New Avengers, Vol. 1 [Hardcover]

Brian Michael Bendis (Author), David Finch (Illustrator), Steve McNiven (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2007 | Grade Level: 4 and up

In the aftermath of Avengers Disassembled come the New Avengers! With the Avengers disbanded following an attack by one of the team's oldest members, a shadowy villain has taken advantage of their absence to initiate his ominous plans. Employing Electro to disrupt the electrical systems of the maximum-security prison known as the Raft, hundreds of super-powered villains are freed to wreak havoc on New York. Without the Avengers to answer the call, a group of heroes must form a makeshift alliance to subdue the rampaging villains and save the city. In the heat of battle, this new team fills the void left by the Avengers' demise - the New Avengers. After shocking the Marvel fans with the series-shattering "Avengers Disassembled" storyline, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch begin an all-new chapter in Marvel Comics history with New Avengers. Featuring a cast of fan-favorite characters including Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman teamed with the hard-edged heroes Luke Cage and the Sentry, New Avengers presents a 21st-century revitalization of the classic Avengers concept. Plus: The mystery of the Sentry revealed! The Avengers try to help the most powerful super hero in the world figure out who he is and where he came from! But will this knowledge destroy the man they're trying to help? Collects New Avengers #1-10, New Avengers Most Wanted Files, New Avengers: Custom #676: Army & Air Force.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (December 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785124640
• ISBN-13: 978-0785124641
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 0.8 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Superheroes

More About the Author

Brian Michael Bendis is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last eleven years, Brian's books have consistently sat on the top of the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel's popular AVENGERS franchise by writing every issue of the NEW AVENGERS plus debuting the hit books MIGHTY AVENGERS and DARK AVENGERS along with the wildly successful 'event' projects HOUSE OF M, SECRET WAR, SECRET INVASION, and SIEGE.
This summer will see the blockbuster new line-ups for AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS.
Other recent projects include the groundbreaking SPIDER-WOMAN MOTION COMIC, that debuted number one on iTunes TV sales chart and the New York Times best selling HALO graphic novel.
Brian is one of the premiere architects of Marvel comic's Ultimate line of comics. A line of comics specifically created for the new generation of comics reader. He has written every issue of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN since it's best selling launch in 1999, and has also written ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, X-MEN, MARVEL TEAM UP, ORIGIN, SIX and the ENEMY trilogy.
He is creator of the JINX line of crime comics published by image comics. This line has spawned the graphic novels GOLDFISH, FIRE, JINX, TORSO (w/ Marc Andreyko) and TOTAL SELL OUT.
Brian's other projects include the Eisner award winning "POWERS" (w/Mike Oeming) from Marvel's creator owned imprint ICON, and the Hollywood tell all "FORTUNE AND GLORY'. Entertainment Weekly gave both projects an "A." SONY and FX networks are currently developing POWERS for series with Brian as exec producer.
Brian is currently adapting his spy graphic novel FIRE for Universal Pictures as a starring vehicle for Zac Efron.
Brian is a member of Marvel studios creative committee, which consults on their numerous ongoing film projects. He has consulted on IRON-MAN and IRON MAN 2 and is currently consulting on THE FIRST AVENGERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR and THE AVENGERS
Brian has won five prestigious EISNER awards, including 'Best Writer of the year' two years in a row. He has also won over two dozen Wizard comic awards. Brian is the recipient of the Cleveland Press 'Excellence in Journalism' Award and was named "Best Writer of the Year." by Wizard Magazine and Comic Buyer's Guide for three consecutive years.
He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Alisa, his gorgeous daughters Olivia and Sabrina and his dogs Lucky, Max and Buster.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad start, March 27, 2008

By 

trashcanman (Hanford, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: New Avengers, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

From the ashes of the old Avengers rises another team of Marvel fan favorites both old and new. The first half of this book really shines and is packed to the gills with obscure vilains as much of it takes place during an island prison breakout insigated by Elektro. And when the island prison (known as The Raft) in question houses nearly a hundred super-villains, you'd best believe there will be blood. The action here is phenomenal and the coming-together of the new team flows quite naturally as the night's events progress. Matt Murdock -having been finally outted by the press as Daredevil- is on the scene as a lawyer with partner Foggy Neslon along with S.H.I.E.L.D agent Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman) and pal Luke Cage escorting them for security. Then all hell breaks loose. Spider-Man is soon on the scene, greeted by Captain America himself and the fight is on. Iron Man happens on the scene by happy coincidence and before the battle is done, the most bada$z villain in the place will meet his end at the hands of an incarcerated mystery hero with powers comparable to Superman's, The Sentry.

Once the smoke has cleared, Cap and Tony Stark decide the time has come to re-assemble the Avengers. All but Daredevil, who has problems of his own to contend with, accept. Sentry, being nearly insane, is gone... for now. Further adventures have the newly minted team going after the 40-odd supervillains that escaped in the prison break. First stop: The Savage Land. It is there that the team encounters Wolverine, and let it never be said that Spider-Woman is not hardcore after initial contact is made with the psychotic X-Man. After many more battles, a S.H.E.I.L.D plot is discovered and Wolverine is offered a spot on the team after Stark decides that there should be at least one Avenger with the guts to do what the rest of the team won't as a failsafe against another attack on the scale of Avengers Disassembled.

After this epic storyline closes, the next chapter lost me a bit. It deals with the mysteries of The Sentry and why such an immensely-powered being could exist with nobody remembering him. Clues are offered up in the form of vintage-style comic books and the story gets a bit meta for a while. There is a classic moment, though, when Sentry opens his front door to be greeted by the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, Astonishing X-Men, and the Illuminati to boot. So is he seen as a potential threat? I'm a gonna say "yeah". Long stretches are spent with an uncharacteristically motherly Emma Frost inside of the man's mind attempting to sort out his past as the rest battle a huge monster that apparently appears whenever Sentry uses his powers. Much of it is good stuff, but it just drags on a bit too long for my taste and after reading Joss Whedon's Emma Frost dialogue in Astonishing X-Men, it's disappointing to read anyone else's. Last on my short list of compaints is that Ronin never appears, which is disappointing after seeing all of the cool covers featuring the character and reading about him in the prologue by the author. On the other hand, this edition does give you an extra New Avengers/Fantastic Four crossover issue that was handed out to members of the Armed Forces and not previously available to the general public. The story deals with some leftovers from the Kree/Skrull war and is a nice read. There are also detailed character files on the Raft escapees included which feature commentary by the Avengers members who know them best.

If you want a taste of new-school Marvel hotness, then this isn't a bad place to start. It features a great cast of heroes and appearances by countless villains including impressive contributions by Sauron, Carnage, The Wrecker, and Hydro-Man to name a few. There are some humorous moments, the usual references to past character events, and most of all tons of action. If you're a fan of superhero teams, give it a shot.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch marvel hardcover., January 12, 2008

By 

Ken Baynton - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Avengers, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

This is a great way to be introduced to the New Avengers. This is a handsome hardcover graphic novel (comic book), and at 350-some pages it doesn't seem over too soon. The first arc focuses on a super villain prison break which brings together Captain America, Iron Man, Spider Man, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Spider Woman. 42 of 80 villains escape leading Captain America to bring together the New Avengers. On the hunt they end up in the Savage Land and run into none other than Wolverine and learn some very shady details concerning Shield. The second arc puts the spotlight on Superman....i mean The Sentry! Which basically is Marvels answer to Superman, but with those zany "Marvel flaws" that make there characters interesting. And his back story is ALL SORTS of interesting. With appearances by Emma Frost and the Astonishing X-Men.
There is a lot of outstanding character development and story telling here. The dynamic of having Luke Cage and Spider Man on the avengers, Tony and Steve's friendship on display, and Spider Womans nasty secrets really propels the story which is backed up by some OUTSTANDING art.
You won't be sorry with this purchase.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Avengers Assemble!", January 27, 2008

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Avengers, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

Before that messy event known as Civil War ever happened, the Avengers were "disassembled" thanks to long time member Scarlet Witch going all nuts and stuff. New Avengers begins with a massive prison breakout that soon re-unites former Avengers leaders Captain America and Iron Man, and unites them with Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Luke Cage. Soon enough, the New Avengers travel to the Savage Land in hopes of solving the mystery of the breakout, and soon team-up and gain a new member with Wolverine. The second storyarc here deals with the Superman-esque hero known as The Sentry (created by Paul Jenkins, who makes a cameo here as well, yes you read that right) who aided the New Avengers, and desperately needs the team's help. With appearances aplenty from the X-Men and plenty of various villains like Electro, Sauron, and more; writer Brian Michael Bendis is in pure heaven with the tales he weaves here. Though I was never too crazy about the New Avengers lineup when the series first debuted, New Avengers managed to grow on me thanks to Bendis' stellar love for the Marvel universe. David Finch provides great artwork, and provides a simply luscious looking Spider-Woman as well. All in all, this hardcover collection of New Avengers is worth owning for new and old fans alike, and even for those who missed out on the series when it first debuted.