Avengers #501Marvel Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by David Finch, Olivier Coipel and Danny Miki
Review by Fletcher Adams
The Least You Need to Know It is the worst day in the history of the Avengers reeling from the overwhelming tragedy, the Avengers learn from Doctor Strange that the attacks on them are magic based.
So thats it. The Avengers are done.
Looking at the Chaos arc as a finale for a 503-issue run, I have to honestly say I was disappointed. The arcs primary function was to shuffle off the traditional Avengers, clearing the board for The New Avengers. While I sort of liked the contrast of the Mighty Avengers ending with a whimper, the manner in which Bendis handled the tale felt forced. To me it almost seemed like he was running down a checklist; Wasp in coma, She-Hulk went nuts, Vision torn apart, Hawkeye sucked up engine of spaceship. There we go, thats everyone. There just didnt feel like there was any reason for this story other than to set the stage for the new team. At the point that a tale becomes purely utilitarian, Id rather it have been skipped altogether. I would have been just as happy if Avengers had ended with #499 and then started anew without the extended collapse.
Looking at this arc as a prelude to the New Avengers, Im intrigued. This issue brought in some of Bendis new team members which let his writing talent was shine again. Spider-Mans awkward observations of the Vision and Scarlet Witchs relationship provided some great levity. Im rather excited to seeing what Bendis can do with the webslinger on a monthly basis. Clearly, Bendis is passionate about this new line-up, which goes a long way to ensuring that his scripts will be of a higher caliber.
Finchs art just doesnt work for me. He does some great layouts and effects (along with Danny Miki and Frank DArmata). The black, white and red delusion world and the appearance of Magneto were both very powerful. His Spider-Man evokes the style of Steve Ditko. But he just cant draw faces. I cant look at a single unmasked character in this book without thinking, thats just wrong.
The Bottom Line As a finale for The Avengers, issue #503 was not so good. As a prelude for The New Avengers intriguing and promising.
Oh, and just to toot my own horn (SPOILER WARNING before you click the link) I was right.
