Customer Reviews

New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets and Lies

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The third collected volume of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers is nowhere near as good or enjoyable as the first two volumes. In saying that, what we get here in Secrets & Lies isn't bad at all, it's just not as compelling as one would hope. Secrets & Lies starts off in familiar territory with the New Avengers taking on Hydra who is trying to free the Silver Samurai, and leads up to Captain America recruiting a mysterious new member named Ronin. As the TPB continues, Spider-Woman's secrets get revealed, as Cap learns the truth behind the return of her super powers, as well as just who she is working for. The entire synopsis that you just read is actually more interesting than the actual events taking place here in Secrets & Lies, because Bendis just doesn't seem to be that into the story himself. Ronin isn't that interesting of a character in my opinion, and the book focuses on too many single members (particularly Cap) than the group as a whole. David Finch's artwork is his usual great stuff, as is the work by Frank Cho which is featured here as well. All in all, Secrets & Lies isn't at all bad, but Bendis has done much better with the series, and this is his low point so far.

bendis is always a reliable writer, and he does a good job with these stories that w/ another writer would've just been filler. the first three issues (#11-13) bring the team to japan where hydra and the hand are trying to use the silver samurai to join forces, but the ending is too abrupt and clearly leaves the situation open to future story arcs. we do have the plus of some great fight scenes, attention given to spider-woman, and the reappearance of a character that fans of the daredevil series will enjoy seeing back in action. the 8-page story from giant-size spider-woman #1 and issues #14 and 15 are more interesting, w/ the full story about how spider-woman got her powers back and who she's working for, the public debut of the new avengers, as well as some insight into where ms. marvel's headed. david finch's art is as good as ever, and frank cho's is worthwhile as well. not one for the ages, but a good read and it'll have you looking forward to vol. 4.

I have to admit, Frank Cho's pencils on Spider-Woman in this graphic novel are absolutely eye-popping. No one has ever drawn a sexier looking superhero. Spider-Woman just glistens with menace. Brian Michael Bendis outdoes himself with subterfuge in this one. Is Spider-Woman a double agent? A triple agent? Or something so complex readers may never know? One thing for sure, she's being totally victimized.

Bendis obviously has a lot of fun writing this one. And I'll bet he's had it planned since the beginning. Spider-Woman is a favorite hero of his, one of those fractured and broken types he seems especially fond of.

Borrowing a lot from his run on Daredevil, Bendis brings in Matt Murdock and all the problems that hero is currently having in his own comics. Bendis also provides a new hero, Ronin, that also comes from the pages of Daredevil. That's another mystery that lies within the pages of this graphic novel. There's little doubt from the onset why this volume is called Secrets & Lies. Not only are the characters lying to each other, but Bendis conceals a lot of information from the reader, although much of it is there on the page if you go back and look through the issues after reading them. I couldn't figure it out, but when I went back and looked through the pages, the clues are all there. He played that mystery fairly.

The artists provide a lot of action in this story arc. We have ninjas galore, which constitutes a lot of Spider-Man's one-liners and humorous exchanges with Luke Cage. The attack on the penthouse in Tokyo is awesome. Of course, having all of the comedy going on at the time between the characters would have been impossible. The bit with Luke Cage returning on the elevator after being knocked off the building and falling 20 floors is amazing. Even more humorous, the elevator music from the 1980s reflects Cage's dark mood and the impending violence he's about to unleash.

Then we get to the betrayal part with Spider-Woman and Bendis kicks his readers in the teeth with unexpected surprise after unexpected surprise. The arrival of the Silver Samurai immediately suspends the readers' curiosity about Spider-Woman, though.

Aboard the Quinjet, Spider-Woman's duplicity surfaces yet again, and this time she almost manages to kill Captain America. Not surprisingly, Captain America is highly suspicious about the prisoner's escape.

The segue into a backup feature from an issue of Spider-Woman shoehorns neatly into the overall arc in this graphic novel.

Then Frank Cho steps in to do the penciling the last two parts. He showcases Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel, two of his favorite heroines to draw. Bendis keeps the story coming fast and furious, and when he wraps the arc up, it's hard to tell exactly how Spider-Woman is going to come out of everything. Yeah, this is just another reason I'm going to keep reading The New Avengers graphic novels.

This third installment in the Brian Michael Bendis-penned "New Avengers" features a story arc centered on Spider-Woman, who unfortunately seems to be under the sway of the evil hordes of Hydra, who once again have reared their many evil heads. Recruited as a double-triple-quadruple agent, Spider-Woman gets busted by Captain America, and has to confess about her divided loyalties... It's a character development I don't entirely buy, but the book whizzes along at a fair clip, regardless. Personally, I'd go for more of a group focus -- the banter between Spider-Man and Luke Cage is consistently the most entertaining part of the book (and this time they even get the straight-laced Captain America in on the act!) Anyway, this is a decent super-team book, and I'm looking forward to it gaining momentum.

I'd give this volume a 3.5 if I could.

(Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

I liked the New Avengers and am a big fan of just about all of them, but I would recommend to stop buying after Book Two. The first one was the the best of the three of them, (then again aren't they always?) but after that the whole plot started to take a downward spiral. The whole plot with the Sentry was ok, but could have made more sense, but I just didn't get the direction this one took. Spider Woman, who I would like to picture as more of a 'tough cookie' character, was made into a dishonest Barbie girl and Wolverine as well was butchered. (Think slob.) Not much attention is given to the characters other than Captain America (as usual)and Spider Woman(great, when she finally gets publicity, it's negative...)

To sum it up, in my opinion, not the worth the money. Read it at a local book or comic store.

In this third volume of New Avengers, the team heads to Japan to help new teammate Ronin. Just who is Ronin? For months, fans believed it to be Daredevil. Well, guess what? It isn't! You'll find out in this volume, though. Also included is a two part Spider-Woman story drawn by Frank Cho! But are we really learning her secrets? Or are they just more lies?

The first two books were pretty good, but this was just awful. Does anyone really like Spider-Woman? Can anyone explain why her name is Spider-woman when she shoots beams from her hands and flies around? Marvel must, because they have been trying to push this horrible character which took up almost this entire book. She is not even likable as a person as she just causes trouble for the Avengers and is a backstabber...and maybe a Skrull.(?)Save your money.

Tight plotting and witty as usual dialogue pack these pages. Overall, the story progresses more in volume 3 than it did in volume 2 which was more of a character study. Similarly to volume 2 which shined a spotlight on 'The Sentry' this volume focuses on 'Spider-Woman' but directly ties into volume 1 and the whole over-reaching arc of 'New Avengers.'

Here we have the quite silly Ronin subplot, a mysterious masked hero that none of them know about except for the boss. The Silver Samuria, ninjas, and other posturing silliness. The best part about this is the Spider-Woman spy saga. She cannot currently tell if she is a triple, quadruple, quintuple or whatever other sort of agent.

Pretty cool ninja fight in the first couple of issues, with some hints about the upcoming Skrull invasion of the Marvel Universe (look really close...). Who's working for who? Does it even matter once the shurikens start flying? The ninja action continues in New Avengers Vol. 6: Revolution! This is the Avengers like you've never seen them before, and that's going to turn some fans off of the series.