New Avengers #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

 Avengers: Disassembled.

It was the darkest day for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The Scarlet Witch realized that her twin boys, Billy and Tommy, weren't real. It just wasn't humanly possible for a mutant and an android to produce biological children. Going into severe psychosis, Wanda destroys the Avengers Mansion, murders her husband, the Vision, and kills a couple other Avengers, including one of the Ant-Mans. Public and government sentiment of the Avengers reached an all-time low seeing Tony Stark and Steve Rogers disband the team in return.

Now it's 6 months later. There's one less super group to save Manhattan. Freshly outted as Daredevil, Matt Murdock travels to the Raft, an ultra-top security containment facility for most of Earth's most dangerous villains underneath Ryker's Island. With Luke Cage in tow as a bodyguard, and perhaps to keep up the appearance that he's not really the Man Without Fear, Murdock is conducting legal business on behalf of Mister Fantastic with one of the inmates. 

Meanwhile, a mysterious person has hired Electro to take out the prison's electrical grid and free as many of its occupants as possible. The motive behind this action is just as unknown as Electro's new benefactor, but the member of the Sinister Six is ready to prove the he's got what it takes to bring Manhattan and the World to its knees all by his lonesome. All those he frees have to do is one day owe Electro a favor.

Though issue #1 of New Avengers has quite a bit of action, don't expect the team to be back in action just yet. This issue is to primarily get most of the players onto the game board. Along with Murdock and Power Man, this episode adds Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Captain America to the fray. There's also Reed Richard's mystery client. But I am pretty sure that there's still a couple more heroes to add to the roster who are unaccounted for.

Brian Michael Bendis penned this opener into a new chapter of the Avengers. I know he's got a lot of detractors out there. But I like him. He's a lot like Tom King in that he makes a lot of enemies by screwing around with fan's favorite characters by either killing them off, or making them gay or trans or making them into bad guys. But unlike with King, I am mostly okay with Bendis' changes because they're very well plotted and make sense. I think Tom King just has a singular plan to ruin my childhood...

David Finch is the artist for this issue. He did an amazing job. However, I think it must be said that it wouldn't have been so amazing if not for the masterful brush strokes of Danny Miki as the inker. It's got that George Perez/Frank Quitely quality to it of which I am such a fan!

The iconic, and oft recreated cover was crafted by colorist Frank D'Armata.

An amazing 2005 issue that kicks off one of my most favorite incarnations of the Avengers!

Completing this review completes Task #11 (An Avengers Comic from the 2000s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Avengers (by Brian Michael Bendis), Volume 3

From the pages of New Avengers, the Captain Steve Rogers lead Avengers have reassembled with a new lineup in hopes of taking Norman Osborn and HAMMER down. But with public opinion of superheroes at an all-time low, will earth's mightiest heroes continue to serve the public good? Of, course they will but with a snake in the grass like Osborne, there's no limit to how low he'll stoop and how much collateral damage will be heaped upon this new team.

   I had spent so much time focusing on finishing Bendis' amazing run on New Avengers that it's been a while since I returned to his Avengers title run. I love Bendis and he can craft the hell out of anything. So, my initial lapse of memory of the previous storyline is all my fault- not his.

   The art by Daniel Acuna is phenomenal and I am convinced that I don't read (or view) enough of his work. He's got a great color palette up his sleeve and his expressions of characters are vivid and unique. It's not like looking at a Kirby piece (while still amazing) has all of the characters bearing the same face.

   This volume is full of adventure and excitement- not to mention a few jaw-dropping surprises.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers, Volume 5 (2010-2013)

  

Luke Cage's tenure as leader of the New Avengers comes to an end. For the safety of his wife and baby girl, Power Man has agreed to leave the team and the Avengers Mansion. But before Luke and family can pack up the u-haul, the team's headquarters has become a crime scene. Things go from bad to worse when the bodies begin to stack up literally at the New Avengers doorstep. Now everyone on the team has moved from being a person of interest to suspect. The New Avengers better act fast as the feds and the Captain America led Avengers are moving in quick to take the team down before even more dead bodies turn up.

   The final volume of the New Avengers was a page turner. It had that comedic chemistry that many Avengers squads are missing. It had incredible moments of action and exciting adventures galore. Another thing this volume had was lots and lots of occult magic.

   Speaking of occult magic, the star of the story isn't Luke Cage. Though his impending dismissal from the team plays a large part of the plot, it's Doctor Strange whose the main focus of the story. At the beginning of this series, Strange was stripped of the title Sorceror Supreme. These final 5 issues tie up some loose ends from the series' first volume. Plus, by series end, all becomes right with the Marvel Universe by having Strange regain his cosmic destiny.

   You may think I revealed a major spoiler, but there were tons of twists and turns that I didn't even mention that I think are more shocking that Stephen Strange regaining the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Besides, I think by the middle of this series, it becomes apparent that he's going to wield the Eye of Agamatto again. It's the journey he make take that I didn't see coming.

(BTW- I'm not really a fan of Marvel's occult comics. It just a matter of personal taste. Though this volume is full of things arcane, it's not handled in an evil or menacing way. I do love a good horror comic and this book evokes those 70s Marvel horror classics. So, this was actually a fun read.)
   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   
 

New Avengers, Volume 4: A Perfect World (Marvel NOW!)

   The crack in the foundation of the Illuminati reaches it's breaking point when their world killer device is finally put to the test. Racked by guilt, the team will lose a member and face down their final 8 hours of life on earth when another anomaly in the fabric of the multiverse arises. But when the deadline for the event passes and earth-616 is spared, the Illuminati regroup to determine what went wrong with their prediction of impending doom. Their greatest fears are realized when they discover that their former comrade-in-arms has formed his own version of the Illuminati out of the most wretched villains of the Marvel Universe.

  I hadn't been such a fan of this series because I felt like there was some missing information as to why the Marvel Universe is unravelling. But after reading 'Age of Ultron,' I felt like those gaps in my knowledge were finally filled. Thus, I really enjoyed this volume. Plus, the art was amazing and there were some awesome action sequences. Also, if you've ever wanted to see the Marvel Universe destroy the Justice League then this issue is for you because the resident superheroes of the tangent universe wiped out by the Illuminati at the beginning of this book are clear archetypes of the Distinguished Competition.

   Once again, I get hooked on a storyline only to have to wait until my library gets the next volume (or buy up the next several issues.) My only hope is that volume 5 will be worth the wait. Plus with this year's 'Secret Wars' storyline which will reboot the Marvel Universe, there won't be very many issues of this series left, so I shouldn't have to wonder what happens next for too long.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers, Volume 4 (AVX tie-in)

   This volume of New Avengers takes place during the Avengers Vs. X-Men crossover event from 2012. Most books, that are tied into a crossover miniseries such as AVX, are considered filler just to make an extra buck. The theory is that if you slap the name of the crossover on the cover, then fans are going to swoop up and buy everything labelled as such, even if the reader has no interest in the title or characters involved. More often than not, the supposed supplemental crossover title has little to nothing to do the miniseries in question.  For many fans, this is the norm and it's an infuriating waste of time and/ or money!

   

   This volume is actually different from the norm!

    In volume 3, Jessica Jones took her baby and left the New Avengers, fearful for its safety. Now Luke Cage must decide where his allegiances lie- with his team or his wife and child. Meanwhile, Captain America has called upon the New Avengers to assist with the Avengers in the coming crisis- the return of the Phoenix Force! 

    

    The X-Men believe a young girl with fiery red hair is destined to become the next Phoenix and lead the mutant race into an era of prosperity. The Avengers fear that she may go all "Jean Grey" and destroy the earth. Added to the mix, the monks of the Order of the Iron Fist think she could be the next Iron Fist and is meant to defend the Earth from the Phoenix or an entirely different force of evil all together.

     The best thing about this book is that it does a very good job keeping the reader informed of the goings on of the AVX miniseries. After about 4 issues of a chronological progression of the storyline, the time line jumps. In one issue, Captain America summons the Illuminati in hopes of swaying X-Men ally Prince Namor to the Avengers side. Then there's a trippy single issue tale about the captivity of several New Avengers in the throes of the X-Men. The final story takes place days after the climax of AVX. It has an X-Man in custody and the New Avengers having to protect him from the holy rolling, mutant-hating Purifiers. 

 

    That story will culminate with Cage deciding once and for all where his loyalties lie. His decision will impact the future of the team. More importantly, it's going to have me rushing to the library for volume 5. Now if I can only get my hands on the AVX miniseries...

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

   

New Avengers, Volume 3

Norman Osborne is like a cockroach- he just never seems to die. In the New Avengers, he’s back having just sprung himself from SHIELD’s super-max prison. His goal- to end the New Avengers once and for all with his team of New DARK Avengers. Along with some heavy recruiting, Osborne’s going to do what he does best- manipulate; primarily he’s looking to turn the media against the New Avengers and make the public loose not only faith but love in the team. This plan seems to be working as threats the former Green Goblin make strike very close to home to a couple of members of the team causing them to go AWOL.

A very good book. Having Wolverine, Spider-man, the Thing, and Daredevil make for some great ‘buddy cop’ moments. The surprises in the book were thrilling, shocking, and fun. The art was really good though I should mention the first chapter of this book.

This book was published in 2012 and the first chapter was penciled by John Romita, Jr. JRJR has been getting some flack lately for his art. It definitely looks different than his early stuff but I don’t think this is his fault. Old age is the comic book artist’s greatest enemy. Carpal Tunnel, arthritis, swollen joints, scar tissue, and even injury can change how someone draws over time. I think that’s the problem here.

The art is still top notch but everything has a more embellished feel to it. Faces and fingers are particularly enhanced as the look enflamed and gnarled. They say that you tend to draw yourself as it’s the thing you are most familiar with. As I noted, the knuckles on the hands of many of these characters look like my mother’s when her rheumatism acting up. So, maybe that adage is on to some and Romita JR’s hands have become deformed with overuse and age. He’s still one of my favorite artists and I hope people will lighten up on him about the dramatic changes it’s had over the years.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers, Volume 3: Other Worlds (Marvel NOW!)

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  While You still need to read Infinity to reason understand and appreciate what’s going on here, but the third volume of New Avengers is a much easier read than its processor. Now while it might’ve helped that I read this volume immediately after finishing volume 2, I think the biggest improvement in that this volume seems not to rely so much on the events than transpire in Infinity

For one thing, there is more focus on the parallel earths that are undergoing this comic round robin tournament to the death. With the help of a device that can see into these other worlds we get a firsthand glimpse at the successes and failures. Thinking on the scope that each earth has billions of humans living on it and I counted at least 20 earths being mentioned as had already died, this very well may be the most deadly 6 issues in comics since the Crisis.

I’m very much looking forward to the next issue. It may be a while before I get the chance to read it. But I think I’m at a good stopping point that I shouldn’t have any issues getting caught up once I do.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers, Volume 2: Infinity (Marvel NOW!)

When I read Avengers: Infinity, I thought that was the name of the volume. I didn’t know there was actually a mini-series named Infinity that that Avengers book was tied into. Why, the volume before was titled Prelude to Infinity, so I figured I wasn’t missing anything. Then I found New Avengers: Infinity. I know Marvel is really gung-ho about anything Avengers thanks to the success of the film. So, my new feeling was that Infinity was a cross-over event in all of the Avengers title. But after reading this volume, I now know that I was wrong.

I didn’t know that there was a cross-over event called Infinity- not until last night. But after finishing this volume, I was very confused and decided to research just what the heck’s going on. I got really lucky with Avengers: Infinity. The plot focus was that parallel earths were destroying each other in a sort of multi-verse battle royal. To prevent our earth from being destroyed, the Avengers went into outer space and it looked like the crisis was averted- for now.

Then I finished New Avengers. Here’s what I’m confused about:

Where did Thanos come from all of a sudden and why is he invading earth? Why are the kingdoms of Atlantis and Wakanda at war with each other? Why is the Inhuman king Blackbolt back from the dead? Better yet- why is his brother Maximus helping him rule the Inhuman kingdom? And why is Mr. Fantastic on earth?

Those last two questions are tied in to each other. The last I saw Maximus, he was being held prisoner by the Freedom Foundation and someone remarks to Reed Richards “Aren’t you supposed to be in space?” The answer is yes- Richards and his family are supposed to be lost in space and time right now, so how did he come back? The Marvel Now! books have in the past done a spot-on job of keeping continuity straight across the board from the Avengers titles to X-Men to Daredevil, Thor, and everything in-between. So, either somebody dropped the ball in the continuity department or all of the answers to my questions can be found in the pages of Infinity. I’m leaning towards the latter.

Usually when DC or Marvel has a big sweeping epic like Infinity or Secret Wars, the publisher in an attempt to cash in, will tie-in as many titles as possible to the mini-series event that they are hosting. But the rule has almost always been that you could follow your favorite comics with very little actually having to do with the events transpiring in said mini. It’s supposed to be so seamless that loyal reading would not have to read the mini-series to stay caught up. Well, it that theory worked very well for the Avengers series but it does not comply at all with New Avengers. You have to read Infinity. There’s just too much missing info to skip it.

I got this volume at my library but as far as I can tell not only does the Library not have Infinity in a collected format, I could not find evidence on stashmycomics.com that this series has been reprinted yet.

If you happen to know the answers to any of my questions please feel free to tell me. I won’t call ‘spoiler alert’ this time. I’m lost and I can’t find where I parked my car. Any help would be gladly appreciated.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Avengers, Volume 2

This is the book that I thought was actually New Avengers, volume 3 and turned out I grabbed the wrong book! That’s okay though. In this volume, a third-tier villain has discovered where the illuminati have hidden the Infinity Gems. In an adventure that calls for Steve Rogers to bring in just about every version of the Avengers into active rotation, I was pleasantly surprised with my beloved New Avengers making a vital contribution to the storyline.

The New Avengers provide a much needed dose of humor and levity. Especially with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers at each other’s throats. With this mystery villain getting ever more stronger with each gem he possesses one must wonder who will bring forth the end to the Avengers- the baddie or Iron Man and Steve.

This was a great book that I was glad I got my hands on by accident. The writing by Brian Michael Bendis is as good as anything else of his that I’ve read. The art by John Romita, Jr isn’t bad either. But it makes me wonder why his style has changed over the years. It’s gotta a little less like the realism of his father, Romita Sr., and seems to actually look more like JRJR is drawing super-heroed versions of himself on every page. Again, it’s not bad, but it’s also not the style of his artwork I remember viewing as a kid.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers Volume 2

The Marvel Adventures Avengers is my all-time favorite line-up but now having read 2 volumes of New Avengers, I would have to say that this team is running a close second. Starring Luke Cage and his wife Jessica, they lead the likes of Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Spider-man, The Thing, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Mockingbird, and Iron Fist. This group has heavy hitters, gritty vigilantes, and most importantly: chemistry! I love the witty banter and the hard hitting action of this team.

In this volume the story takes place in 1959 with Nick Fury assembling his first squad of Avengers under President Eisenhower’s Avenger’s Initiative. They’re seeking to take down the Red Skull’s newly formed ‘Fourth Reich’ before too much damage can be done with a new secret formula that could give these neo-Nazis their own legion of Super Soldiers.

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers’ Avengers Initiative has the New Avengers looking to take out a gang of terrorists before they can get their new hideout under operation. When one of the New Avengers is mortally wounded, the past will catch up with the present and the ultimate decision must be made by the rest of the Avengers- let him or her die OR give them the gift of infinite life and infinite pain to boot!

Such an awesome volume. I was thrilled when I found this at the library. I was mighty disappointed when I found out I didn’t check out volume 3! Like I said, the dynamic is fantastic! The art is excellent with different artists drawing the modern and 1959 Avengers teams. I must read more soon!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.