New Avengers #39

With Invasion of the Body-Snatchers looming around the corner, this issue of New Avengers is the last before we're thrown into the hooplah that is Secret Invasion. Naturally, this issue should be all about hyping the Skrulls, which it is.  Whether it succeeds is another matter entirely...

This issue is, obviously, very Echo-intensive.  Echo doesn't believe the Skrulls are attacking.  Then, Echo is attacked by one.  So, Echo now believes... and sleeps with Hawkeye.  Honestly the "one Skrul-lektra doesn't mean an invasion" device has been used twice now by Bendis with Namor and Jessica Jones.  We really didn't need to see it for a third time with Echo, especially since SHE'S the one who ran Elektra through.  However, it does beg the question on if Strange told the others about the Black Bolt incident.

While Bendis is typically very good at dialogue and subtlety, this issue felt very rushed and forced at times.  The conversation with Echo and "Daredevil" just doesn't ring true. even if the latter turned out to be a Skrull.  It took TWO pages to figure it wasn't Matt.  It takes Echo less time to eyeball a  Skrull than it takes Ultimate Peter Parker to decide the Venom suit is a bad thing.  It comes off as rushed and forced, not something Bendis is typically guilty for, whom is often considered the Master of Decompression.  Still, the scene fell flat and felt like just a catalyst for the big fight between Echo, the Skrull, and Wolverine.  The fight is the cornerstone of this issue.  There's nothing overly spectacular about it, other than it shows once more that the Skrulls have spent a great deal of time trying to duplicate the X-Men's powers as the Skrull shows teleportation and optic blast skills.  There's nothing particularly good or bad about this fight.  It's pretty standard fare.  I do appreciate that Bendis specifically demonstrates here that Echo is deaf after a few points in the past of her appearing to respond to voices while NOT looking at the person's lips.  It might be Yu's fault more than anything but I was pretty certain Echo was a Skrull for that exact reason.  She might still be as a sleeper agent, but I suppose we'll see.

The interaction between Clint and Maya is probably the highlight of this issue.  It's been pretty clear to all reading that these two would wind up in bed.  It's an interesting angle on the two even if it does ring a little less like they actually like each other and a little more like the two are simply connecting in a high-stress situation.  It is rather amusing that she doesn't remove her boxing bandages for sex, but maybe that's just me.

I'd be amiss if I didn't mention the art.  Mack, sadly, seems to have copied not one, but two Alex Maleev Daredevil covers for his art of the Skrull posing as Matt among other apparent xeroxes of other pieces of art. It's a little disappointing, if not kind of messed up.  On top of that, Mack's art doesn't seem to pop here without the painted inks and abstract visuals like he's done in the past and comes off as very middle-of-the-pack.  I really expected more from Mack here.

As the prologue into the New Avengers' end of Secret Invasion, this issue didn't really get me excited.  I'm feeling woefully apathetic about the Skrulls and this issue didn't exactly boost my interest.  It feels like a very standard one-off story featuring one of the lesser known Avengers of the team, similar to the Civil War issues earlier in the series.  This wasn't necessarily a bad issue, but being the last big push before we leap chest-deep into Skrulls, I feel this issue was kind of a wasted opportunity.