The art of Frank Cho is amazing. With two fatal flaws aside I can honestly say that his work is perfect. Those flaws of course would be his speed, which will necessitate a fill-in artist probably every other arc, and his inability to draw women any other way than unrealistically over-proportioned. It’s a small pet peeve, but I’m sorry, after forty years of comics I can be pretty sure that neither The Wasp nor the Black Widow are that endowed. Is it so hard to look at either an art model sheet or previous appearances of those characters?

And if there is anything Frank Cho likes drawing more than big-bosomed and amply-bottomed women, it’s dinosaurs, and the Mole Man’s monsters pretty closely fit that bill as they invade Manhattan from (where else) below. A few are familiar, most are not. I did appreciate the cameo by Godzilla on page two, being a big kaiju eiga fan myself. For the trivia folks out there, Marvel no longer holds the license on the Big G, and the creature was eventually mutated into something else by Dr. Demonicus to avoid copyright infringement. Would have been nice if those Iron Man stories had been included in the recent Marvel Essential Godzilla but that’s a subject to be discussed elsewhere.

Speaking of the art, but not of Cho’s, I thought the disassembling (pun unintended) of Jim Cheung’s Initiative ad for the screen shots on pages six, seven and twelve was rather ingenious. Whoever thought of that deserves props for their idea. Another thing, I didn’t mind the full page and two-page spreads in this issue so much. Mostly because with the increased page count it didn’t take away so much, but also because the bright vibrant colors of Jason Keith made them work. It reminded more of the phrase ‘widescreen storytelling’ more so than any of the Ultimates books it was designed to describe.

The structure of the issue has the Mighty Avengers jumping headfirst into their first combat amidst flashbacks to Tony and Carol choosing the new line-up, sizing up each potential member. In the same way, I’ll take on each choice one by one, examining both the internal and external rationalizations for their inclusion.

Iron Man – All kidding aside, is Tony Stark the new Dr. Doom, Red Skull and the Kingpin all rolled into one or what? He has always been arrogant, but power hungry and so manipulative feels so out of character. But then again, what do I know? I’ve only been reading about Iron Man for thirty-odd years. As Joe Quesada is lately so fond of saying, who knows the characters better than the comics creators themselves. Obviously not the readers.

I’ve always liked Iron Man. And I want to like Iron Man. I was even pulling for him back in the good old days when Jim Shooter and David Michelinie were casting doubt on his leadership abilities. Is this the same man? Why are the powers that be so dead set on making him so unlikable? They are making him the villain. Maybe the wrong guy got assassinated, but again, that’s a topic for another time as well.

Tony is now the director of SHIELD, which he’ll soon be renaming apparently after redesigning all their equipment, painting it red and gold and assumedly moving all of their defense contracts into Stark Industries name. There are still people who blame Dow for making napalm, wait until it gets out how much money Tony made from the Civil War. Okay. Enough. I’ll be good. Maybe it’s just that Tony doesn’t seem all that concerned over the fate of his former best friend Steve Rogers, or maybe it’s the immature jealousy over there being a renegade Avengers team out there.

All of this has great bearing on the end of this issue. Iron Man being the villain’s tool, this specific villain’s tool is an old plot device, going back to the aforementioned Mr. Shooter’s second run on the book with “This Evil Undying” (which was a terrific prose story before that). While I hate recycled plots, part of the reason I disliked Kang doing the same thing in “The Crossing,” Bendis has put a logical yet still twisted new spin on this one.

Ms. Marvel – I really wonder about this one, as well as Iron Man’s inclusions of the Wasp and the Black Widow. Is Carol or any of the women on this team simply because Tony Stark wants to score? There are slimy sexually subtextual remarks made regarding all three. Yes, Tony is known for his womanizing, but is he that bad? Maybe he needs a therapist, and for more reasons than one obviously.

Besides that problem it seems obvious that he doesn’t exactly trust her judgment, especially in the choosing of new Avengers. Why then should he trust her out in the field? Unless of course this is also more manipulation and the Mighty Avengers is being set up to fail. Then again, it could also be the influence of our mystery villain as well. On that note I must wonder if Tony Stark has been in his right mind throughout Civil War. It’s probably not an option though, if it’s not written by Mark Millar, it’s not canon.

Much has been made of Ms. Marvel’s leadership abilities of late, most of it alluded to by Bendis in House of M, but these traits have always been within the character. For too long she has been a Mar-Vell knock-off, an Avenger, a victim, X-Men supporting cast and Iron Man supporting cast. It’s about time she’s come into her own. I think she’ll do well as leader, despite the overwhelming personalities involved (Iron Man, Ares) and former Avengers chairpersons (Wasp, Black Widow).

I have to admit I’m a bit stunned by some of the words coming out of her mouth and head. Most of the thought balloons for her only serve to lower her for me. Carol seems less strong and confident in her head than she does outwardly with words and actions. I find that troubling. I also could not believe the last panel of page twenty-one. Is Carol to be the out-of-date romance plaything for all of the men of the team, or just the bad role model for the retro-Wasp? Speaking of that ‘unbelievable tramp’…

The Wasp - Ms. Marvel calls her ‘the best Avenger’ even while mentally trashing her costume and later calling her a tramp. Granted, Carol was always closer to Wanda when on the team, but what would make her so catty toward Janet? Iron Man’s opinion doesn’t hold up much hope for a reasonable characterization either. He thinks of her as an available female as well. The ‘loser husband’ comment was not lost on me and I absolutely dread BMB’s upcoming portrayal of Yellowjacket. With a certain robot foe stalking about you know Hank Pym can’t be far behind. Hank would be number one on my short list of Avengers I don’t want Bendis anywhere near.

What bothers me most about the Bendis and Cho version of the Wasp is how devolved she has become. Ms. Marvel comments that Jan could also be the leader, but you wouldn’t know it from her behavior this issue. Not only is the bad bob cut back, but so is the ditzy shopping and flirting personality. I really thought we were beyond this. Then again, maybe this 1964 spoiled rich flirt Wasp is why sexist Tony Stark considers her the Avenger he misses the most.

Wonder Man – He of the constantly changing powers and physical appearances, Simon Williams is back. I find it interesting to see Bendis handling Wonder Man, for he is the exception to the rule for the Scarlet Witch’s powers. Supposedly she could not affect life or death, thus preventing her from giving birth to her twin sons. It was all a chaos magic-created illusion, so explain how she brought Simon back from the dead, Bendis. Can’t wait to see that one. Theoretically, Wonder Man should not be alive, let alone be an Avenger again.

I don’t mind him being back in the Marlon Perkins outfit so much, I just wonder (pun unintended) how he’s flying with his rocket belt or his ionic energy. And how does he lose his glasses? The continuity of the battle seems a bit out of order in that detail. And how old is his file? It lists him as a current member of the West Coast Avengers. Are Stark’s and SHIELD’s files really that out of date?

The Sentry – “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” Is that what this is all about? Not only is Sentry unstable, but he’s also a dangerous loose cannon, even when the Void isn’t around to influence him. Witness his sociopathic attack on the relatively harmless Mole Man on page thirty-six. We all know what he’s capable of, remember Carnage? Who needs Wolverine or Ares when you have Sentry?

I find Tony’s reference to the Sentry as ‘The Bullet’ just damned creepy. Is he really that manipulative? But I suppose Iron Man has his reasons for wanting him on the team, other than his mindless loyalty. Perhaps Tony suspects the Hulk may someday return and hopes the Sentry might deter the green goliath both physically and emotionally – who knows? I guess we’ll find out this summer, cuz as we all know, the ‘events’ never stop with Marvel.

The Black Widow – Natasha has always been one of my favorites, from the Don Heck fishnet days to the Champions to the Harras Jacket Squad. I love seeing her on an Avengers team, but I can’t help thinking Bendis has her confused with her Ultimates counterpart. Why does the Black Widow need a gun? Has she retired her ‘widow’s line’ and ‘widow’s bite’? And would she return to the Avengers so readily? Didn’t Tony Stark legally prevent her from forming a new team after the events of Onslaught? That doesn’t sound like he ‘loves her’ as much as he says he does.

Perhaps it is Natasha’s past with the team that makes her less a leadership choice than Ms. Marvel or the Wasp. I am also a little confused by her file, with “Marvel Knights” listed under group affiliations. Am I wrong, or is MK just a publishing imprint rather than a team? Anyhow I’m glad to see her among this team, maybe not as a ‘ninja’ or even a ‘monster assassin,’ but at least she’s really an Avenger… unlike our final member.

Ares – Nope, sorry, no matter how hard Bendis is trying, I’m not buying this one. Ares is an enemy of the Avengers. To call his past battles against the team “a brief altercation” and “a problem with Hercules” is just plain insulting to any long-term readers. Will Kang the Conqueror join next? He has helped the team on occasion as both Immortus and Iron Lad, and even indirectly re-formed the Avengers in #300. How about Ultron as a member? Both his ‘parents’ and his ‘son’ are Avengers and his Mark 12 incarnation was quite helpful to the West Coast team. Ares as an Avenger is just plain absurd.

And before anyone says “Swordsman” or “Hawkeye” to me, both of those characters (and others) had completely reformed before joining and had nothing but respect for their fellow members. Ares, as he stands as an ‘Avenger,’ is a paid mercenary, and a killer to boot, with doubtful respect for his fellows. How long before forty-four dollars an hour isn’t enough for this particular wage slave war god to follow the orders of a mere mortal and he returns to his former Avengers-trashing ways?

One of my bigger questions with Mighty Avengers #1 is – where is PETA? Seriously, the ‘heroes’ kill many of the Mole Man’s monsters and humanoid followers, a death count of possibly at least a dozen. Aren’t these creatures living beings? Have our ‘heroes’ no respect for life any longer? Whatever happened to subduing enemies, no matter the species? I can only assume this incarnation of the Mighty Avengers would have had no moral issues whatsoever had “Operation: Galactic Storm” happened today.

The ending has been spoiled unfortunately by previews, but I look forward to upcoming issues anyway. I’m willing to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt on this one. After all, the female is the more powerful of the species, any species, for one major reason. Only the female can create life. And that is one thing this particular villain has desired for some time. Ultron is back, with a new twist, but also a new vengeance. Maybe Tony should have taken Carol’s advice on “an all-powerhouse team.”

All of that said, with a more traditional storytelling technique, an almost classic line-up, and more room to work (perhaps something BMB has needed all along), and some great and colorful superhero action - I give Mighty Avengers #1 four and a half stars out of a possible five – my highest score for a Bendis Avengers project so far. Let’s hope it continues like this in issues to come.

	Glenn Walker
	Glenn has been a fan of Marvel Comics' Avengers since the early 1970s, when their current adventures were chronicled by Steve Englehart and their early exploits by Stan Lee in classic reprints featured in Marvel Triple Action. He has persevered through many incarnations of the team and he still loves the Avengers to this day.