Even if you have no idea what's going on in this series so far, this book acts like a completely isolated story. It definitely contributes to the overarching story, but if you didn't know any better, this could have been just a fun one shot featuring Shang-Chi and his teammates being badasses. This is definitely an issue that I'll be recommending to all my friends whether they're keeping up with Hickman's 'Avengers' or not, however, I'll be sure to remind them that they really should be. Read Full Review

In the end what we take out of this is that Shang-Chi has now learned to adapt, and adapting for him is to know that he can rely on the use of weapons in combat. Tradition is always something he follows, yet even that can change. It was interesting in the end to find out that with his own fight he found out A.I.M.'s true intentions. Read Full Review

I admit, I struggled with the rating for this comic a little bit because it really felt like it fell between a four and a five star rating. Sure, the fact that readers had to suspend their disbelief to really fully enjoy this issue was a little bit of a problem., but the fact that we're given such entertaining dialogue, great layouts, solid pacing and some nice art by Mike Deodato makes picking up this issue this week a no-brainer. This is a big change from what we have been reading in THE AVENGERS thus far but it surely won't disappoint fans of these characters and of this series. Overall this was a nice change of pace and it feels like a good place to start reading if you have yet to check out this series. Read Full Review

While action purists will likely make their way towards Uncanny Avengers, the Hickman faithful will still find plenty to like about Avengers #11. Even with its characters out of costume " or perhaps because of it " Hickman shows there are more directions the Avengers can go besides punching a bad guy in the face. As he continues to build up A.I.M. and his secondary heroes, Hickman just needs to start delivering the A-listers, and Avengers will truly live up to its full potential. Read Full Review

So, the only complaint I have about the art is something entirely personal and pretty irrelevant. Pretty solid, right? I'm pretty sure if you like her hair, you won't have any issues with the art. But don't quote me on that. Read Full Review

This is the kind of Avengers comic I was hoping to read! It's a very fun use of the characters, it treats the Avengers (and their enemies), as people first and superheroes second. It's funny, it's charming, and it's very, very well drawn. Plus, it's just plain cool to see the Avengers don civilian wear to infiltrate a super-villain casino. That's just an awesome plot. Sam and Bobby have the best time paling around with some AIM soldiers, even if the two of them are being written like douchey ‘bros'. I can forgive the out-of-character Cannonball when his scenes are this much fun. The Shang-Chi stuff was fine, but his vague, first-person narration clouded the point of the scene. I guess there's some new villain corporation named Chimera that we have to be watching out for? Whatever, the much more enjoyable stuff was the legitimate team building, finally. Read Full Review

The issue doesn't bring a whole lot to the board as far as the ongoing story goes, but it does leave a bit of a hint for the future at the end. It's a nice, lighthearted issue that I found really welcome before we head into the Savage Land starting in #12, and it echoes the early days of Secret Avengers quite well. Read Full Review

While some may say the issue suffers from continuity whiplash with regards to the previous storylines, I found this to be a pleasant departure that explores the rest of the teams dynamics. In the art department, Deodatos pencils continue to be a great complement to the book. His dynamic layouts and panel transitions give the story a smooth cinematic feel, with the help of Martins dark atmospheric colors. Overall a very engaging and enjoyable read. Read Full Review

Avengers #11 is another piece to the puzzle that Jonathan Hickman and, as an extension, Nick Spencer have been building towards. Hickman is able to further reestablish AIM as a strong organization and show the wide array of characters he has to play with in the Marvel Universe. The AIM plotline also gave us the opportunity to see different members of the Avengers get time in spotlight that they would have otherwise not gotten. Read Full Review

How well this issue, or any for that matter, fits into Hickman's grand scheme remains to be seen. At this point, I am on for the ride and loving each issue as a stand-alone story, but I know that soon or later things are going to start to make sense on the “next level” of this story. Until that happens, it is great to see Hickman utilizing his large cast of characters and tell interestingly themed stories. It doesn't hurt that Mike Deodato manages so many striking visuals either. Read Full Review

Set against a diverse amalgam of perspectives "Avengers" #11 spans comic book conventions, offering everything from high-stakes action to boisterous humor. It delivers something for everyone. Deodato's art compliments Hickman's careful narrative perfectly. This issue presents an opportunity to get to know members of the team that could have become faceless factotums when set against the names everyone knows crowd. Hickman brings them into the limelight and allows the audience to invest themselves in these characters. This issue may not be the action-packed, A-list, free-for-all that you were expecting, but it builds a strong foundation using character, innovative storytelling, and craft that will serve the title well as Hickman continues to build complex, towering stories. Read Full Review

Avengers still has a few problems, but is still a great book. The rotating artists wasn't as big of a problem as I anticipated. I thought they might clash. Read Full Review

It almost goes without saying that "Avengers" #11 is, like every other issue these days, also a little slow paced. Sometimes that pacing works well, sometimes it feels like "Avengers" is being dragged out a great deal. This time it falls into the middle of those two positions; it's still slow, but moments like Sam and Bobby parting with AIM Agents give it a certain pep that otherwise wouldn't be there. I'm still enjoying "Avengers," but I am starting to wonder just how long things are going to build. It's still good, but a tiny bit of enthusiasm is starting to chip away the longer that we get that climactic moment delayed. Read Full Review

Artist Mike Deodato does a stellar job with the casino scenes. The body language, the facial expressions, the visual gags -- all executed with expert craftsmanship. Only the Shang-Chi parts had any snags. There's one page where he's fighting some ninjas and then he seems to have been struck, yet we don't see what happened and instead get a shot of the Chimera dude standing still. Aside from that, this is a great looking issue, it's just unfortunate that it's tone and subject matter stick out like a sore thumb when compared to previous issues of this series. Read Full Review

AIM is coming for the Avengers. I can’t wait. Read Full Review

What a fun issue! Hickman takes a break from the over-story to give us a down-to-the-beat espionage tale with clever plot and oftentimes hilarious situations, including a scene where AIM agents and a few Avengers call truce for the night and party like it's 1999. Shang Chi kicks ass in some beautifully orchestrated scenes with touching inner dialogue from Chi via Hickman. And Black Widow is aptly portrayed here as a killer at heart, a vision that not many writers of late have sunk their brain-teeth into. Great issue.

This was a fun one-shot.

Fun issue.

The Aim guys with a suit while wearing the helmet made me laugh.