COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Avengers # 20
Reviewing Avengers # 20 by Brian Michael Bendis and Daniel Acuna.
The new issue deals with the teams reaction to the sudden public appearance of Dark Reign instigator Norman Osborn. The issue also deals with who draws first blood in the battle between Captain America’s Avengers against Osborn’s Dark Avengers.
There are several keypoints that should be interesting for longtime Avengers readers. As usual Bendis tries an old concept and spins something entirely new. It works in most cases but there are also some works of his that fail because of this. In the case of this issue, Bendis manages to spin something cool and interesting with old concepts (can you spell Super Adaptoid?).
Without spoiling too much of the actual plot, its a trap. Plain and simple. Cap sends his team into traps. Oh and one of Osborn’s accomplices gets another makeover. This issue is pretty standard and has a lot of “Were screwed” moments.
It’s not an Eisner award winning issue but it looks great thanks to Acuna’s art plus the creative team’s colors and inks. Dialogue-wise, Avengers # 19 had a lot of funky and funny moments but this issue is a “we-mean-business” dialogue which is nice but not really getting high marks on my book.
The book would be good for fans of the Avengers as well as the guys who stood by the title (even during that really awful Fear Itself tie-ins). Plus if you’re interested in seeing a good mash-up between Norman Osborn’s Avengers and that of Captain America’s new team then this is a must.
Verdict: 3/5
