(Marvel)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Mike Deodato & Rain Beredo

First issue of the new world order after the defeat of the Skrulls in Secret Invasion.  Tony Stark has been completely discredited for his role in the superhero registration act that eventually culminated in the death of Captain America (Steve Rogers that is).  Being the Director of a SHIELD that failed to spot an alien invasion also means that the super-spy organisation is no more.  Instead, former back-from-the-dead Green Goblin (the original one, Norman Osborn) is now in charge.  This means replacing Earth's Mightiest Heroes with a team of his own making and also building a new SHIELD, now to be known as HAMMER (his assistant is charged with deciding the full name!).

First off, Norm's got to find heroes who want to side with an 'ex' super-villain.  Obviously that means none of the Avengers.  You think?  I thought having Ares as an Avenger (more villain than hero in the past) was pretty stupid but whaddayaknow, it works out.  Ares cares about battles and warriors, not good and evil.  Aside from Sentry (not quite sure why he's there, maybe something to do with curing mental illness?), the rest of the Avengers consist of a familiar line-up, Ms Marvel, Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hawkeye and Captain Marvel...mmm...well, almost.  Mostly, they are members of the Thunderbolts, y'know, the crime-fighting organisation made up of super-villains?  Actually, this is really a Thunderbolts comic.  Something even Bendis admits in a conversation between Osborn and Moonstone (or Ms Marvel as she know is).

After the story comes a little set-up concerning Nick Fury, Agent of...Nothing.  As he visits Captain America's memorial, he remembers a speech given by Cap to the Howlin' Commandos (Fury's wartime squad) asking for brave men to stand up to evil.  As it turns out, Nick is giving the same speech to a bunch of young super-recruits, to be continued in Secret Warriors.

Ok, not always so easy to judge these openers.  Obviously, the whole issue is just setting up events to come.  Having said that, it's certainly piqued my interest.  The choice of characters for the Dark Avengers to step in to the shoes of the former super-heroes is certainly interesting.  Can these characters be controlled?  Will the new brutality of the Avengers (I'm assuming there will be some) make the population suspicious?  In fact, is it Osborn's intention to hide from the people that these are not the Avengers of old?  Presumably but what will happen when they come up against the real Hawkeye, Ms Marvel, Iron Man and Wolverine?  And how does Doom fit in?

Writer Bendis is sometimes a bit wordy, as is his wont.  He often excels in the minutiae of life, rather than the super aspect.  Often, this is a compliment but sometimes, where the grand flowery language of, say, Roy Thomas, is required, we instead get an Eastenders speech.  Having said that, another of Bendis' arsenal is the large conspiracy plot.  As the webs begin to interweave, we see hints here and there of threads from old and possible new doorways.  Given his past history, Dark Reign should be a rollercoaster of a ride, with some surprising characters coming to the fore.  I'm looking forward to it.

 Chris Smillie