Dark Avengers #3 (Marvel – Bendis / Deodata)
The phenom that is the Dark Avengers continues. BATTLEGROUND LATVERIA as Morgana Le Fey attacks with all the power at her disposal. Meanwhile these new Avengers discover all the dirt and hidden secrets of their notorious pasts.
It is crazy that it takes a roster full of villains for an Avengers book to finally feel like a classic Avengers book. Ever since the beginning of the whole Illuminati business, the Avengers branch of books have been half conspiracy theory and half supporting whatever the most recent big event is. Now, while Dark Avengers is a direct creation of the Dark Reign event, it doesn’t have the feel of a tie-in, it has the feel of a solid team series.
Issue #3 is almost all fight scenes. The Avengers (mostly revamped Thunderbolts) are in battle with the never-ending armies of Morgana Le Fey, defending the almost deceased Dr. Doom.
A direct and clear goal, strong field leadership, oddball but effective field tactics, ever-present squabbling… Bendis really has tapped into the classic Avengers formula here. While I know this series will not last forever, nor was it meant to, it is a great voyeur’s view into what makes a team work both on and off the field. In this issue we see how controlling Osborne is and how he was able to convince Sentry to be on the team – simply by making him feel human. We also see his great battle tactics and how quick he is to critically think and react in a tough situation. He also gets Doom to “let down his armor” in a manner of speaking. By the time this book has run it’s course, Norman Osborne might be up hero of the year… or not :).
This third ish is another right on target gem from Bendis and a must-have for any Marvel zombie out there
Issue grade: A
