Mighty Avengers #24

I was really hoping that this book would knock my socks off, just to give me an excuse to write about the Avengers universe in general, and wouldn't ya know it? It did.

When I first got big into comics, Kurt Busiek and George Perez had just saved the Avengers from Rob Liefeld's dystopian nightmare world, and I ate up every issue of this action-packed, character driven epic about the adventures of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And you know what? They were! They fought great embodiments of evil, saved the universe and protected the innocent, all while bickering amonst themselves and proving that your flaws are just as much a part of your inner hero as your virtues.

But then things changed. Wanda went nuts, the Avengers got New, the Wars got Civil and the Invasions became Secret, leading us to one of the most interesting eras in Marvel history.

But where did this leave the Avengers?

Desperately trying to keep their heads above water as their entire world, their way of life, crumbled around them. These days all that the New Avengers can do month to month is react to danger coming their way, all the while hoping to make a dent in Norman Osborn's evil empire.

It's great, but it's not quite... Avenging, I guess.

Mighty Avengers, for me, has recaptured that feeling that drew me into the Avengers mythos in the first place: a group of heroes, diverse and flawed, working together to triumph over foes no single hero could defeat. While certain other Avengers are mired in bureacracy or defending Doctor Doom, Hank Pym and his Mighty Avengers are hopping the globe, fighting villains and keeping the world safe. In an inspiring speech, Pym asserts that the Avengers need to exist above politics, saving the world for it's own sake. And I couldn't agree more.

But none of that would matter if the book didn't have the quality to back up the concept, and it does. Mighty feels classic without feeling dated, using fresh, young characters to play off of the older, established Avengers. While the set-up may seem familiar, the nefarious subplot (Loki, natch) brings an added level of suspense and mystery. Meanwhile, the book makes excellent use of the current Dark Reign storyline, showing just how Osborn would react to a team of actual Avengers doing his job better than him. That's the great twist, I suppose: In the current Marvel climate, just getting a team together to fight crime is a bold and revolutionary act!

There's no doubt that Bendis can write a meeting issue like no one else, but when it comes time for some actual Avenging it seems that Slott's the one with the quinjet and the battle cry.

...

Oh, okay:

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!