After a long stretch of feeling insignificant, the last few issues of New Avengers have peeked to perhaps the high point of this entire book's Marvel Now run. It is weighty significant drama that is being played for very high stakes. It's hard to see where the end game of this story will be. The Illuminati are fighting a threat with no villain they can punch to save the day. With growing rumours that Marvel might be gearing towards their first ever full brand wide reboot, the level of threat in New Avengers might just make New Avengers the most important comic book for fans that follow the ongoing continuity of the brand. Read Full Review

New Avengers #22 was a great aftermath issue. The conflicts that were building between characters finally come to the forefront in an emotionally powerful and brutal battle between fallen angels. Phase one of New Avengers is certainly ending with its stronger set of issues yet. Read Full Review

I have no idea where this story is going, and it's certainly compelling - but it's getting into terribly dark territory, and I don't see much hope of a happy ending. Read Full Review

After a stellar previous issue, New Avengers takes a slight step down in quality to deal with the aftermath. I don't know if it was the rushed shipping schedule or what, but the art suffers, and the story itself just isn't as strong as what Hickman wrote just one issue prior. Read Full Review

Unfortunately, the art doesn't work terribly well with Jonathan Hickman's epic scripting. Frank Martin's pencils seem rushed, with flat, lifeless characters and very little variety in facial expressions. A little more visual consistency would do this series a world of good. Read Full Review

This issue of Jonathan Hickman's New Avengers (which really ought to be titled Marvel's Illuminati, because this group's actions aren't really those of heroic Avengers) struck me as a particularly noteworthy one. In terms of story, it's one of the strongest episodes in the run, getting to the heart of the real conflict this gathering of Larger Than Life Men has contended with from the start of the series. And visually, it stands out as one of the weakest of the run, in that the style in which the characters are presented this time is a wholly conventional one for the genre. Hickman sums up the central theme of this series perfectly here, but artist Kev Walker's approach to this sullen and dramatic script seems like a poor fit for the subject matter. Read Full Review

Far from underwhelming, New Avengers #22 is an intense brawl between two characters that Hickman has developed brilliantly throughout the series. Fans of both Black Panther and Namor will be pleased. A fight between the two heroes was inevitable and a long time coming but it feels a shame that such a significant turning point for the title lacked the participation of the entire cast. Read Full Review

However, despite the strength of the script, the issue falls disappointingly short due to the work of artist Kev Walker. A poor fit for the tone of the book, his poses are stiff and awkward, with facial anatomy that proves increasingly inconsistent and somewhat off-putting throughout the issue. Four-to-five panel pages attempt to create drama through action sequences but read more as filler instead, with the panels consisting mostly of flat and empty background space. Interspersed as they are with random splash pages, theres no real sense of tension, leading to a very bland and visually disjointed reading experience. Read Full Review

New Avengers is becoming a book where you continuously question the heroic nature of the characters involved. The story continues to be epic in scope with ramifications that will last long after this story concludes. Although this issue is a calm after the storm, it still moves the story forward, while also moving this group of characters further apart. Although the art doesn't do the serious nature of the story justice, this issue is still a must read to see how these characters cope with such difficult and emotional choices, as well as seeing how the Illuminati are slowly breaking apart. Read Full Review

"New Avengers" #22 takes the step over the line in the sand that Hickman has been drawing since this series joined the Marvel NOW! lineup. Unfortunately, the big payoff lacks the emotional resonance readers may have expected. Amazingly, it also feels incomplete, as "New Avengers" #22 focuses so tightly on the Illuminati and their infighting rather than the larger picture Hickman has been painting for two years' worth of tales. Read Full Review

Great issue picking up the pieces from that bombastic last one. Namor and T'Challa's rivalry is so compelling... and I find myself cheering for both of them. That's what good writing will do for ya. The art here wasn't good, otherwise I'd rate the issue higher.

Good, necessary aftermath issue

A step down in the art department from previous issues, but the story is still strong.