Brains over Brawn
I've been excited to pick up this series for a while, and though I definitely enjoyed it, the book certainly leaves you thinking long after finishing it. This is a book staying intellectual for the intellectual.
For starters, if you are not a fan of lots of dialog, cut your losses and do not get this. There's maybe one fight in the whole book, and it's rather short lived. This series is all about the decision being made behind it all and the characters who are controlling it. Admittedly, there were moments when I had to put down the novel and take a shirt break before diving in; there's a lot of info to digest. Not only that, but if you aren't familiar with some of the characters (as I wasn't with Black Panther and Black Bolt), it may take a little time to understand who they are, their powers, etc., as this isn't a team made exclusively of well known or frequent players.
The characters themselves are what make this book worth picking this up. To be honest, not all of them are exactly well utilized. It felt like Namor and Beast were, more often than not, kind of there to comment occasionally but not do much. And Black Bolt, not being able to talk in a dialog-heavy book, is easily forgettable. However, what makes up for those is some really great focus on Black Panther, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man, who are all very strong here, alongside a new female figure who not only drives the plot, but becomes a strong persona of her own, which is great, seeing is this is a team exclusively made of men. It kind of bothers me that there are no men among them, but I feel like this is something of a good resolve... for the time being. It just goes to show that Marvel still has a ways to go from being sexist; none of the "smartest" characters in this universe are female.
Not giving too much away, the New Avengers need to be constantly combating world-ending events and trying to decode how best to do so. Death, obviously, is a constant theme, specifically when considering if murdering hundreds is the only answer to preserving life on earth; not something we haven't heard before, but with these characters and stakes, it's hard not to be sucked in. As one can imagine, characters are constantly clashing and warring with each other, yet, generally, it's not to the degree that is hyped. I imagine this will change in the following volume, but it felt like, though there were disagreement, everyone on the team recognized the need for such to push forward, and I appreciated that. It made it feel like a real situation.
There are many plot points to pick up in the future, many mysteries behind the scenes in future installations to the series; if you are one to think, consider, and really ponder what should or must be done in dire situations, this is the book for you. Do not expect to be uplifted, but perhaps enlightened.