The Mighty Avengers has been a somewhat uneven book for a number of reasons. Delays in the first arc hurt it. The reaction to Bendis' use of thought balloons has been met with mixed reactions. Mark Bagley's art seems to be polarizing. And...some of the stories have seemed rushed or slightly off-center, likely due to the fact that Bendis is building toward his big Secret Invasion storyline.
I suspect that this issue won't change anyone's mind, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Here's what I liked:
1. The story really focuses on Tony Stark and The Sentry. Bendis seems to work best when he can get into the characters. And he seems to do that best when he can focus on only a few of them.
2. Bendis finally gets to use the Sentry in a way that makes sense to me. He's an emotionally damaged Superman. By including him on the team, Stark has set himself up as the babysitter and caretaker of the "power of a million exploding suns." That really comes out in this issue. Bendis also finds a way to make Sentry's "erased" history work for the plot.
3. The art. Bagley has his detractors, but the retro-80's look here is perrrrfect. It reminds me almost exactly of the comics I read as a kid. Bagley's art was well complemented by the colorist and letterer in this issue. The coloring, the sound effects, even the little Marvel messages at the bottom of the pages -- they were all a perfect recreation. Even Bendis' use of thought balloons works here, as it feels exactly right for the style of the comic.
4. I also liked little touches like Tony's armor talking to him throughout the issue. It becomes an extension of Tony's character and adds to the sparring match between the two armored characters.
If there's anything to complain about here, it's that I was a little unclear about the cliffhanger. But I suppose that's what I'm supposed to feel. I also think this feels like too short of a story. The entire series has been moving at a very brisk pace: Ultron, Symbiotes, Doom! It would be nice to see an epic storyline that builds slowly and explodes. But then, I guess that's probably what the upcoming "Secret Invasion" story is poised to be.
Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 4 - Very Good
