Do you remember what Brian Michael Bendis’ first major act as the Avengers’ writer was?
He blew up Avenger’s mansion.
Sure, it’s been blown up before but he annhilated it in Avengers: Disassembled, using the Vision and a quinjet to blast it to kingdom come even after he killed Jack of Hearts (the character’s second death in about a year) and the second Ant Man. And that was just the start of Bendis’ deconstruction of the Avengers which continued for over five years and has culminated in Dark Avengers, the book featuring an Avengers team made up of killers, psychopaths and Norman Osborn.
In Dark Avengers Volume 2: The Molecule Man, Bendis continues to use two previously ill defined characters, Osborn and The Sentry, to create a fascinating look at the two characters who probably best exemplify the current state of chaos and uncertainty that is the Avengers. Both characters in this book are struggling for control over themselves and others. Norman’s own inner demons (and even a few of his external ones) pull at him, almost making you feel something other than hate for this character. The Sentry, a character who it seemed that even Bendis couldn’t make interesting, becomes a truly frightening wildcats in Osborn’s plan, unable to be controled or killed.
The thing that Bendis has given these Dark Avengers are threats worthy of any Avengers team; certainly more worthy of the Avengers’ attention than the Hood over in New Avengers is. The first volume of Dark Avengers showed the team facing Doctor Doom, Morgana Le Fey and Atlantean terrorists. In this new book, Bendis has them facing the Molecule Man, a somewhat forgotten villain whose career highlight is probably Marvel’s Secret Wars. The Molecule Man is an apt opponent, particularly for Osborn and the Sentry, as his own trials and struggles are mirror images of the Dark Avengers’ personal dilemmas. Armed with uncontrollable and possibly limitless powers, the Molecule Man is constantly assailed by voices inside his head, which manifest in the forms of the Beyonder, the Enchantress, Dormamu and Mephisto, all creatures of deception. Just like Molecule Man, Osborn is shown in the book at the mercy of his own inner demons and goblins. The man is not nearly as in control as he wants to be.
The Sentry has been Bendis’ own personal obsession for a couple of years now, a character he has been struggling to make as important in his audience eyes as he is in the writer’s own eyes. By putting him under the sway of Osborn, Bendis is able to show the inner turmoil of the character without always having him break down into tears. There are times, perfectly drawn by Mike Deodato, that the character finally looks like a true superman, full of confidence, control and power. At those times though, he also looks like a terrible god, devoid of any humanity or compassion. Finally after years of moping around, the Sentry is finally gaining some self insight and unlocking his true capabilities and power.
Maybe it’s the shelf life of Dark Avengers is set to expire soon that’s forcing Bendis to concentrate on the characters in this title. Beside Osborn and the Sentry, Ares and Victoria Hand also get strong stories in this book. Ares has to face up to the fact that his son is working for/being trained by Nick Fury, a man whom Ares should consider an outlaw and an enemy. Bendis forces Ares to face up to certain questions about fatherhood that give the character more to do than stand around and swing his battle ax. Victoria Hand, who started out as a third rate Maria Hill knockoff (and that’s pretty low in and of itself,) is put into positions of power and responsibility that she’s woefully unsuited for. But Bendis gets to the hearts of each of their stories very quickly. He doesn’t spend countless pages and issues building up to something; he has these events happen in the characters’ lives and has them address them immediately. That’s the difference between giving Bendis 60 issues and only 12. With the impending Siege and Heroic Age that’s set to follow, Bendis does not have the time to meander with these character’s stories like he did with Spider Woman or Luke Cage over in New or Mighty Avengers.
As Marvel primes the pump for Siege, Dark Avengers is the book that ultimately defines the spirit of the last 6 years; it’s the culmination of deconstruction of the Avengers and the vacuum that’s left in its place. The Avengers gave way to the New Avengers, the Young Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Pet Avengers, the Illuminati, the Cabal and now to the Dark Avengers. As Bendis has written the New Avengers, they’ve been caught at the heart of this deconstruction, trying to rebuild but trapped in a cycle of wars and invasions that never give them the chance to rebuild what the Avengers had been. While the Mighty Avengers and even the Young Avengers have acted as stop gaps, it’s Bendis’ Dark Avengers that rise up to fill in the void left behind by Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. You’ve got two of those three archetypes alone in Norman Osborn and both the Sentry and Ares provide double the god power for Thor’s absence. For these “lost” years of the Avengers, the Dark Avengers are the rock bottom.
The other consistent strength of Dark Avengers (let’s ignore Matt Fraction’s “Utopia” issues for the time being) is Mike Deodato and the wonderful art that he’s turning in on this book. Dark Avengers has been a fantastic showcase of his work, showing a shadowy and dark side to classic superheroics. His Avengers are almost pure John Buscema, drawn at a classic 8 heads tall with barrel chests, just like Buscema taught us all in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Deodato’s artwork feels simultaneously classic and new, showing us the modern gods and goddesses that walk around in Avenger comics.
Dark Avengers Volume 2: Molecule Man is almost the end; it’s the penultimate adventure of Osborn’s Avengers but it’s also the end of Bendis’ complete destruction of the Avengers. He began his grand Avenger story blowing up the venerable mansion but that’s nothing compared to calling Bullseye, Venom and the Green Goblin Avengers. With Siege and the end finally in sight, Bendis turns in some of his tightest and best stories of this era of Avengers, beautifully drawn by Deodato.
Dark Avengers: Vol 2.: Molecule Man
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mike Deodato (additional art by Greg Horn)
Colored by: Rain Beredo
Lettered by: VC’s Cory Petit
Dark Avengers, Vol. 2: Molecule Man is available on Amazon.com.
