It’s been a few years since Bendis gave Luke Cage an internal injury that couldn’t be operated on, I guess it’s time once again. This time out, we open with a page of the various New Avengers’ internal monologues as they suffer under the genetic disruptor (Minus Mockingbird), then we segue to…
So they do, and Norman has a chat with Harrow, who says they’ll not only give him the disruptor and the New Avengers, but Harrow will show Osborn things about his armor only Tony Stark would know. So Osborn gives them the deal.
Ares is suddenly British? Bendis is forever spelling the British “oi” like the Jewish “oy.”
Man, it’s crazy to see “Iron Patriot” drawn well. It’s only previously happened in the FCBD thing. Well, that’s Bobbi, having somehow slunk away and gotten a Quinjet in, like, 3 minutes. She yells at her team to get up and get in, and… and they just do. None of them could stand upon page 1. Luke Cage is having a heart attack. And except for Ms. Marvel, who is more knocked out than the others for some reason and must be carried, they just get up and leave. How? Osborn gives, chase, and then this happens:
Ok. Immonen makes that look fantastic. So fantastic that you could perhaps be convinced not to consider that the genetic disruptor was preventing something like this from happening 2 seconds ago. That maybe you wouldn’t consider Obsorn is supposed to be this big, bad ultra-mega-villain now and Spider-Man just sonned him and left in one whole page, the shortest Spider-Man/Osborn fight of all time. Obsorn comes off like a jobber, easily stomped out by a guy who shouldn’t even be able to move! I mean what is going on?? Elsewhere, Loki is reiterating that the Stones of Norn can basically do whatever the Hood wants them to, and what he decides on is, when he shoots a bullet from one of his stupid, regular guns, it’s now accompanied by a rainbow special effect and explodes on impact. Not exactly aiming high, man! Meanwhile, the Avengers have gotten Luke to the Night Nurse. Even Carol’s fine now, but Luke is still having a heart attack and all.
The Dark Avengers show up outside, still looking cooler than they ever could in their own book, and Osborn shouts for the Avengers to give themselves up. I think it’s weird he calls them the Avengers. He should be calling them fugitives or criminals or something. His team is the Avengers, after all, both as far as the public is concerned and in his own mind. Right? The good guys, realizing Osborn is now the only one who can save Luke, are preparing to surrender.
Luke Cage, back in basically the same predicament Bendis had him in during Secret War, now once again going to Norman Osborn for help despite the risks, like he did in New Avengers 49. I mean, seriously, what are we doing here? This is not a high point for the series. Dark Reign just ain’t great…