At its best, New Avengers has been a challenging super-hero drama, raising the question of how far a hero can go, yetstill be considered a hero. At its worst it's been an inscrutable mess, which comes across as an exercise in complicated storytelling, solely for the sake of complicated storytelling. Unfortunately, this issue is far closer to the latter than the former.

New Avengers #33 is a decent comic. The plot moves along briskly, the dialogue is appropriate to the largess of the situation, and the art is extremely competent. However, looking at this issue as the epic finale to a great Avengers run, it fails miserably. But, as an interesting prologue to Marvel's next big event, it's fine. You're well within your rights to be bothered by this, especially when it feels like Secret Wars is just a set up for what comes after in the Marvel universe.SCORE: 4/10

This was an off month for Dark Horse Presents, something that doesn't come around all too often. Groo faltered on its final step, Tarzan isn't coming off as anything special, and the unmentioned Dream Gang continues to be uninteresting. There are still some high quality tales in this issue, but this was certainly an off month.

Hickman's New Avengers run is starting to fizz out, which is a shame. Hopefully the final two issues can regain some momentum before Secret Wars finally comes out in May.

All in all, this issue is a dip in quality, for what has been a long hot streak of issues. While New Avengers #25 is satisfying in that it feels like a piece of a larger puzzle, it's also disappointing for not being anything more. This is a standard change of pace issue, which is often necessary on longer books, and at the very least, has raised even more questions for Marvel's most intriguing comic.

New Avengers is both winding down and picking up steam at the same time. 'In 4 months time runs out' the cover reads. Hopefully we get some kind of closure on what has been a very good Avengers run, before the Battleworld begins.

How often does it have to be said, that Dark Horse Presents is the best value for money available monthly at your local comic store? At least once more. Next month is the special 200th issue, and it'll be 80 pages of content for $4.99. If you're not already enjoying this great book, it will be the perfect jumping on point.

At this point, New Avengers basically exists as a prelude to Secret Wars, and that's okay, because it's done so well. With this month's reveal, as well as last month's less successful discussion of the Beyonders, all the pieces are on the board, and it's great to see such a long term plan finally coming together. As one character puts it, "[T]hey're out there" waiting. The Ivory Kings. The Beyonders" And how can we defeat them? We cogs in their well-oiled apocalypse machine?" Hickman is setting up what seem to be impossibly high stakes, and hopefully he can pull it off.

All in all, Dark Horse Presents #3 proves why this has been the premiere anthology series for so many years now. The collection of talent is so immense, that even when the writing falters, the consistently brilliant and varied artists are able to pick up the slack.

Not every story in every issue of Dark Horse Presents succeeds, but the sheer diversity of titles, high quality of creators, and solid pricing means the total package is almost always satisfying. If you are a fan of independent comics, there is simply no reason not to be reading this.

Dark Horse Presents #8 is an example of a series that has settled into a very comfortable rhythm. As always, there's a solid variety of stories, by some fantastic creators, with some being slightly more rewarding than others. All wrappedup in a typically moody and gorgeous Francesco Francavilla cover, this is a comic well worth your time.

This is another solid entry, in a very solid series. Both main Avengers comics feel like they're ramping up to something massive, but they've also been ramping for what seems like a while. The tension is high, and there have been several key reveals relating to the timeskip of issue #24, but it still feels like not much is actually happening. In the end though, this comic is so well put together by Hickman and Walker, that even if not much happens, it's still a satisfying read.

On its cover, Dark Horse Presents #4 boasts about being named the reigning best anthology by the Eisner, Harvey, and Stumptown Comic Arts Awards, and this is not just due to lack of competition. Dark Horse editor Mike Richardson does an excellent job cultivating talent, and arranging an aesthetically pleasing package, of 48 straight pages of comics, with no ads. This is a continually good series, and should be on the pull list of anyone who enjoys shorter comic stories.

Dark Horse Presents #7, or #200 if you prefer, is a momentous occasion. The talent is truly top-notch, and it's a whopping 80 pages of comics for only $4.99. The next time you hear someone complaining about the price of comics at your LCS, direct them right here, to the most consistently brilliant independent comic on the market. Dark Horse Presents is more than a comic, it's an institution, and this special 200th issue wasa rousing success.

Valerio Schiti has been tagged as one of Marvel's next big artists, and this issue does nothing to dissuade that notion. His facial features are particularly strong, something that's important in such a dialogue heavy issue. Jonathon Hickman is one of the best writers in modern comics, and he's turned New Avengers into Marvel's premiere team series. Hickman has taken the best aspects of Bendis's Avengers run, and pushed them even further, creating perhaps the darkest Avengers book to date.