It’s been a long time since both New and Mighty Avengers were released on the same day. It’s also been a long time since New Avengers wasn’t terribly painful for me to read. Coincidence? Maybe. With both of Bendis’ books being released last week, now seemed like the best time to throw the two books together in one review and see what comes of it. I’ve compared the two titles in the past but things have changed since then. Would Mark Bagley’s final issue as a Marvel artist do him justice? Would New Avengers…not suck? Let’s find out.

New Avengers #39
I’ve had my own issues with this comic over the last little while because of a number of things. For starters, Bendis’ writing was really falling flat compared to the earlier issues of the comic. Back in the first couple arcs, the action was nonstop and the stories were interesting to read. Following Civil War, it felt like New Avengers became an entirely different book and I wasn’t overly pleased with the results. Since then, it’s been up and down but with issue #39, for whatever reason, things got a lot better. Bendis’ writing seems like it’s back on track with Secret Invasion looming on the horizon. I never thought I’d say this but Echo is actually a pretty decent character to read about…assuming she’s working with Wolverine and the two are fighting a Skrull that’s trying to attack and replace her. Great story by Bendis in this issue that gives readers a much better look behind the scenes of the Skrull invasion.

David Mack is an artist that I’ve heard a number of things about but, to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never had the chance to see in action. That all changed with this issue of New Avengers and, to be honest, his art is very good. I’ve really enjoyed this monthly change of artists on the title as it’s given me a chance to check out some of the lesser used talent at Marvel. Mack happens to be one of those talents that is rarely used but is definitely comparable to some of the best artists in the industry.

New Avengers #39

7.9/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Mighty Avengers #11
Bendis seems to always give the Mighty Avengers a little bit more attention that the other group. This is fairly evident from all the stories he’s written so far as he manages to keep this team very true to the classic Avengers mold that longtime readers can probably see. Fighting villains like Mole Man and Dr. Doom help prove that point. As with the issue before this one, the action is non-stop and manages to clean up all the loose ends from the Venom Virus / Dr. Doom time travel story that’s been playing out over the past couple months. The ending of the book also makes way for the upcoming Secret Invasion story which is fairly convenient.

As I’ve said in the past, Bagley just doesn’t work for me. There’s something rushed about his art that seems very “DC”. I guess it makes sense that he leave Marvel for them. He should be right at home doing the art on the new weekly series from the company. Anyway, Bagley’s art is the lowest point in this issue for me but, to be fair, it’s not the best but it’s also far from the worst. I suppose it’s passable. I’ll be much happier when issue #12 rolls around and we have someone new on pencils.

Mighty Avengers #11

8.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

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And the winner is…
While New Avengers managed to get back on what appears to be a somewhat decent path, the awesomeness of Mighty Avengers just can’t be ignored. The final showdown between the Avengers and Doom really sealed the deal for me and seeing him manhandled by Sentry and then thrown in prison was pretty entertaining. That being said, New Avengers was a solid read compared to most of the issues that have come out in the last couple months. It’ll be interesting to see how this new fling between Echo and Hawkeye plays out with Secret Invasion kicking off this week.

So, make sure you grab Mighty Avengers #11 when you head to the local shop. If you’ve got the coin, grab New Avengers #39 too. Both great books this month and perfect leads into Marvel’s Secret Invasion.