Avengers #9
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by John Romita Jr
I’m liking the steady upturn this book has taken with this story arc. It’s one part my being a fan of Bendis’s Illuminati, and that I’ve been waiting for several years to see just how exactly Steve Rogers would react, and another part that The Hood is one of my favorite newish villains in Marvel, and this issue has a lot about both. The split of the issue is Tony and Steve arguing about the existence of the Illuminati, and what to do about Infinity Games, while the other part of the issue shows just how The Hood got from the New Avengers Finale to this arc. Two stories that needed to be told, and Bendis does a great job mixing the two into one issue with a giant info dump that doesn’t drag on.
The Hood stuff was much needed, as when we had last seen the character he was powerless and getting hauled off to jail, and then all of the sudden he’s digging through the area where Attilan used to be and looking for an Infinity Gem. No explanation how he got there, how he knew where to find the gems, or, well, anything. Now we get to see how Parker Robbins got himself out of jail, how he devised a plan to regain ultimate power, and the criminal genius he was claimed to have had finally get to work. He was a crimeboss for super villains, so it would make sense that he’d have tons of cash saved up somewhere, and that all it would take is to find the right ways to use it. The right inmate to get information from, the right guard to pay for an exit, the right kind of money can grease the wheels and get you where you need to be. And the right source of information might just send you to the secrets of Black Bolt of the Inhumans. Parker steals the show in this issue with the pages covering his month from the Raft until now.
Steve and Tony arguing about the Illuminati is long anticipated, but not at all overdue. We’ve always known that the moment was coming where the two would face off about the Illuminati, but the group was played down long enough that it wasn’t critical. If there are any complaints to make it would be just how personal Steve take the entire thing, as the first conclusion he jumps to is that Tony formed the group to undermine his authority. Think about that, it’s been a month, maybe two, since Siege (in continuity), and Steve immediately assumes that Tony went out and got Professor X, Dr. Strange, Namor, Reed, and Medua….who isn’t even on Earth anymore, just to undermine him. I understand being mad, but that’s just dumb. I can understand him being mad once Tony admits that this all started at the Kree-Skrull War, though, that was a long freakin time ago.
The conversation shifts between the existence of the Illuminati and the Infinity Gems fiasco that is dropping on their heads, though the Avengers still have no idea who the cause is. Nice acknowledgment that Rulk would have no idea who Parker Robbins is out of costume, because I can’t see why he would. The main exposition about why the Illuminati exists actually comes from the other members of the group as they try to explain it to the rest of the assembled Avengers teams, leaving Tony and Steve to just fight and bicker about Tony being a control freak. Anyway, they come up with a plan, and it looks like next issue is going to be the Avengers chasing down the remaining Infinity Gems to get to them first.
Well, it’s nice to finally understand what’s wrong with the art in this book. This issue brings in Scott Hanna to ink the Hood pages, while Klaus Janson inks Romita on the Avengers pages, and….one of these looks MUCH better than the other. One looks like Romita’s Amazing Spider-Man, and the other looks like….the first six issues of this book. That isn’t to knock Klaus Janson, who is one of the best at what he does, but his pages just don’t match up to the Hanna ones, the line work is just….I dunno the word to use. But it would be just outright astounding if Romita’s pencils were as different between the two sections as the final versions, because one set looks much better than the other, and the only difference I see is the inker. The pages Hanna inks are the easiest on the eyes, and the face work is leaps and bounds better. Janson does a great job with costumes, and heroic poses, but the fact that everyone has their faces wrapped because it’s cold hides one of the bigger flaws that the art has seen so far in this volume of the book.
I like the upswing this book is taking, and I like enjoying it. I’m a fan of the Avengers, so I’m not a huge fan when it’s on the bad book list. Bendis is doing wonders with this arc by being able to focus on characters and limit the big event to a character he’s already familiar with. The Hood as the villain adds a lot to this story, lending a familiar voice for Bendis to attach the big cosmic level threat to. The character driven narrative plays up Bendis’s strengths, and the story is better because of it. I’m excited to see how this story plays out, and I hope that the quality of the story stays where it’s at.
Overall?
7/10
