From Marvel Comics, Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Danny Miki, Paul Mounts.

Well, its not as good as New Avengers #1.  That’s the quick review.

The longer review is that this is a perfectly average comic.  The writing is good, the art is good, but there isn’t anything special inside at all.  The Avengers are revealed, and its not the team on the cover.  No, instead its the current continuity team that exists in the non-summer blockbuster movie effected rest of the Marvel universe.  Hulk and Bruce Banner are in the same body once again, which means I really need to get caught up on Incredible Hulk and find out what the hell is going on.

The villains of this book are the Zodiac.  A group of 12 super villains with astrological inspired super powers.  They are trying to steal/collect some thing that exists in multiple parts around the world.  Most likely 12 parts.  And… that’s it.  Hulk fights one of them.  Black Widow and Hawkeye fight another, and are later joined by Iron Man and Thor.  Captain America doesn’t do anything.  Hulk isn’t on the team yet.  The cover is very misleading.  This team has not assembled.

Also, the Zodiac are not villains to care about.  In New Avengers the break out was on the Raft and whether it was one panel or a larger battle it was fun to see all of the bad guys from across the Marvel U. locked up inside (or, now escaping).  The Zodiac fails to bring with it any reasons to care about them.  No nostalgia, no history, no development.  Sure its nice to see some fights, but there is a lack of drama in this comic.   Everyone will be fine, nothing bad will happen, the Zodiac will all go to jail by the end.

This book is meant to be a way to get the millions of comic book movie fans into the comic book store.  When finally there they will find this book which is just boring.  I’m excited to buy some Hulk issues to figure out how that plot was resolved (if at all) but not excited one bit for Avengers Assemble #2.