Looking forward to future issues! Read Full Review

I guess it is possible that this will get better, so I will hold out a bit of hope. Heck, from here it can't get much worse. Oh, and if this is any indication of how the movie characters will act and speak, it is time to get worried... Read Full Review

Overall, it's not such a bad comic. With talent like Bendis and Bagley driving the ship, you could sure do a lot worse. There's some fun stuff going on, sure, and it's not bad to look at. Still, "Avengers Assemble" does a poor job of introducing the Avengers to a new audience or keeping the existing one fully interested. In the end, it feels like everyone involved is relying just a little too much on the hype machine to do the heavy-lifting, which seems pointless considering how hollow it is on the inside. Read Full Review

Eh, same Bendis, different title. While I am grateful that Norman Osborn didn't pop up here, the dialogue was still the same dialogue Bendis has been using for years now... The stuttering, the repeating, the inane conversations, they were all still here. Now, the story has some potential, as Bendis is at least giving us a threat from the Avengers past(for a change), but with a twist. I'm interested in seeing where this series is going to go, but I must admit, I am a bit disappointed in what we got here as well. Oh, and I love how Hulk and Thor were here even though things haven't been straightened out for them in their own series's... Read Full Review

The art from Mark Bagley is pretty standard comic book fare. Nothing happening within these pages is bad, but it's also not art to get excited about. Bagley's pencils tell the story, that's it. His work doesn't heighten the book, which would be more acceptable if the story was a little more interesting. I doubt I'll keep buying Avengers Assemble but, if you are dying to learn about one of the best superhero teams ever before the movie comes out, I guess you could do worse. Read Full Review

There isn't anything here readers of genre fiction haven't experienced before, but it's competent and classic in all it accomplishes. Each character is highlighted in a spot-on moment, the villains are clear (although their goals have built up a nice mystery), the action is compelling, and it's anything but decompressed storytelling as the team is formed from issue #1 and already thrust into a narrative struggle. I can't help but lament, however, Bendis' waste of natural talent. He's long since abandoned his true calling, crime fiction, even having steered Powers in a more traditional superheroic direction. Being waist-deep in superheroes can't be his ultimate goal as a writer. Can it? Read Full Review

Brian Michael Bendis (Powers) & Mark Bagley (New Warriors, Ultimate Spider-Man) are the creative duo behind this new series. Writing The Avengers is second nature to Bendis, the heroes & villains are quickly set up & the action is fast paced. Looking at Bagleys illustrations is like visiting an old friend, his visual style is perfect for this type of high octane super team. I like how the villains have a typical villains meeting and comparing themselves to the mafia made me chuckle. My only complaint and its a minor one, is that this series is hyped up only because of The Avengers movie and thats fine, but I predict when the movie comes to an end by the end of the summer, so will this series. From Marvel Comics. Read Full Review

Avengers Assemble #1 isn't a terrible entry point for new readers, as it's light on continuity and easy to dive into. Unfortunately, there could and should have been more substance to this issue. Read Full Review

I swore off Marvel's Avengers line a few months ago when I realized the entertainment I derived from reading them was eclipsed by my frustration with some poor editing and writing choices, notably when it came to continuity. When this title hit the shelves at comic shops this week, I decided to venture back into Avengers territory. Not only am I looking forward to the movie that serves as the marketing catalyst for this new title, but it seemed as though it would be unencumbered by the continuity issues and seemingly never-ending plotlines that frustrated me in the first place. I was right - this first issue stands up on its own. One needn't really have followed other Avengers comics to appreciate what's unfolding here. Unfortunately, the story doesn't come off as all that interesting, and the heroes seem surprisingly ineffectual. Read Full Review

The main problem I have this comic is that it seems pointless. Its in continuity, but not one of the main Avengers titles. It features the cast from the film and mentions the film on the cover, but is not fully accessible to people with knowledge of the films only. Im sure plenty of people could follow the plot regardless, but the marketing seems wrong nevertheless. The writing is fine and the art is quite good, but as there seems to be no clear market for this series, I cant fully recommend it to anyone. Read Full Review

I have no idea how many issues we need to read before we get something of a plot or an understanding of the villains. Without it, there is simply nothing to separate this book from the many other books that have come before. If a newcomer is patient enough they may end up enjoying this story immensely. However, this book is not the best these creators are capable of and it's a shame because the concept was a sound one going into the movie and its hype. Read Full Review

I would say do not waste your money on this issue. It was not a good start for the series. I will probably not pick up the next issue because I did not really see any potential after reading the first issue. Read Full Review

Danny Djeljosevic is a comic book creator, award-winning filmmaker (assuming you have absolutely no follow-up questions), film/music critic for Spectrum Culture and Co-Managing Editor of Comics Bulletin. Follow him on Twitter at @djeljosevic or find him somewhere in San Diego, often wearing a hat. Read his comic, "Sgt. Death and his Metachromatic Men," over at Champion City Comics and check out his other comics at his Tumblr, Sequential Fuckery. His webcomic The Ghost Engine (drawn by Eric Zawadzski) will debut in Spring 2012. Read Full Review

Avengers Assemble #1 reads like a very average superhero comic, which for a line-fronting book with an A-list creative team, is simply not good enough."" Read Full Review

"Avengers Assemble" #1 is a very strange comic that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. While the movie tie-in will ensure strong sales, I can't help but get the impression there is no purpose to the book beyond the specific collection of film-adapted characters. It is worth noting Bagley's pencils in static moments are as strong and clear as ever, bolstered by Paul Mounts' colors, which bolster the impression of this being a traditional superhero comic. I just wish the plot contained something new, despite the traditional superhero look. With comic shop shelves overflowing with comic books with "Avengers" in the title, the directive of "Avengers Assemble" #1 should have been to provide a driving force to stay aboard for issue #2. Unfortunately, much like whatever the bad guys are up to and whatever's inside the stolen package, this force is left entirely out of the book. Read Full Review

Whatever the cause, Avengers Assemble is not only a missed opportunity, but also a simple failure. Read Full Review

Cover-C+
Writing-F
Art-B-
Story-F
Total-D+