The Good
The immediate question is, do we need another Avengers-title? Al Ewing sets off right away to give this title a separate feel from the others. From the beginning it starts off with a Heroes for Hire feel. That's what Luke Cage has been up to since leaving the Avengers (he does have a family to support after all). Cage has been working with the new Power Man (Victor Alvarez as well as the current White Tiger (Ava Ayala). The hook of the story and connection to Infinity is all the Avengers have left the planet (as seen in INFINITY #1) and Thanos has decided this is the perfect time to push his plans and move towards Earth.
You can maybe see where this is going and why the "Avengers" name will become attached to these heroes.
The nice thing about this team is they definitely have a more cohesive feel to them. With Jonathan Hickman's (main) team, we're seeing a huge team, which makes sense in having the right hero available for different threats. The problem is, you start to lose the team feeling that way. These characters have more of a connection. Having the SUPERIOR Spider-Man around adds to the tension that makes team books more entertaining.
The villains we see in the beginning sheds a different sort of light upon the Marvel Universe. Too often we see the same old villains fighting the heroes and you have to wonder why they never get the point that they'll just keep losing to them. Throughout the evolution of this new "Mighty" Avengers, we get a sense of how this team will be different along with some mystery showing that we haven't seen the full picture yet. In other words, the whole gang isn't here just yet. How the few do gather here is great since you'd expect a city full of heroes to eventually show up in the same places.
The Bad
It is a little strange having what basically appears to be street-level heroes tied up in a galactic crossover like Infinity. That event may be the what launches the formation of this team but it just feels odd having a cosmic level threat involved. We don't see the entire team so we can't form a firm opinion on how this team will be. It is an interesting start so far.
The art by Greg Land sometimes comes across as too pretty or the characters appear like they're posing for the camera. This isn't anything new. There was a great panel with Luke holding the bridge of his nose in exasperation but it's a little distracting when the background people all look "pretty" as well.
I like the idea of a bickering and snotty Spider-Man being around to be a pain but there are times it comes across as too much. SUPERIOR Spider-Man works in his title. SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP was pushing things a little. This could become more annoying than enjoyable really quick.
The Verdict
We may not need another Avengers title but we do have a fascinating gathering of heroes here. Event tie-ins sometimes feel forced but this gives an interesting twist with all the heroes busy elsewhere. With the Marvel Universe containing so many different characters, it's easy for some to get lost in the shuffle. If you've been missing any of the characters here, you'll definitely want to check this out (except for Spider-Man, since it's hard to miss him with him popping up more and more in the Marvel U). Al Ewing starts off the series on the right foot. We don't have all the players in place but there is a curiosity that will make you want to come back. With a mysterious character right away and more members to come, there's no telling what the next issue will bring us. MIGHTY AVENGERS isn't the series you were expecting but it's going to be the one you're happy to read.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #1 is on sale September 11, 2013.
