Bendis Doesn't Read "Invincible Iron Man"
Plot & Action: A potential new Avenger is tracked down, the Avengers find a way to look at future alternate universes, that machine is broken, and that's about it. The last page is somewhat cool, but there just wasn't a whole lot that went on here. The issue was dominated by Stark and the newcomer to the team.
Character Work: It's obvious that Bendis isn't reading Matt Fraction's "Invincible Iron Man" as Tony Stark was handled completely wrong. Stark talks of Stark Industries and having things? Really? It's Stark Resilient and Tony's broke and thing-less. His attitude didn't really seem to match that of how Fraction has portrayed Tony. Since Tony's front and center this issue, his mishandling grated on me throughout the entire issue. I wasn't exactly thrilled with how Thor sounds either. Also, Wolverine and Spider-Woman don't seem like Avengers to me either and they don't get a lot of time in the spotlight here either. Hawkeye also is kind of quiet while Spider-Man is simply there for comic relief. Job well done, Bendis.
The Art Team: Somehow, John Romita Jr.'s art took a step back from issue one. His Noh-Varr looks like Steve Rogers, his female characters all look the same and look terrible (especially Spider-Woman and her hair), his facial shadows look like wrinkles or facial hair, there's a lack of detail in a lot of scenes, and nothing really looks appealing. Dean White's coloring didn't help anything either. For a flagship book, the art just looks second, third, or even fourth rate.
Generally Speaking: It's obvious, but I'll still say it: I didn't enjoy this issue. Bendis mishandled some characters, the plot really went no where, and the art was terrible. It wasn't 0.5 bad, but the issue just failed all around for me. I really don't like to think about Bendis's portrayal of Tony Stark since it feels so disrespectful to the awesome job Fraction is doing on the monthly. Also, I really don't see Bendis making an attempt to differentiate between "Avengers" and "New Avengers." He's still doing his typical grounded, modern dialogue approach with a few cast differences. The arc may be intriguing with the future alternate universes and this attacking Wonder Man thing, but this issue is skipable.
