Avengers #501Marvel Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by David Finch and Danny Miki
Review by Fletcher Adams
The Least You Need to Know It is the worst day in the history of the Avengers Ant-Man has been killed, the mansion is ruined, the Vision has been torn apart, She-Hulk has lost control and the team is in shambles.
Just like last months review of Avengers #500, Ill start by answering the same question Did part two live up to the hype? Again, like last time, Ill answer by saying yes and no, but Im leaning more heavily towards no.
My major issue with Bendis Avengers is that, well, its Bendis Avengers. Continuity and characterizations be damned, the stage is being swept clean for the New Avengers thats the feeling I have. I had been hoping for a smoother transition, but so far, Chaos has essentially been a mass clearing of the board to make way for the new pieces. Its a shame, as I would have thought Bendis could do more with characters that are basically blank templates the new Captain Britain, for example. More bothersome is Bendis inability to put believable words into the mouths of established characters. The scene where Falcon I told you sos the team for letting Hulks into the Avengers just doesnt sound realistic. Sam has enough history with the team to know that a) the Hulk has only been on a handful of Avengers missions, all but one as a reservist, and b) that She-Hulk has been a reliable team member for years her rampage earlier came completely out of the blue. In terms of plot, this issue was much slower and less impressive in scope (the She-Hulk rampage is dealt with in short order). The cliffhanger, as it was, lacked any true drama as most of the Marvel universe arrives to do something (either they were all very late in answering the Avengers call for help or Cap put out the summons for help cleaning up). Or maybe theyre here to yell at the Avengers for making a mess of NYC Im really not sure what Bendis was going for here.
This all being said, Bendis dialogue wasnt all bad. If theres a character that Bendis has got a handle on, its Hawkeye. The Avengers outspoken archer is the perfect mouthpiece for Bendis view on the team, offering the suggestion that the team is paying for being a reactive (as opposed to proactive) squad. Yellowjacket and Iron Man are also showing some promise, as Hank looks back at the legacy he has left the team and readers are left wondering as to whether or not Tony Stark can be believed.
My criticisms of the artwork remains Finch does a nice job on backgrounds and bodies, but his faces are bland, awkward and difficult to read.
The Bottom Line I enjoy Bendis work, so Im holding out hope that Chaos will be better as a whole than as parts. Only time will tell. As far as the inconsistent dialogue and continuity issues, they seem so glaringly obvious that Ill continue to assume that its intentional. Im not certain what the motivation could be, but with so many improbable events occurring, my guess is that the Scarlet Witch has turned on the team for some reason.
