Dark Avengers #1

COVERS BY: Daniel Acuna|Mike Deodato|Adi Granov|Salvador Larroca|Paul Renaud

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis

PENCILS: Gabriele Dell\'Otto

Mike Deodato

Marko Djurdjevic

INKS: Mike Deodato

COLORED BY: Rainier Beredo

LETTERED BY: VC - Cory Petit

The new status quo is here, Brian Michael Bendis vision continues, and the end of "Secret Invasion" was certainly interesting. The bad guys are in charge now, and it stands to reason that the old saying “you reap what you sow” applies here, as the bad guy version of Marvel's biggest superhero team is recruited.

The premiere issue of "Dark Avengers" does just this , and most of its joys come from the suspense of who Norman Osborn is planning to fill the roster with. If you've already been spoiled, then there's some great art to keep you interested. and those with a modicum of self-control will find plenty to enjoy.

With all of the worlds secrets at his finger tips Osborn will completely recreate The Avengers in his own image, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, and even an Amazing Spider-Man. Oh and he has a god on board

Dark Reign is compelling. Watching Osborn rebuild The Avengers to fit his own designs is a whole lot of fun, and the cavalier nature with which he treats the lynchpins of what has come before is just far-reaching enough to feel genuine.

He exhibits evil menacing enough to feel threatening. It makes just enough sense to make you feel genuinely concerned for the good guys. Along with Ares (The God of the group) and The Sentry, Osborn picks Marvel Boy, Moonstone, Son Of Wolverine, Bullseye, and Venom to fill out his roster.

He himself leads the team as The Iron Avenger, a cross between (naturally) Iron Man and Captain America. And with starktech now under his control and a spray can or two There's lunatic logic to this.

We don't see much of the team's interactions yet, but there's certainly promise. There's straight up bad guys, grey area guys but no good guys. I definitely look forward to seeing where all this is headed.

This reminds me in flavour to the Warren Ellis’s "Thunderbolts" run. it's And I don’t know about you but Norman looks a lot like Tommy Lee Jones, could Bendis be suggesting a future actor for a live movie version?

Bendis is putting out some top rate stuff here, the new Marvel Universe has never been this insane.

What could easily have devolved into a kind of pot noodle version, of the Marvel Universe, in an "Acts Of Vengeance" kind of way is evolving into quite an interesting new world order.

No one's being ferried off to slave camps, (yet) heroes aren't being executed in the streets. (yet) but with the order to take out Maria Hill and to make it messy one wonders how long it will take, Norman Osborn is reshaping the world as he wants, and thanks to Tony Stark and cronies, he has no one to stop him, this really is a case of the lunatics have taken over the asylum. It also begs the question, why on earth did two of the most intelligent individuals in the Marvel Universe think that it would be a really good idea to employ someone like Osborn in the first place?

when the final panel does arrive it comes at you like a kick in the groin. But its not over just yet… there is still someone who has to be counted, and one man can make all the difference.

This is a great comic book and I suggest you purchase it

9.8/10

Reviewed by your favourite well mannered boy.