As noted above, I was coming to this with at the very least a neutral attitude, and while its not better than I expected, its better than I feared. Im not convinced by the plotting, but its very early days yet, so well see where it goes. Not a bad start at all. Read Full Review

Anyway, solid 1st issue with really nice art and fluid story telling and great character work. I expected more though Read Full Review

For the most part, the book feels like its bubbling just above average - which is better than can be said for the last Avengers arc. However, Brian Bendis throws in a few pages at the end of the issue which bode very well for the future of the title, creating intrigue around a character who is basically a blank slate for me, yet making his introduction more interesting and full of potential than any of the previous scenes of this fairly predictable supervillain-prison-break story. With this, and the identity of Electros mystery benefactor (who looks worryingly like Nick Fury in silhouette?) providing the intellectual intrigue, and Finchs solid action sequences as eye candy, this is a far stronger opener than the teams false start with the Disassembled storyline. Definitely one to watch. Read Full Review

So the two plots (the criminal breaking out a criminal & the heroes trying to resurrect another) dovetail nicely. The chatty, informal tone instigated in Avengers Finale is maintained here, and one gets a sense that when this team does come together, theyll do it by articulated choices. Though not without flaws, this is a promising debut. Read Full Review

Writer Brian Michael Bendis offers up 22 pages of paranoia at 30,000 feet, and I have to admit, it makes for an entertaining read. However, I found I enjoyed it more on an absurdist level than as dramatic tension in the super-hero genre. I get why Bendis and Marvel are setting up the discovery of a Skrull operating in secret on Earth as a big deal; they're building up to a big event. Having the super-heroes eye one another with extreme suspicion while trying together to analyze recent events in light of the Skrull-as-Elektra revelation makes for some snappy and interesting dialogue. But it doesn't quite work in the context of the bigger picture of Marvel continuity. These characters live in a world filled with shapechangers, magicians, telepaths and inventors of impossible technology. They've had cause to be paranoid their entire lives. Given what they've experienced and learned over the years, finding a Skrull spy is hardly shocking. Troubling, yes, but not so extreme a development so Read Full Review

A friend of mine remarked that The New Avengers initial story arc will read much better as a trade paperback collection than as a monthly serial. Thats an astute observation, and I can think of no better way to honor my friends intelligence than to avoid buying any more issues of The New Avengers. I figure by the time the fourth of July rolls around, this first story arc will have finally reached its end. Who knows? Maybe by then, Wolverines reason for joining yet another super-hero team will be revealed. Hes nowhere to be found in this issue. Read Full Review

The nostalgia is strong with this one and also David Finch draws some great panels.

Rating for Brian Michael Bendis' run from #1 to #31