced tension. No matter what Steve Rogers says, Hand should be in prison and none of the New Avengers should be okay with her being on the team. It's just stupid.

As for the actual plot; I liked seeing Doctor Stranger, Brother Voodoo and Daimon Hellstrom having to team up, with their wildly different styles as magic users making for some interesting contrasts. However, the actual antagonist was pretty disappointing and failed to engage me.

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[Mr. Stick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. DO YOU SEE ME SKIMPING ON THE NERVOUS PATTER THAT COVERS UP THE FACT THAT I'VE WET MYSELF BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE BEEN REPLACED AS THE DOMINANT SPECIES ON THE PLANET?"
- Spider-Man to Thing, because Thing declined to use usual his catchphrase, "it's clobberin' time," during a fight.

Magic. Occult. Doctor Strange. Don't care!
However, this was a very intriguing story that actually made sense. Magic stories are often all over the place. This wasn't. Very entertaining.
Love me some Bendis. Even if the topics or principle characters aren't my bag. He shows his versatility here. He's not impeded to just doing a good job with solitary heroes. He does teams well and can switch up subjects smoothly. While I'm sure he's had a stinker or two, I have yet to read one and this certainly didn't qualify. Well done, sir.
I didn't realize I was looking at Stuart Immonen's art until I noticed that most of the characters' noses and mouths were familiar. Particularly female characters. Just something I noticed. Very distinct. I very much enjoy his work.
Magic's not my forte, but this was most entertaining. Four stars.

[Gabbie Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!
To get the bad out of the way first so I can then focus on the positive elements of the review,I'll start off by saying that the plot did feel a little bit all over the place around the middle of the book,but otherwise it was pretty solid.
The artwork and the story were A+++ and AH,WHAT A CAST OF CHARACTERS!!!!I feel like it can be pretty hard to keep such iconic heroes like some of the ones in this comic in character and feeling authentic to past representations,but they all felt very genuine to me and very true to themselves and other versions of them that I have come across in media.That being said,I do have to admit that my boy Spidey did quite steal the show and had some rather incredible one-liners that stood out.Another element I quite enjoyed was how well they played with said characters (ie: lowkey making fun of Mockingbird for being less recognizable than her more famous counterparts).
Overall,a great read and a great foundation for a series.