I may be in a minority, but I think this is excellent stuff. There are, I admit, some niggling problems with art and scripting, but there have been much worse problems in the very recent past, and it seems that more fuss is being made of them now because this is a high-profile event. True, Marvels promotion of the storyline is shameful on many levels, but the story itself works very well, largely due to the fact that Bendis is the first writer in years to have understood what the Avengers are about. Read Full Review

When the book is piling on the action the art does a very solid job of capturing the intensity of what's happening on the page, though I do have some quibbles about how clearly some of the action was laid out on the page, as the art doesn't really clearly capture the idea that She Hulk had crushed Captain America under that truck, and the blow that sends the new Captain Britain flying didn't look to be one that would send a comic character to the hospital. Still the shot where Yellowjacket towers over the battle's aftermath is a great image, and the impact of that final double-page spread is undeniably powerful. There's also a lovely action shot where Iron Man brings a halt to She Hulk's rampage, and the emotion of Hank's bedside conversation with Janet was nicely handled. The cover image's generic quality is a big disappointment though. Read Full Review

I suppose I could go on about three women being knocked unconscious in this crisis, too, but Im just not as disturbed by that as I was by the rapes and murders blighting the maligned DC heroines in Identity Crisis. These gals are tough, and while Ive always found Bendis to be aware of sexism, I wont say he creates it so much as depicts it. This story is still going somewhere, maybe even somewhere good, but the mix of awkward human miscommunication and catastrophic events reads uneasily, as if a full-on grasp of the real scope of these characters caught up in these events is proving elusive. Read Full Review

On all counts, youd think that the Avengers were some novice group under fire for the first time instead of the experienced super-group that they really are. In the storys defense Ill reiterate that its an exciting, intense read and the artwork unquestionably shines, but the implausibilities that abound here are unfortunately marring my enjoyment of the comic. Read Full Review

At least the last two-page spread provides a nice fanboy jolt. It's just the sort of thing that promises more fun next month. I just hope Bendis can deliver next time. Read Full Review

The final problem is that this issues big finish has unfortunately been spoilt by having it splashed all over the web for the last month and I personally preferred Finchs alternate final panel, presented on the letters page but theres no denying that the ending opens things up for a compelling third issue from Bendis. If he can continue to improve, maybe theres hope for his new Avengers title yet. Read Full Review

The Avengers dont know whats going on. Neither do the readers. Since the Wizard World Chicago show revealed a post-Disassembled lineup featuring Spider-Man and Wolverine, Bendis must work hard to make reaching that point from this point exciting and plausible. Itll be a difficult challenge for Marvels mightiest writer. Read Full Review

This is the Tony and Cap I grew to love. Classic avengers here.

I love Bendis. And the art. The art is great

Solid. Stark's a little quick to the "I pay for stuff, so I can be a brat" (but I suppose that's the character--though I wish another character would've called him out on it before flying away). Still (re)enjoying this run from its initial publication.