1959 is Finally Over!!!
Looking at what others have said, it is good to know that I am not alone with feeling as though the 1959 Avengers have been a big waste of time. I would stand by my feelings either way, but it is good to have some validation.
The Good
Hands down, Mike Deodato's art if great! He helps tell the story in creative and visually stunning ways. Besides that, I can't give much more praise. I do like how Bendis wrties the characters of this Avengers team, but stretching the combined "Bobbi's been critically wounded" as well as "Nick Fury and the Avengers of 1959" stories over the four (maybe five) issues has really made this title drag- but more on that in a moment. My favorite part of the issue was when Superia gets a little message slipped under her door. I can only hope this means big things are coming.
The Bad
Having suffered through the lower quality (IMO) art and what we find to be a totally pointless story regarding the creation of the 1959 Avengers, our payout is pretty small. As another reviewer said, Nick Fury sums up what we needed to know in about a page...not to mention in the Marvel Universe, full of magic and super science, this really could have come from anywhere. The entire 1959 business could have been confined to an isssue or a seperate one shot and would have been just as if not more effective. While it made some sense to have Dominic Fortune and Ernst Sablinova on a Nazi hunting team, the addition of Kraven and Sabretooth seemed a bit extreme and give us yet another example of over-indulgent retcons instead of using them as a legit way to flesh out or move along a story.
The Verdict
When the Heroic Age started, New Avengers actually was my favorite of the three Avengers titles I read (I am not an Academy reader), but this overdone and (for the time being) pointless arc has really made the progress of this book come to a screeching halt. While I do feel as though the last page is the start of setting something big up, we see again how creative teams aren't communicating with each other. If you don't know what I mean, check out Thunderbolts #158 (which ties into Fear Itself). While Bendis is a master storyteller, he can produce duds like everyone else can and that is what the conclusion of this arc appears to be. Let's face it, the whole arc entirely. It does lay the groundwork for some big changes to come so the promise of that plus the great art by Deodato, bring up the rating to 2.5.
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