Customer Reviews

New Avengers, Vol. 6: Revolution (v. 6)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a few sub-par volumes of the series, Brian Michael Bendis puts the New Avengers back on top with Revolution. Picking up after the tragic events of Civil War and the death of Captain America, Luke Cage re-assembles the New Avengers: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Ronin, and new members Iron Fist and Doctor Strange. The book begins with Hawkeye, back from the dead, seeking help from Strange and searching for the Scarlet Witch. Later on, the Avengers run afoul of Iron Man and his team of Mighty Avengers as they embark on a trip to save Maya Lopez from the clutches of Elektra and the Hand, which leads to a big shocker that will have you begging for more. Bendis' writing is back at the level it was when he originally launched the book, as he presents the most compelling New Avengers story since he took the reigns of the title. The artwork from Leinil Yu (who provides a majority of the pencils with Bendis' old Daredevil partner Alex Maleev providing some guest work) is more than solid as well, which only makes Revolution all the sweeter. All in all, Revolution puts Bendis and the New Avengers back in the saddle of being Marvel's top super hero team, and with things about to come to a head in the post-Civil War Marvel universe, it should be interesting to see where things go from here.

New Avengers: Revolution, I have to say was quite impressive. At first I was slightly frustrated when I read the book unknowing of the many holes that each issue left, however upon reading more of the book I realized the brilliance of its setup and saw that each issue slowly, but surely filled in each hole and gave me all the answers I pondered. The return of Clint Barton and the first confrontation of the New Avengers versus the Mighty Avengers was impressive enough, but just when I thought things couldn't get more exciting, bam a shocking revelation is made that made me wonder, who do I trust? It quite simply was amazing and I enjoyed every bit of it and encourage others to read it and discover the truth to the future of the Marvel Universe.

"The New Avengers, v.6: Revolution"
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Gathering issues #26-31, this volume is a postscript to Marvel's "Civil War" plotline, with the rebel remnants of the Avengers carrying on after Captain America has been killed... Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Doctor Strange and a handful of others are on the run, with Iron Man and his government-backed posse hot on their heels. Although I'm not wowed by the artwork (Alex Maleev does a fine one-shot episode with Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch, the rest of the book is illustrated by Leinil Yu, whose composition supports the story, but whose adds scraggly details that sometimes obscure the characters features of distort their faces...)

Anyway, the artwork is fine -- it's functional if occasionally distracting -- but the real fun comes in the story, with Brian Michael Bendis finally back in the zone. We get a lot of Luke Cage, which is what I've been waiting for the whole time, and Spidey is still fun in a group setting. Bendis doesn't seem to have much of a handle of (or perhaps interest in) Wolverine, and although Jessica Jones gets a lot of time onscreen, much more could be done with her character. These are all just quibbles though -- this was an enjoyable volume, and the series seems to be gaining momentum. The ending -- key to the upcoming Skrull-related "Secret Invasion" story arc -- actually comes as a real zinger. Let's hope Bendis can keep the quality up in future volumes! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

New Avengers: Revolution collects New Avengers #26-31, originally published between 2006 and 2007. The issues take place after the events of Civil War (collected in Civil War and Civil War: Avengers) and lead into Secret Invasion (collected in Secret Invasion, New Avengers Vol. 8: Secret Invasion, Book 1, and New Avengers Vol. 9: Secret Invasion, Book 2). Some familiarity with the former is necessary to fully appreciate what's going on in this graphic novel, but enough context is supplied to prevent new readers from being lost.

Story-wise, this is one of Brian Michael Bendis's best contributions to the New Avengers series. Issue #26, which re-introduces Clint Barton (formerly Hawkeye) after his apparent death in Avengers Disassembled, offers a quiet and tender single-issue love story. The remainder of the graphic novel tells of the New Avengers' post-Civil War activities. As some reviewers have noted, the plot is a little convoluted (the exposition jumps back and forth in time), but it is not difficult to follow.

As for the art, Alex Maleev's work on issue #26 is simply beautiful. His coloring provides a sensuousness rare for superhero books, while his delicate pencils expertly foreground Clint's emotional struggle. Leinil Yu's work for the rest of the graphic novel is in a more traditional superhero style, but it is also excellent. Fight scenes in particular are laid out beautifully, battling figures drawn like agile dancers.

For casual readers, this graphic novel will provide an enjoyable read. For collectors or those planning to read the entire New Avengers series, you're better off buying the hardcover New Avengers, Vol. 3, which collects issues #21-31 as well as a number of one-shots.

I really enjoyed this volume of New Avengers. The title gets a bit of a shake-up after the events of Civil War with a revamped, underground Avengers team featuring a black-suited Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider-Woman and the welcomed additions of Iron Fist, Dr. Strange and Ronin (a much-missed old friend wearing new duds).

The volume begins with beautifully rendered art by personal-favorite Alex Maleev. (Wonderful to see Bendis and Maleev together again!) I don't want to spoil anything for you, but this tale in particular focuses on a long-missing Avenger and his search for a former teammate. Consequently, he doesn't quite find what he's expecting. Writer Brian Michael Bendis delivers a simplistic story invoking powerful characterization and potent emotion.

The rest of the volume features art by Leinil Yu and the new New Avengers. Yu's art is a conundrum for me. It's not particularly pleasing to the eye, yet it is absolutely charismatic and captivating. Yu is adept at delivering interesting angles and frames while cleanly progressing the story. I find myself studying each and every one of his drawings perhaps more than any other comic book artist in recent memory.

I'd also like to congratulate Brian Michael Bendis. He obviously wrote Revolution with Civil War and the then-upcoming Secret Invasion in mind, and so he's careful to catch the reader up while planting seeds for the future. However, this is not what especially impressed me. What did impress me was the fact that Bendis played with flashbacks and perspective in order to deliver the whole of Revolution. Instead of giving us a linear story playing out from issue to issue, he took an artistic approach and allowed the reader to bridge some gaps and become mentally involved in deciphering the plot. Don't get me wrong, even with the interesting technique, it's a pretty straightforward story, but such added touches go a long way in satisfying me.

Overall, with the eye-catching art, inspired story-telling, and new additions to the team, New Avengers: Revolution was a very good experience.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

Following the Civil War crossover, there were two new teams of Avengers. The Mighty Avengers were Iron Man's registered super-team that were allowed to operate by the government. Then there was this team of New Avengers. Even though they had lost the war, this team (led by Luke Cage) continued to carry on Captain America's ideals even though they were fugitives on the lam. This volume has our heroes hiding out in Doctor Strange's house, on the run from the Mighty Avengers. Pretty soon, they're called on by the former Ronin, Echo, who has in distress in Madripoor. This leads into a showdown with Elektra and the Hand, with a surprise twist at the end! You won't believe it! Speaking of things you won't believe, wait until you find out who's taken on the Ronin identity!

By itself, this is too much action and not much story....never thought I would utter those words. However, there are some important pieces here that bridge "House of M"-"Civil War"-"Secret Invasion". More than anything, this feels like a transition book that doesn't really fit together as a book.

The Skrulls are coming, and the New Avengers come across a clue to this huge Marvel event in this graphic novel. Love the direction of this book, art, and story, will leave you asking for more. So if your a fan, this is must for New Avengers & Secret Invasion!

Revolution takes place just after the events of Civil War. As a result of Civil War, the New Avengers roster goes through some changes and the New Avengers find themselves on the run as a result of their stance regarding the Superhuman Registration Act.

I stopped reading New Avengers until a friend recommended this trade to me. I loved it. The storyline, unlike past New Avengers storylines, was not disjointed and the story progressed in a logical and orderly fashion. The end of Revolution made me want to read the next trade, New Avengers: The Trust, but I'll have to wait until it comes out in softcover. I disliked Bendis's New Avengers until I read Revolution and it appears Bendis has vastly improved in writing this title.

There were two things I didn't like though. The first was that I didn't like the scene where there were racial overtones between Wolverine and Luke Cage over Wolverine joking that Luke Cage was Jessica Jones "manservant". Even though I am a white American, I thought this should've been left out. The second thing I didn't care for was the issue where a certain resurrected Avenger goes looking for Wanda Maximoff to get some answers to his questions. I thought the idea was good but the ending just seemed disappointing.

I do recommend purchasing this book though.

Ok this was a fun read... the script itself is great but the REAL PLOT is not as good as I expected. Mostly a storyline that takes you nowhere. Anyway I'd recommend this if only for Leinil's awesome artwork. This guy's always been amazing and he just kepps getting better. So many characters per page and he still rocks.