Some tiny heads in there. How’s the back cover look?
Not too good! As with any anniversary numbered issue, Bendis makes this a jam comic, which means 2 things: 1. In addition to Billy Tan, you get a bunch of other artists. 2. The rhythm and experience of the story will be derailed by every single art change. For New Avengers #50, the guest list is Bryan Hitch with Rain Beredo, David Aja with Dave Stewart, Michael Gaydos, David Lopez with Alvaro LopezAlex Maleec, Steve McNiven with Dexter Vines & Morry Hollowell, Leinil Yu with Mark Morales and Dave mcCaig, Steve Epting and Greg Horn. Some of the most important comics artists of the 21st Century, and Greg Horn! Despite how last issue ended, we open on the New Avengers pausing the broadcast to try to figure out who the Dark Avengers are before running over to beat them up. Surely it can’t be that hard to guess.
Luke Cage, the only guy in the room who’s awake! “Where’d he get a black costume Spidey,” asks Spider-Man, who has fought Venom 100 times. Sheesh.
Spider-Man’s “You’ve had sex?” line is so funny. Cuz, like, Wolverine is supposed to be this animalistic wild man, right? I think he should smell terrible. I think he should be disgusting. But instead, especially post-Hugh Jackman, he’s this cool, suave guy with “rugged good looks.” He’s Harrison Ford. He should be so stinky! I feel like Spider-Man’s joke speaks to who Wolverine should actually be. Well, everyone has to stop freaking out for a minute to catch Bucky up on what’s going on, because he’s not exactly current on most things. Then they being debating what to do. Bucky points out they can’t go beat them up and turn them over to the authorities, seeing as how they are the authorities. Clint says they should “expose them for what they are,” but lemme tell ya, especially typing this from 2025, I fully do not believe that would matter at all. The Carol mentions the Stark tech the Mighty Avengers used to de-power the New Avengers when they fought in New Avengers 29, and says she can get that tech, and then beating the Dark Avengers would be no problem. Everyone has really glossed over Bucky’s excellent point about having no endgame. Having no endgame was a glaring problem for Cap’s side in Civil War, it was an obvious problem with World War Hulk, this just keeps happening. They’re trying to figure out how to lure the enemy into their trap, and Spider-Woman says she thinks that’s where she comes in.
This page hints at what I feel is the fatal flaw of this whole enterprise, which is: Norman Osborn wants to be a hero. On his own terms, in a flawed and ultimately evil way, but he’s genuinely committed to making his Avengers good guys. Why? Whyyyyy? He’s a ruthless, amoral mass murderer who has just conned his way into ultimate power, which he immediately convened a cabal of evil(ish, sometimes) people to carve up the world with. He’s a bad person. But he also, sometimes, for no clear reason, seems committed to being a force for good. I just don’t get it. Didn’t then, don’t now. It doesn’t work for me.
Jess kind of hilariously gets over on Venom, Bullseye, Marvel Boy and Moonstone in 2 whole panels, just demolishes most of this way more powerful team in seconds before the Sentry grabs her by the wrists and stops her. Makes them seem a lot less scary. Jessica offers Osborn the location of the other team. Osborn sagely points out Luke Cage just tried this on him, but Jess reiterates that she just needs somewhere to be. Norman seems to like it. Then our scene shifts to the former headquarters of the Hellfire Club, now abandoned. Wolverine’s idea. Carol explains the power dampener can be circumvented by taking some pills she happens to also have (I would be ready to think she was a skrull, at this point), and that they’ll only have a few minutes. Then Spider-Woman shows up, saying they’re right behind her. But Spider-Man and Wolverine both sense something is wrong, and then the wall blows open, and…
We will never be rid of the Hood and his goons. Not til Bendis leaves the Avengers, anyway. As the pointless battle is joined, Norman and his own goons watch from nearby. He says he knew it was a trap, and now he doesn’t care what happens. He also didn’t like the optics of attacking Captain America. So, they leave, presumably to go be in Dark Avengers 2, and with that, the cavalcade of guest artists begins.
Almost impressive how much hypersexualization Bryan Hitch manages in one drawing with only 4 women in it.
David Aja was the artist for the Brubaker/Fraction Iron Fist run, the best one ever, so this is a bit if a no-brainer…
…and of course, Michael Gaydos has plenty of recent history with Luke Cage now…
Want to guess who draws a Hawkeye & Mockingbird series in this moment? Why, it’s David Lopez, artist on this page!
Hey, who had recently almost done himself in working on a Spider-Woman series with Bendis which was also released as a “motion comic,” the incredibly stupid non-starter of an idea comics embraced so hard around this time, which forced him to do several issues’ worth of work per issue before he burned out and they just quit making it? Alex Maleev!
Steve McNiven launched the Brand New Day era with his misguided Todd McFarlane impression, of course.
Leinil Yu’s star was born drawing Wolverine.
Steve Epting co-created the Winter Soldier and set everything in motion for Bucky to become Cap with Ed Brubaker.
And Greg Horn did at least a bunch of soft porn, plastic-y looking covers for Ms. Marvel, so here he is to reprise that experience for anyone uncool enough to want it. Some aggressively obvious, ugly 3D model work on this page. It’s amazing what terrible crap has gotten popular over the years. Rob Leifeld. Greg Land. Greg Horn. Well, that’s it for the guests. We just decompressed this story down to a sub-manga crawl to satisfy the jam requirement, and now we can get back to the story. Like, you could cut those pages and miss nothing. Art’s nice on a lot of them, but it just doesn’t improve the comic. Well, Ms. Marvel suddenly remembers her power to absorb and redirect energy, and has Spider-Woman juice her up so bad the energy explodes out of her, improbably KOing the whole bad guy mob without hurting our heroes, and then they beat a hasty retreat. Back at Bucky’s place, they all react and overreact to what happened until they think for a second and realize Osborn has clearly made a behind-the-scenes deal with the Hood. Which is not something you do if you’re actually trying to be the Avengers! But they’ve figured it out, and Clint storms out on a mission…
Well. That seems like it’ll cause a stir, doesn’t it? It’ll also cause some continuity issues, as I recall, but that’s pretty standard for the period. The back of this book is a preview for Dark Reign: Fantastic Four, the stealth launch of Jonathan Hickman’s all-timer FF run. While the Millar/Hitch run was sputtering to a close, growing later and later while also not being very good or successful, Hickman gets going on a 3-issue mini before taking over the main title. Meanwhile, the Millar story ends up wrapping in a big oversized special issue because it was running so late, with art by some guy who just does a bad Hitch impression. Not too hot. Anyway, that’s that. Time to rewind the clock a little and witness the Dark Avengers’ first adventure. It’s… uh… it’s something…