As a fan of Gillen’s work, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to properly try his Thor run – not least because of his recently-established reputation as one of Marvel’s top writers of assorted Gods – but having not read a word of Straczynski’s run, found his first arc a little too difficult to get into. Tying more directly into Siege, however – and requiring much less in the way of background context, to the extent that even if you didn’t know your Norse Mythology you’d still get a good sense of most characters’ usual purposes – the first issue of his second (and final) arc is a much more accessible and appealing prospect.

And what impresses, really, is that for someone who’s still written relatively little for Marvel (although it’s a volume that’s growing by the week), Gillen works with such confidence and sure-footed-ness. He slots comfortably into Marvel’s current setup as if he’s been doing it for ages (although it can’t hurt that he has existing ties with contemporaries of such importance as Fraction), and on a job that was so significantly redefined by a previous incumbent, it’s no mean feat to pick up the characters and setting and work with them so naturally. His trademark wit, though, is evident throughout – most notably whenever the Asgardians have cause to mention Volstagg (“only a serious threat to roasts”, apparently), although it’s also no mean feat to turn in a laugh-out-loud reference to Twibbons (not to mention using Youtube as a plot device) in a book so heavily based around characters and customs around a millennium old. Meanwhile, his aforementioned and distinctive flair for Godly dialogue continues, with the speech patterns of the assorted Asgardians flowing in a way that just feels right without ever lapsing into “TO BE CONTINUETHED”s and the like.

Plotting is strong, too, with the decision to centre the story around Volstagg a wise one – in Gillen’s hands, he’s a truly delightful character (if a slightly cliched likeable bumbler), and you feel genuinely sorry for him as he tries to deal with the mess he’s been unwittingly thrown into. Notably, too, a potential major slipup in Siege‘s own plot is averted – just how can you surprise attack Asgard when Heimdal’s around? – and I don’t know if this is part of the overall plan or if it’s simply something that Gillen’s sought to address, but it’s deftly handled, with a cunning bit of scheming given to Loki. The countdown to “Ragnarok” (another neat juxtaposition of a very modern and film-esque storytelling device with a word so resonantly classical) also turns out to be a neat feint, even though it subsequently leads to an appearance of someone/thing that we’d all probably rather forget even exists.

All in all, though, this is strong work – not even hampered that much by employing two different artists, each quite different in style – as Billy Tan sticks to Volstagg’s scenes (and imbues him with appealing character expression), while Rich Elson gives a lusher, more classical feel to the Asgard pages. Speaking as someone who’s never had a huge interest in Thor as a title (I get my Norse mythology from Neil Gaiman, mostly), this is a surprisingly and immediately engaging read. And while I’m sure Matt Fraction’s got plenty of big ideas lined up for when he takes over, there is a slight disappointment that Gillen’s only around for such a short time.

Given Daredevil’s heavily self-contained nature over the last ten-plus years, it’s strange to see Marvel effectively put the first issue of the new direction in a one-shot. Then again, given that the time is about right to move the character away from the Bendis/Brubaker version, perhaps it’s not so strange at all. Daredevil’s new position as Leader of the Hand is, in part, related to the events of Secret Invasion and Dark Reign, so it seems to make sense to expose the status quo to new readers in the series-of-one-shots, The List.

Joining the new series writer Andy Diggle on his first Daredevil story is Billy Tan, also doing his first Daredevil. After years of gritty, sketchy, urban depictions of Daredevil and his cast, it’s strange to see such an obviously superhero-influenced artist take the character on again, but not entirely unwelcome. Tan has always done his best work during action scenes, and Diggle gives him plenty to work with here. Unfortunately, the book opens on a conversational boardroom scene, where all of Tan’s weaknesses bleed through, so the initial impression isn’t particularly good.

Although the story ramifications aren’t quite as event-level as Hawkeye’s fate over in this issue’s “Avengers” counterpart, there is at least one major curveball thrown, giving Daredevil his very own Stamford-style disaster that will hopeuflly come into play further down the line. If Diggle’s intent is merely to illustrate how “the game has changed” then it could be a bit crass – but the lack of any direct Daredevil/Bullseye confrontation in this issue gives me good reason to expect that there’s a good, old-fashioned Daredevil beat-down coming Bullseye’s way eventually – which is as it should be.

As a lead-in to Daredevil’s new direction, this issue works, showing enough about Daredevil’s role leading the Hand to get the story going, while still leaving enough questions for casual readers to want to come and find the answers. As a believable tick off Osborn’s “list”, however, it’s a lot less convincing – Osborn doesn’t seem to have strengthened his own position by sending Bullseye after Daredevil, and indeed, it’s not clear how he expected to either. If it was actually as simple as “kill Daredevil”, Bullseye would have done so long ago, and his failure to do so only emphasises the pointlessness of this edict. It’s a good story, but I can’t shake the feeling that it would have made more sense as an issue of Daredevil rather than a Dark Reign special.

Given the criticism that this arc of the New Avengers has attracted, I expected to find myself in a minority when it came to this issue, as I’m fond of a number of the elements on show here. While I’d still maintain that the book’s receiving some unnecessary stick at the moment, I do find myself unexpectedly in agreement with a general complaint about recent comics, and one that I previously thought I’d remain detached from.

The hunt for Doctor Strange’s successor isn’t going well, with the Avengers still one step behind the Hood in perusing the new sorcerer supreme. Strange is out of his depth in these circumstances, but a number of events fortunately giving away the location of Robins’ target. Despite the criticism that Billy Tan’s art has attracted, his style here manages to successfully convey the nighttime setting without loosing any clarity from events. His talent for action sequences serves him well here, with the silhouetted fight between Spider-Woman and Madame Masque being particularly striking. Brian Bendis also goes to some lengths to avoid the issue being pure combat, with effort taken to show Strange as being out of his depth and a welcome continuation of the fallout from Peter Parker’s unmasking and its effect on Luke Cage. Although readers of this arc alone might be rather nonplussed by the cliffhanger, the character that appears was used in the book not too long ago, and provides a welcome twist to the plot.

In summary, this is a book of quality, and a reader who has never been that intrigued by the Thunderbolts concept, it presently appeals to me the most of the three Avengers titles on the market. The general complaint that I mentioned is one of price. It may be old news, but at the time I wasn’t too concerned about the raising of the entry charge for many of Marvel’s books to $3:99. The difference seemed minimal, and wasn’t enough to deter me from any of the books I picked up regularly. New Avengers #53 is a solid comic, but not the sort of exceptional venture that I’d find myself willing to hand over £3:15 to read, when I could be getter better value for money from another title. I’ve no particular attachment to any of the characters here, and I can experience better work from this writer elsewhere. If this price rise becomes permanent, I can now see the reason for concern about the behaviour of “casual” readers.

Even though “the search for a new sorcerer supreme” isn’t quite the draw that someone at Marvel seems to think it is, New Avengers is still an enjoyable title, largely because it allows Bendis to do what Bendis does best. Which is, to say: talking. Lots of it. For the second issue in a row, a fair chunk of this issue revolves around super-heroes standing still and chatting about what’s going on. If you don’t truck with that, then fair enough – but go read Mighty Avengers instead.

The problem with that, however, is that the tone of the writing isn’t properly suited to the capabilities of the comic’s artists. Bachalo’s scenes often look wonderful, but as is typical with Bachalo’s current work, the action can be hard to follow. It’s exactly the sort of place you’d expect some dialogue to keep things a bit clearer, but all too often we get monosyllabic, if not entirely mute scenes. Meanwhile Tan, who just about manages to be at home drawing action, is forced to illustrate lavish speeches that rely on a subtely and preciseness of expression that Tan is incapable of. I hope you like your Avengers with cold, dead eyes, because that’s what you’re going to get from this title.

In fairness, the story itself is much more engaging than the trouncing I just gave the art would suggest. The threat of someone unwanted – perhaps even an outright villain – becoming Sorcerer Supreme is tangible, and it’s made even more amusing by the closing scenes which indicate that the new Sorcerer might actually be somewhere between the two. Few people will entirely understand the Hellcat references in the closing pages, but those of us that do get it will certainly be amused.

It’s fair to say that this isn’t quite the screaming-out-of-the-gate restart that New Avengers fans  after Secret Invasion finally buggered off, but it’s not horrible – it’s just a pity that it’s being massively outclassed by Dark Avengers. Does Bendis only have the energy for one great idea at a time, and if so, can we maybe think about him handling 50% of Marvel’s output for a while?

New Avengers is a title under the fairly real threat of losing its “top billing” status at the moment. A price hike combined with the end of the title’s long-running lynchpin, Secret Invasion, has left the book feeling a little superfluous to requirements, especially now that Dark Avengers is, for now at least, taking over the series’ position as Marvel’s “event” title. Meanwhile, regular artist Billy Tan, despite improving in leaps and bounds over the last year, is still far below the required level for “New Avengers” talent.

Tan’s attempts to convey the subtler expressions demanded in the opening scene where Carol watches TV are fairly painful – though more worryingly, out of costume, the character isn’t even recognisable through art alone. Elsewhere, Jessica Jones, previously a noteworthy example of a female character who wasn’t all breast and thighs is reduced to sporting the interchangeable T&A look that Tan seems incapable of deviating from. If an artist can’t even the features and body language of Marvel’s most well-defined female character right, one has to question whether they’re really ready for New Avengers.

Still, someone seems to be aware of this – alongside Tan’s sequences, we also see artwork from Chris Bachalo, who turns in some of his best work in years. A perfect choice to illustrate Dr. Strange’s sequences, Bachalo has shown a tendency to allow his love of experimental page-design to override his storytelling, but in this issue, the balance is perfectly pitched. Sadly, such work largely serves to highlight Tan’s inadequacy.

Of course, art rants aside, New Avengers #51 shows that Bendis and Breevoort are aware that the series has to raise its game. The writing is as good as New Avengers has ever been – the issue contains several sequences that’ll leave fans grinning, not least of them the long-awaited “first meeting” of Jessica Jones and Peter Parker, finally following up her retroactive insertion into Amazing Fantasy #15 back when Alias was wowing readers with “The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones”.

The overall arc, a quest for a new Sorcerer Supreme, is less instantly engaging, but still shows promise, bringing together Marvel’s various magic-wielders for an apparent magical epic the likes of which New Avengers hasn’t tried before. If that’s the direction the series is going, then it will, if nothing else, herald a return to the stand-alone, Marvel Universe-trotting arcs that made New Avengers a success in its early days, and that can only be a good thing.

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Someone should talk to Bendis about how he approaches New Avengers. As fellow-reviewer Seb recently said to me, they should really just re-title this series “New Luke Cage” and have done with it. Cage is, and always has been, the most well-developed character in the book, and whenever Bendis gets a chance to really dig into him, the series noticeably improves as a result.

The apparent resolution of the “Aliens took my Baby” story was remarkably quick to arrive, given the usual length of time this sort of sub-plot could be spun out from. Apparently, its main purpose was to give the New Avengers and the Dark Avengers something to fight over next issue (aside from the question of who gets to be the real Avengers, presumably.) Cage immediate reneges on his deal with Osborn is an odd turn, as his decision to appeal for Osborn’s help seemed to be a laboured-over decision – one which turned out to be well justified. I can’t help but think Cage’s situation would’ve made for better dramatic tension if he had remained in Osborn’s debt – after all, Cage is a man of principles (well, usually) and it doesn’t seem to fit with his usual characterisation for him to go back on his word.

We are left, then, with the lingering question of just what the point of this Baby Cage-Jones subplot was. There were strong hints early on that she was a Skrull, or connected to the Skrulls, and when JarviSkrull kidnapped her, it seemed to all but confirm it… and yet, what we find it that the kid was actually nothing more than a bargaining chip for his protection? Something doesn’t quite ring true – a large amount of pagetime went to the child over the course of Secret Invasion, and this quick ending feels like evidence of an aborted storyline. If not, it’s simply a flat-out poor attempt at misdirection on Bendis’ part, because if the plot really has culminated with this 2-issue story designed purely to lead into the big issue #50 fight then it doesn’t remotely justify the build-up.

Criticisms of the plot mechanics aside, the issue really is well up there in terms of how enjoyable it is. Whether it increased sales or not, New Avengers’ extended visit to crossoversville did not see it maintaining the high quality of the title’s earlier material, and the phrase “return to form” would certainly not be unfair to deploy at this point. Traditionally, the series only lasts less than a year before the crossovers start taking over again, but perhaps if we’re lucky, Dark Avengers will take some of the flak this time?

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